Continuing in my study of Ruth, I am struck by the characteristics of God that are revealed through Boaz. We meet him in Ruth 2:3-4. Ruth “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.” I love how the Lord’s providence shows up. Boaz greets his workers with “The LORD be with you!” He is CHEERFUL. He asks about Ruth, wondering who she is and where she came from. He is a NOTICER. He approaches her and implores her to stay in his field and keep close to his young women who are working also.This shows him as INCLUSIVE. He promises her PROTECTION when he says he told the young men not to touch her. He promises her PROVISION when he says to take water from what his men have drawn. Boaz is CARING and KIND and THOUGHTFUL. He sees to it that Ruth is cared for above and beyond her wildest imagination.
At mealtime Boaz says to Ruth, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” This gives a picture of Jesus as He offers us the bread of His body and His blood on the cross. Boaz SACRIFICES for Ruth and SHARES and SERVES her, a foreigner. Ruth gets back to gleaning and Boaz instructs his young men to let her glean even among the sheaves, not just what happens to be left behind and even tells them to pull out from their bundles and leave it for her to glean. He says not to reproach her or rebuke her. Wow. So he is GENTLE, SCHEMES GENEROSITY, SHOWS GRACIOUSNESS and continues to GIVE ABUNDANTLY.
At the beginning of Ruth 2, Ruth is telling Naomi she needs to go to a field and glean so they can eat. She is wondering who will show her favor? I imagine she had no idea how her day was going to unfold. She found favor in God’s sight when He providentially brought her to Boaz’s field. It didn’t matter that she was a Moabite. Boaz had integrity and lived to please the Lord. His character reveals this much. And I am sure I barely scratched the surface of the ways He points to Christ through his dealings with Ruth. It’s a beautiful thing to meditate on. His invitation for her to stay in his field speaks to us today as Christ invites us to come near to Him, stay near to Him, look to Him for provision and protection and grace and mercy. He offers what we need and more.
I’ll end with a quote Alistair Begg used in “God of the Ordinary”:
“[Naomi] appointed Ruth to continue her attendance in the fields of Boaz (v.22): ‘Let them not meet thee in any other field, for that will be construed a contempt of his courtesy.’ Our blessed Saviour is our Goel; it is he that has a right to redeem. If we expect to receive benefit by him, let us closely adhere to him, and his fields, and his family; let us not go to the world and its fields for that which is to be had with him only, and which he has encouraged us to expect from him. Has the Lord dealt bountifully with us? Let us not be found in any other field, nor seek for happiness and satisfaction in the creature.”
—Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
It’s worth some thought. Where are you? How did you get there? Do you see the favor of God in your life? Are you humble and grateful? Are you staying near to Him? Going to Him alone for satisfaction and provision and protection? And like Ruth, are you sharing with others the abundance God has given?