by John O’Malley
“And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshing floor” (Ruth 3:2).
Boaz was known for many things in his community. He was a businessman, an employer, a man of prestige, and a man of the harvest. His investment in the harvest was great; he may have hired others to take part in the harvest, but when it came to winnowing, he would do that himself.
You may recall winnowing was the process of taking out the chaff, the unwanted elements, from the grain. His investment in the grain was clear. He knew what chaff was and what grain was. He knew how he wanted it handled. He trusted none other than himself with this task of separating out the good from the bad.
West winds would carry a steady, gentle sea breeze suitable for this task. If he waited for east winds, they would come in gusts. The north wind would be too strong. He waited for the night hours to do his work of winnowing. The chaff would not survive the process of heaving the grain in the air. The steady west wind would gently blow away that which looked like the harvest but was not really the harvest. When Boaz's crops went to the marketplace, people knew they could expect a pure grain. Boaz was in charge of the quality control; no grain would be lost, and no chaff would make it to market.
Our Eternal Boaz does the same in His work with us. He knows who is part of His harvest. He also knows who is chaff. He sees chaff in our lives, brings us to the threshing floor in the night hours of our lives, and allows a steady breeze to winnow out of us what He does not desire. We are His harvest, and He is in control of our outcome. It is amazing how much chaff clings to us and how He desires to have a pure harvest.
You will not successfully resist His winnowing process; He will be successful in winnowing you. Perhaps today you are struggling with His winnowing. Trust Him; He knows you, He knows the breeze you need, and He knows the best hour of the day for your winnowing. When the chaff is gone, you are most valuable to Him for His work.