Ruth 2
Ru 2:1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.
A man of standing – The exact expression rendered “a mighty man of wealth” (AV, RV) is elsewhere translated “a mighty man of valour.” {eg Jud 11:1} we perhaps get the force of it by thinking of our word “knight.” This applied originally to a man distinguished for military prowess, but it is now used widely of those whose excellence lies in other fields. In the Old Testament it most often has to do with fighting capacity. Boaz may have been a warrior, for these were troubled times and any man might have to fight. But in this book he appears rather as a solid citizen, a man of influence and integrity in the community and it is likely that this is what the term denotes here.
Ru 2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”
‘When the wheat and barley were ready to be harvested, reapers were employed to cut down the stalks and tie them into bundles. Israelite law demanded that the corners of the fields should not be harvested. In addition, any grain that was dropped was to be left for poor people who picked it up (this was called gleaning) and used it for food. {Le 19:9 23:22 De 24:19} The purpose of this law was to feed the poor and to prevent the owners from hoarding. This law served as a type of welfare scheme in Israel. Because she was a widow with no means of providing for herself, Ruth went into the fields to glean the grain.’ (Life Application Bible)
Ruth 2:3 So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Ru 2:4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The LORD be with you!” “The LORD bless you!” they called back.
‘To them, the salutation was not an empty form, but an acknowledgement of the Lord, and the expression of a desire for the welfare of each other. Before they degenerated into a sterile formality, such as our “Goodbye” (really “God be with you”), such salutations were really prayers for those addressed.’ (J.O. Sanders, People Just Like us, 56)
Ruth 2:5 Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is that?”
Ruth 2:6 The foreman replied, “She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi.
Ru 2:7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
‘Ruth’s task, though menial, tiring, and perhaps degrading, was done faithfully. What is your attitude when the task you have been given is not up to your true potential? The task at hand may be all you can do, or it may be the work God wants you to do. Or, as in Ruth’s case, it may be a test of your character that can open up new doors of opportunity.’ (Life Application Bible)
Ruth 2:8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls.
Ruth 2:9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
Ru 2:10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me-a foreigner?”
‘Ruth’s life exhibited admirable qualities: she was hard-working, loving, kind, faithful, and brave. These qualities gained for her a good reputation, but only because she displayed them consistently in all areas of her life. Wherever Ruth went or whatever she did, her character remained the same.
Your reputation is formed by the people who watch you at work, in town, at home, in church. A good reputation comes by consistently living out the qualities you believe in – no matter what group of people of surroundings you are in.’ (Life Application Bible)
Ruth 2:11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband-how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.
Ru 2:12 “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
“Under whose wings” – Here his people find:-
- Shelter, Ps 57:1
- Satisfaction, Ru 2:12 Ps 36:7
- Strength, Ps 63:7
- Security, Ps 91:4
‘In due course the prayer was answered through him who uttered it.’ (Leon Morris)
Ru 2:13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant-though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.”
‘Boaz’ words must have meant a great deal to her. They represent the first cheerful thing recorded as happening to her since the death of her husband in Moab. She had had to face widowhood, exile from her own land and people, and in Israel grinding poverty. Her kind reception at the hands of Boaz represents a landmark.’ (Leon Morris)
“I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls” – ‘She regarded herself as inferior to the girls who worked for Boaz – perhaps because of her poverty, her Gentile nationality, and her heathen background.’ (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Ruth 2:14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.
Ruth 2:15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her.
Ruth 2:16 Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
Ruth 2:17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.
Ruth 2:18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
Ruth 2:19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
Ru 2:20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
‘Though Ruth may not have always recognised God’s providence, he had been with her every step of the way. She went to glean and “just happened” to end up in the field owned by Boaz who “just happened” to be a close relative. This was more than mere coincidnece. As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. We must not close the door on what God can do. Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for his purpose.’ (Life Application Bible)
Ruth 2:21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”
Ruth 2:22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with his girls, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
Ruth 2:23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
