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).
To the casual observer, this scene would seem unique. Gathered at the edge of the harvest was what appeared to be the lord of the harvest and his workers and a woman. They were in the midst of a midday meal.
Their fare seemed to be adequate and abundant. Bread brought from Bethlehem was broken. Vinegar from a dish was made available for the workers to dip bread in as they ate. Refreshing water was available to quench the worker’s thirst. Young men stood by to draw more water if needed. Each worker was able to reach for the food he desired. The food was placed there for the worker’s benefit. The workers shared both in the food and in the fellowship.
Placed on the table before the workers was a dish containing corn. This corn was roasted in the husk over a fire. In order to eat it, they removed the husks and either broke off the kernels or ate it off the cob. Both the nutrients and the flavor were rewarding to the workers in the field.
Boaz was seated in the Middle Eastern fashion with his workers. At the table, all eyes would be toward Boaz; anything he did or said would be noticed. After all, this was his food, prepared for his people.
The reapers and the new member of the group, all watched the lord of the harvest in wonder. Boaz purposefully reached across the spread of food laid out for his workers to get parched corn. His reach was not for himself. He took an ear of corn that had been parched and offered it to one person at this gathering. Boaz gave it to Ruth.
Boaz chose the ear he would give. Ruth and the others seated at the table knew this gesture was special. No one else at this meal had been favored in this way. Boaz selected the husk, offered Ruth the corn, and she accepted.
Boaz had honored Ruth in front of the reapers of the harvest. The honor was not for years of service. Nor was Ruth’s honoring for the sake of productivity. Boaz honored Ruth because of his goodness.
Our Eternal Boaz is even more gracious to us than Boaz was to Ruth. God knows our every need and He supplies it. More than only meeting daily needs, He selects and offers us parched corn in our daily lives. Look around your home and your heart. Have you no husks remaining from where our Eternal Boaz selected, roasted, and offered you gestures of His goodness? He did not have to offer you anything, but He did!
It is time we train our hearts and our heritage to look for the ears of parched corn He reaches for us. His reaching parched corn for us should make us and our children rejoice and feel reassured. Our Eternal Boaz loves us. He is looking out for us. For every ear of parched corn He brings today, take a moment, and reflect on His goodness.
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