Tami - Ruth 2:1-13 (I'm enjoying this!)

Ruth 2:1-13 (The Message)

1It so happened that Naomi had a relative by marriage, a man prominent and rich, connected with Elimelech's family. His name was Boaz.

2 One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, "I'm going to work; I'm going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly." Naomi said, "Go ahead, dear daughter."

3-4 And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech's relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, "God be with you!" They replied, "And God bless you!"

5 Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, "Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?"

6-7 The foreman said, "Why, that's the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. 'Let me glean,' she said, 'and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.' She's been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break."

8-9 Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: "Listen, my daughter. From now on don't go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don't worry about a thing; I've given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled."

10 She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. "How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?"

11-12 Boaz answered her, "I've heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you've done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you've come seeking protection under his wings."

13 She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"

S: verse 13: She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"

O: Even though I picked v13, I'm so enthralled with this entire section! There is so much here - from the simple faith & purity & obedience of Ruth, to the blessing that will always result from that kind of life, to the amazing grace of God given freely to the poor, the outcast, the alien, the hurting. Boaz represents God's extravant love & care for us - how he goes & seeks her out, how he offers his protection, how he notices her quiet dignity & faithful life in the midst of her pain, how he rewards it, how he will soon (we see foreshadowing of it here) adopt her into his own family & redeem her from the life of a widow & alien. She is an outsider, but soon she will belong. Her family has been shattered, but soon she will be a part of God's family.

A: The grace of God to redeem the garbage heaps of our lives never ceases to amaze me - & makes me want to praise Him, commit myself more fully to Him, & be more like Him - extending that same hope & grace & redemption to others.

P: May it be so, Father God, Amen