by John O’Malley
“And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left” (Ruth 2:14).
Ruth could hardly believe her ears; Boaz wanted her to eat with him at mealtime! Ruth’s heart must have been uplifted as she considered the lord of this harvest wanted her to be near him when the mealtime came in the field. Many workers were in his field working, but he chose Ruth to be with him. Other widowed gleaners were in his field, but Boaz specifically chose her to come near and eat with him. This was not only for one meal; but from then on, she was to gather at the appointed time and place for the purpose of fellowshipping with Boaz.
Mealtime in the harvest field was a time when they would gather and rehearse the morning’s labors. Mealtime was when they would look ahead toward what must be done before sunset. Mealtime was when the workers would gather and rest for refreshment of both the heart and spirit.
Ruth’s mealtime would not be spent in solitude as a stranger because Boaz told Ruth, “At mealtime come thou hither.” In these five words, Boaz communicated his desire to fellowship with Ruth. In essence, Boaz told Ruth. “When your body is hungry, come to me for food. When your spirit is hungry, come to me for fellowship. When your heart is hungry, come to me for friendship.”
We would do well to realize that our Eternal Boaz extends this same offer of fellowship to us. He longs to be with us at mealtime. At His mealtime, we can discuss the morning’s labors. We also can learn the remaining things that need to be done by the sunset of our lives. During His mealtime, we can enjoy His grace and goodness. How often do we permit ourselves to miss mealtime with our Eternal Boaz?
Every believer should anticipate mealtime with our Eternal Boaz. We should not neglect one mealtime with Him. Our mealtime with Boaz should bring refreshment to our spirits and rest to our souls. The time you meet with God to begin and end your day is a mealtime to fellowship with Boaz. The time you gather at church should be a mealtime with Boaz. Our Eternal Boaz has prepared something for us today, so “at mealtime come thou hither.”