Ruth: 2:8-17; the lovingkindness of Boaz

Title: Ruth: 2:8-17; the lovingkindness of Boaz

Rut 2:5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"

Rut 2:6 And the servant in charge of the reapers answered and said, "She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.

Rut 2:7 And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while."

Reaping barley in Palestine: 1910

In the next few passages, where Boaz speaks directly to Ruth, we have several wonderful symbols of divine providence.

Rut 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.

Rut 2:9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw."

The use of the term "daughter" emphasizes a sizeable age difference. This is again emphasized in chapter 3.

Rut 3:10 Then he said, "May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

Boaz implies that his field will give her all that she needs, which it will. The gleaners had to travel quite a bit to get all they could, but the comfort to Ruth is that Boaz will be sure to provide for her.

This means that she was free to continue following immediately after the reapers throughout the barley harvest, which would ensure that she would receive the most of all the gleaners, and this included March and April, and also throughout the wheat harvest, which included May and June.

She was to remain with the female servants and follow after them where the pickings of a gleaner would be most numerous. Being so close to the servants, she would be protected, but Boaz reassures her that he had sternly warned all the young men to leave her alone, in case they got rowdy.

There will not have to be any searching. There will not have to be any fear that the work will be insufficient. There will not have to be any anxiety over the next landowner’s cruelty. This is akin to the plan of God that the Lord has predestined for each of us.

By having a plan from God the Father, we need not worry about how to fulfill what we need or how to fulfill the desire of our hearts. All we could ever need or dream is right in God’s field.

We never have to leave the plan of God. We never have to wonder if there is more out there that we have missed. Our Father has set us upon the right field and He has promised multiple times that all we need and properly desire will be given.

Mat 6:31 "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?'

Mat 6:32 "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Mat 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

Mat 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Rom 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;

Rom 8:34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36 Just as it is written,

"For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long ;

We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. "

Rom 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Rom 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

Rom 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Ti 4:7 On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

1Ti 4:8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1Ti 4:9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

Rut 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.

Boaz is also guaranteeing protection. We assume that the way in which Boaz and his servants greeted one another in verse four that they were all devout men of faith, but even so, can all the men be trusted? Boaz makes sure, and he makes sure that Ruth knows that he has given his word, and that no one will touch her or insult her. She is to be unafraid and assured of protection. This, of course, applies to us as well.

Our Father protects us. No one can hurt us unless He okays it, which is either for testing of discipline.

If someone or something hurts us, then we know that God had a good reason. We may not understand or know the reason, but we are to understand and know Him. The not knowing is a part of the test. God provides everything we need, and we need not fear anyone or their threats.

Psa 56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.

Psa 56:2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long,

For they are many who fight proudly against me.

Psa 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.

Psa 56:4 In God, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid.

What can mere man do to me?

Isa 51:6 "Lift up your eyes to the sky,

Then look to the earth beneath;

For the sky will vanish like smoke,

And the earth will wear out like a garment,

And its inhabitants will die in like manner,

But My salvation shall be forever,

And My righteousness shall not wane.

A rocket company in New Zealand has recently put a big disco-ball in orbit, calling it the humanity star. It’s going to orbit for 9 months and then crash into the atmosphere.

Isa 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,

A people in whose heart is My law;

Do not fear the reproach of man,

Neither be dismayed at their revilings.

Isa 51:8 "For the moth will eat them like a garment,

And the grub will eat them like wool.

But My righteousness shall be forever,

And My salvation to all generations."

Isa 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;

Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago.

Was it not Thou who cut Rahab [Egypt] in pieces,

Who pierced the dragon?

Isa 51:10 Was it not Thou who dried up the sea,

The waters of the great deep;

Who made the depths of the sea a pathway

For the redeemed to cross over?

Isa 51:11 So the ransomed of the Lord will return,

And come with joyful shouting to Zion;

And everlasting joy will be on their heads.

They will obtain gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isa 51:12 "I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,

And of the son of man who is made like grass;

Isa 51:13 That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens,

And laid the foundations of the earth;

That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,

As he makes ready to destroy?

But where is the fury of the oppressor?

1Pe 3:13 And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

1Pe 3:14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,

1Pe 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

1Pe 3:16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Rut 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.

Boaz continues with more providence. Ruth will not have to bring water with her. She won’t be in danger of any dehydration during the gleaning work. She may drink from the well that is not hers and from the same well as the servants.

Water: the word of God, cleansing, God’s faithfulness, the work of the HS flowing through us, total fulfillment of heart and soul.

Of course, water is significant in the Bible. Often it represents the word of God. It can represent the work of the Holy Spirit flowing through the believer to the world. Christ said that He would give us living water, and there it represents total fulfillment in life, since if we drink of it, we will never thirst again. This water belongs to Christ and it is given to us without cost.

Isa 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without cost.

Isa 55:2 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.

Isa 55:3 "Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

According to the faithful mercies shown to David.

Joh 4:7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."

Joh 4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Joh 4:9 The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

Joh 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

Joh 4:12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"

Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again;

Joh 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

The Samaritan woman is astounded that a Jew would ask her for water, as Ruth is to the kindness of Boaz.

The Samaritan woman was astounded that this Jew asked her for water. She knew that any Jew would think anything that she touched to be unclean.

Ruth is astounded by the kindness of Boaz for a similar reason. She is a foreigner, and she has been in Bethlehem long enough to know that Jews don’t normally associate with the likes of her. God said not to marry Canaanites, or to befriend idol worshippers, and some in Israel made this into prejudice, which it was not to be. The Law made gracious provision for the foreigner who lived in the Land who did not worship idols, plus it was commanded that the foreigner should be able to glean if they needed to.

Rut 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.

Rut 2:10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"

Ruth's response to this kindness adds yet another aspect of her character that endears her to us. Her humility is expressed in her surprise. She doesn't expect blessing and privilege and is incredibly grateful for it. She falls on her face.

The words "notice" and "foreigner" are from the same root meaning [nochri = outsider], which is of very low status. It is a play on words: "You have recognized the un-recognized."

The Hebrew term is nochri, a term applied to non-Israelites. It refers to an outsider. A nochri was a term for a person of very low status in Israel; a person who had zero covenant privileges.

Rut 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.

Ruth, no matter where you were born, you are a remarkable woman and a believer in the one and only Yavah Elohim and His covenant.