Gratitude and Generosity at WorkНамуна

Receiving God’s Blessing of Productivity Means Respecting Co-Workers

Boaz’s workplace is remarkable at many levels. In contrast to many work environments where supervisors and owners treat their workers with disdain and workers have no respect for their bosses, Boaz fostered relationships of trust and mutual respect. Boaz put this respect into practice by providing them with water as they worked, by eating with them, and most of all by sharing his food with the person regarded as the lowest among them.

Boaz demonstrated a high view of every human being as an image of God by the sensitive way he treated the alien woman in his workplace. Sharing his food with a foreign woman was a more significant act than it might appear. Respectable landowning men were not accustomed to conversing with foreign women, as Ruth herself points out. A man with more concern for social appearances and business opportunities, and less compassion for someone in need, might have sent a female Moabite intruder off his land at once. But Boaz was more than willing to stand up for the vulnerable worker in their midst, whatever the reaction of others might be.

Boaz’ workers seemed to catch his generous spirit. The fact that Ruth brought an entire ephah of grain home to Naomi testifies to the workers’ positive response to Boaz’s charge to treat Ruth well. Not only had they obviously cut a lot of grain for her, but they had also accepted this Moabite woman as a co-worker for the duration of the harvest.

The positive effects of Boaz’ leadership extend beyond the workplace. When Naomi sees the results of Ruth’s efforts, she blesses the employer who had given her work and praises God for his kindness and generosity (Ruth 2:20). Later, it becomes obvious that Boaz’s high reputation in the community is bringing social harmony and glory to God (Ruth 4:11-12). All leaders—indeed all workers—shape the culture in which they work. Although we may think that we are constrained by our culture to conform to unfair, meaningless, or unproductive ways of working, in reality the way we work profoundly influences others. When we feel pressure to conform to a bad environment at work, the promise of God’s faithfulness can overcome all the doubts we take on board from the cultural and social dysfunction around us.

How does this apply to your work?