GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
RUTH 2:21-23
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by to my workers until they have finished my harvest.’”
“Finished” is an important word here. The harvest was going to continue for some time yet. At the end of the previous chapter, we were told that when Ruth and Naomi arrived, the barley harvest was just beginning, and there was still the wheat harvest to come. Now, after Ruth’s first day of work (perhaps the second day of the harvest), there was still plenty to do.
This verse is the center of the book. This can underscore an important point, but more often so in poetry, especially that of the prophets. If we were to insist on there being a significance to this verse over anything else in this part of the book, it would be that it shows the reassuring graciousness (or grace) of Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, like Jesus’ assurance that “in my Father’s house there are many rooms, and I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). The story isn’t over yet, but we are given confidence about the outcome.
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good, my daughter, if you go out with his servant-girls, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” 23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant-girls of Boaz, to gather fallen grain until the end of the barley harvest and the end of the wheat harvest. But she lived with her mother-in-law.
After all of the promises Boaz made, Naomi was wise to tell Ruth to stay in Boaz’ fields. There were many reasons to do this. First, Boaz had been generous with Ruth. She would be showing her gratitude by staying. We can apply this to our spiritual lives by remembering to thank our heavenly Redeemer for all of the gifts he gives to us. “Ask God, who gives generously” (James 1:5). Even if it’s a little late, we should thank the Lord for what he does: “At midnight I rise to give you thanks” (Psalm 119:62).
Second, Boaz had responded with more than gratitude; he had taken a real interest in Ruth. If she went off into some other field, he would assume that she did not want his attention. She would lose her redeemer by seeming to run after someone or something else—even if it was something or someone that wasn’t really there. This also has a spiritual application for us, since God does not want us to go chasing after any other gods, whether they turn out to be demons or just fantasies. He wants us to be faithful to him, even as he has been faithful to us. He wants us to see that when he shows us his will, it is so that he can line up our will to his, so that what we want are the good things he has in store for us. “The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked (ends) only in wrath” (Proverbs 11:23).
Third, Boaz had lavished Ruth with more than could be expected. Why would she want to jeopardize the possibility / probability / certainty of receiving more from him by asking someone else? This has the same spiritual application, which we saw in Judges when Jepththah said: “Why not take whatever your god Chemosh gives you? And we can have whatever the LORD our God gives to us!” (Judges 11:24). As David put it, every believer has the same thanks to give God, from the ordinary citizen to the king: “You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:1).
Fourth, besides generosity, interest and lavished gifts, Boaz had offered Ruth his protection. While she remained under his care and in his fields, no worker would molest her; no one would harm her. She would be as safe and sound as everyone else who was there. He was treating her with all of the protectiveness a man would give to his own daughter—or to his wife. This, too, has the same spiritual application for us. Through Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Acts 2:38). If anyone rejects Christ, that is what they leave behind (Psalm 16:4; Jeremiah 35:15). If someone treats Christ as if he has not been raised, he is still in his sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Finally (or at least fifthly—there might be many more points to this), Boaz was slowly but surely offering Ruth the restoration of everything that she and Naomi had lost. Naomi was aware of this; Ruth, the foreigner, might not have been quite aware of it yet. Here was the possibility of restoring everything that was lost! This, too, has a clear spiritual application. Through Christ, God restores to us everything that was lost through the fall into sin. Paul put it this way: “Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead came also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Everything should be done in good order, and at its proper time. We have seen that Boaz was treating Ruth as well as he would treat a daughter, a sister, or a wife, but Ruth was not yet any of those things. The two of them did not jump past the allowances of God’s Word nor the customs of their church. Ruth continued to live with her mother-in-law. She did not show up on Boaz’ doorstep with a suitcase and a bottle of wine. If living together before or instead of marriage has become a custom in our culture, it isn’t supported by anything in Scripture, nor is it the will of God. Living together outside of marriage breaks the sixth commandment, because it shows an unwillingness to abide by God’s will about the gifts of sex and his provisions in marriage. It is also a prediction of disaster according to statistics. The U.S. Census Bureau (not an opinion poll, but actual statistics for the entire country) shows that living together prior to getting married increases the chance of getting divorced by at least 40% (some studies place this percentage much higher). “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
The promise we have from our Redeemer Jesus Christ is complete restoration of what was lost in the fall into sin: we will have the image of God once again, including righteousness, holiness, spiritual insight and wisdom, and a will that conforms with God’s will in all things. The things he will grant to us and lavish on us will be a delight, but it is forgiveness and restoration in Christ that we yearn for, that we long for, and which are ours entirely through faith.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota