Ruth’s wholehearted commitment to her mother-in-law was noticeably impressive. Earlier she resolutely said to Naomi, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” This commitment literally ushered her into the path of favor to experience the providence, the provision and the plenty of God. These wonderful experiences were briefly, but surely and clearly shown in verses 14-17.
Remember that by now they were back in Bethlehem and she had offered to go out and glean among the barley fields. This is made possible by the law God gave through Moses, which stipulated that the gleaning of the field should be allowed for the poor, for strangers, for widows and orphans. So, Ruth’s willingness to go out and find some food to sustain both Naomi and herself led her into the field of Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech. And here she found favor with him. Much like Christians who have found favor with Christ.
Ruth had found favor in Boaz’s eye who then invited her to join him for a meal. She was made to sit and sup with him. Isn’t this also true for us who are in Christ? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4-7 that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Like Ruth who sat and fellowshipped with Boaz, we today are seated in fellowship with Christ our heavenly Boaz. And like Ruth who was greatly satisfied in her fellowship with Boaz, so also will we be deeply satisfied by our fellowship with our Lord.
In verses 15-17, Boaz was described as arranging for Ruth to be richly blessed. Unknown to her, he had made some decisions behind the scene that would affect her life positively. She was free to glean anywhere “…among the sheaves” and no one was to reproach her. The arrangement was for her good even though she was not conscious of it. In verse 16 we read the worker being told to “…pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” Here we see the provision of barley left for her to pick. Then at the end of the day, she found herself an ephah full of barley enough to feed both she and Naomi. That speaks of plenty. What we see in these verses we see providence, provision and plenty. That’s what we will experience when we are in Christ!
Ruth found favor with Boaz, in the same way, we have found favor with God in Christ Jesus. Like Ruth, we find divine protection in God’s providence. As Christians, we have free excess to the rich resources of God. He provides for us abundantly not out of His riches but according to His riches. And we will be blessed not meagrely but generously. God truly works all things for our good so that we will be provided and blessed fully, freely, and richly.
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