A Harvest of Hope (Ruth 2:1–12) | Redeeming Love (Part 2)

Transcript

JROT 39
11/16/2025
Redeeming Love (Part 2) A Harvest of Hope
Ruth 2:1-12
Jesse Randolph

Well, we are resuming our series in the Book of Ruth this morning. Today, we’ll be making our way through the first half of Ruth 2. You can go ahead and turn there we me, to Ruth 2. As you’re doing so, you’ll recall that what we saw last time, in Ruth 1 was that a man named Elimelech, and his wife, Naomi, had relocated from their homeland, in Bethlehem. Which means – the “house of bread.” And they had relocated to this cursed and pagan territory, about 50 miles to the east of Bethlehem, across the Dead Sea, called Moab. And Elimelech and Naomi had taken this pilgrimage for their family to Moab, this sojourn, because there was a famine in the land, we learned, in the very first verse of the Book of Ruth. The breadbasket of Judea – Bethlehem, had run out of bread. It was both an ironic and a sad outcome. Well, when Elimelech and Naomi arrived in Moab, with their sons, Mahlon and Chilion you recall that tragedy struck. First, Elimelech died and then, their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, who had since taken Moabite wives, they both died. So that meant that Naomi was now left husband-less and son-less with her two Moabite daughters-in-law. Orpah and Ruth, there in the land of Moab.

As we saw last time much of the text in Ruth 1, involves this dialogue between Naomi and her two daughters-in-law – Orpah and Ruth. The dialogue involves Naomi learning of the fact that the famine back in Bethlehem was now over. That the “house of bread” now, had bread. So, she’s now persuading Orpah and Ruth to stay behind. You two stay in Moab, I’m going to go back to Bethlehem. The whole heart behind that, is these two young women were still young, and they could still remarry and have babies and start families. While initially both of the daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth pushed back on Naomi and resisted the counsel she was giving; Orpah, ultimately relented. She went back to Moab, never to be heard of again.

Ruth, though, went a different way. She bucked the trend of Orpah, and she refused to leave Naomi. She professed her allegiance to Naomi, her loyalty to Naomi. This allegiance and this loyalty, we saw, was rooted in this newfound faith that she had, in the God that Naomi worshiped Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God of all. We recall Ruth’s words in Ruth 1:16, where she says to Naomi:
“. . . where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
Well, at that point, Naomi had nothing more to say to Ruth in terms of persuading her to return to Moab. So, these two women now, one old, one young both widows though, set out for Bethlehem.

Now, while Naomi was no longer protesting against Ruth, per se, in joining her back in Bethlehem she was still protesting, we saw, much against God. She was saying things like this, in Ruth 1:20 –
“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
Or this, in verse 21 –
“I went out full, but Yahweh has caused me to return empty.”
Or this, also in verse 21 –
“Yahweh has answered against me, and the Almighty has brought calamity against me.”
So, that’s a quick rundown of what we looked at last week, in Ruth 1.

As we saw last time, as we were winding down. The final verse of chapter 1, Ruth 1:22 hints at the fact, that while these two widows were now entering Bethlehem under these uncertain circumstances without husbands without offspring without financial security without a sense of where their next meal would come from and in Naomi’s case, with an embittered chip on her shoulder; their fortunes were about to turn. As that frown of providence that they had been living under, was now going to give way to the smile of God. We saw that in Ruth 1:22, which reads:
“So, Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the fields of Moab.”
And then, look at this last statement, it says:
“Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.”
That’s where we left off last time and that’s where we’ll pick up this time. As we note that as Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem it was the “beginning of barley harvest” as it says. This harvest of hope was on the horizon for the two of them.

We’re going to be in Ruth 2 today. This is a scene which actually records a single day in the lives of Ruth, Naomi and this third main character that we’re about to be introduced to, Boaz.
Let’s go ahead and get into it. Starting in verse 1, which reads this way, it says:
“Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a mighty man of excellence, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”
Now, note right away, we’re given a few key details about this man mentioned for the first time here in verse 1. Let’s start with his name, at the end of the verse there, “Boaz.” There are all sorts of traditional Jewish teachings and beliefs, especially in later Rabbinic Judaism about who this man was. For instance, according to one set of teachings, Boaz was the nephew of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. According to another set of traditional teachings, Boaz was a childless widower in his 80’s. According to another set of traditional teachings, the arrival of Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem, corresponded with the funeral of Boaz’s late wife.

Now, note none of that is said in the Biblical text. None of that is given to us in the actual pages of scripture. What we do know is what we see in the Word of God itself and what we see here is that this man’s name was “Boaz.” A name that means “in him is strength.” We know, from what we see here in verse 1, that this man, “Boaz” was related to Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech. Look at the very first few words there of verse 1, referring to Boaz it says that he was a “kinsman”, Naomi had a “kinsman of her husband” meaning, of her late husband, Elimelich.

Now, as we work our way through this text. Not just today, but throughout this series in Ruth. We’re going to, unapologetically use a normal and literal approach, to how we read it, and to how we interpret the text. We’re not going to read this story out of order, in the context of the Book of Ruth itself. And we’re not going to read the story out of order, in the context of God’s overall revelation of Himself, His plan, His person, His purposes, as revealed in the scriptures, as a whole.

See, unfortunately, that’s where a lot of folks get sideways in their reading of the Old Testament. And not just the Oxford-trained scholars, but the ordinary saints of God. Because perhaps they’re familiar with the story of Ruth and how it concludes they’ll read a word like this one here in verse 1, “kinsman” and they’ll automatically leap to the concept of the “kinsman” redeemer.” Which does develop and is revealed later in the story, as we’ll soon see. Then, because they’ve read the scriptures, Old and New Testaments they’ll take that word, “redeem” or “redemption” and they’ll run with it, and they’ll immediately link it to Jesus. And then, they’ll think, well, redemption, redeem, they’ll think of Jesus and His redeeming work. And they’ll think of the redemption that Jesus purchased for sinners like them. And they’ll naturally think about the salvation they now have, through the redeeming work of Christ. Then, either because they think that the Bible is all about Jesus, or because the Bible is all about them and their salvation, they’ll end up ripping the Old Testament text, out of its original context. In doing so, what will happen is they’ll miss the wonderful richness and sweetness of the Old Testament text itself.

Avoid that temptation. Avoid the temptation to find Jesus on every page of the Old Testament, hint, hint, He’s not always there. Avoid the temptation to find yourself in every page of the Old Testament, hint, hint, you’re not there. Rather, we must let the Old Testament text speak for itself. We must breathe its air, rather than breathing on it, to make it say what we want it to say, or to make it sound a little bit more “Christian.” Which makes us feel more comfortable.

Here in verse 1, what we have is the truth that “Naomi had a kinsman [it says] of her husband.” And we’ll learn later that this man would meet the qualifications of this concept of the “kinsman redeemer”, but we’re not there yet. Rather, what the author has see fit to share with us so far, is that Naomi had a “kinsman” of her husband there in Bethlehem. Meaning, a person with a blood relationship with her husband.

The reason this is being highlighted here, and being given to us here, it ties back in with Naomi’s plight. She’s back in her homeland, and now she’s back in her homeland as this impoverished widow. But thankfully, and importantly, this decease husband of hers, Elimelech, has a “kinsman” there and note that he is of the family of Elimelech. That means he’s of Elimelech’s extended family. The fact that Boaz is being identified here as this member of Elimelech’s extended family, even if it’s a distant family member its telling us something and telling us something important. As the providence of God plays out here, what this is saying is that Naomi, was going to be ok. God had put in her path, a distant family relative, who would be able, at some point, to care for her. But again, more on that later.

So, the next thing we find in this description of Boaz. Still in verse 1, is that he was not only a “kinsman” of her husband, Naomi’s husband, but he’s described here as a “mighty man of excellence.” Now, if you’re using a NASB translation, you’re immediately objecting to what I just said. Because you’re reading that, and you say, well, it says “a man of great wealth.” In the ESV, it has it as “a worthy man.” Other translations have it as “a prominent man”, or “a man of substance.” Now, the word in Hebrew here, that is translated “excellent” in the LSB, is “hayil” and it can refer to physical wealth. It can refer to tangible riches. But I do believe the LSB has this one right. Not to provoke a riot or anything. But I do believe something broader is being communicated here. Something more significant about the type of man that Boaz was. That word “hayil” refers to his character, his makeup. The type of man he was, not only how much he had in the bank account.

In fact, if you turn over with me to Ruth 3, just one page over, or one chapter over and look at verse 11. This is Ruth 3:11. You’ll note these words. This is Boaz, later in the story, speaking to Ruth and note what he says of her:
“So now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you say, I will do for you; for all my people within the gates of the city know that you are a woman of excellence.”
Now, with that word, “excellence”, and I know that’s excellence also in the NASB Ruth is being commended for her moral excellence. Another word you could use there is “virtue”.

In fact, a fun historical note. Is that in the Hebrew Bible, the Bible of Jesus’ day, Jesus’ time. The book of Ruth was placed immediately after the book of Proverbs, which ends in Proverbs 31. Why? Well, according to the ancient Jews, Ruth was the embodiment of the Proverb 31 woman.
In Proverbs 31:29, we have this familiar line:
“Many daughters have done excellently, [there’s that word again, hayil] but you have gone above them all.”
Well, here in Ruth 3:11, Ruth is being singled out as being such an excellent woman. Note that language there again: “. . . you are a woman [Boaz says to her] of excellence.”

Well, bringing it back to our text, and to re-focus. I bring all of that up to note that as Ruth was being singled out for being an “excellent” woman in Ruth 3 Boaz likewise was being singled out in Ruth 2 as a “mighty man of excellence.” Boaz was rich, not only in material things, but he was also rich in character. Yes, he was a wealthy landowner. But he really embodied these broader concepts and ethics and virtues that marked the kind of man he was. He really embodied what Psalm 15 refers to as the one who “walks blamelessly.”

In fact, if you would, turn with me over to Psalm 15. I think this really encapsulates the kind of man Boaz was. Psalm 15, just five short verses reads this way, a Psalm of David, it says:
“O Yahweh, who may sojourn in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks blamelessly, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear Yahweh; he swears to his own hurt and does not change; he does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
The language of that Psalm describes Boaz to a tee. He wasn’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill Israelite. Instead, he was a man like this, in Psalm 15, a man with certain outstanding qualities. A man who sought to live this exemplary lifestyle. This “mighty man of excellence”, as he’s referred to in verse 1. This posture which stems from him having this humble fear of the Lord.

We have to remember context here. We got into this last week some. But the book of Ruth is set during the period of the Judges. The very last verse of the book of Judges, Judges 21:25 indicates that this was a time when: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Meaning, that Boaz was living in this godless age, and this godless culture. But even in the midst of it, he presented this godly witness. These high principles of character. Sometimes, you know, the application in the sermon writes itself, I think this is one of those moments. Think of the times in which we live. Think of the dark days in which we live. Think of the high call on our life. We read in Philippians 2:15 calls us to be: “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world.”

Moving on in this narrative with all three of these major players in this story now having been introduced Naomi, and Ruth, and now Boaz, the scene, the focus shifts back now, in verse 2, to both Ruth and Naomi. Look at verse 2, Ruth 2:2, it says:
“And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Pleas let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one whom I may find favor in his eyes.’”
Now, as we saw last week, we went over some of the introductory material for the book of Ruth. This book is this beautifully-stitched-together piece of Hebrew literature. That’s why I mentioned last week that group, the Infidels’ Club. Those scholars and those philosophers in Ben Franklin’s day. As he presented this anonymous book to them and they were so taken with it, not knowing it was the book of Ruth. Well, here in verse 2 we have another one of these strokes of brilliant storytelling. As the author here, having just introduced Boaz to us, the reader, in verse 1, to Boaz. Is now about to seamlessly weave him into the story in verse 2 and he does so with Ruth’s words. Note again, what she says, she says to Naomi:
“Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one whom I may find favor in his eyes.”
Now, as Ruth said those words to Naomi, she had no idea who that “one” would be. Naomi had no idea who that “one” might be. In fact, neither woman was certain that there would be such a “one.”

But it’s as though the human author here, I hope some of you get this reference, is breaking the fourth wall like Jim Halpert, on The Office. Maybe ten of you got that reference. And he’s winking at us, the audience. He’s kind of given us that side-eyed to the camera, like look at what’s about to happen here. And he’s saying to us, the audience: “Fasten your seatbelts.” “You’re not going to believe how this is all going to play out.” “Just wait until you see what happens next.” “You’ll never believe who Ruth is going to run into out in those fields.”

Now, what exactly did Ruth have in mind when she sought permission here from Naomi, in verse 2, to go “glean” in those fields? What was she requesting when she asked, politely here: “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain . . .” Well, actually it all goes back to the days of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt. Where they had been enslaved and impoverished and miserable. Then, through Moses’ leadership, you’ll recall, God delivered them out of bondage in Egypt. There is the “let my people go”, Charleton Heston moment. God showed them great mercy in doing so and He spared them from further suffering and toil in Egypt. As He showed mercy to His people by delivering them out of Egypt God would then, later, write in His Law that they were to show mercy to the people around them. To the less fortunate around them. To the helpless. To the poor. To the needy. To the foreigner. To the orphan. To the widow. Meaning, the people of Israel were to show mercy and favor to people just like Ruth, who was a foreigner, poor, needy, and in a foreign land. In fact, go ahead with me, just to give us some context, go ahead and turn with me back to Deuteronomy 24. Where we’re going to see the standards that God set for His people, the Israelites, as they entered the land. Again, Deuteronomy is the second giving of God’s Law. Here we have these standards that He gives to His people, as they go into the promised land, and the kind of care they were to show for people like Ruth. Look at Deuteronomy 24: 19:
“When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the sojourner, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs after you finish; it shall be for the sojourner, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it after you finish; it shall be for the sojourner, for the orphan, and for the widow. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing.” So, to summarize, whenever they reaped, the Israelites reaped at harvest time, they were to be mindful of the underprivileged. Leaving the corners of their fields unharvested, allowing the poor and the afflicted to glean whatever was left.

Now, back to the book of Ruth says to Naomi here, in Ruth 2:2 – “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain . . .”
On the one hand, she was taking advantage of those privileges that were available to her, as a foreigner, in God’s Law. At the same time though, and I think why she asked Naomi this question with such caution and care. She knew her Moabite heritage. And she knew that her Moabite heritage made her especially unwelcome in Judea and in Bethlehem. Remember last week, we looked at that passage – Deuteronomy 23:3, where it says:
“No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation, none of their seed shall ever enter the assembly of Yahweh.”
The fact that Moabites like Ruth, weren’t permitted to enter a public worship space in Judah. That said something about the sense of disapproval and shame which would be hanging over somebody like Ruth from a foreign land, a Moabite, specifically.

Though the Law had given her, as a foreigner, this right, Deuteronomy 24, to glean. She was a specific type of foreigner. She was a Moabite. She was from that toilet-bowl of the territory. She occupied that especially low rung on the societal ladder. So, before Ruth here went out to these fields to glean. Before she went out to earn a few shekels, to keep her and Naomi afloat she checked in with Naomi first. She sought her permission to do so. That’s why she says here:
“Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain . . .”
And Naoim answered her end of verse 2, it says:
“And she said to her, [that’s Naomi saying to Ruth] ‘Go, my daughter.”

Well, the narrative continues in verse 3, with this short expression, terse expression, it just says:
“So, she went.”
So, Ruth went. As she headed out, she likely had no sense of where she was going. And on whose land, she would be stumbling upon. You know, unlike a lot of farmlands in our day there would have been no fences or mile markers or gravel driveways or anything like that mailboxes, to indicate whose land Ruth was on. So, she was just striking out to go find land in which to glean. Not only that, but she’s also a woman, and a foreign woman at that. So, she was especially prone to attacks or just being generally vulnerable during this time. But she went anyway. She left Naomi to go glean and she did so as an act of faith.

Verse 3, continues, and then it says:
“So, she went and she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.”
Now, in terms of how the harvesting of barley fields worked during this time, and trust me, I had to do some research, as a Californian this week, on this one. In the days before tractors and combines and modern farm equipment. There was a certain way that this went. What would happen is a field worker would be walking in the rows, and they would grab individual stalks of grain. And then, with a short sickle in the other hand, they would cut each head of grain, or each stock. And then what they would do is they would hold as many of those cut down stocks in their hand, as their hand, however small or large it was, could hold, and then when they couldn’t hold anymore, they would lay them aside, and have those stocks bundled as they went on the next rows to gather more grain and to cut down more stocks. Then there was this second group. So, there were those who held the sickles and cut down the stocks, but then there was this second group who would actually follow behind the reapers. These would be the ones who would bundle those stocks into these sheaves of cut down grain. That’s what’s being referred to here, in verse 3, where it says:
“And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.” Those were those who were following behind.

Now, Ruth though, what it’s saying here in verse 3, was not a part of either group. She wasn’t one of those who cut. She wasn’t one of those who bundled. Rather, she was one who gleaned. She was one who was following behind those two groups, and gathering up the scraps, any left-over stocks or heads of grain that had been cut down and bundled but were just laying aside. They hadn’t been taken to wherever they were processed. Our comparison today would be if you’ve ever seen anybody pushing a shopping cart, with aluminum cans in it, to recycle and earn some money that’s what the gleaners would do in Ruth’s day. Although they weren’t pushing carts and collecting cans, they were instead gathering these scraps of grain laying around the field.

And then note this detail as we read on in verse 3, it says:
“And it so happened that she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.”
Now, we’ve already been introduced to Boaz as the reader of this book. We, reading in this scripture, have been introduced to him as this “kinsman” of Elimelech, this “mighty man of excellence.” What we need to do for a moment here is zero in on that expression in the second half of verse 3, that:
“. . . it so happened that she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz.”
This is another stoke of genius, and brilliant Hebrew wordplay by the human author of the book of Ruth.
That double usage of that word “happened”, its emphatic. Meaning, what’s really being highlighted and underscored here is that apparent coincidence, keyword – apparent. Through which Ruth found herself in this specific field. This author here is saying, the human author, that it ‘just happened to happen.” That a “chance, chanced upon her.” This “happenstance happened to happen to her.” That she would end up in that field. “What an amazing stroke of luck!” “Can you believe it?” That’s the idea here. “Can you believe that Ruth came from Moab to Bethlehem with Naomi in the first place?” Then, “Can you believe that she arrived in Bethlehem at of all times, the beginning of the barley harvest?” “And can you believe that she ended up, in all places, in that specific field, owned by that specific man, Boaz.?”

You know, sometimes the seemingly smallest details in our lives end up having the most seismic effects, do they not? It’s incredible, those happenstances which seemingly just happen to happen aren’t happenstances at all. No. They are divinely ordained, and they are eternally decreed, by a sovereign God. They are, the theological term is – providential.

While, at the time, to Ruth, her decision to go glean in some seemingly random field, appeared to be just some ordinary, run of the mill decision. Like the countless decisions you and I make day after day. Right? “I’m going to stop in there.” “I’ll pop in there.” “I’ll turn at this intersection and not go to that intersection.” As we read Ruth’s story. And as we read it through the lens of faith and belief and the same God that she worshiped we know better. We know that this account of Ruth’s day out in this field like the hour-by-hour events of our lives have the fingerprints of divine providence all over them.
We remember what David says, in Psalm 37:23 – “The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh . . .”
We remember the words of Proverbs 16:33 – “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every judgment is from Yahweh.”
Meaning, the same divine hand which had sent that famine to Bethlehem in the first place. The same divine hand which had ended the famine in Bethlehem. Was the same divine hand that had brought Naoim and Ruth back to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. And it was the same divine hand that was now guiding Ruth into Boaz’s field.

In other words, this was no accident. No accident that Ruth ended up on this specific plot, on this specific day. This was no moment of chance or happenstance. It was providential. God had directed Ruth’s steps to that specific field, to meet a specific man, Boaz.

Speaking of which, verse 4. While Ruth was out there, gleaning in the field, the field which belonged to Boaz. Look at whose steps God directed to that field. I’m now reading from verse 4:
“Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘May Yahweh be with you.’”

Now, I must admit, I have not worked many fields in my lifetime. Especially not dressed like this. But my dad did do construction. And I did work with my dad, at a younger age. And did a lot of work with him in my teenage and early college years. And let’s just say, as I recall it it’s not typical in a job involving hard labor of some sort for the owner or the superintendent or the general contractor to get out of his F-150, or his Silverado, or whatever to throw on his hard-hat, to slam his door to walk up to his crew work boots crunching in the soil and say “The Lord be with you.” I don’t ever remember that happening. Normally it was, “What’s the status?” “Are we staying on time?” “Why isn’t this part of the project done yet?” “That angle or that piece doesn’t quite look right.” “Pick up the pace.” “Here’s your check, you’re done.” Those kinds of things. And maybe on a good day, it would be “Nice job.” “Well done.” “Good work.” But it’s certainly not “The Lord be with you.” Those sorts of words are not thrown around job sites these days. Unless maybe if you’re Jason Willit, he might do that.
But that’s exactly what Boaz did here. In the very first words out of his mouth recorded in Scripture he’s invoking the name and the blessing of God. Which, again, shows what kind of man he was. This man of high character. This virtuous man. As he’s described back in verse 1, the “mighty man of excellence.” Boaz was saying to his workers, to those that he employed, that he wanted them to be blessed. He wanted them to have the blessing of God. The sense that God was with them, blessing their work and blessing their lives. He cared about them, and he let them know that. And they reciprocated. End of verse 4, it says that they said to him: “May Yahweh bless you.” Again, not your typical workplace, especially during these times, the days of the Judges, where things were at an all-time low, spiritually speaking. But that’s Boaz. In the middle of these dark days, caring more about the spiritual condition and the wellbeing of his workers. Rather than how large the harvest would be that year.

And then comes this inevitable collision. The one we’ve been waiting for this entire time between Boaz and Ruth, in verse 5. It says:
“Then” meaning, after Boaz had greeted and blessed the workers in his field.
“. . . Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, ‘Whose young woman is this?”
Now, even here, we’re giving more of a window into Boaz’s character. I mean, think about this. The fact that Boaz could recognize that there was someone in his field who he didn’t know implies what? That he knew them all. That he knew who was out there working for him. And he knew them personally, so that someone was added to the mix who was new they stood out and he acknowledged it.

That was the case with Ruth. She was the new one. So, Boaz said verse 5, “. . . to his young man who was in charge of the reapers.” And that young man would have been the foreman in the field. He asks, “Whose young woman is this?”
Now, was this love at first sight? Was Boaz’s heart going pitter-pat at this point? Was Ruth, this woman of remarkable beauty? The truth is, we don’t know. And we need to be careful not to go beyond what God has revealed in His Word. We must be careful not to turn the Ruth account into a Hallmark Christmas movie. Like, you know, Christmas in Vermont, Part 17. I’m only caught up to number 16. But 17, I’m sure, is going to be different. No, all we know from the context here, from the text itself, is that Ruth was a Moabite woman, a widow, an alien and a sojourner there in Bethlehem. And now, she’s there gleaning in Boaz’s field, and Boaz noticed her.

But something wasn’t quite adding up for Boaz. Something was still out of place. Her presence in his field still gave him pause. Hence, his question, in verse 5: “Whose young woman is this?”
Now, that question was likely rooted in Boaz’s belief that this “young woman” was married. She must have been married, that’s what he’s thinking, she must have been someone’s wife. So, his question, is really designed to figure out – who does she go with? Where’s her husband? To whom is she attached?

And in response to that question, his foreman answered, verse 6, it says:
“The young man in charge of the reapers replied, ‘She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab.’”
Now, note his answer here, the foreman’s answer here, is pretty much repeating the information we, got, back in Ruth 1:22, where we’re told that, she was a “Moabitess.” She was Naomi’s “daughter-in-law.” She “returned from the fields of Moab.” And that she had come “to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.” Now, note the foreman here doesn’t supply one piece of information to Boaz. He doesn’t give the woman’s name. To the foreman, she was just this foreigner and one from Moab, at that.

Well, verse 7 records the rest of this foreman’s response to Boaz. It says: “And she said.” Meaning Ruth said, “Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.”
This was the foreman relaying to Boaz, how Ruth had come to work in that field, earlier that day. And then, reading on in verse 7 the foreman says something that indicates that he’d been watching Ruth. And that she had made some sort of impression on him. He says to Boaz:
“Thus, she came and has remained from the morning until now.”
Meaning, she’d put in a full day. She was hard-working, she was no slouch. And then, he concludes with these words, the end of verse 7:
“. . . she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”
So, she had started early, she had worked diligently throughout the day. And when she got tired, she rested in some sort of shelter that Boaz would have provided for his workers to give them a break, a reprieve from the beating rays of the sun. But the point the foreman was making here was that this “young woman,” who had just shown up that morning, was a hard worker. Again, we hear those Provers 31 like traits poking through the narrative.

Well, now in verse 8, we’re given this first line of direct dialogue between Boaz and Ruth, it says:
“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Have you not heard, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my young women.’”
Now, the way that this conversation is phrased here in verse 8, between Boaz and Ruth, it’s as though Boaz is just cutting off the conversation that he was having with the foreman. So, the foreman is giving him all this information. Boaz is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, shush. Then he turns to Ruth. That’s what’s going on in verse 8. He’s going straight to Ruth, this stranger who had been gleaning in his field. Then, having heard this report from this foreman about her work ethic, and her character, and her relationship with Naomi. Boaz clearly wanted to do good by her. And so, he cuts right to the chase with her in verse 8, with the beginning words, that quote there, it says, “Have you not heard, my daughter?”

I actually prefer the way the NASB has it there. Where it says, “Listen carefully, my daughter.” This is not so much a question as it is a statement. Maybe even shading into a command. “Listen carefully” young lady. That’s the sense here, speaking of the age difference between the two. And then he said, still in verse 8:
“Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my young women.”
Ruth had no need to go anywhere else, which is what Boaz is saying. He’s saying, you’re welcome here, to stay in my fields. And then, verse 9, he starts to sweeten the pot. First says, “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them.” This was Boaz’s way of saying to Ruth that he was going to promote her. Not only would she now have permission to remain in his fields, and to glean in his fields, he was actually, through those words, moving her up in rank. As she gleaned, he’s saying, she could go immediately behind the reapers. Those who were bundling the sheeves. The second line of workers. She would be the very “first in line”, among the gleaners and get the very best of the gleanings. That’s the sense here.

So, he was going to promote her. Not only was he going to promote her though, but he was also going to protect her. Still in verse 9, he says:
“Indeed, I have commanded the young men not to touch you.” That means what it sounds like. Boaz was going to protect Ruth against any unwanted advances by any of her male counterparts out in the fields. This was the Old Testament’s first anti-sexual harassment policy. Not only was he going to promote her, and protect her, he was going to provide for her. Look at the end of verse 9, he says:
“And if you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the young men draw.” Now, we can read right past that and not pick up on the significance of it, but it is really significant. Because normally, someone like Ruth, a foreign woman, of all people, she would be the one, given the menial task of getting water for the rest of the crew. But Boaz is flipping it around here and saying you can drink the water that your male counterparts are drawing for you and they are likely Israelite male counterparts. So, he’s flipping the whole social notion on its head.

But all of it, the promotion, the protection, the provision coming from a man like Boaz, this man of prominence, this “mighty man of excellence.” And being directed to this lowly Moabite woman like Ruth it was all extraordinary.

Boaz’s kindness, they were not lost on Ruth. They were not unnoticed. Recall, that as she headed out that morning from Naomi’s residence, to go glean in the fields all that she had hoped, all that Ruth had hoped, striking out that morning, was that perhaps she’d be able to pick at the edges of a few fields, to yield enough grain for her and for Naomi, to eke out a couple more days of existence. That’s all she was there for. She could never have imagined, as she left the house that morning, being shown this type of kindness, this extraordinary kindness by a man like Boaz.

So now, in verse 10, we see her reaction to that kindness that she was shown. First, we’re told that, “. . . she fell on her face, bowing to the ground.” She was so touched by the generosity of this man that she had met, so touched by his remarkable benevolence, that she fell on her face. She prostrated herself before him. She dropped to her knees and bowed forward so that her forehead was touching the ground, and she was doing this as a sign of respect and honor and ultimately, submission.

Then, while still in that position, and perhaps she’s peeking briefly up at him, at this point. She asked Boaz, still in verse 10.
“Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, though I am a foreigner?”
“Why would you recognize me?” “Why would you pay any attention to me?” “Why would you show such unusual kindness to me?” “Why would you show me, this destitute widow from Moab, anything, any such dignity?” That’s what she’s asking.

Boaz answered Ruth, in verse 11, it says:
“Boaz replied to her . . .” and he said, “Well, it’s because I love you.” “Because I was so smitten with your beauty.” “Because I just thought you were kind of cute.” “Because I just thought we were vibing here.” Right? No! No, this “mighty man of excellence” was drawn in by Ruth’s own moral excellence. He was drawn in by her virtue. To borrow some New Testament language, from I Peter 3:4, he was attracted to “the hidden person of her heart.”
“Boaz replied to her . . .” verse 11, “. . . all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you forsook your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know.”

I mean, this is pretty clear and self-explanatory. But Boaz had, somewhere along the way, heard Ruth’s whole story. Someone had shared her story with him. The walls were talking in Bethlehem before Ruth came to that field. So, though he didn’t recognize her visually out in that field, that’s why he asks, “Whose young woman is this?” He already knew her reputationally. He knew that she was from a foreign land. And he knew that she had a husband. And he knew that her husband had died. And he knew of her commitment to Naomi. And he knew that she was this stranger now in this foreign land. Piecing all of these this together, Boaz knew that Ruth was this selfless woman. This woman of high character. This woman of virtue. This woman of excellence, as he’ll call her in Ruth 3. He knew that she was worth honoring, and so he honored her.

Then, “excellent” man that he was. He rounded out this part of the dialogue by, right there in Ruth’s presence praying for her. Look at verse 12, he says:
“May Yahweh fully repay your work, and may your wages be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
These are words of prayer and petition on Ruth’s behalf, with her right there in front of him. At the heart of that prayer, is Boaz requesting that the God of Israel would reward Ruth, for the kindness that she had shown Naomi. That God would bless Ruth in ways that were comparable to the ways that she had blessed Naomi. And note, that in praying that prayer, Boaz, very clearly identified the God to whom he was praying. “The God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” In her trials. In her uncertainties. In her mourning, even. Ruth has indeed taken “refuge” in the God of Israel.

That’s all baked into her confession back in Ruth 1:16, where she says:
“Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. She was this Moabite. She was this foreigner. She was born outside the covenant blessing of Yahweh. But because she had transferred her spiritual allegiance, from these so called “gods” of Moab, to the “God of all” the “God of Israel” He was now her divine protector. She could now “seek refuge” under His wings. She could embrace the words of Psalm 91:1, in resting under the “. . . shadow of the Almighty.”

So, as Boaz, this “mighty man of excellence” prayed out there in this field with Ruth right there in front of him. He was acknowledging that the God of Israel, Yahweh, was not only Ruth’s rewarder, but her refuge.

The dialogue continues in verse 13, which we’re going to pick up next week, as Ruth will then reply.