Ruth 2: 20-22 – NKJV – Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest. And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth went out for the first time to look for work. Now she is back home after a beautiful experience in the field of Boaz. Now the two women are having an excited conversation about everything that happened that day. Ruth takes time to tell her mother-in-law the whole story. She tells her about the workers she met in that field. She tells her how big that field is and how much she was able to glean. And she tells her about the master of the field. She is so excited that she doesn’t want to leave any detail out. If she brought back so much barley home it is not only because the field that she found was big, but it is much more because she was granted an unexpected favour in that place. Naomi learns that Ruth found herself in the field of Boaz.

Ruth still cannot believe that she met a man who demonstrated so much kindness and favour to her who is a stranger. While Ruth is talking, Naomi is devouring every single word and marvelling at the goodness of God that was portrayed through the big boss called Boaz. Ruth tells her that she has never met a man of authority and influence who is so kind and easy going. That day she learned that power and authority are not synonym of harshness. She learned that exercising power and having people under your commandment does not mean that you will oppress them. She discovered another facet of the boss-worker relationship and she understood that as a master you can also be kind and good to the people who depend on you for their daily bread.

This was quite an experience for Ruth because that is not what she was expecting, such warm welcome that could even make the other workers jealous. As a matter of fact, she had gathered a lot of courage that morning to go out in search for a field where she could gather some grain. Actually, her plan had only been to find that field, gather as much grain as possible and just go back home. She was not planning or expecting to get too close with the people she would meet there and definitely not with the boss. She wanted to be as discreet as possible. She just wanted to make sure that she went back home with enough grain to keep her and Naomi for a good while. But God had another plan for Ruth. His angels had already prepared the ground for her in the field of Boaz. As a stranger, she was not expecting to be treated with so much consideration. But God wanted her to know that she is valuable even if she is a stranger.

The almighty God used Boaz to help Ruth to understand that she deserves to be honoured. She was not seeking for honour and consideration and God knew it. She was not seeking for recognition for all the sacrifices she had made for her mother-in-law. And God knew it. That is the reason why God decided to bless her for her honourable character. When we lower ourselves God steps in and shower us with honour. Through the person of Boaz Ruth was able to taste and see how good the LORD is. What a sweet experience she had that day. Yes indeed, her day was beautiful, more than she could have imagined. When we think that we are cast out God becomes our shelter. When men ignore or despise our sacrifices God blesses and surprises us with a place of distinction. He comes in with His goodness and sweeps away our pain. What an awesome God we serve!

At this point Naomi is so delighted by Ruth’s report that she speaks a blessing upon the life of Boaz. She declares words of blessings upon him because of his kindness. And her words will not fall to the ground. Now, Ruth learns from Naomi that this kind man belongs to the family and he is a close relative. That precision is going to reveal more about God’s plans for Ruth and Naomi in the future. God has just started a powerful process of restoration that will be known throughout all generations. Naomi advices her daughter-in-law to stay in Boaz’s field until the end of the barley harvest. She can sense that God has more surprises in store for both of them. Certainly, we should constantly remain at the source of our blessing. It is a good thing to stay close to good friends who can be a light in our lives and who God can use as a channel to take us into our destiny. The story gets more and more exciting at this point and we all want to know what will happen next. (To be continued) md