by John O’Malley
“And Boaz answered and said unto her…under whose wings thou art come to trust” (Ruth 2:11-12).
Boaz’s words of comfort ushered Ruth to a level of serenity she had not known. Boaz spoke of a divine recompensing, and Ruth was thankful. Boaz told of a divine reward, and Ruth was thrilled. Boaz now speaks of a divine relationship, and Ruth is thoughtful.
Two things were evident to Boaz: God had taken Ruth under His wings, and Ruth had come to trust God’s power. As an eagle guides and guards her young, God had guided Ruth through the deepest valleys of her heart. God had led her through the arid deserts of her soul. God had given her the oversight and overshadowing she needed to get to the handfuls of purpose He had lain in store. God had been Ruth’s faithful Guide and fatherly Guardian. Boaz recognized how Ruth had grown in her faith relationship.
The conclusion of Boaz’s trilogy of comfort revealed that he recognized God’s hand guiding Ruth’s heart. Boaz and Ruth had been guided to the intersection of their divine destiny. It was here that Ruth would meet God’s man for the rest of her life and Boaz would find a wife. Mahlon’s death had not severed Ruth’s ability to love again. Loneliness would not be Boaz’s life mate. God brought these two together for a divine purpose.
Certainly, images splashed across the screen of Ruth’s mind—the cinema of remembrance playing the story of her life—with God’s goodness playing the lead role. First, she saw the day when the family of Elimelech moved to town. Looking back, she saw the shadow of God’s wings of provision. Looking back to the grave of her husband, just overhead, the shadow of God’s wings overshadowed her and she knew she was spared from the heat of that fiery trial. Leaving Moab and trekking sixty-seven miles to Bethlehem-judah, she knew it was the wings of God that were protected her. Only that morning, as she left seeking provision for an unknown tomorrow, she recalled it was that same familiar shadow of His wings that prompted her to this field belonging to Boaz.
Looking back over the course of her life and especially the last ten years, Ruth saw clearly God’s wings of protection, power, presence, and provision. It was the wings of God that prompted her to encounter the best people, places, and promises. Boaz’s words spoke peace to her heart as she saw the relationship between the wings of God and the supply of her emotional and everyday needs.
It is time for us to look back at the milestones of our lives. At each stop, we must see the wings of God that have overshadowed us along life’s way.Salvation is the first place we should look. It is here that the shadow of God’s wings brought us to the place of conviction, confession, and conversion. From that point in our lives until now, let us reminisce with our Eternal Boaz and thank Him for the shadow of His wings.
Buy Reflections from Ruth: The Pain from Leaving (Volume 1)