Ruth 2:1-23
1Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.
2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”
Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.
4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” he said.
“The Lord bless you!” the harvesters replied.
5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”
6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”
8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”
10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”
11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”
13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”
14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.
15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!”
17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket. 18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.
19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!”
So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”
20 “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”
21 Then Ruth said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”
22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.”
23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about three elderly men who were relaxing on the beach in Florida one day. One of them said, “I owned a factory in New York state. One winter, the heat didn’t come on, the pipes froze and got water everywhere, and everything was ruined. I decided I was too old to start over, so I took the insurance money, sold the place, and retired to down here.” The second man said, “I had a big store, in Philadelphia. One night, it caught fire and burned to the ground. I didn’t want to go through all the work of rebuilding, so I sold the property, took the insurance money, and moved here, too.” The third man said, “I owned a huge car dealership in Miami. Two years ago, a hurricane blew through, and destroyed everything, even the buildings. I, too, decided to take the insurance money, and retire.” His companions looked at him in awe. After a few moments of silence, one asked, “How did you start a hurricane??”
Apparently, it wasn’t by unfortunate circumstances that the heat didn’t come on and a fire was started! The two men clearly had something to do with both situations judging by their awe of the third man’s unfortunate circumstance. Men can leave the heat off in their buildings in the dead of winter and start fires in their buildings, but they certainly can’t create hurricanes. Only God can create such devastation. And as if God’s devastations weren’t devastating enough, men have to go and create them for the sake of scamming some money out of the insurance companies. We are a silly bunch of God’s creatures! Life is full of enough tragedies, no sense in creating more of them.
Just look at all the tragedy that befell Naomi and subsequently Ruth. Naomi’s homeland was beset by a devastating famine that caused her and her family to flee to a neighboring hostile country. Fairly soon after arriving, her husband died but she was cared for by her sons for another ten years. Then her sons died and she was left unprotected and vulnerable. Her only option was to return home to seek security with her late husband’s family. For whatever reason, Ruth’s life was also uprooted as she clung to Naomi on her return home. So there they were, back in Naomi’s homeland living on nothing but a prayer. Naomi’s in-laws hadn’t necessarily offered them protection, and they needed to provide for themselves. Naomi was too old to return to the workforce, and Ruth was a foreigner in a foreign land. Not a very promising situation! But Ruth did what many did in such dire circumstances and set to the fields to glean leftover food from the harvesting. Luckily, she found herself in the fields of Naomi’s in-laws, so they did indirectly provide for Naomi and Ruth after all. But still, the two women continued to live under God’s mercy. They weren’t in control of their lives by any means. God and the people around them were determining their fates.
Well, Boaz turned out to be quite a generous landowner and was eager to help Ruth and Naomi. He graciously allowed Ruth to glean through the rest of the harvest season, never asking for anything in return. Commentators throughout the ages have likened Boaz’s generosity to that of God. Both not only provide but provide in abundance and in exchange for nothing. Sure, a little love and appreciation don’t hurt but certainly not expected. No, both God and Boaz gave and give with no strings attached. They give simply for the sake of giving. And while many might suggest the generosity within this story is the key appreciating it, I tend to believe it’s more about God’s consistent providence throughout life. Life is full of all sorts of situations, some good and some bad. There are both celebrations and tragedies. Some are man-made, some are God-made or at least God-allowed. Life has both good times and bad times and we ought not be afraid of the bad times. They simply teach us different lessons. And God is very much with us in both the good and the bad times. God is with us and provides for us to help us get through them. Our God is a good and gracious God! Our God is a generous God!
I think back over this last week and am terribly grateful for all the kindness and grace shown to me and my family. We are going through a difficult time of adjustment and uncertainty, and you all have been so generous in your gifts and kind words. It is not a situation we had planned for or expected and yet you have given so graciously. Thank you!
Life is full of unplanned and unexpected situations. Our God is the one solid, consistent person through them all. Our God provides over and over again and gives us endless hope. Recall Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (15:13) All we have to do is trust in him and He will provide! Why? Because that’s what He does! Isaiah tells us, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (40:31) Oh, what a blessing to trust and love God and be loved by him!
No matter what life throws at us, we can rejoice and give thanks for the hope within us. We can take comfort in the words spoken through Jeremiah, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (29:11) With God, we all have a future and a hope. Let us give thanks. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
