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 gently took her place as Boaz had instructed her. Looking around her, she noticed the reapers that she had been gleaning with that morning. Confidence marked each step as she made her way into the family of reapers. The reapers knew she had been taken from the ranks of the poor, foreign, and widowed; she had been placed into the circle of fellowship with them.
The faces of the reapers changed as she crossed the unmarked boundary between poverty and the preferred. Ruth stepped into their circle of fellowship, found her place, and sat down by Boaz’s reapers. The harvest family had a new member, and they knew it was because of the work of Boaz.
Ruth’s search for a benefactor came to an end in Boaz. Boaz abundantly exceeded any desire she had when she left Naomi that morning. Certainly living “under the wings in whom she had come to trust” had blessings untold and joys unspeakable.
Ruth’s standing in the field changed when Boaz invited her to be a part of his harvest. She went from being poor to being preferred. She changed from being foreign to being family. She was being promoted from widowhood to being wanted by Boaz.
Ruth had a sense of security that she had not known since Mahlon died. The day he died, she lost more than her husband. Ruth felt as though she had lost her heart. Her heart became disconnected after Mahlon’s death. Boaz found the loose ends of her heart and tied them to his own; and Ruth knew security again.
Oh, how it must have done Ruth’s heart good! What a sense of belonging she must have felt as she looked around her and saw where she had come from and where she had arrived. Boaz had made a way for Ruth to have food for tomorrow, fellowship for today, and a family forever.
Were it not for the work and will of our Eternal Boaz, we would not be in the position we have today. The will of our Eternal Boaz is that all would come to Him. The work of our Eternal Boaz has made it possible for all to come to Him.
Never forget the day you crossed the boundary from sinner to saint. Never lose the value of how precious it is to be in Boaz’s family! As a believer, you have been given a position in Boaz’s family that lasts forever. You are given provision from Boaz’s field for your daily bread. You have a position in Boaz’s fellowship with other workers. What a privilege it is to be part of the family, partaker of His food, and participant in His fellowship!