Ruth 2:14-23 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Ruth 2:14-23. Let’s go!
Ruth 2:14-16 (NIV)
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.
15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her.
16 Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
On verses 14-16: In Boaz we see a cool reflection of Jesus Christ in the book of Ruth, whereas Ruth is a great picture of the church. For example:
– Just as Boaz fed Ruth a meal by offering her bread and wine (v14), Jesus invited his disciples to a meal of bread and wine at his last supper, and later gave His body (represented by the bread) and His blood (represented by the wine) for us.
– Just as Boaz fed Ruth a meal where she ate all she wanted and had some left over (v14), Jesus would be known for feeding His church meals where the church would eat until full and have much left over (e.g. Matthew 14:20 and 15:37).
– Just as Boaz let Ruth gather among the sheaves and intentionally left bundles of grain in Ruth’s path even though she didn’t work for it (v15-16), Jesus gives us incredible grace that we don’t deserve. It’s a reminder that when you’re out working in the field (at your workplace, at school, taking care of the family and home, ministering to others, or going through an ordinary day) be conscious of the times when Jesus shows you grace that you don’t deserve and gives you blessings you didn’t earn.
Ruth 2:17-18 (NIV)
17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.
18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
On verses 17-18: These verses show us two things. First, we see how much Boaz had given to Ruth — an ephah, which was the equivalent of about 30 pounds and would have been enough food for many days. That’s a heavy load for Ruth to carry home!
Second, we see how hard Ruth continued to work notwithstanding what she had been given. She didn’t take the grace she received for granted.
Likewise, God has given you much grace. I pray that like Ruth may you not be lazy or take God’s grace for granted, but do your best with the gifts, the time and opportunities God has given you so that you can provide well for those in your care.
Ruth 2:19-20a (NIV)
19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.”
On verses 19-20a: Naomi blessed Boaz and had high praise for him when Ruth told her about him. Single people, there’s a lesson to be learned here: when you’re considering someone as your life partner, carefully consider what your parents and spiritual leaders say about that person. There are 2 good reasons for this:
1. Whether or not you want to admit it, your parents and spiritual leaders will have some insight into who you are and have an idea as to what kind of person would be a good match for you. We all have blind spots. Getting the advice and insight of your parents and spiritual leaders will help you consider things that you yourself might not notice on your own. Each of us must still make our own decision when it comes to relationships, but over and over the Bible speaks of the importance of getting good advice.
2. Unless you and your future spouse plan to live on a deserted island, completely disconnected from your family and community, the fact is that marriage is not just the coming together of two people but of two families. You want to find a partner who gets along well with your family and community. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for everyone involved.
As we can see in verses 22-23 and elsewhere in this book, Ruth treasured the advice Naomi, her mother-in-law and spiritual mentor, gave her.
Ruth 2:20b (NIV)
20 …”That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
On verse 20b: What is a kinsman-redeemer? If a married man died without a son, his nearest male relative was expected to act as the widow’s “kinsman redeemer”. That meant he would acquire the property that the deceased husband had owned, marry his widow and if he and the widow bore a son together, they were to name that son after the deceased husband. In this way, the “kinsman redeemer” could help continue the deceased husband’s family line (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). While it was culturally expected that anyone who could act as a kinsman redeemer would do so for the sake of the family, it wasn’t a legal obligation. One could choose not to act as a kinsman redeemer if they did not want to (Deuteronomy 25:7-10).
In this case, Boaz happened to be a close relative of Elimilek, Naomi’s deceased husband. That meant that Boaz could serve as a kinsman redeemer for Naomi’s family. In the remaining chapters of Ruth, we will see how Boaz steps into his role as the kinsman redeemer for Ruth, Naomi and their family.
Jesus is like a kinsman redeemer to us. When we had lost all hope, Jesus stepped into our lives, called us His bride, redeemed us and gave us a new family to belong to.
Heavenly Father, thank You for placing people in our lives like Boaz who remind us of Your Son Jesus Christ. Through my actions and words, may I show the people around me a clear and compelling picture of who Jesus is as well. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
