Ruth 2

Ruth 2

A new person is introduced in Ruth 2, Boaz. Not having a way to provide food for herself or for Ruth, Naomi had to think of a way to get some. So she encouraged Ruth to go to the fields and glean after the harvesters so that they would at least have something to eat. One of her relatives was Boaz, and so Naomi sent Ruth on her way to one of Boaz’s fields. Ruth did as she was asked, desiring to help her mother-in-law. She went to the fields and eventually found herself in Boaz’s field, following his harvesters.


Boaz took notice of Ruth and asked his men who the young woman was. They told him that she was the Moabite woman who had come back with Naomi. Immediately Boaz wanted to help Ruth. He did not look at Ruth as some foreigner who should not be in Israel. He did not see her as an outsider that he did not want to be associated with. Even though she was not an Israelite, he understood her situation. Furthermore, he had seen all that Ruth had sacrificed and done for Naomi. So he went to Ruth and gave her clear instructions to stay with his men in his field and to go nowhere else for food. He promised to take care of her and Naomi. Ruth was shocked and could not understand why he would be willing to help her. So he told her that he had seen her help Naomi and sacrifice a lot for her. As a result, he wanted to help Ruth and provide for her.

He fed her that night in his home and she was able to eat until she was full. Afterwards, she prepared to go back out to the fields and glean. Meanwhile, Boaz instructed his workers to allow her to glean wherever she desired, and he also wanted them to leave a little more than they usually would. Ruth was able to return home to Naomi with more food than either of them expected. She was also able to give Naomi some of the leftovers from the meal that she had shared with Boaz. Naomi was extremely happy when Ruth showed her what she gathered and was very grateful to the man who had allowed her to glean. Then, when Ruth told her that she had been in Boaz’s field, Naomi told her of their relations. Naomi encouraged her to return to his fields for the rest of the season, just as Boaz had done, and God continued to provide for Ruth and Naomi through Boaz.

Naomi had no way of knowing that Ruth would actually end up in Boaz’s field. Neither woman knew that they would receive such a great wealth of food. Neither woman knew that they would be taken care of for the rest of the season with that one job. There were a lot of unknowns when they returned to Israel. They were living on faith from one day to the next, but God was in control. Because of Ruth’s sacrifice and their faith, God ended up giving them all that they would need through Boaz. Boaz was willing to reach out to someone in need. After seeing how much Ruth cared for Naomi, Boaz felt compelled to help Ruth. He was inspired by her sacrifice, and as a result, he sacrificed part of his crops for her sake. Ruth and Naomi are a great example of what it means to trust God day by day, knowing that He will provide for our needs, whether it is in large ways or small ways. Ruth and Boaz provide examples of what it means to sacrifice for the sake of others. Sometimes God blesses us with more than we need. Those are great opportunities to use that excess to help others.

Matt