by John O’Malley
“So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley” (Ruth 2:17).
The goodness of Boaz was certainly brought to Ruth’s mind as she took her rod to beat out the grains of barley from the stalks. Each strike to the bundles of barley yielded the precious grain she had desired from early that morning when she sought a benevolent provider for her needs. Who would have thought in human terms that a Moabitish widow could walk into a strange land, find favor with a landowner, and carry home much more than an ordinary person’s gleanings for a day?
There is a thought worth considering from her efforts that day. Boaz had provided Ruth access, authority, and abundance for her to obtain the barley. Ruth needed to get into his field and find what was available to her. Once she had procured the gleanings, she would then be able to beat out what she had gleaned. This process would complete the job for her to carry her blessings home to share with Naomi.
Our Eternal Boaz has done the same thing for His adopted Moabite children of grace. He has given us the barley fields of His Word. It is a perfect crop abundant with handfuls of purpose dropped on every page and every line. The Holy Spirit is the servant set over the reapers and is available to us to show us where to glean for the day. Once we have read in His Word and received a thought for the day, it is incumbent upon every believer to use the rod of meditation to beat out grains for our own sustenance and grains to share with others.
Have you ever been called upon to share a verse or a thought from the Word of God with a friend? Have you struggled because you may have skipped your reading that day? Have you ever read the words on the pages of the Bible and failed to sit down to beat out grains to gather for yourself and prepare some to give to others? By neglecting the time of meditating (beating out), you are missing out on the best part of the barley fields of the Bible.
Many people fall into the trap of always relying upon others to beat out grains for them. They rely upon pastors, teachers and books to beat things out for them and never attempt to make the effort to do so themselves. It is typical of our society to expect everything to be handed to us, and therefore we are left with a spiritually shallow generation.
Believer, determine to be one who not only receives beaten out grains, but also is able to do so on your own. Remember, there are others in your life with whom you will be able to share grains from God’s Word. Why not determine to always beat out with the rod of meditation a barley blessing for yourself and barley blessings to share with others?