Ruth 2 Commentary
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Chapter 2 describes at length the characters involved in the love story. The Book of Ruth has huge value to young people as they navigate the loops of relationships. Coming up first is the main character herself, Ruth.
From chapter 1 we can tell we are looking at the determined and loyal woman. She had seen the value and was determined to stick to it. The main pick here is the question about our loyalty to things we have come to accept as very important in our lives. Her love for Naomi and what Naomi represented was stronger than her love for her relatives. For her part, Naomi gives us an impression of a woman who lived an ideal life as desired by her God. The LORD had ordained Israel to be a nation through whom other nations would be blessed. Naomi is an effective evangelist through whom Ruth comes to know and experience the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is now her God too. She will not let go.
We have sufficient evidence to conclude that Ruth was hardworking. She was also a self-starter. She saw a need in the home and initiated the move to have it resolved, not by begging, but by working.
Her selfless character is shown in the decision she made to follow Naomi who didn’t have much to offer.
Her faith is shown by her decision to step out regardless of the fact that there was neither an invitation nor an advertisement for employment. “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Now we can meet Boaz. He is described as a man of standing in the community. He is also a good man but importantly, a godly man. He greets his workers in the name of the LORD and has sufficiently backed up this lip service with his godly character that we clearly see. The workers had manners that came from their boss. They allowed Ruth to work freely.
What the brethren say about you is important. The testimony that you carry will define what you get. Without being paid or bribed, the workers put in a good word for Ruth: “She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
See how God shapes events: “As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek”. Boaz spoke kindly to her. There are several key points for the young woman in search of a man.
What has the potential man heard about your character? Boaz had been told about Ruth’s kindness and good heart. Now he has also learned from his workers that Ruth is hardworking. A Christian woman’s Resume is written in her daily living.
Is there a mother in your life to tell you to; “go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed”. Every young Christian woman has to find a mother and stick to her. She will protect you as you navigate the difficult and dangerous paths of life.
In Jesus Christ is a pearl of great value. Have you clung to it the way Ruth clung to the God that she found in Naomi?
Can your church members say the good things that the workers said about Ruth? Can the community around you report on your kindness?
There is another character in the Book: the LORD. He is busy at work behind the scenes. The apparent chance event, by a who-it-may-concern kind of mission, reveals the hand of the LORD. He is the God who has shaped Naomi’s life. The God who has drawn Ruth to Himself is the same God in whose name Boaz greets his workers. The same LORD will execute the blessing of Boaz on Ruth. Importantly, the same LORD is putting pieces together in order to build a human home for the seed.
The LORD is really never too far and uninterested. It’s a lesson every saint must learn again and again, and again.
By the end of this chapter, every man is in love with Ruth. This is exactly Peter’s view. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. 1 Peter 3 verses 4 to 6. The Message Bible.
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