Ruth stuck to Naomi, her
mother-in-law, as she had promised. What’s evident about her commitment was
that she wasn’t afraid of doing anything to serve her mother-in-law. Remember
Ruth 1:16, where she told 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.”
She meant every word and literally kept every word she said. This is
trustworthiness. We elicit trust when we are trustworthy. If we want people to
trust us, we must cultivate trustworthiness personally. This is so important
for us as believers who profess to love the Lord. We will be an effective witness
for the Lord when we are seen to be reliable in life. Remember to say what we
mean and mean what we say.
Being an industrious
woman and younger, she asked to go out and find food for the two of them. The
Mosaic law stipulated that the gleaning of the field should be allowed for the
poor, for strangers, for widows and orphans. When Ruth learned about this, she
politely sought Naomi’s permission for her to go out to a field to find food
for their survival. Ruth surmised that she would be able to come across someone
who would be gracious, generous and kind enough to allow her to glean the
field. She believed that she will be able to pick up stalks of barley left
behind by the harvesters. So eager was she that she earnestly said to
Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain
after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she was proven true.
As divine providence would have
it, Ruth’s venture led her into the field of a wealthy farmer by the name of
Boaz. This is divine providence because Boaz was from the same tribe as
Elimelech, her late father-in-law. As it turned out, Boaz was a godly man. He
and his workers shared a similar faith. This could be seen in his warm
greetings to his workers. He openly implored the blessing of Yahweh upon them.
His kindness was met with the same kind of response from his worker. They all
trusted in Yahweh. When a boss and his subordinates share a similar belief in
the Lord, grace, peace, and harmony always ensue. In this situation, we can see
the law of reciprocity taking effect. If we show kindness, we will reap
kindness. And if we sow love, we will reap love. We always reap what we sow.
This was so obvious in Boaz’s situation. Here’s a word of advice, if you don’t
like the fruits you are reaping, check the seeds you are sowing.
Ruth was noticed for her
diligence. Boaz saw her in action and immediately inquired about her. He asked
one of his field supervisors who Ruth was and was promptly told that Ruth
was “…the young Moabite woman, who came back with
Naomi from the country of Moab.” Ruth was so hardworking that her
supervisor’s evaluation of her was found in verse 7. It is said, “She came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for
a short rest.” When a person is hardworking, he or she will be
noticed. What is our testimony at work? Are we known to be a diligent
worker or an idler? Our attitude can be seen in the work we produced. So, in
whatever we do, Paul in Colossians said that we must do it all unto the Lord.
The attitude we bring to work and the result we produce will glorify God or
bring discredit to His name. In everything we do, we must put in the right
attitude and due diligence so that God will be glorified.
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