Ruth Gleans in Boaz's Field

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(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.

In the last chapter and post, we were introduced to Naomi, the widow of Elimelech, and her daughter-in-law Ruth, who had also become a widow when her husband, Naomi's son, died.  They had been living in Moab, where Ruth was a native, and had come to Bethlehem, Naomi's home, after their husbands had died.  Naomi had a relative of her husband's there in Bethlehem, a wealthy man named Boaz.

(2) And Ruth the Moabitess said to 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 to her, "Go, my daughter."

Ruth requested that Naomi allow her to go to a nearby field to glean ears of corn that had been left behind by someone in whom Ruth hoped to find grace.  Actually, it was a Jewish law that when one reaped the harvest of his field, he was to leave the corners and not pick up every dropped ear so that the poor might be able to glean some food from the field (Leviticus 19:9).  Whether or not Ruth knew this to be law and that she was allowed to glean the edges of a field, she displayed modesty and humility in wishing to find grace in the eyes of the reaper of the field.  Naomi told her to go ahead.

(3) And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to light on a part of the field of Boaz, who was the kindred of Elimelech.

Ruth went out to a field and began gleaning of the harvest that had fallen and had been left behind.  She "happened" to light on the field belonging to Boaz, who was the kinsman of Elimelech.  The author of the book of Ruth wrote as if it was only happenstance that Ruth ventured onto Boaz's field, but of course, it was the providence and direction of the Lord that led her to her mother-in-law's kinsman's field.

(4) And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you." And they answered him, "The Lord bless you."

Another "happenchance" occurred in that Boaz came from the city at that time to his field.  This man of wealth took the time to address his reapers which shows him to be a considerate and humble man.  His reapers returned the good wishes he had given them.

(5) Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, "Whose damsel is this?"

Then Boaz asked his servant whom he had set as head over the reapers who the young lady was he saw gleaning in his field.

(6) And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, "It is the Moabitish damsel who 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 has continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house."

The servant and manager of the reapers told Boaz that he knew her to be a young Moabite woman who had come back with Naomi from Moab.  The servant indicated that Ruth had been very polite and asked permission to glean after the reapers in the field.  She had been gleaning in the fields all day until that present time, except for a little rest in a house or shelter that must have been adjacent to the field.

(8) Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Do you not hear me, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go from here, but abide here with my maidens. (9) Your eyes be on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink of what the young men have drawn."

Then Boaz spoke to Ruth and asked that she listen to him.  He called her "my daughter," which indicates that he was much older than she was, and I'm sure he was as a contemporary kinsman of Elimelech's.  He told her not to glean any other fields but stay with the maidens gleaning his fields.  He told her to watch where they went and follow after them to glean after them.  He assured her he had ordered the young men in his charge not to touch her.  He told her when she was thirsty, she was to go to the vessels the young men had drawn and drink from there.

(10) Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said to him, "Why have I found grace in your eyes that you should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"

Ruth fell down and bowed herself to the ground before Boaz and asked why she had found favor with him that he should even take notice of her, seeing she was a stranger.

(11) And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has fully been shown me all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and you have left your father and your mother and the land of your nativity and have come to a people whom you did not know before. (12) The Lord recompense your work and a full reward be given you of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings you have come to trust."

Boaz told Ruth that he had been told about all she had done for her mother-in-law since the death of her husband, and how she had left her parents and the land of her birth to come with her mother-in-law, his kinsman's wife, to a land she had never known.  As a sort of blessing, Boaz told Ruth that the Lord God of Israel would repay her for her kind deeds, and she would be given a full reward from the Lord as she had come to trust in Him, Naomi's God, as she had said she desired to do when she pleaded with Naomi to let her go with her (Ruth 1:16).

(13) Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me, and you have spoken friendly to your handmaid though I am not like one of your handmaidens."

Ruth told Boaz that she hoped to continue to find favor in his sight for he had so comforted her and was friendly to her, treating her as one of his handmaidens although she was not like them.

(14) And Boaz said to her, "At mealtime come here and eat of the bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar." And she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her parched grain, and she ate and was satisfied and left.

Boaz told Ruth to eat a meal with them.  I believe the sense of what he said was that she could eat of all they had to offer, including bread and vinegar which was a sort of household wine.  She sat at the table beside the reapers, and Boaz gave to her parched grain.  Ruth ate until she was full and satisfied and then left.

(15) And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her, (16) And let fall on purpose from the bundles and leave them that she may glean them, and do not rebuke her."

As there was still light in the day, Ruth had left to go back to gleaning.  Boaz told his reapers to let her glean even among the sheaves, which probably meant she did not have to stay at the ends and corners of the field only but could follow the reapers in the entire field.  He told them not to censure her at all, and even purposely let grain fall from their gathered bundles so that she could glean them.

(17) So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

Ruth continued to glean until the evening, and she beat out and winnowed the grain she had gleaned.  She had about two thirds of a bushel of barley grain.

(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 what she had reserved after she was satisfied.

Ruth took her grain and went back to the city to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who saw all that she had gleaned.  In addition, Ruth gave Naomi food she had apparently reserved from her meal after she had been satisfied. 

(19) And her mother-in-law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be he who took knowledge of you." And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."

Naomi asked Ruth where she had worked and gleaned. She also offered her blessing to whomever had taken notice of Ruth and allowed her to glean so much grain.  Ruth told Naomi it was Boaz for whom she had worked that day.

(20) And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed he of the Lord, who has not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead." And Naomi said to her, "The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen."

When Naomi heard it was Boaz who had allowed Ruth to glean so much that day, she offered her blessing to Boaz.  I'm not sure if she was acknowledging that it was the Lord who had actually not left off His kindness to her and Ruth, the ones left living, as He had been kind to their husbands before they died, as she had felt abandoned by the Lord after so much loss when she left Moab (Ruth 1:13, 21).  Or perhaps she meant Boaz was to be blessed, as he was a man of the Lord, who continued to show kindness to the living widows of his kinsmen, demonstrating his respect also for his dead kinsmen.  Naomi then told Ruth that Boaz was one of their next of kin.

(21) And Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said to me also, 'You shall keep close by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.'"

Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had also told her that she could follow close to his reapers until they had finished all his harvest, which meant more than just the barley she was gleaning at present.  

(22) And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "Good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, that they do not meet you in any other field."

Naomi told Ruth it was good that she could be with Boaz's handmaidens as she followed the reapers, that she did not have to meet strangers in other fields who may not be as kind as Boaz.

(23) So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth indeed kept close to Boaz's handmaidens and gleaned until the end of the barley harvest and then to the end of the wheat harvest.  She lived with her mother-in-law.

In Ruth, we find a polite, modest, and industrious young woman, and one loyal to her mother-in-law.  Such a humble woman was amenable to the leading of the Spirit of God.  How bleak Ruth and especially Naomi's life looked, but God led them to the exact place where they would find favor and provision.  And the best may be yet to come!  May we all be in tune with the Holy Spirit and the direction of God for our best life:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  How harsh Ruth's life might have been had she stayed behind and lived among her pagan gods.  But she had felt she must follow Naomi and Naomi's God, and He led her to good things.