Read Ruth 2:1–3
HOPE ON THE HORIZON?
There’s a sense of hope in the air in Bethlehem. After desperate beginnings,
Naomi is back in Bethlehem – and Ruth is alongside her. The narrator now
gives us some important information: ‘Naomi had a relative on her
husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name
was Boaz’ (v. 1).
In a short little book like Ruth, words aren’t wasted. This news should
make our ears prick up. Why? As we saw previously, widows were to be
looked after by their dead husband’s extended family (see Deuteronomy
25:5–10). So the news that Naomi has a relative on her husband’s side is very
significant. Even better, he is a ‘man of standing’. This bodes well!
But how will Naomi find him? And what will his response be?
HOPELESSLY DEVOTED
With no other means of income, and no inheritance in the land, Naomi and
Ruth’s prospects seem otherwise pretty bleak – so much so that Ruth offers
to go and glean leftover grain in the fields (v. 2).
Landowners were commanded by God to leave the edges of their fields
unharvested so that foreigners, the fatherless and widows could glean a
harvest for themselves (see Deuteronomy 24:19–21). But this was a
humbling prospect, perhaps akin to trawling through waste bins for scraps
of food.
And remember that this was a time when ‘everyone did as they saw fit’
(Judges 21:25). Who knew what trouble a vulnerable woman would run into
if she went foraging for food alone.
THE GOD OF GOD-INCIDENCES
If verse 1 made our ears prick up, verse 3 should make our eyes widen – and
prompt a wry smile: ‘As it turned out, [Ruth] was working in a field
belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek’ (v. 3).
‘As it turned out’?! Of all the fields in Bethlehem, which one does Ruth
wander into first? A field belonging to Boaz, the one man who might be able
to do something about Naomi and Ruth’s sorry situation.
But as we see throughout this book, nothing just ‘turns out’. This is a world
created, sustained and ordered by a God who does not fail to look after his
people. A God who ensures Ruth doesn’t end up in Billy’s field or Barry’s
field, but in Boaz’s field.
NOTHING MORE THAN GOD’S GOODNESS IN ACTION
This truth is sometimes called God’s ‘providence’. Every event – including
human thoughts, choices and actions – occurs according to God’s sovereign
will.
Of course, whether this is an attractive thought depends upon God’s
character. But if God is utterly and graciously committed to his people, what
could be more reassuring? That’s why Charles Spurgeon described God’s
providence as ‘nothing more than his goodness in action’.*
REFLECTION
Give thanks that your life is in the hands of a good God who oversees his
world. In times of suffering, this can be especially mind-boggling and heartwrenching to comprehend. But it means God is using even these seasons to
grow us in Christlikeness, and to display his sovereign kindness to us, in us and
through us – for all eternity. How does this change how you face the coming
day?
Listen to ‘Epiphany: Rejoice, All You!’ by Liturgical Folk, featuring Sandra
McCracken
Ham, Robin. Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies: An Advent Devotional. 10 Publishing, 2021.
*Charles Spurgeon, ‘God’s Hand and Providence to Be Religiously Acknowledged in Public Calamities:
A Sermon Occasioned by the Great Fire in Boston, New England, Thursday, March 20, 1760 and
Preached on the Lord’s Day Following