Scripture Selection
Ruth 2:8-18
"May the LORD
reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the LORD, the
God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!"
—Ruth 2:12
2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Now listen, my daughter,
do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my
young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow
behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get
thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn."
10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him,
"Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me,
when I am a foreigner?" 11 But Boaz answered her, "All that you have
done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told
me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a
people that you did not know before. 12 May the LORD reward you for your deeds,
and may you have a full reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose
wings you have come for refuge!" 13 Then she said, "May I continue to
find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly
to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants."
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, and eat
some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine." So she sat
beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until
she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean,
Boaz instructed his young men, "Let her glean even among the standing sheaves,
and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from
the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her."
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat
out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it
up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned.
Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been
satisfied.
The practice of gleaning acknowledges that most of us have
more than we need. The owners didn't miss what might have been left on the
edges, but to those in need, it was life-saving and life-giving. Making sure
that everyone has what they need means giving out of our abundance. Often there
are simple ways we can set aside a little here or there and hardly miss it. God
called Abraham and chose his descendants for a particular blessing so that all people
would be blessed. Blessing comes with a responsibility, and that means giving
what we have when we recognize how richly blessed we are.
The provision for gleaning certainly includes Ruth, who
gleans after Boaz's hired workers. Boaz's managers identify Ruth as "the
Moabite who came back with Naomi." They tell Boaz that she has been
working without rest since early morning. Gleaning in the fields could be
dangerous work— especially for a vulnerable, poor, foreign widow working in the
midst of many hired men. Boaz provides protection for Ruth and orders his men
not to bother her. He gives her food and drink and tells his men to pull out
handfuls of grain for Ruth to pick up, making her work easier.
Throughout Leviticus and Deuteronomy, laws and commandments
address the needs of widows, children, the poor, and the oppressed. The rule of
gleaning was one such law. Even in the small communities of Israel, God gave
regulations for how to meet the needs of vulnerable populations. More than a
system of charity, the regulations empowered the needy to seek security for
themselves, rather than relying on goodwill donations. The office of deacon was
established in the early Christian church as a direct response to a breakdown
in distribution of food to the widows. In both cases, the people of God
recognized their call to care for the oppressed, and to carry it out systemic
solutions were put in place to address material needs.
It is not enough for us to donate money, clothing, food, and
time. We also must learn more about what the specific needs are. We must
advocate for systemic change and solutions to problems that are often cyclical.
And lest we judge those who are in need of help, we must realize that we could
one day be the person in need. The provisions for care were given in the Torah
with frequent reminders to the Israelites that they, too, had been oppressed,
enslaved, poor, and vulnerable, but that God had delivered them.
Ruth and Naomi lived in a society that relied on each year's
harvest of crops for survival. Widows without fathers or sons to protect them,
such as Ruth and Naomi, were the most vulnerable of all vulnerable populations.
Many people in our society have no choice but to live on what is left over
after others have taken what they need. Who are the vulnerable among us today?
Outcasts are the most exploited, including immigrants and convicted
felons. When we think about immigration
laws, do we see the face of Christ in the eyes of the immigrant? Ruth, a
foreigner, was a direct ancestor of Jesus. God's mission of sending the Son
into the world is accomplished through a Moabite widow.
In the United States, convicted felons face an uphill battle
once they are released from prison. Few jobs are available to them, especially
if they do not have a GED. Few companies will take on someone convicted of a
felony. They often have little hope and few options when it comes to earning a
living wage in society. It's little wonder why felons with drug-dealing
convictions return to their old ways. They return to their old neighborhoods.
Where else could they afford to live? And how else can they make money?
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
What are the unmet needs of your community? If you aren't
sure, where might you find the answer?
In what ways has your church responded to the needs of
others in the past? In the present? Are
there windows of opportunity for new missions in the near future?
What distinguishes Christian faith in action from community
service?
PRAYER
God, you alone are our strength and refuge. You are our
present help in times of trouble, and yet too often, when the tables are
turned, we neglect those who need to feel your ministries of care. We pray that
you would open our hearts and empower us to be your ministers in this world, to
provide refuge under our wings, just as you protect us in the refuge of your
wings. We ask this all in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Compiled from The Present Word and Congregational Ministries Publishing is not liable for for the content of this Bible Study and Blog.
From The Present Word © 2011 Congregational Ministries Publishing. Used by permission.
