Picking up Scraps

O. T. #561  "Picking up Scraps"
July 21, 2015
Ruth 2-Part 1
So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. Ruth 2:3a

LET IT GLOW

Okay, my children will deny this story, but when we lived in married housing at our university, we did not have extra money, as students often lived. We had a dumpster that all the residence students could use. One time, I saw a book shelf inside it. Yes, I had them climb inside it and retrieve it for its new owners, us. (Can you hear their complaining and disgust?) Of course, I cleaned it up and it looked like new. I felt that God provided for us, we just had to go get it by doing the work. Blessed, we picked up the scraps of someone. Ruth was in a similar situation, picking up the scraps in a field, not a dumpster.

So far we have only studied the first four chapters in this small book of Ruth, and
have experienced a famine, a move, a marriage of two sons, the death of a husband, the death of two sons, the beginning of a return journey, the turning back of one woman, and now their arrival in Bethlehem. Whew! Talk about drama, this family had it in their life.
As far as characters, we had a family of four growing to six, then brought down to three, now reduced to two. But hang on, we add another one to the two, Boaz, in just the first verse of the second chapter.

Naomi, who wanted folks to call her Mara because she felt she deserved the Lord dealing bitterly with her due to rebellion, would soon have a new beginning with God. Friends, it is never too late to start fresh with God. Today is a good time.

Hey, I just learned that the majority of the events in this book actually cover only a matter of a few weeks, according to Falwell. (Thought you'd like that little tidbit.)

Getting to our new character, the name Boaz means strength in the Hebrew language.
What do we know about this new character who enters this story?

• He was a relative (perhaps a cousin or nephew) of Naomi's deceased husband, Elimelech.
• He is called a kinsman, (moda in Hebrew) which means acquaintance, kinfolk.
• He was a mighty man of wealth, a man of property or fame. (We will discuss a different meaning for the word kinsman in verse 20.) Wealth, sometimes translated valiant or might, would use his influence and resources to be God's special provision for Ruth.
• According to Matthew 1, Boaz was the grandson of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah, and son of Salmon, probably a younger son by Rahab, the harlot of Jericho.
• The fact that Boaz was related to the family of Elimelech indicates the basis of his kinsmanship to Naomi through her marriage. Family probably denotes a larger group of relatives, similar to a clan.
• Boaz appears as a powerful landowner who becomes the potential hero of the drama because of his position and relationship to the widow Ruth.
• He was never married or was a widower (1 Chronicles 2:11, 12; Matt. 1:5)
• This man had many servants under him who brought in the harvest of the corn and grain crops.
• We will see that Boaz was a wonderful master and overseer, which we will discover further on down the road.

What a guy! Ruth could not have done better if she had picked him out like she picked the corn in his field. God did it all through His Providential hand at work. Continue to read, for these two are going to meet.
Do we turn to God for His help, leading, direction for our life? How about the prospective spouse of our children?

LET IT GROW

What else happened in verses 2-3?
These two hungry women needed to eat. You can only stay with friends so long and then you wear out your welcome.

• Ruth, the Moabitess, inquired of her mother in law, Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." (NIV)
• Ruth went out and began to glean (means to pick up, to gather)in the fields behind the harvesters. In other words, she was picking up the scraps that remained.

Whose field did Ruth work in? None other than our wonderful guy Boaz, an eligible bachelor.
God made provision for the widows, poor, orphans, and strangers.
The Mosaic Law commanded that the harvest should not be reaped to the corners nor the gleanings picked up (Lev. 19:9, 10). Gleanings were stalks of grain left after the first cutting. (MacArthur)

God knows what needs we have before we ask Him to meet it. See Matthew 6.

LET IT GO

Whatever is holding me back, let it go.

Follow Jesus today.

Look for those in need.

Help supply their needs.

Give, go, give thanks.