How does Ruth 2:19 connect to God's laws about gleaning in Leviticus 19:9-10? Setting the Scene • Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem destitute (Ruth 1:22). • Ruth seeks permission to glean “behind anyone in whose eyes I may find favor” (Ruth 2:2). • By divine arrangement she ends up in Boaz’s field where generous gleaning is practiced. God’s Original Design for Gleaning “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am the LORD your God.” Key truths embedded in the law: • Farmers were to stop short of absolute efficiency, leaving grain for society’s most vulnerable. • The poor could retain dignity by laboring for their food rather than begging. • Foreigners (sojourners) were specifically included, displaying God’s concern for the outsider (Exodus 22:21; Deuteronomy 10:18-19). • Obedience was an act of covenant loyalty: “I am the LORD your God.” Ruth 2:19—Living Proof of Leviticus “Her mother-in-law asked her, ‘Where did you glean today, and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.’ Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about whose place she had worked. ‘The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,’ she said.” Connections to the gleaning law: • Ruth is both poor and a foreigner—the very people Leviticus singles out. • Boaz’s field provides an open, lawful space for her to gather. • Naomi’s immediate blessing (“May he…be blessed”) recognizes that someone has obeyed God’s command and thus become an instrument of covenant kindness. • The abundance Ruth brings home (Ruth 2:17) confirms that Boaz exceeds the bare minimum of the law, reflecting God’s heart of generosity. Boaz’s Faithful Obedience • Allows Ruth to glean alongside reapers (Ruth 2:8). • Commands his men not to rebuke or harass her (Ruth 2:9, 15). • Invites her to drink from the workers’ water jars (Ruth 2:9). • Pulls out extra bundles “on purpose” for her to gather (Ruth 2:16). By implementing Leviticus 19 at personal cost, Boaz embodies “pure and undefiled religion” (cf. James 1:27). Divine Providence at Work • Gleaning becomes the channel through which God meets daily needs. • The field of Boaz introduces Ruth to her kinsman-redeemer, moving the narrative toward marriage, offspring, and eventually the lineage of David and the Messiah (Ruth 4:13-22; Matthew 1:5-6). • The mundane obedience of leaving grain opens the door for redemptive history, illustrating Luke 16:10—faithfulness in little things yields great outcomes. Timeless Takeaways • God’s law is protective, not restrictive; it safeguards the vulnerable and fosters community compassion. • Faithful obedience by ordinary believers (a farmer, a widow, a foreigner) accomplishes extraordinary providence. • Gospel parallel: Just as Boaz observes the law and welcomes Ruth, Christ fulfills the law and welcomes Gentiles into His harvest of grace (Ephesians 2:12-13). When Naomi exclaims in Ruth 2:19, Scripture invites us to see more than a good field; we see the living out of Leviticus 19:9-10, a tangible reminder that God’s Word—accurate, literal, trustworthy—never returns void. |
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