Ruth 2:19
Ruth 2:18 And she took up the grain and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out what she had left after she was satisfied and gave it to My Pleasant One (Naomi).
19 Then her mother-in-law said to her,
“Where did you glean today? Seriously, where did you work?
May he who took notice of you be blessed.”
So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked.
And she said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is In Strength (Boaz).”
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Notice then the story thus far: it is well into the evening and Ruth finally arrives home from a long day of gleaning in the field. However, Naomi’s relief that Ruth is home safe, quickly turns to amazement as Ruth plops a 50 pound sack of grain at her feet and hands her an already prepared meal to eat.
Naomi is speechless. How in the world did this child manage to get all of this grain?
In our text this morning Naomi is finally able to speak. As she does so, the governing theme of the ensuing conversation is epiphany. That is, starting today and for the remainder of this section/chapter, we watch as both Ruth and Naomi gain vital clarity about their situation. Not only that, for the first time in the whole account, they begin to catch a glimpse of the way that God’s hand has been working for them all along.
Verse 19
Notice at once as verse 19 opens Naomi’s initial shock has somewhat dissipated and she is finally able to speak. Notice then what she says: all Naomi can manage is to ask “where”? Where in the world did you glean today to get such a haul? However, notice the utterly joyful nature of Naomi’s question FN#1. When Naomi asks “where” she uses rare interrogative particle that is used only some 10 times in the whole OT. The reason she uses this rare form is because this interrogative looks and sounds almost exactly like the measure of grain that Ruth just brought home in verse 17. Thus after seeing the ephah (A-fa) of grain that Ruth brought home, Naomi playfully points to it and says ephoh (A-fo– where) did you get all of that. Today, we might say where did you get all those beautiful wares? Regardless, Naomi’s playful question expresses both her amazement and her joy. Not only that, Naomi’s amazement is reflected in the repetition of her question. Naomi says “Seriously, where did you work”? Think about it: when Ruth left that morning, Naomi had simply hoped that she would be able to gather enough grain for them to eat and that she would return home safely. But here Ruth stands fit and sound with a 50 pound bag of the finest grain and a box of leftovers. Naomi is blown away. In fact, Naomi begins her second question with an emphatic conjunction (Seriously/ Really). Now many translations treat this as a mere conjunction (where did you glean and where did you work). However, such a translation completely misses the emotion of the passage and leaves the expression flat and redundant. However, when we hear Naomi’s playfulness and add to it the repetition of this central question, the emotion of the scene comes shining through. Naomi is absolutely overjoyed, baffled, and amazed all at the same time. Notice the result: the very way the author conveys the account allows us to share/experience the joy as YHWH’s deliverance is beginning to break the gloom of their situation. Things are starting to change and for the first time in the book, the women are beginning to feel/realize it.
Next, notice that before Ruth can even answer, Naomi blurts out a heartfelt and grateful blessing. She says, “May he who took notice of you be blessed”. Importance: remember, every detail of our passage is about epiphany. That is, it is about the two women coming to realize that God has been with them all along. Notice then, Naomi knows that gleaners do not return with such a haul. In other words, Naomi knows that there is more at work here than just Ruth’s hard work. She knows that somebody has shown Ruth a great kindness. Therefore, in her excitement, relief, and joy, before Ruth can even tell Naomi where she has been and for whom she has worked, Naomi blesses whoever it was that helped Ruth in such an extraordinary way. Simply put, the author is allowing us to watch as the light is beginning to dawn.
Next, notice author’s playfulness continues: remember Ruth has no idea who Boaz is or his tie to the family. And just when she is about to find out, the author creates a word salad to build the suspense and delay the discovery just a little more. Notice then, instead of using just one sentence to tell us Ruth’s reply, the author uses two seemingly redundant sentences. Verse 19 begins Ruth’s reply with a generic summary statement “she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked”. The text then goes on to add a more precise statement almost as an afterthought “and she said the name of the man is Boaz”. However, please note: the author is not being sloppy or needlessly verbose. Instead, he is very efficiently allowing us to share the feel of the conversation. Notice then, the move from a general statement to a precise statement seems to parallel the flow of Ruth’s answer. In other words, Ruth answered Naomi’s question by filling her mother-in-law in on all the details of the day: where she started, how she wandered into another field, the field watcher’s permission, and the owner’s crazy kindness to her. And then finally at last she tells Naomi the field owner’s name FN#2. Why? Ruth has no idea about Boaz’s significance. To Ruth, Boaz’s name is just another detail of the account. Why? Boaz made it clear to her that his kindness was based on YHWH’s acceptance of her as His child. Remember, in Boaz’s explanation of his kindness there is no mention of kinship only Ruth’s character and conversion (2:10-12) FN#3. In other words, before Ruth hears the first word about kinship, she experiences YHWH’s acceptance firsthand. Importance: unless Ruth first experienced the real reason for Boaz’s kindness (YHWH’s acceptance), she may have been quick to latch on to the secondary reason (Boaz’s kinship to Naomi) FN#4. However, it is Ruth’s conversion and YHWH’s acceptance of her as His child that provide the causal explanation upon which every detail of the remainder of the book depends.
Bottom line: the moment Naomi hears the name Boaz, she freezes and is once again left speechless. You see, Naomi knows that name. She knows the significance of that name to her family. And right beside her, is the 50 pound bag of lavish kindness that the owner of that name has provided. Naomi’s heart leaps and her mind races. Could it be? Could this be more than just groceries? Could this really be the hand of YHWH’s love and favor working an unimagined deliverance? And as these thoughts sweep over Naomi like a flood, she hears a voice, a voice of someone who seems far away, saying “Mother-in-law what is it? Did I do something wrong?
Footnotes
1] In large part, the purpose of our passage this morning is to establish the prevailing emotion that dominates the remainder of this section/chapter. The passage is electric and is meant to delight us. Importance: remember, often times how something is said conveys as much information as what is said. So it is vital to take into account every aspect of the conversation. Case in point: the information we learn in verse 19 are things that we already know. In other words, the point of the passage is not to convey unknown information. Rather, it is to allow us to watch the impact that these facts have on the two women.
2] Notice a couple of points about the way the author frames Ruth’s answer. First, the author begins with a general statement “So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked”. The summery nature of this initial statement seems to point to the summary nature of Ruth’s disclosure. Ruth gives Naomi an account of the whole day, along with all the wonder and amazement she experienced at every step of the way (an account which has already been shared with us in text of chapter 2). Next, the author concludes Ruth’s account with her precise statement of Boaz’s name, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz”. This move from general to specific seems to reflect the movement and feel of the conversation as it actually took place. However, what really tips us off that the author intends us to understand that he has given us a summary of a much more in-depth and animated account is the fact that Naomi asks where (where did you work) but the answer that Ruth gives in the text is to the question who (the man with whom I worked today). In other words, the way the author conveys the account alerts us that verse 19 is simply providing key highlights of the much larger conversation that took place between Naomi and Ruth. This point will be further reinforced as we continue on in this conversation. Later, we will hear Naomi discussing details that are not specifically recorded in the summery that the author gives us. Thus in verse 22 Naomi tells Ruth that it is good to stick close to Boaz’s maids (feminine). However, in verse 21 all we hear is Ruth telling Naomi is that Boaz told her to stick close to his servants (masculine/generic). In other words, the conversation represented here is far more extensive than what is recorded in the highlights given. At the same time, these highlights are key points of the more full account of the events that the author has already given us in chapter 2.
Notice then the point: if we take verses 19-22 as a wooden stenographer’s report, we will end up with a flat, sterile reading that conveys far less than the author intends. However, if we rightly understand the montage effect that the recorded highlights are intended to present, then we are allowed to follow and share in the emotion and excitement of the full conversation as Ruth (giddy with excitement) tells to Naomi all that happened to her that day. The result is that the author gives us both a snapshot of the information conveyed as well as the women’s frame of mind in response to this information (events).
3] Remember, Boaz is well aware of the family tie. However, he goes out of his way not to mention back in 2:10-12. Instead, for him, Ruth’s conversion and character are the basis of his kindness.
4] Had Ruth latched on to kinship, she would have missed the far greater work that God was doing in her and through her. Not only that, while kinship may explain acts of kindness, it does not provide the basis/grounds necessary for everything that will happen in the remainder of the book. Therefore, God makes sure that Ruth understands conversion and acceptance first.