Ruth Chapter Two

“Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.” Ruth 1:1

Verse 1. Here we meet Boaz, who represents the Lord Jesus. First, he is kinsman to Naomi by her husband: that is, the pleasant aspect of our lives is seen to be related, if distantly, to the Lord Jesus. Then he is a mighty man of wealth – that is, he has the power to redeem. Thirdly, he is of the family of Elimelech as “the firstborn among many brethren,” and lastly His name means “The Lord of Sabaoth.” Having such a kinsman can the story of our lives not have a place in history provided we leave the country of Moab and return to our place?

Verse.2 “And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me go to the fields….” Here is the startling difference. When we repent we return to our starting-out place, our born again position. It is true that our spirituality is long dead, and our strength and steadfastness for Christ are also gone, buried in the country of Moab, as it were, but yet we have something left to us, the pleasant aspect of Christian lives now coupled with a beauty that we “picked up” in the country of Moab. This beauty has clung on to us even though we have lost that which supported us. Now this beauty has shown a character of new steadfastness which may yet bring joy to our hearts and to the Lord of Sabaoth, if only it can be directed into the proper field. Now we must understand that this is Ruth the Moabitess, that the beauty in our lives is something that belongs to the country of Moab and strictly speaking is alien to the fields of God’s people. Nevertheless it can be put to good use, and if we desire to take our place among the reapers the loveliness which is Ruth should be allowed to glean in the fields of God. As we see in the story of Ruth, Naomi said unto her, “Go, my daughter,” and she went, and gleaned in the fields behind the harvesters.

So we understand that though our original spirituality is dead, and we have lost our original strength and steadfastness for Christ, yet our lives are not to be wasted sitting around moping and weeping for the past. Rather, we see that there is something we have acquired, something we have “picked up” in the strange land, something we have gained and added to our character which might please the Lord, might find grace in His sight though it be alien to the children of Israel. In the country of Moab we forsook the reaping and gleaning which is the order of the day in Bethlehem-Judah, and we took up instead the social activities of do-gooding. But at least we were not doing anything evil, and we have retained at least the pleasantness of Christian lives coupled with a habit of doing good, which has given our lives a kind of Moabitish beauty. This habit of doing good has clung to us, and is steadfast to go with us, so all is not lost. If through this “Ruth” we can find grace in the eyes of the Lord, let the habit of doing good be found in the field of the reaping, and it (v.3) may just “turn out” to be a field belonging to Boaz. If Boaz takes note of Ruth the happy ending is a foregone conclusion.

Verse 4 “Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem….” We see it is not Christ as the Messiah portrayed here, but the Lord Jesus as the Man from Bethlehem, now the Lord of the reapers in that part of the field which belongs only to Him. The field is the world, the reapers and gleaners are the servants of God who are doing the Lord’s work in the field.

Verse 5 The Lord is portrayed by Boaz, saying to one who is set over the reapers, “Whose young woman is that?” and that one replying, “She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi,” (verse 6). The reapers may be slow to appreciate the loveliness you have brought with you, because it is something foreign to them, but the Man Boaz can see the beauty of your life.

Verse 8 Then Boaz displays all the kindness for which He is justly famous. Instead of frowning on our Moabitishness, He deals kindly with us, so that we may continue in the field (v.9) and even arranges to share the same refreshment that the young men have with the “foreigner” in the midst. The water is the living water springing up into everlasting life.

Verse 10 “At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground.” Our beauty must be subservient to Him for He is Lord of all, and we see Ruth takes that proper place of humble acknowledgement at His feet, overcome by grace, and the kindness of the Lord of Sabaoth. If she does not take this attitude surely the young men will fall upon her and destroy her beauty. If you flaunt the beauty of Moab the result will be a miserable end to a wretched life. But if this beauty is subservient to Boaz the result will be an outcome of great gladness. The Lord knows all the details already (v.11), and comforts our hearts with the blessing of God, (v.12) “under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Ruth in her delightful way acknowledges the comfort, even though her loveliness is not the loveliness of the children of Israel; “though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls,” says Ruth (v. 13). Each response that is proper so delights the heart of the Lord that He graciously allows her not only to glean alongside His maidens, not only to be refreshed with the water for the young men, but to partake of His table also! (v.14) (Here we see the Christian restored to the communion table through Ruth!)

Furthermore the Lord instructs the reapers to let her glean among the sheaves, and not to reproach her, for Ruth quickly gains favor with her submission and her response (v.15). “And pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up,” (v.16). How the Lord loves to display His kindness and His far-sighted thoughtfulness for us in our daily lives, if only we submit to Him and respond as He would have us respond.

Verse.17 And if we keep on and show a willingness to continue as Ruth did, we will be immeasurably enriched. She beat out all that she had gleaned; and it was about an ephah of barley. Enough to support the pleasant aspect of our Christian lives in their new (or old) surroundings, and enough also to allow us to maintain the beauty that has clung to us. (v.18 to the end.) The pleasant aspect of our lives is not able to support us, but Ruth is sufficient for both if she remain loyal and faithful. The loveliness of Moab is now transformed into a tower of strength to support Naomi, and although she is still Ruth the Moabitess (v.21) yet we see how closely related she appears to Naomi (v.22) for she is more like a daughter now than an alien who is only related by a mixed marriage. And her steadfastness is threefold – she stays close to the servant girls of Moab, she kept on till the end of both harvests, and she lived on with her mother-in-law. Though she is from Moab it is not difficult to see her loveliness.