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SOUNDING OUT:
Love’s Response: Gleaning in the Fields of Boaz
Chapter two of Ruth opens by introducing
another of the major characters in this beautiful love story,
the mighty man, Boaz.
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. [Boaz
means “in him is strength.”]
“Mighty man” is the
Hebrew, “gibbor.” It denotes one who is “mighty,
strong, or valiant.” It is frequently used of the heroes
or champions among the armed forces. As we will soon see Boaz
will be the hero of this story.
Ruth 2:2:
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go
[yalak] to the field, and glean1st
ears of corn [used generically of the small grains of the barley
harvest] after him in whose sight I shall find grace [chen].
And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
Ruth makes the first of three requests
in chapter two. This one is made of Naomi. She asks for permission
to glean. Gleaning is a major theme of chapter two, and we find
it used 12 times in this chapter.
In the Eastern custom of gleaning, God provided for strangers,
widows, and the fatherless by limiting landowners to make only
one pass through their harvest. That which remained was to be
reserved for those who had need. God also instructed His people
to leave crops standing in the corners of the field so that those
in need could glean and provide for themselves. Ruth is acting
responsibly to procure support for her and Naomi. She was acting
upon the law of God that provided for people in situations in
which she found herself.
Deuteronomy 24:19-21:
When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot
a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it
shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow:
that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine
hands.
When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the
boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless,
and for the widow.
When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not
glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless,
and for the widow.
Appropriating the Lord’s provision
and following the custom of the day, Ruth puts on her bonnet and
apron and heads to the fields to glean. She puts her trust in
the Lord and expects to find grace in the sight of the Lord of
the harvest. She is acting on the Word she knows that pertains
to her situation and depending on God’s grace.
Ruth 2:3:
And she [Ruth] went, and came, and gleaned2nd
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.
Since Boaz was introduced into the
record in verse one, we know that Ruth ending up in his field
was not by chance. Although it says, “her hap was to light
on a part of the field belonging to Boaz,” don’t let
the Old English fool you. Yes, it happened that she ended up in
Boaz’s field, but it was by divine design. God emphasizes
this “chance” meeting with the figure of speech polyptoton.
The phrase “her hap, miqreh, was to light
on, qarah…” contains the polyptoton. Miqreh
means an unforeseen meeting, event, accident, or happening. It
comes from the root word qarah which means, “to
encounter or meet.” This repetition of the same part of
speech in different inflections emphasizes the encounter. Do you
think this encounter was a coincidence? I don’t. I see God’s
hand in it. I agree with the anonymous quote I heard that handles
these kind of coincidences: “Coincidence is a miracle in
which God wants to remain anonymous.”
Remember the Bible is an Eastern book, and most sources
I have checked conclude that the idea of fate or chance is utterly
foreign to the Hebrew mind. This was not a chance encounter; this
is the hand of God guiding Ruth. She was believing to find grace
in someone’s eyes, and God directs her to the right place.
Proverbs 16:9:
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his
steps.
Ruth devised a plan, and God directed
her steps. Ruth was believing to find grace in the sight of the
lord of the harvest, and she does. However, first she found grace
in the eyes of the Lord who directed her to the right field.
Ruth 2:4:
And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers,
The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
“Behold” is the figure
of speech asterismos. It calls our attention to the arrival of
Boaz. Look at the timing of this trip; this is not by chance.
Look at the blessing that Boaz speaks to his reapers, and look
at their response to bless him in return. Regardless of how the
rest of Israel was doing, these were God-fearing men who want
God’s best for each other.
Ruth 2:5-9:
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers,
Whose damsel is this? [She had caught his eye, but he didn’t
recognize her.]
And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said,
It is the Moabitish damsel that came back13th
[shub] with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
And she said, I pray you, let me glean3rd
[This was her second request. This one is of the foreman.] and
gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath
continued [steadfastly] even from the morning until now, that
she tarried a little in the house. [The foreman recognized how
polite and honorable Ruth was. He said, “She showed up early
and has worked hard all day.” She had gotten a good report
from this chief servant.]
Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not [“listen carefully”
in the New American Standard Version], my daughter? Go not to
glean4th in another field, neither
go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
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.
Boaz addressed Ruth as “my
daughter” because of the age difference between them. He
extends to her some wonderful kindnesses. He invites her to follow
along with the reapers. She did not need to wait until they had
left the field, as was customary, before she went in to glean.
Boaz made sure that she was treated properly and respectfully
by his workers, and he also allowed her to drink from the water
provided for the workers. Boaz was being gracious far beyond what
the law required.
Ruth 2:10:
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and
said unto him, Why have I found grace [chen] in thine
eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of [pay attention to,
notice, regard] me, seeing I am a stranger? [Gentile]
Ruth had been expecting gracious
treatment (2:2), but she is still amazed when it comes. Ruth responds
with humility to the gracious treatment. She shows respect by
bowing, and then recognizes the gracious treatment of the lord
of the harvest with a question. She was eager to find out why
she was treated so graciously.
When it comes to grace, asking “Why?” can get
kind of “slippery.” Since by definition grace is unearned,
the reason cannot be found in the actions of the recipient, but
rather in the heart and character of the giver. In the first 40
occurrences of chen, grace, in the Old Testament, it
follows the verb “to find.” It is not until the Book
of Esther that it says Esther “obtained grace,” three
times.
Ruth 2:11,12:
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.
The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee
of the LORD God [Elohim] of Israel, under whose wings
thou art come to trust.
Don’t misunderstand, verse
11 is not given as the reason for his gracious treatment. We do
not earn grace by good behavior. The real reason is given in verse
12. Ruth trusted in God, and God had initiated the gracious treatment.
God had touched Boaz’s heart, and Boaz blesses her. Boaz
also suggests that she hasn’t seen anything yet and that
this gracious treatment will continue until a “full reward”
is realized.
What a wonderful blessing that Boaz spoke. That was Boaz’s
believing image of victory for Ruth. “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.” Does God have
wings? No, this is the figure of speech, condescensio. God is
comparing Himself to a mother bird protecting and caring for her
young under her expansive wings. What a vivid picture it communicates
of Him in Whom she trusted. (This will come up again in Chapter
3.) Little did Boaz know at this time how much he would be involved
in bringing this to pass.
Ruth 2:13:
Then she said, Let me find favour [chen] in thy sight
[This is her third request, and this one is of Boaz.], my lord
[adon, Boaz was the lord of the harvest.]; 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.
Ruth is saying, “You treated
me like one of your own workers, even though I am not. She continued
to respond humbly. She took comfort in his blessing, and, recognizing
the position he was in, she requests that his kindness continue.
Although she acknowledges she has no right to make such a request,
she was bold in asking that his favor continue. Her well-mannered
response is again met with gracious words from Boaz.
Ruth 2:14:
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.
Look at the personal care of the
lord of the harvest. Boaz invited her to come and dine with the
reapers and even provided for her himself, making sure she had
more than enough so she had some to take home to Naomi. Ruth accepted
this additional kindness, and after she ate, she returned to the
field to glean. She continued to hold Boaz’s attention,
and he directs his servants to extend further kindnesses unto
her.
Ruth 2:15,16:
And when she was risen up to glean,5th
Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean6th
even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and
leave them, that she may glean7th
them, and rebuke her not.
Boaz instructed his workman to leave
handfuls on purpose for her, but to do it so that she was unaware
of it. The grace that was extended to her went far beyond that,
of which Ruth was even aware. Boaz was intent on seeing that she
was provided for. Neither was he concerned that people knew about
it.
Ruth 2:17:
So she gleaned8th in the field until
even, and beat out that she had gleaned;9th
and it was about an ephah of barley.
Ruth continued in the field until
evening. Then she willowed the grain separating the chaff. An
ephah was about half a bushel, a truly generous amount for a day’s
work. It would have weighed about 25 pounds and been enough food
to last for quite some time.
Ruth 2:18:
And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in
law saw what she had gleaned:10th
and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after
she was sufficed.
Ruth brought what she had gleaned
to Naomi as well as the food she had left over from the meal with
the reapers. Naomi is elated with the abundance and blessed the
one who took knowledge of Ruth before even finding out who it
was.
Ruth 2:19,20:
And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned11th
to day? [This is not a casual question. Naomi was impressed.]
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.
And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the
LORD, who hath not left off his kindness [chesed]
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. [Key plot element.]
Naomi explains to Ruth that Boaz
is near of kin and qualifies as the goel, the kinsman
redeemer. Responsibilities of the goel include the repurchase
of a field, which was sold in time of need (Leviticus 25:25-28)
and the freeing of an Israelite slave who sold himself in time
of poverty (Leviticus 25:48-55). Such purchase and restitution
was the duty of the next of kin.
Ruth 2:21-22:
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.
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.
Ruth has more good news for Naomi.
Boaz not only dealt so kindly with her on this first morning,
but also offered to watch over her throughout the entire harvest.
Naomi encouraged Ruth to do as Boaz said and not venture anywhere
else. Ruth’s loyalty and love for Naomi is evidenced in
that she obeyed Naomi and stayed in the fields of Boaz.
Ruth 2:23:
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean12th
unto the end of barley harvest (around the time of Passover) and
of wheat harvest (around the time of Pentecost); and dwelt with
her mother in law.
The beginning of the barley harvest
was at Passover, and the beginning of the wheat harvest was at
Pentecost. So the time period covered here was at least 50 days.
This gracious treatment was extended more than 50 days.
Ruth trusted God and found grace in the eyes of Boaz. She
believed for it to happen before she went out, and when she encountered
it, she graciously recognized it. She was even bold enough to
ask for it to continue. Why should we ever think that God’s
grace would be any less sufficient for us? His grace will never
be exhausted! We should, like Ruth, expect it to continue.
Naomi is much more blessed at the end of chapter two than
she was at the end of chapter one. She returned expecting things
to change, and they already have. She has been blessed by the
Lord, Who graciously remembered her in her affliction. However,
the plot is about to thicken.
They had been provided for during the harvest, but what
would happen to the widows after the harvests? Ruth would obediently
do as Naomi directed until the end of the harvest. That would
give Naomi enough time to plan and prepare for what was yet to
come, which we will read about next week.
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