Finding Favor

In Need of a Favor

Often we believe we are entitled to our blessings. When hard times fall upon us, we may wallow in self pity, doubt, and not think of how we can get out of our circumstances.

I can remember many times when those around me helped me out in times of trouble. There was one winter when I was a child when the flu was going around and our whole family was home. My mom was not able to work.

To help out during that time, I remember the church stepping in to provide assistance to us in that time of need.

Those who were blessed gave out of their abundance to a family that was in need.

Pride Stands in the Way

We are a prideful people who enjoy relying on our ability to provide for ourselves. If most of us would admit, asking for help is a difficult thing to do. It admits that we are not capable of providing everything that our lives require.

There is another type of pride to notice as well. Those who insist on remaining in a station of victimhood.

Within the passage of Ruth, we see there is a place for both the blessed and those searching for favor.

Ruth 2:1 NASB95

Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

Ruth 2:2 NASB95

And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Ruth 2:3 NASB95

So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Ruth 2:4 NASB95

Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”

Ruth 2:5 NASB95

Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

Ruth 2:6 NASB95

The servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.

Ruth 2:7 NASB95

“And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

Ruth 2:8 NASB95

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.

Ruth 2:9 NASB95

“Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”

Ruth 2:10 NASB95

Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Ruth 2:11 NASB95

Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.

Ruth 2:12 NASB95

“May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”

Ruth 2:13 NASB95

Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

The Blessed Should Be a Blessing

Chapter 2 opens in much the same manner of Chapter 1 with a reference to the station of Naomi and Ruth compared to Elimelech. We have here though a man introduced as a kinsman to Naomi. The term kinsman here is a foreshadowing of what is to come.

Ruth leaves Naomi empty of food, knowing she is the one who is capable of providing for her and Naomi. We do not know why Naomi is incapable of helping, but it appears she must rely on another to help provide for her.

The process of gleaning a field was given as a command to the Israelites. Perhaps Naomi had told Ruth of the instruction so that Ruth would know how to proceed in gathering the grain for her and Naomi.

Leviticus 19:9–10 NASB95

‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.

God Himself had decreed to His people that there would be those who were needy. It was required of those who were blessed to be a blessing upon those in need.

In this instruction and in practice we notice two things.

Boaz shows honor, dignity, and compassion for those who are in need.

Faith in Action

There are two examples of faith in action we notice within this passage.

Boaz honors the LORD’s instructions to show compassion on those in need. Not only does he allow Ruth to work amongst his workers, but she is a foreigner. He has heard of her commitment to Naomi, his kin. Therefore, he allows her to glean in the field.

Ruth’s example of faith in action is that she follows through with her commitment she gave to Naomi in chapter 1. Her dedication to follow Naomi and stick with her shows through here in her determination to provide food for them through work.

Searching for Kindness

Throughout our lives, we are going to be confronted with many opportunities to share the compassion we see Boaz share with Ruth.

Perhaps you have been in a situation where you are the one in need such as Ruth and Naomi found themselves.

Many in the world found themselves in need this past year during the pandemic with jobs lost, loss of loved ones, and the turmoil which has been brought upon this world today.

If you have remained blessed throughout this process, then look for those opportunities to allow those in need to glean the edges of your field.

If you are the one who has been in need, do not be afraid to speak up to those who have been blessed. While your pride may suffer, the humility in situation is not a reason to stay in that place.

We are the servants taking care of the field

Churches, leaders, and brothers and sisters in Christ are the caretakers of the field. Where Boaz is the owner of the field, Christ is the owner of the Earth. There is a typology witnessed in the compassion of Boaz recognized in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 15:11 NASB95

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

While there is the physical manifestation of poor witnessed in those who are hungry and in need, there is also another type of poverty.

There are those who are poor in Spirit, searching for the Bread of Life.

If we are to be the caretakers of the field, the church must be willing to see the compassion for which Boaz has shown Ruth.

The spiritual implication for the church is to recognize there are those who are poor in the world who need to be provided for. Our instruction is to feed those in need and that is not just to provide for the bodily needs but to provide the spiritual nourishment as well.

Many times there is a divide between one or the other. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi is manifested through her willingness to humble herself and work for what they need.

However, it also takes the compassion of Boaz to pour out of his abundance the blessing upon Ruth.

We must provide a space to give to those who ask

To those who are asking for a blessing, we work to provide the atmosphere to feed those who ask. It is only with our submission to the LORD that we are capable of providing for others the spiritual nourishment they need.

If you are in need today, know that God is willing to meet you where you are. He is a Good Father, owner of the field, and pours out His blessing on those who are humble and willing to glean from the His field.