And Ruth
the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the
ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her,
“Go, my daughter.” Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the
reapers. And she happened to come to
the part of the field belonging
to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. (v.2-3)
Today
we will see another theme in the book of Ruth: initiative. Ruth arrived in
Bethlehem having made the choice to leave the comfort of food, family and home.
While Naomi proclaimed her bitterness, Ruth showed initiative and got right to
work.
An interesting little phrase sits in the middle of verse 3 (niv
translates it), “As it turned out.”
It's almost a little wink from the writer, as if to alert us that something
seemingly random or coincidental, was really a demonstration of God's
direction. When Ruth took the initiative to glean in the fields, she had no
idea what would follow. But God blessed that step by leading her to the fields
of Boaz.
Boaz
might have felt justified in removing Ruth from his fields. After all, she was
a foreigner. He could have instructed his workers to harass her. He lived in
the time of Judges—he could have just fit in with the culture around him and
sought to maximize his own gain. But Boaz chose faithfulness, kindness, and
generosity instead.
As it turned out, God had a plan. He
not only supplied their immediate need for food but (as we shall see later in
the story) their future as well.
The
Truth
“And my God
shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:19)
