A Devotion from D.A. Carson

Ruth 2; Acts 27; Jeremiah 37; Psalm 10

THE NARRATOR HAS ALREADY TOLD US that when Naomi and Ruth arrive back in Bethlehem it was the

time of barley harvest (Ruth 1:22). Now (Ruth 2) the significance of that bit of information is

played out.

It was long-standing tradition, stemming from Mosaic Law, that landowners would not be

too scrupulous about picking up every bit of produce from their land. That left something for

the poor to forage (cf. Deut. 24:19–22; see meditation for June 19). So Ruth goes out and works

behind the proper reapers in a field not too far from Jerusalem. She could not know that this

field belonged to a wealthy landowner called Boaz—a distant relative of Naomi’s and Ruth’s

future husband.

The story is touching, with decent people acting decently on all fronts. On the one hand,

Ruth proves to be a hard worker, barely stopping for rest (2:7). She is painfully aware of her

alien status (2:10), but treats the locals with respect and courtesy. When she brings her hoard

back to Naomi and relates all that has happened, another small aside reminds us that for a

single woman to engage in such work at this point in Israel’s history was almost to invite

molestation (2:22)—which attests her courage and stamina.

Naomi sees the hand of God. From a merely pragmatic perspective of gaining enough to

eat, she is grateful, but when she hears the name of the man who owns the field, she not only

recognizes the safety that this will provide for Ruth, but she realizes that Boaz is one of their

“kinsman-redeemers” (2:20)—that is, one of those who under so-called levirate law could

marry Ruth, with the result that their first son would carry on the legitimate rights and property

entitlements of her original husband.

But it is Boaz who is, perhaps, seen in the best light. Without a trace of romance at this

stage, he shows himself to be not only concerned for the poor, but a man who is touched by

the calamities of others, and who quietly wants to help. He has heard of Naomi’s return and of

the persistent faithfulness of this young Moabitess. He instructs his own workers to provide for

her needs, to ensure her safety, and even leave behind some extra bits of grain so that Ruth’s

labor will be well rewarded. Above all, he is a man of faith as well as of integrity, a point we

hear in his first conversation with the woman who would one day be his bride: “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” (2:12). Well said—for the Lord is no one’s

debtor.