Ruth 2
2
Ruth Gathers Grain in the Field of Boaz
1Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, had a very wealthy relative, an honorable and prominent man # 2:1 The description “honorable and prominent” comes from the Hebrew word chayil. Chayil can also mean “victorious,” “powerful,” “like an army,” or “full of substance.” Thus Boaz was a “mighty man of valor” or “valiant warrior.” (We might say, “a knight in shining armor.”) in Bethlehem named Boaz. # 2:1 Boaz means “strength.” He is a prophetic figure of Jesus Christ, our older Brother (see Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:6–13) and Kinsman-Redeemer (see 1 Pet. 1:18–19). “Boaz” was also the name of the left pillar of Solomon’s Temple (2 Chron. 3:17). Boaz was a wealthy nobleman. Similarly, Jesus Christ is indeed the One who has made us “rich beyond measure” (2 Cor. 8:9; see Eph. 1:3). 2One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain. Maybe someone will be kind enough # 2:2 Or “Maybe I will find grace with someone.” See Gen. 6:8. to let me gather the grain he leaves behind.”
Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3So Ruth went to the fields to gather the grain the reapers left behind. # 2:3 That there was grain left behind for the poor to pick up speaks to the covenant faithfulness of Boaz, who had instructed his workers to keep the commandment to care for the poor according to Deut. 24:19–22. God commanded this also to remind Israel that they were once slaves in Egypt who depended upon the generosity of Yahweh to feed them. It just so happened # 2:3 The Hebrew reads “her chance” or “chanced.” that she found herself working at the edges of a field belonging to Boaz # 2:3 The fields of Boaz may have included the shepherd’s field where the angels of glory announced Jesus’ birth. See Luke 2:8–14. of the family of Elimelech. 4At that moment, Boaz came from Bethlehem to survey his harvest. He greeted the harvesters, “May Yahweh be with you.” # 2:4 Jesus, too, came from Bethlehem to bless his harvesters. Today’s “harvesters” are the evangelists who go to the nations of the earth to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. May Yahweh’s blessing indeed be upon them as they seek a global harvest of souls. They replied, “May Yahweh bless you.” 5Noticing Ruth, Boaz asked his foreman in charge of the harvesters, # 2:5 The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Harvest who equips and places each believer in the harvest fields where we will be the most effective. See Matt. 9:38. “Who is that young woman over there?” # 2:5 Or “To whom does that young woman belong?” Ruth could have been between twenty-four and twenty-nine years old at this time. Boaz may have been in his forties.
6The foreman answered, “She’s a Moabite girl who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7She asked for permission to gather the grain left behind by the reapers. Except for one short break, she’s been on her feet working in the field since early this morning.”
8Boaz walked over to Ruth and said, “Listen, my daughter, don’t leave this field to glean somewhere else. Stay here in my field and follow the young women who work for me. 9Watch my harvesters to see into which fields they go to cut grain, and follow them. When you’re thirsty, go and drink from the water jugs that the young men have filled. I’ve warned the young men not to bother you.”
10Astounded, Ruth bowed low with her face to the ground, and said to him, “I’m a foreigner. Why have you been so kind and taken notice of me?”
11Boaz answered, “I’ve heard all about what you’ve done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I know your story—how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people and a culture that must seem strange to you. 12May Yahweh reward you for your sacrifices, and because of what you’ve done, may you have a full and rich reward from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to find shelter!”
13Ruth replied, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, kind sir. You have spoken to my heart kind and reassuring words that comfort me, even though I am not as worthy as one of your servant girls.”
14At mealtime, Boaz said to her, “Come here # 2:14 Or “draw near.” and eat with us. Here is bread, and wine to dip it in.” # 2:14 Read this sentence again and picture Jesus, your heavenly Boaz, inviting you to have communion (bread and wine) with him. Ruth immediately sat down with the workers. Boaz handed her some roasted grain, and she ate all she wanted until she was satisfied—she even had some left over.
15After she had returned to gather grain, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and don’t disgrace her. 16Pull out from the bundles some handfuls of grain and drop them on purpose # 2:16 These “handfuls of grain” dropped “on purpose” can signify the many extra blessings that fall upon us each day. We gather truths from Scripture for our needs each day, like Ruth gathered grain (see Matt. 13:1–23). Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, drops handfuls of revelation on purpose for us to gather an abundant supply. He wants us to know that he will provide all we need to meet the challenges of life. See 1 Kings 8:56; Ps. 103:5; Eph. 1:3; 3:20–21; Phil. 4:19. for her to gather, and don’t bother her.”
17So Ruth gathered grain in Boaz’s field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, it came to more than half a bushel of barley. # 2:17 Or “an ephah of barley.” An ephah would weigh about thirty pounds. 18She carried it back to town and showed her mother-in-law how much she had gleaned. Then Ruth also took out the roasted grain she had saved from mealtime and shared it with Naomi.
19Her mother-in-law asked Ruth, “Where did you gather all this from? In whose field did you work? May Yahweh bless the man who showed you special attention.”
She told her mother-in-law about all that happened that day, and said, “The man in whose field I gathered grain today is Boaz.”
20Naomi said to Ruth, “Yahweh’s loving-kindness has not left us either through life or through death! Boaz is closely related to us. He is a kinsman-redeemer # 2:20 The Hebrew term ga’al means “kinsman-redeemer.” This term is used in various forms ten times throughout chs. 3–4. Ga’al signifies a legal function performed by a near relative. If a widow was childless, a close male relative was empowered to “redeem” her through marriage and buy back her property (see Lev. 25:25). This kinsman-redeemer ensured that the widow would not lose her inheritance rights and provided her with offspring. In the case of Naomi, she had other near relatives living in Bethlehem who would qualify to be her kinsman-redeemers, meaning that Boaz was perhaps one of several candidates. of our family. May Yahweh greatly bless Boaz!” # 2:20 The Hebrew is somewhat ambiguous: “May he [Boaz] be blessed by Yahweh, whose loyal love has not forsaken the living or the dead.”
21Ruth the Moabite responded, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”
22Naomi replied, “It is best, my daughter, that you stay near his young women, otherwise you’ll be alone and might be bothered in someone else’s field.” 23So Ruth worked alongside the young women who served Boaz. She lived with her mother-in-law and gleaned in Boaz’s fields until the end of the barley and wheat harvests.
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Ruth 2: TPT
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