God wisely orders small events and those that seem altogether contingent serve His own glory and supply the needs of His trusting people.
Ruth 2
1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 ¶ And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 ¶ And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.
19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.
21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
Ruth 2:1-2 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:3 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:4-5 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:6-9 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:10 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:11-14 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:15-19 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:20 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:21-23 – J. Vernon McGee
Ruth 2:1-13 – Gleaning after the Reapers
In great desolation of soul, Naomi had returned. She was no longer the happy woman of earlier days. Ruth also must sometimes have experienced the depression of homesickness which often steals over the heart of the stranger. But the two women found solace where sad hearts will always find it, first in God and then in ministry to each other, II Corinthians 1:4; 7:6. In fact, Ruth’s devotion to her mother became the common talk of the village, Ruth 2:11.
Notice the beautiful old-time salutations between the employer and his employees. The omission of these courteous greetings is one of the mistakes of our modern civilization. We live in a time when the relations between master and servant, between mistress and maid, are strangely altered, being largely financial and selfish. Each tries to get as much as possible out of the other, and thus the personal touch is absent. Is it to be wondered at that the human machine runs hard and sometimes breaks down? But Boaz was clearly a good man. He had won the respect of the whole neighborhood, and his tender words to the young stranger, saluting her as a nestling under the wings of Jehovah, indicated that he dwelled “in the secret place of the most High” (Psalm 91:1). —Through the Bible Day by Day
Ruth 2:12—Under whose wings thou art come to trust.
In after-days this was a favorite image with David in his wanderings and escapes among those same hills. Perhaps he had received it as a fragrant legacy from the life of his good ancestor, Boaz. At least on one occasion Jesus employed it in saying that He had wished to gather Jerusalem as a hen her chicks.
How warm, cozy, and safe, the chickens are when they have gathered under the wings of the brooding hen! It must be a very heaven for them. The storm may roll through the sky, the heavy raindrops fall, the hawk may hover above, poising itself on its wings; but the body of the parent-bird is interposed between them and all that threatens. What wonder that the Psalmist said that he would hide under the shadow of God’s wings till all his calamities were overpast!
Are you sheltering there? Have you come out of the storm and tempest to hide there? Can you say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2)? If so, remain in happy confidence. God is between you and all evil or alarm. Be still; yea, be still.
If you have not come to trust under the outspread wings of the Cherubim, do as Ruth did. Leave the land of your nativity, the far country of Moab; leave your people and your gods; tear yourself away even from some twin-soul, dear as Orpah; come across the border-line, and glean in the fields of the Gospel. There you will meet with the true Boaz, who will show kindness unto you, and you will become affianced to Him, and live at home for evermore in the house of bread, where you will be blessed indeed. —Our Daily Homily
Find the missing words then click and drag the letters in the grid below. Click “Start“
12 The LORD ____________________ thy ________, and a full ____________ be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose __________ thou art come to __________.
13 Then she said, Let me find ____________ in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast __________________ me, and for that thou hast spoken ________________ unto thine ________________, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, ______________ be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his ________________ to the ____________ and to the ________. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next ______________.
Ruth 2:14-23 – Kindness to the Stranger
From the time of the Exodus, kind and thoughtful references are made to the strangers within the gates, Deuteronomy 5:14; 10:19. These injunctions found beautiful exemplification in Boaz. How careful should be we who live on a higher level, so far as the knowledge of God is concerned, that we exceed the ancient Hebrews in tender regard for the lonely and bereaved! A desolate woman, whose husband had met with an accident, and was without food or fire, said the other day to a visitor whom God had sent on an errand of mercy, “I thought nobody cared.” Like Boaz, it is our business to speak kindly to such, though not of our kith and kin, and who can know how far our words may travel!
We have a glimpse into Naomi’s soul in Ruth 2:20. It would seem as if she had come to the conclusion that God had forgotten and forsaken her. But when Ruth repeated the words of Boaz, the human love rekindled her faith in God’s love. She began to see God’s purpose shaping itself. The rainbow shone on the retreating cloud of her tears. What an opportunity is presented, each day we live of bringing the consciousness of God to weary and heavy-laden lives! —Through the Bible Day by Day