Ruth 2:2-3
Ruth 2:1 Now My Pleasant One (Naomi) had a kinsman,
by way of her husband, a man of strong worth, from the family of My God is King (Elimelech), whose name was In Strength (Boaz).
2 And Companion (Ruth) the Moabitess said to My Pleasant One (Naomi),
“Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain behind one in whose sight I might happen to find favor.”
And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
3 So she departed and went and gleaned in the field behind the reapers;
and by chance she happened upon the portion of the field belonging to In Strength (Boaz),
who was from the family of My God is King (Elimelech).
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Now remember, Naomi and Ruth have arrived in Bethlehem from pagan Moab. They are impoverished, widowed, and destitute. Not only that, Naomi is convinced that God has rejected her as His child.
However, last week, before part 2 of the book officially got underway, the author pulled us aside to give us some inside information.
You see, God has not abandoned Naomi. Instead, she has a relative in town. Not only that, this relative is from her husband’s side of the family. As such, he is qualified to serve as a legal redeemer for Naomi and her entire house. In addition, the author tells us that he is a man of strong worth inside and out. In other words, the kinsman that God has in place is not only qualified to redeem, he also has the means and the character to redeem. However, as of now, no one in the account is thinking of this. Instead, for them life is settling into its normal routine.
In our text this morning the curtain opens on Part 2 of the book. It’s Monday morning and Ruth’s alarm goes off. She pulls herself out of bed, dresses, and sets about her usual morning chores. However, she has an idea that she wants to run by Naomi at breakfast. It’s not much, but who knows, maybe with YHWH’s blessing, it might help their situation, even if just a little.
Verse 2
Notice at once the echoes of God’s mercy: first verse 2 reminds us that, despite her bleak assessment, Naomi is not abandoned or alone. Instead, God has provided her with a faithful companion to share her struggles (Ruth her daughter-in-law). However, please note, the text also reminds us that Ruth is not a native Israelite. Instead, she is a Moabite. Why? Think about it: by this point in the account you should already know that Ruth is a Moabite. However, a lot has happened in the story: Ruth has gotten saved and bound herself to Naomi; the two women have traveled from Moab to Israel; and they have finally arrived in Bethlehem. So maybe the fact that Ruth is a Moabite is not on your mind. But it should be because it is on the mind of every single person in the account. In other words, Ruth’s nationality is going to set the social dynamics for everything that follows. Therefore, the author wants it front and center in your mind as the account unfolds.
Next, notice the question that Ruth asks: Ruth asks Naomi to let her go to the field and glean. Importance: first to glean is not to reap or harvest. Instead, to glean is to go behind the reapers and scavenge anything they drop, miss, or leave behind. Second, notice Ruth asks Naomi’s permission to go FN#1. Why? Gleaning wasn’t always safe, especially for a woman and especially when this woman was a stranger and a foreigner (a fact we will see later in the passage- 2:8-9). Importance: behind every detail of verse 2 is the very real risk that Ruth is knowingly taking to help the mother of her faith. In other words, in this unassuming request we see Companion’s love and character.
Next, notice the sales pitch that Ruth gives: first, Ruth adds to this risky request the assurance that she will only go behind. In other words, she promises that she will not only glean behind the paid reapers (which is the standard practice), she will glean behind the other (native) gleaners after they have picked through what grain is left (which is the worst place to glean) FN#2. Simply put, Ruth assures Naomi that she will avoid causing resentment and hostility among the native born gleaners by gleaning last.
Next, Ruth continues her sales pitch by assuring Naomi that she will glean only if she happens to find favor in some field owner’s eyes and thus gains his permission to glean. However, please note: the Hebrew verb here “happen to find” carries with it an underlying sense of chance. As such, it conveys the tenuous and uncertain nature of the women’s situation. Thus, along with the risk that this venture entails, there is no guarantee of success. Ruth might very well be beaten and run off by an impatient landowner or mistreated by native gleaners who don’t want competition, especially from a foreigner. Notice then the suspense: despite all the talk about kinsmen, and In Strength, and being pleasant to God that the author has let us in on, to the women, their situation is quite unsure/precarious.
Next, notice Naomi’s answer: She allows Ruth to go. Not only that, notice the mutual love between the two women that permeates every detail of verse 2: first, Ruth is willing to suffer risk and social disgrace to help Naomi. In turn, Naomi does not let Ruth go out all willy-nilly. Instead, Ruth must first satisfy Naomi that all precautions and propriety will be observed. Only then does Naomi let Ruth go. In fact, we hear the genuine affection and gratitude in Naomi’s voice as she sends Ruth out, calling her my daughter (versus my daughter-in-law). In other words, Naomi is glad to have Ruth with her FN#3. Importance: on a deeper level the love that fills Naomi and Ruth’s home life is a sign that God’s hand is at work (not just in the external factors of the account, but) in the very hearts/lives of these two women.
Verse 3
Notice at once verse 3 quickly tells us that Ruth did exactly what she promised: she goes out, gains a landowner’s favor/permission, and gleans last in line behind the reapers. Importance: the way the author conveys this information indicates why he conveys it. Notice then, he doesn’t give us any details. He doesn’t tell us how many fields Ruth had to try before she was allowed to glean. He doesn’t tell us if she ran into any tense situations. Instead, the rapidity of the author’s disclosure alerts us that he has other things more important to tell us. Therefore, he is rushing (with excitement) to get us there.
Next, notice the situation: notice that throughout verses 2 and 3 the term field has always been singular. In other words, Ruth has not gone out to the fields (plural) to glean. That is, she has not gone from one farm to another until she finds someone to let her glean on his land. Instead, the layout in Bethlehem describe by the text is that of a large unbroken, contiguous tract of field, which has been subdivided among various landowners. As such, it would be easy for Ruth, who does not know the area or recognize which reapers work for which landowner, inadvertently to wander onto another landowner’s portion of the field (where she has neither permission or protection; and where her faux pas could easily be met with derision and hostility). However, this is exactly what Ruth has done. Not only that, notice the author is unfolding all of this from Ruth’s perspective: She has no idea that she is in someone else’s portion of the field; she has no idea that the owner is a close relative of her deceased father-in-law; in fact, she has no idea that her father-in-law even has a close relative in town (Naomi has to explain that to her later- 2:20). Instead, to Ruth, all of this just seems to be happenstance. However, by God’s providence, Ruth has wandered, unbeknownst to her, into the very portion of the field where she needs to be. Not only that, think about it, God has set this whole thing in motion when the owner, just one field over, gave her permission to glean on his land.
Next, for the third time in this short passage (1-3) the author underscores that this kinsman is from Elimelech’s line (just in case you missed it the first two times). In other words, the author is deliberately going out of his way to make sure you understand that the kinsman God has in place is qualified to serve as the family’s legal redeemer. Why? The author is preparing you to see the deliverance that God already has well underway, even though nobody involved in the account sees it yet.
Bottom line: By the end of verse 3 all the key players are in place (My Pleasant One, Companion, and In Strength). However, even though we are busting at the seams to see God’s deliverance, the author will not let us get ahead of the account. Instead, we end verse 3 with Ruth scavenging for leftover barley in the heat of the day and at the back of the line. Oh and Boaz the legal redeemer, he is not even at the field. He is rich and so has people to do his field work for him. Notice the result: verses 2-3 are a snapshot (a picture frozen in time so we can take it all in)- a snapshot of what it looks like when God’s hand is at work in your life.
Footnotes
1] Notice: in 1:8-9 we saw Naomi acting as the Matriarch of the family and the last authority figure standing. Here in 2:2 we see that authority continue. Therefore, Ruth asks Naomi as the standing head of the house for her permission to go glean.
Here is a quick reminder of 1:8-9 and Naomi’s authority: in these verses we saw the official nature of the release that Naomi grants her two daughters-in-law and thus her position of authority over her household. In addition, after granting these girls a legally binding freedom and commanding them to leave, she then turns and blesses them. All of which point to her authority and the official capacity in which she is acting.
Thus three times in verse 8-9 the text underscored Naomi’s authority and the official nature of what is happening there:
1. Naomi grants the girls an official release from their obligation
2. She orders them to return home
3. And as the matriarch of the family and the last authority figure standing she blesses them and their departure
2] We need to understand (because the original readers would have understood) that the author is using an economy of language here due to his readers’ familiarity with the standard practice of gleaning. That is, the author is condensing Ruth’s promise to its essentials. Thus, when Ruth promises to go “behind one in whose sight I find favor” she is not promising that she will glean behind the owner or his foreman. In all likelihood, they aren’t in the field nor would she assume such a place of honor. Second, she is not promising to glean behind the owner’s paid reapers. Gleaning behind the paid reapers is understood and is the standard protocol of gleaning given in Scripture (c.f. Deut 24:19). Instead, what Ruth promises is first to get permission to glean and then to go behind everyone (owner, reapers, and native gleaners). In other words, she assures Naomi that she will not cause trouble or resentment with the natives because she will go last of all.
3] Notice the love seen in the cost: first, we see the risk Ruth is willing to take and just how truly valuable she is to Naomi. Subsequently, we can see just what a big sacrifice Naomi was willing to make by sending her daughters-in-law back to their home.