Ruth 2:9-8 NKJV

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

When Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth went back to Bethlehem, they had no idea what awaited them there. They did not know how they would find provision, but they went back in faith. Ruth comes out as the virtuous woman because though she is now in a strange land, she is not content to just sit and do nothing. She is a woman of action and not one to give excuses.

The law allowed the poor to glean in the fields so that they could have something to eat, but the field owners were not always that cooperative. Ruth finds herself gleaning in the field of Boaz who happens to be a relative of the family of Elimelech. It also so happens that Boaz appears that same time and asks his servants who Ruth is. I do not believe in coincidences, rather I believe in divine appointments and this is one of them. God had orchestrated for this divine appointment to ensure that Naomi and Ruth were provided for.

Boaz requests Ruth not to glean from any other field but his, and that she should stay close to the young women in his field. Boaz recognizes the sacrifice that Ruth made to leave her people and come over to a strange land and take care of her mother-in-law, and he even speaks a blessing over her. Not only did God provide for Ruth, He also ensured that she was safe and protected. Boaz ordered the young men to ensure that Ruth was not disturbed.

As David said in the Psalms, I have been young, and now I am old, and I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his children begging for bread. Ruth made a commitment to return with Naomi to Bethlehem, the house of bread. She let go of her gods and declared that the God of Naomi was her God. In return, God orchestrated for both of them to be provided for and never to lack. God can and he does provide bread for his children.

Reflections

• What is something that seems like a coincidence to others but to you, it is a divine connection from God?
• God had systems to ensure that the poor were provided for. Should we have such systems today?
• In what area of your life do you currently need God’s divine providence?