Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
RUTH 2
Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”
“The Lord bless you!” they answered.
5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”
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, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
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.
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.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”
21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’ ”
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Application Notes
2:2-3 When the wheat and barley were ready to be harvested, harvesters were hired to cut down the stalks and tie them into bundles. God's law necessitated that the corners of the fields not be harvested. In addition, any grain that was dropped was to be left for widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor, who would gather (glean) it and use it for food (Levitic s 19:9; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). The purpose of this law was to feed the poor and to prevent the landowners from hoarding. This law taught the people of Israel how to care for the marginalized in their midst, as God had cared for all of them when they were slaves in Egypt. Because Ruth was a widow and a foreigner with no means of providing for herself, she went into the fields to glean the grain.
2:2-3 Ruth made her home in a foreign land. Instead of depending on Naomi or waiting for good fortune to happen, she took initiative. She went to work. She was not afraid of admitting what she needed or working hard to get it. When Ruth went out to the fields, God provided for her. If you are waiting for God to provide, consider this: He may be waiting for you to humbly take the first step, trusting him to lead from there. How can you take action in your circumstances with a faith-filled and trusting heart?
2:7 Ruth's task, though menial, tiring, and perhaps degrading, was done faithfully. What is your attitude when the task you have been given feels below your station? The task at hand may be all you can do, or it may be the work God wants you to do. Or, as in Ruth's case, it may be a test of your character that will open new doors of opportunity.
2:8-9 Ruth took the initiative to provide for herself and Naomi, even though the situation could have been dangerous. There are times when tough work with little rest is our only option. Boaz noticed Ruth's tenacity. In fact, he was so impressed with Ruth that he let her follow directly behind his harvesters in order to pick up the choicest grain that they dropped. Ruth probably chose this field to gather grain randomly, but God knew exactly which field would lead her to cross paths with Boaz. And Ruth had to do her part as well Had she considered herself too proud or embarrassed to work in the fields, accepting the charity of someone else, she would have missed the opportunity to meet Boaz, which would change her life and give her the honor of becoming the ancestor of a king and the Messiah.
2:10-12 Ruth's life exhibited admirable qualities: She was hardworking, loving, kind, faithful, and brave. These qualities gained for her a good reputation because she displayed them consistently in all areas of her life. Her past actions were a report card by which others judged her. Wherever Ruth went or whatever she did, her character remained the same.
Ruth's reputation was one of her most valuable assets. Our reputations are formed by our actions—and particularly by how we treat other people. Those who watch you at work, in public, at home, and at church will notice the nature of our true character. Good character comes by consistently living out the truth God reveals in his Word—no matter who we are with or where we are. As your character goes, so goes your reputation for being a person of trust, of truth, and of commitment to honor God in all you do.
2:15-16 The people in the book of Ruth are classic examples of the godly in action. Boaz went far beyond the intent of the gleaners' law in demonstrating his kindness and generosity. He not only let Ruth glean in his field but also told his workers to purposely let some of the grain fall in her path. Out of his abundance, he provided for Ruth and Naomi's need. How often do you go beyond the accepted patterns of providing for those who are in need? We should all follow Boaz's example and do more than the minimum for others.
2:19-20 Naomi had felt bitter about her predicament (1:20-21), but her faith in God was still alive, and she praised God for Boaz's kindness to Ruth. In her sorrow, she still trusted God and acknowledged his goodness. We may feel bitter about a situation, but we must never despair. Choose to be hopeful. Each day is a new opportunity to experience God's gracious provision. (For more on the guardian-redeemer, see the note on 3:1-9.)
2:20 Though Ruth may not have always recognized God's guidance, he had been with her every step of the way. She went to glean and “just happened” to end up in the field owned by Boaz, who “just happened” to be a close relative. This was more than mere coincidence. As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. We must not close the door of hope to what God is presently doing in our lives that we may not be noticing. Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for his purposes.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)