Ruth 2- Ruth was a Moabite woman who was widowed and living in Judah with Naomi, the mother of her deceased husband. Without much hope for their future, Ruth set out to glean in the fields for food, literally pick up the scraps that the harvesters missed. What she found was a kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, who showed her kindness, offered her shelter and provided for her physically and spiritually- much like our Heavenly Father.
I have shared with you that I’m a dreamer, in addition to that I’m a hopeless romantic. I’m a sucker for a good (or sappy) chick flick where the girl and the guy live happily ever after. My favorite fairy tale growing up was- yep, you guessed it- Cinderella. And I remember the first time I read the book of Ruth, it was so romantic! When I finished reading it I found myself daydreaming about the moment Boaz saw Ruth in the field. He then asked his foreman what he knew about this young lady. In my mind she would’ve been young with long brown hair and wearing a flowy peasant dress, with beautiful olive toned skin. I imagine rolling hills in the back drop. I’m sure the movies have influenced my ideas, but either way you get the idea.
Then it dawned on me...is God a hopeless romantic, too? After all He inspired this love story to be recorded in His bible. He has also included many love songs and poems in the Psalms. He created you and me for relationship and gave us the covenant of marriage. In fact, He calls the church His bride and says that He’s preparing a banquet feast for the day that we are with Him. I’m thinking that all signs point to YES! God is a hopeless romantic!
So, if God is a hopeless romantic and He gives us that quality too, then how can we relate to Him in that context? Stay with me now, I’m not suggesting that you go on a date with God! But think about a time in your life when someone caught your eye. Or the time in the beginning of your relationship with your spouse that you first began developing feelings for him or her. Where did your mind go? Did you think about the next time you’d see them again? Did you ask a friend about them to try and find out who they were or what their story was? Did you look for opportunities to include them in your activities? When you were with the person did you study their moves, picking up on the little details that added up to the sum of their being? Did you ask them questions just because the thought of knowing them better, deeper was exhilarating? This is the kind of romantic I’m talking about and as we go through this passage I want to point out some of these romantic qualities of God in the blossoming relationship between Boaz and Ruth.
Let’s begin with Ruth’s past. We know from chapter 1 that she was a Moabite woman, but what does that matter? Well, the Moabite people were not followers of the Almighty God. In fact they worshipped idols. That’s the culture that Ruth was raised in. Not a Godly home, or a Godly culture at all, in fact, far from it. And yet she now finds herself in the nation of Judah. A country and culture that very much followed God. Not only that, but she was gleaning in the field of a Godly man, Boaz. What does Boaz do when he first sees her in the field? He finds out who she is and what her story is. He knows right off the bat where she came from and who she’s with. The parallel I see in Boaz is that God does not care about your past. I’ll say it again, God does not care about your past. That includes every day until the present. It is today He is after.
Ok, so here is Ruth in Boaz’s field, in his presence. Now what? In verse 8 Boaz speaks to her for the first time. He is quite the gentleman offering her safety in his field and refreshment as she has been tirelessly working. The next thing I see is that God is always a gentleman. He never forces Himself on anyone, but always gives opportunity to stay in His presence. In His safe-keeping we receive His living water to sustain our weary souls.
At mealtime that evening Boaz invites Ruth to his table to share a meal with him and the harvesters. There was more than enough food to go around and she is able to bring the extra home to Naomi, her mother-in-law. God always provides more than we need for this very reason. As we are filled by Him we are able to go and share His offerings with people around us.
Verse 15 just might be my favorite part of this whole chapter. Boaz instructs his harvesters not to embarrass Ruth if she doesn’t glean the “right way” and then goes on to say they should leave extra out for her to pick up. I would love to stand here and say that I enjoy being corrected...publicly, but that is far from the truth. In fact, I just might go to great lengths to hide my many imperfections. God knows this about His children and here I see God’s character trait of care, compassion and protection for the ones He loves. He not only cares for our physical needs but for our emotional needs as well. That’s pretty romantic if you ask me!
It turns out that Boaz is Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, her perfect match! It means that, being a close relative of her deceased husband, he was responsible to marry her and take care of her and her mother-in-law, giving her much hope for her future. Much like Boaz was for Ruth, God is our perfect match. He is the One who loves us purely and deeply. He sees our needs and meets them beyond expectation. He has also given us a redeemer, His name is Jesus Christ. He is the hope for our future and the only way to have a relationship with God, our creator.
I love that God is a hopeless romantic! I love that as I think about Him and ponder Him it draws me closer to Him. I love that as I spend time with Him in prayer and reading my bible I pick up clues about Him and what His character is. I love that His desire is to look out for me, to protect me, to provide for me and even when I make mistakes He doesn’t shame me.
Dear Heavenly Father- Thank you for loving me and when I get busy with life always draw me back into the sweet romance that is Your love. ~Beth
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