Meeting in a Field (Ruth 2)

There once was a man walking along a beach in Brighton. Why was he there? Maybe enjoying a stroll on a suitable day, but that could not be, because he looked as if he was in agony. Perhaps going to meet someone or hoping to meet someone who could help him. What did people see when they saw him? Maybe they did not give him a second thought. There once was a woman who turned up to work in a harvest field. Why was she there? Those who knew who she was would say she was a foreigner looking for work. But she was from Moab, an enemy people. It is possible to see a situation and not see the situation. |

 

The man walking on the beach was Hudson Taylor and he was praying for twenty-four workers to go back with him to China. Only God would know the effect of his answer to that prayer. Have you ever met a Chinese Christian who prayed for you or spoke to you of Jesus – perhaps he or she is a consequence of Hudson’s prayer on Brighton beach. The woman in the harvest field is going to become the daughter-in-law of Salmon, the prince of Judah; she will be the great-grandmother of King David, the sweet psalmist of Israel; she will be the great, great-grandmother of Solomon, the wisest of kings; and she will be an ancestor of Jesus our Saviour. Your salvation in a sense depended on Ruth going into a particular harvest field in Bethlehem shortly after she had arrived there. It is possible to see a situation and not see the situation.

 

The secret purpose of God

People talk about God’s revealed will and God’s secret will. His revealed will is told in the Bible, and all can read it at any time to know how to obey him. His secret will is just that, secret. Some details emerge eventually, but much of it stays hidden from us, and in fact most of its details never cross our minds.

 

Yet we can see from Ruth’s experience that everything up to now had led to this moment – her happinesses and her sadnesses, her identity in Moab and her non-identity in Israel. Everything in her future depended on this moment. She was concerned about having food on the table and other things would have to wait. Yet God was at work in her circumstances, and she happened to find work in the field of Boaz, the man described in verse 1 in a sentence that almost says, ‘Watch this space.’

 

Ruth is an example of Paul’s statement in Romans 8 that God works (present tense) in all things for the good of his people. And Ruth was now one of them, after she revealed her choice in the previous chapter about belonging to the people of God.

 

The spiritual power of words (v. 4)

In verse 4, we read of an interaction between Boaz and his workers. Of course, it is possible to see the exchange as a form of cultural politeness. Yet we should remember that spiritual recovery was taking place in Bethlehem, evidenced in part by the end of the famine that had been sent in divine judgement on Israel. Here is an example of how spiritually alive people will speak to one another.

 

They don’t use many words in their interaction, but they do say a great deal to one another. Their words show that the Lord is central in their thoughts. Boaz and the workers use the special name of God that was revealed to Israel at the Exodus. The mere mention of his name was sufficient to trigger thoughts in their minds about how he had redeemed them and taken them to the Promised Land as he had said he would do. This name reminded them that he is the eternal God, the unchanging God, who was in covenant with them.

 

Therefore, Boaz’ desire was that the Lord would be present with the workers as they toiled and they desired that the Lord would continue providing for Boaz. How little they realised how much the Lord was going to provide for him that day! Still, it was an earnest desire and sometimes the Lord answers desires far above what we can ask or imagine.

 

We are not to assume that the unthinking repetition of a phrase will have any benefits. Nevertheless, greetings are an opportunity for blessings to be mentioned. We are all familiar with the greetings of grace and peace that commence the New Testament letters. They are a form of benediction revealing the desires of the authors. It is good to have the right words said in the right way hoping for the right outcome, a form of prayer that can be used frequently every day, and on each occasion, we cannot anticipate the blessings that will come from using them.

 

The pronouncement of Boaz (vv. 11-12)

Having discovered who Ruth was, Boaz informed her that he knew something of her life history and why she had come to live in Bethlehem recently. As a spiritual man, he did not merely make her welcome in a general sense, but he also spoke words of grace to her. He informed her of at least three truths about the God of Israel which were that the Lord regarded with pleasure what she has done as a believer, that he will reward her for her service, and that he will always be her refuge. Clearly, his words were designed to reassure Ruth.

 

Sometimes we wonder what God thinks of his people. Perhaps they are having a tough day. Maybe life seems difficult, and it is common for such to wonder if the Lord notices them. The truth about Ruth is that he has been looking at Ruth as well as looking after Ruth. It is wonderful to know that the Lord takes pleasure in his people as he surveys his work of grace in their lives. Their past does not matter in this regard. Ruth may have been a Moabite, but now she was an Israelite, one regarded as a princess with God. It is interesting to note how often Jesus looked at his disciples before he spoke to them such as when he called Peter and Andrew from their fishing business. His eye is on us wherever we are, his children, and he looks at us with delight.

 

Boaz assures Ruth that the Lord will reward her for her kindness to Naomi. Ruth did what she did out of love, and not to manipulate a reward from anyone. Nevertheless, the Lord would reward her for her actions. He will never be in debt to one who serves him. We are familiar with Paul’s assuring words in Philippians 4:19: ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’ The Philippians had sent him some help while he was confined in Rome, and he knew that God would reward them graciously. Sometimes we hear this verse misquoted in a small way that turns out to be a big way. Instead of saying ‘according to his riches in glory’, we say ‘out of his riches in glory.’ A rich man may give £1 to a charity – he certainly gives out of his riches, but he certainly does not give according to his riches. Jesus promised his disciples that the Lord would make up to them one hundredfold in this life whatever serving him had cost them (Mark 10:29-30).

 

The third detail that Boaz highlighted for Ruth was that the Lord would be a refuge for her. We find the idea of God as a refuge many times in the Bible. Sometimes, the refuge is likened to the shade a traveller receives from a rock as he makes his way through a windy, hot desert. Or he is like a tower that protects people from the assaults of an enemy. Psalm 46 reminds us that he is a refuge even when the creation is in upheaval due to an earthquake or similar catastrophe.

 

There is something striking about likening God to a mother bird looking after her young. It is a very tender image which tells us that in addition to him providing full safety he also provides warmth even as the wings of a mother bird give heat to her young. Times of trial were ahead for Ruth, but she would always have the protection of the Lord. She would be able to hide in the secret place of the Most High, as the opening of Psalm 91 affirms. What warmth in knowing that he regarded her, that he would reward her, and that he was her permanent refuge.

 

We know that Jesus used a similar illustration recorded in Matthew 23:37 when he was in Jerusalem at the time of his crucifixion: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.’ We can see how much the Saviour wanted to take care of the inhabitants of the city despite their opposition to God. Without him realising it, Boaz anticipated the heart of the Saviour in giving such degrees of assurance to needy people. It is good to have a Christlike heart.

 

There is a certain sense in which Boaz was like God. He knew about Ruth’s lifestyle and was pleased, he was prepared to reward her in practical ways, and he would work to be a refuge for her, initially providing her with protection and provision, but much more afterwards. The writer is reminding us of the importance of being like the God we serve and tell others about.

 

The portrayal of Ruth

We can close by considering briefly the character of Ruth. What kind of person was she? In this chapter several details are said about her that are worthy of admiration and imitation.

 

First, she was diligent in fulfilling the task she had gone into the field to do – the foreman testified to her honesty (perhaps he had paid special attention to her because she was from Moab). And she worked all day through the heat of the sun.

 

Connected to her diligence was her strength (she carried home grain that weighed about thirty pounds – an ephah) which was used in service of others. She put everything into whatever she was doing for God and for others.

 

Third, she was humble in her responses to the kindness of Boaz (v. 10); she realised that she was undeserving of receiving so much from him. Humility is a beautiful grace, a feature that Jesus said about himself when he said to listeners to come to him because he was gentle and lowly in heart.

 

Fourth, she was grateful for all the blessings she received. We are reminded by Paul that we should give thanks in everything.

 

Fifth, she was thoughtful and caring, ensuring that she took home food for Naomi, and not just thinking only about her own needs. Her heart was marked by sensitive love for her mother-in-law waiting at home to find out what had happened in whatever field she had worked in.

 

Sixth, she was wise in accepting the advice given to her from Boaz and Naomi. This means that she had the heart of a learner in the kingdom of grace. Her wisdom complements the other graces clearly revealed in her manner of life.

 

This chapter in the Book of Ruth is full of many lessons about the ways in which God deals with his people, even for one who was formerly a stranger to the people of God. We have considered some of them and we can see why so many people found are easy to get along with. Her piety is very striking and challenges us about our devotion to the Saviour.