Sermon Tone Analysis

Ruth Meets Boaz

Going for Grain: Harvest

New Setting

The last verse of chapter 1 sets the new setting for chapter two.

What still remains in the next part of the Ruth is that Naomi will still be the main character of the story, although she does disappear from the scene for the major portion of the chapter.

It begins saying “NAOMI RETURNED” and “Ruth… with her”

Even when BOAZ is introduced, it says “NAOMI had a relative...”

Narrator also reminds the reader of the place and the time of Naomi and Ruth’s arrival.

The narrator here introduces the new character.

There’s four important details to be noted about Boaz:

Relative of Naomi’s husband

Worthy man (Character)

Clan of Elimelech

More clarification first information

Name - Boaz

Husband of Ruth and father of Obed, the grandfather of King David.

The Initiative of Ruth

As mentioned earlier, syntax of chapter 1 verse 22 suggest that Naomi still remains as main character of the story but the narrator also hints coming prominence of Ruth.

Much of Ruth’s increase of presence is derived from what may be the causes of tension as she settles in the new country.

The fact that she’s Moabite woman in Israel world, where there is little reason to expect acceptance by Israeli townsfolk and also the fact she’s Naomi’s daughter-in-law, who has returned to home country empty handed.

Narrator emphasises the fact that Ruth is the Moabite.

This is to emphasis the brave, courageous and extraordinary nature of her action to go to the field to get food for herself and Naomi.

She is determined to make something of her life.

What we should note here is the fact that Ruth requested to go to the field to GLEAN.

She’s not going to the field to work in the field to earn, but going to the field to gather food according to what was permissible for her to collect.

Ruth’s activity is to be distinguished from harvesting as we can see from the Mosaic law.

She’s barely collecting from what was deliberately left by the owners of the field, or ears of grain that might have dropped on the ground.

But what is surprising is that although such law was inscribed in the Mosaic law, the rights to glean was frequently denied.

Hence she needs to “FIND FAVOUR IN THE EYES OF THE OWNER/HARVESTERS” in the field.

Upon affirmative response from Naomi, Ruth set out to collect food from the field.

The narrator draws attention to Ruth’s chance of arrival at a field of Boaz.

By the orthodox Israeli there was no such thing as chance.

An Israelite proverb declares:

If the Lord even determines how the dice falls, how can the narrator speak so explicitly of chance of Ruth landing at Boaz’s field?

It’s probable, that the narrator is looking at the event through Ruth’s eyes.

Moabite as stressed many times, with different cultural background and whom did not follow Yahweh.

She had pagan perspectives concerning fate and fortune.

In the next section we will see Ruth luck, and chance of landing on field of Boaz’s field was providence from God.

The Grace of Boaz

Verses 4-16 can be divided in to three different dialogues between characters.

Boaz and the harvesters (v4-7)

Boaz and Ruth (v8-14)

Boaz and the harvesters (v15-16)

Boaz and the Harvesters

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem.

And he said to the reapers,

“The Lord be with you!”

And they answered,

“The Lord bless you.”

Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers,

“Whose young woman is this?”

And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered,

“She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab, She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’

So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

Boaz and Ruth

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.

Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them.

Have I not charged the young men not to touch you?

And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”

Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him,

“Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

But Boaz answered her

“All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.

The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Then she said,

“I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

And at mealtime Boaz said to her,

“Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.”

So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain.

And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.

When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying,

“Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Boaz was a gracious man and he was from the same clan as Ruth’s deceased father in law.

The Results

Like the earlier section, this last section is also filled with dialogue, dialogue between Naomi and Ruth.

Before the long dialogue between Naomi and Ruth, narrator mentions amount of grain Ruth brought back from the field.

And because of what Ruth had showed Naomi, amount Ruth brought back had sparked conversation between the two.

The result of day’s work in the field was quite amazing.

I mean, the amount of grain Ruth was permitted to glean by Boaz was extremely generous.

It says in verse 17 that Ruth collected about 1 ephah of barley. 1 ephah could weigh anything from 13kg~22kg.

Although the conversation was between Ruth and Naomi recounting Ruth’s experience in the field, writer of Ruth was more interested in portraying BOAZ’s GENEROSITY and GRACE.

Narrator is not underplaying the importance of Ruth’s actions of collecting food for her self and Naomi as Ruth’s work, most probably, was a whole day worth of labouring in the sun.

What can be noticed in this chapter is the change of tone and attitude of Naomi.

Naomi who came back to her home country, wishing to be called Mara, who was as good as dead inside, is now beginning to see hope.

Naomi is coming back to life.

The source of the hope and life came about by close relative of her dead husband, Boaz.

Naomi’s hope and life is expressed and revealed through her cry of blessings for Boaz

“Blessed be the man who took notice of you” (v19)

“May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead” (v20)

Something else we should notice here in verse 20, is that in minds of Naomi she’s probably thinking that Yahweh has been gracious to her deceased husband and her sons by sending POTENTIAL REDEEMER-KINSMAN = Boaz (a conclusion that is confirmed in the next chapter).

Because, by the Israeli tradition, kinship denotes the bear relative who is responsible for the economic well-being of a relative, and he comes into play especially when the relative is in distress and cannot get out of the crisis.

Scripturally speaking, there’s 5 different areas kinship are responsible of:

To ensure that the hereditary property of the clan never passes out of the clan (Lev 25:25-30)

To maintain the freedom of individuals within the clan by buying back those who have sold themselves into slavery (Lev 25:47-55)

To track down and execute murderers of near relative (Num 35:12, 19-27)

To receive restitution money on behalf of a deceased victim of a crime (Num 5:8)

To ensure that justice is served in a lawsuit involving a relative (Job 19:25)

The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth