by John O’Malley
“And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not” (Ruth 2:15).
Ruth’s departure back to the fields gave Boaz the opportunity to carry out further the plan God had fully shown him. When Ruth was out of hearing, Boaz gathered his young men. Because of the nature of Boaz’s request, these probably were not the same young men who were instructed to draw water for Ruth if she was thirsty.
Boaz did not make a suggestion to these men on their responsibility. Boaz gathered them on the terraced hillside of his harvest field and gave them a specific command. The command he gave them would instruct them in where they should go, what they should do, and what they should say.
Boaz’s command to his workers would not be negotiable for these were his harvest fields. He instructed these men to return to the fields they were familiar with and look at them in a new way. They were to go back to the fields with the heart and eyes of Boaz and carry out his command.
Boaz’s concern for Ruth would be apparent as they listened to his words and assimilated their responsibility. Boaz specifically told them that Ruth was to be allowed unrestricted access into his fields. Normally the poor, the strangers in the land, and the widows would be given permission to stay in the corners and glean. However, with Boaz’s instructions, these men were to permit her to glean among the sheaves in the field.
Boaz gave his men a specific command on what they were to say to Ruth if she came around the sheaves. This one command must have raised eyebrows as these men knew the profit from the field would be used up if they allowed her to come and go wherever she chose. They were told not to reproach Ruth for going near the sheaves. They were in fact to encourage her to glean, as the next verse will indicate, by leading her close to the sheaves with the handfuls they would drop on purpose.
One day our Eternal Boaz, Jesus Christ, stood outside Jerusalem on a hillside and gave specific instructions to His disciples about His harvest. These men were to go to His fields with His heart and vision and accomplish His work. He told those disciples the same three things Boaz told his workers. He told these workers where they should go, what they should do, and what they should say.
As disciples of Christ, are we following His instructions for the harvest (Acts1:8)? Are we going to the places He told us to go? Are we working in the harvest as He instructed us? Are we carrying the message He said to give?
The world is our harvest field. We have the message of hope and heaven to deliver. We are to go to every nation and deliver the message of our condemnation and His redemption. Our Eternal Boaz has a heart and vision for the whole world. Do we have His heart?