*Read Ruth 2:14-23
Last week, I was asked to speak at a church in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. The church reached out for help regarding its health and redevelopment, so I was eager to meet with them.
Shamokin is a town filled with wonderful people and delicious food. (I like all kinds of foods, but most of my favorite foods come from the mining regions of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.) Shamokin is also a town that has its struggles. Many people are living in poverty. A high percentage (possibly around 30%) of homes have been abandoned and allowed to deteriorate. And the epidemic of drug use has also impacted the community.
After meeting with the church and walking to my car, I passed by one of the rowhomes on the same side of the street as the church building. It was a chilly evening, but there were two young boys standing in the doorway with the door wide open. As I passed by the house, I heard an adult yell to them, "Close that door and get inside!" As they did, I happened to notice that the glass on the door was smashed and it looked like it had been kicked in at some point. In general, the house looked like it was ready to be condemned. I mentioned this to the pastor and he informed me that it's widely suspected that the home is a "drug-house" with lots of people coming in and out of it all the time.
I have been thinking about those children ever since, and wondering what their lives are like. I was able to walk by that crumbling building, get in my car, and drive away. But, at least for the moment, those two boys are stuck there. I wonder if they feel stuck or if this is just something they're used to so they don't think much about it. I wonder if they feel forgotten or overlooked? I also wonder how common their situation is in their community.
Depending on the season of life we're going through, it might be easy to feel overlooked. I think it's a pretty common question to wonder if God is noticing us and our needs. Maybe that's a question you've asked recently, or maybe you can think of a challenging season earlier in life when this was the kind of question you asked regularly.
God notices us and sees what we need. He's well aware of our immediate needs, but His eye also remains focused on the long-term things we need most. Often, the things we think we need aren't what we really need at all, but it can be hard to understand that while we're in the midst of our struggles. It's hard to think of God's compassion while we're struggling.
The book of Ruth demonstrates the compassionate heart of God in many ways. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of this book to help us understand more about the heart of God through the ways in which His character was demonstrated in the lives of those who walked with Him closely and trusted Him completely.
Ruth 2:14-23 gives us a powerful glimpse of what it looks like when God notices us and meets our needs. At this point in Ruth's story, the Holy Spirit had impressed upon her heart to leave Moab and move to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. In the process, Ruth expressed her allegiance to the Lord as well as her desire to remain loyal to Naomi, even though most people would have expected Ruth to return to her family of origin. The Holy Spirit had also directed Ruth to begin gleaning barley in the field belonging to Boaz, and the Spirit prompted Boaz to show Ruth extraordinary favor.
The manifestation of that favor continues to be displayed in this passage. We're told that Boaz invited Ruth to eat with him and the reapers at mealtime. He provided bread, roasted grain, and wine for her to enjoy. In fact, he made a point to generously give her more than she could naturally eat. This allowed her to gather up this delicious food and bring it home later that day for Naomi to enjoy as well.
After the meal, when it was time for Ruth to continue gleaning, Boaz waited until she was out of earshot and instructed his workers to let her glean even among the sheaves. He also told them to intentionally pull some of the already gathered barley out of the bundles so that there would be extra for Ruth and she wouldn't have to search hard to find scraps in the field.
Gleaning was hard work, and Ruth was willing to do it. She was clearly a woman of character. I think there are many things that demonstrate her character in this book, but one very obvious example was her work ethic. Scripture makes it clear that she was internally motivated to work. She sought work and didn't wait for it to land in her lap. When she gleaned in the field, she started early in the morning and kept working until evening. Then after gleaning, she beat out and winnowed what she gathered and she was able to collect an ephah of barley which was between five and six gallons in our measurements, and could have fed both women for a couple weeks. If my math is correct, that would have been about 25-30 lbs. of barley (maybe even more) which Ruth then carried home without complaint.
Imagine Naomi's joy when she saw what Ruth brought home to her. I'm certain she was thrilled, and she asked Ruth where she had been gleaning that day. Ruth told her that Boaz had shown her kindness and allowed her to glean in his field. I think this brought even more joy to Naomi than the food because Boaz was a close relative of hers and one of the men who, according to the practice of levirate marriage, was a potential "redeemer" of their family.
The practice of levirate marriage is explained in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 where it says...
““If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’”
In this practice, I see a demonstration of God's compassion that's similar to the gleaning provision He made in Leviticus 19. God was codifying into the law ways in which women would be cared for and a lasting legacy for a family name could be secured. When Naomi spoke of Boaz being a "redeemer", she had this provision in mind. We're about to find out that while he was a close relative, he wasn't the closest in the line of redemption. But if the relative that was technically closest wasn't willing to follow through on these obligations, Boaz was willing.
But let me ask you, have you ever tried to arrange a date between two people that you thought would be good together? There are some people who have a knack for doing that, and other people who probably should take a break from doing that. Usually, that's a well-intentioned activity, and I think my wife would be willing to confess to attempting to do this more than once with people she cares about (including and especially our own children).
Ruth's comments seemed to activate Naomi's match-making reflex. I say that jokingly because I fully believe the Holy Spirit was behind the activity and ideas that are described in this portion of Scripture. Upon hearing about the kindness of Boaz toward Ruth, Naomi started crafting a plan, and the first part of her plan involved encouraging Ruth to keep gleaning in the field of Boaz throughout the barley and wheat harvests. Ruth accepted her counsel, and would continue to accept the wisdom and counsel of Naomi, leading to amazing blessings in coming days.
When we look at a passage like this, there's an obvious appreciation we can develop for the historical realities of what took place. But we should also keep an eye on the part these events played in the redemptive history of humanity and the ways in which the heart of God for His children is being revealed.
When the Bible speaks of redemption, it's speaking about purchasing the freedom of something that was captive or buying something back that was experiencing harm or detriment. The word "redemption" should be one of the sweetest words in the English language to us because of the redemptive work Jesus accomplished on our behalf. We were lost, but He found us. We were foreigners that He made part of His family. We had no lasting name, so He gave us His own. By grace, through faith in Jesus who shed His blood on our behalf, we are redeemed. The book of Ruth keeps coming back to the concept of redemption in an attempt to help us understand this important spiritual reality.
I love the other spiritual concepts that are illustrated in Ruth 2:14-23 as well. When Boaz invited Ruth to dine with him, I couldn't help but be reminded of the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:20 which states, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Jesus seeks to have the kind of friendship and fellowship with us that a meal demonstrates. The invitation to share a meal that Boaz gave to Ruth is a great reminder of this.
I also love the demonstration of spiritual maturity that's given to us as we observe the life of Boaz. Some people claim to believe the teaching of God's Word, but then live their lives as if their goal is to do the bare minimum of whatever God requests or requires. Boaz wasn't like that. His goal was to go above and beyond when it came to living out the teaching of God's Word. He wasn't required to provide extra barley or meals for Ruth, but he did it anyway. As his story unfolds, we'll soon see that joyful obedience to the Lord was a trait that characterized his faith. Could the same be said of us? Are we joyfully obedient to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who has rescued and provided for us?
One other thing I want to point out from this passage is found in Ruth 2:19 where Naomi said, "Blessed be the man who took notice of you." Those words were spoken of Boaz when Naomi saw the effects of the kindness and generosity Ruth had been shown. These words remind me that our lives can serve as a visible testimony of the kindness and generosity we've been shown through Christ. Because the gift of salvation has been secured by Jesus and offered to us, and because a future in His kingdom has been guaranteed to all who trust in Him, we can clearly say that He has taken notice of us. Our lives can serve as a testimony to others that He is willing and able to bless them in the same way.
If you're wrestling with the question of whether or not God is paying attention to you and your needs, I hope you'll take some encouragement from Ruth's story and the ways it helps illustrate the story of redemption that's woven all throughout God's Word. God's timing is perfect. He may teach you patience while He answers your prayers. He may stretch your faith while you wait for Him to intervene, but be confident that He has your greater good in mind. He knows what you think you need right now, and He also knows what you really need long-term. Our ultimate needs are met in Jesus, and if your present-day circumstances are pointing you toward Him, you are blessed indeed.
© John Stange, 2022
