Ruth 2:8-148Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. (Ruth 2:8‑14).
How often a young believer is led away through bad company. Sometimes the enemy even uses another believer to do this, one who is not in the “field” of Christ—one who is not following Him in obedience. So Boaz warned Ruth not to go to other fields or follow other maidens. He even told her to keep her eyes on his fields, for if she looked at the fields of others, she might be led astray. It is often by looking enviously at the activities of those outside of the path of obedience, that we find our feet following, and thus we miss the path.
If she became thirsty, Boaz told Ruth to go and drink of what the young men had drawn. I believe we could apply this to the precious ministry of the Word drawn for us by God’s “young men.” How thankful we should be for the labors of those who have written down the truth for us. Let us read and profit by this precious ministry of the Word, and not waste our time trying to satisfy our thirst with that which is not of God, but from the “broken cisterns” of this poor world.
All this touched Ruth’s heart, and she fell on her face before Boaz, acknowledging she did not deserve such grace at all. She who was a stranger, outside of all God’s covenants and promises, and yet Boaz took knowledge of her. And surely the Lord has done far more for us. We were strangers, having no claim upon God whatever, but oh! how abundantly He has blessed us through the work of His beloved Son at Calvary. Let us fall upon our knees and thank Him from the bottom of our hearts for His love and grace.
Boaz told Ruth of how he knew all about her, and about the kindness she had shown to Naoini her mother-in-law. He knew what it had meant to her to leave her home and loved ones to follow the Lord, and he assured her that the Lord would fully reward her for all she had done and endured. Is there one reading these lines who has come out from home and loved ones to follow Christ? Does the way seem hard? The Lord knows all about it, and a “full reward” will be given, as we read here, for anything done for Him, in accordence with His Word.
Ruth was comforted by these words from Boaz, and she thanked him. If you feel discouraged, dear reader, feeling that no one understands, be assured that the Lord Jesus cares, and His Word will comfort your heart today, if you let Him speak to you through its blessed pages.
Moreover Boaz continued speaking to Ruth, and told her that at mealtime she was invited to come to his table and eat of his bread and dip her morsel in the vinegar. What a beautiful picture this is of the Lord Jesus, who has brought us back from our great distance in our sins and enmity, and drawn us after Himself, giving us a place at His table. Have you, dear reader, come to Him as your Saviour? Have you responded to His loving request, “This do in remembrance of Me?” 1 Cor. 11:2424And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24). Ruth responded to the invitation of Boaz, for she came and sat down at his table beside the reapers, and Boaz took special notice of her. He reached out his hand and gave her parched corn too. We who have heard the Lord’s call to His own, and have come to His table have found He has blessed us beyond our expectations too. He has truly made Himself precious to our hearts on such occasions.
ML 03/07/1954