BY THE AUTHOR OF “THE STORY OF GIDEON.”
THIS was indeed a blessed change for Ruth, a turning-point in her life. It is much the same when a poor Chinese or any other heathen turns to God from idols to serve the only true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, and it is much the same, too, when an English or Scotch boy or girl, or indeed when anyone repents of sin, believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has a firm desire, by God’s help, to follow the Lord and live for Him.
Now, when the two women, the old and the young, got into Bethlehem, all the people came crowding round them, and those who had known Naomi in former years said, “Is this Naomi?” as if they were surprised to see how much she had altered. Doubtless poor Naomi saw their looks of wonder and pity, and heard their remarks, for she said, “Call me not Naomi: call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” We will see the meaning of what she exclaimed when we notice in the margin of the Bible that Naomi means “pleasant,” and Mara means “bitter.” “I went out full,” said she, “and the Lord hath brought me home again empty”; and it was well that she still saw the hand of the Lord in what had happened, and that it was He who had brought her home again.
So it was in this way that Naomi came back, her daughter-in-law Ruth being with her. And it was to Bethlehem they came, just when barley-harvest began. The fields around Bethlehem must have looked pleasing and cheerful at this season, for there are few things more lovely to the eye than the waving of ripe grain.
Ruth asked Naomi’s leave and advice before going out to glean, and then found her way into a field whose owner was a rich man named Boaz. He had already been told of the two widows: of the return of Naomi to her native land, and of the love and kindness of her daughter-in-law Ruth, who had left her own father and mother to come with Naomi to dwell among a people whom she had not known in her earlier years. When Boaz saw Ruth he spoke to her, saying, “The 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.” He was a godly man, and a kind master. When he came into the field where his servants were reaping, he said to them, “The Lord be with you.” And they answered him, “The Lord bless thee.”
Boaz allowed Ruth to glean in his field, and even told the young men, his servants, to let fall some of the handfuls on purpose for her, which was indeed very kind, and it shows how God was watching over Ruth, and making the heart of Boaz plan this for her benefit. Boaz also asked her to come and take a meal, and to sit by the side of the reapers while she ate it: and as she sat there, Boaz himself reached forward and gave her some of the food; and he gave her more than enough for herself, so that she kept some, and took it to her mother-in-law.
Then Naomi said, “Where hast thou gleaned to-day?” and also, “Blessed be the man who took notice of thee.” And Ruth said, “The man’s name, with whom I worked today, is Boaz.” And Naomi said, “Blessed be he of the Lord who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead,” and she added, “The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen”: by which she meant that Boaz was nearly related to her husband’s family, and to herself. Ruth also said that Boaz wished her to keep near his servants until they had ended the harvest: and Naomi said unto her, “It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they do not find thee in any other field.” So Ruth kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest, and of wheat harvest, and dwelt with her mother-in-law.
It is nice to perceive that Ruth’s conduct towards Naomi was just like that of an obedient child to its parent. They must have loved each other dearly, and when Ruth got home in the evening, she told Naomi all that she had done during the day, bringing to her the barley which she had been able to glean, and speaking of the kindness and respect that had been shown her.
Manners and customs in the East always seem strange to English people, as they are so very different to what is done in these countries, and as we read through the third chapter of this book, we plainly see that Ruth was quite right in carrying out the wishes of Naomi, and doing exactly what she told her to do. Naomi was going to sell the land that had belonged to Elimelech and their sons: and it was the proper thing for the nearest kinsman to buy it. Boaz was quite willing to do this, as he said to Ruth, but there was a relation even nearer to the family than was Boaz himself. The kinsman that bought the land would also have to marry Ruth, Mahlon’s widow.
Then Boaz went up to the gate—the gate of the city, which was the place of judgment, where public matters had to be settled. There Boaz sat down, and the very man, the nearest kinsman, was passing at the time, and Boaz called to him, and said, “Come and sit down here.” And Boaz got ten of the elders of the City to come and sit down there also, that they might hear all that was going to be said. So Boaz explained the whole matter, and asked the kinsman if he would buy the property, and said, “If thou wilt redeem it (or buy it back), redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is no one to redeem it beside thee, and I am after thee.” And the kinsman said, “I will redeem it.”