Radical Kindness - Ruth Series

This devotion is an excerpt from the book, The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules and was written by Carolyn Custis James. We hope you will be encouraged.

A BLESSED ALLIANCE

All eyes are on Boaz, waiting for his reply. Will he brush her off or lash out over the forwardness of this foreigner? The Moabitess has gone too far. Ruth has crossed the line. Israelite protocol has been breeched. Will he eject her from his field? Will Boaz prove tightfisted, or will he open his hand? Boaz’s response is as astonishing as Ruth’s request is outrageous, and this is where our strong admiration for Boaz begins to grow. Instead of becoming defensive (this is his field, after all, and he is the boss), the lights go on and he fully embraces her suggestion. Instead of being displeased or offended, he is moved to act on her behalf. Boaz’s godliness is real, and he willingly follows Ruth’s lead. He actually appears driven — you might even say obsessed — to come up with ways of making her mission possible. In an astonishing outpouring of grace, Boaz exceeds the young Moabitess’ request. What follows is an openhearted sequence of actions where Boaz extends his hand and his resources to ensure Ruth’s success. Yes, by all means, she may glean among the reapers where there will be plenty of grain for her. He grants her special rights in his fields for the entire harvest season and urges her not to wander into other fields, but to glean only with his servant girls. Boaz personally guarantees her safety. “I have told the men not to touch you” (Ruth 2:9) — protection she will need when venturing into restricted zones where gleaners are banned and harvesters might mistreat her. His words, while reassuring, also reflect the real dangers women faced even in a godly landowner’s field. Boaz then invites Ruth to drink from the water jars his men fill. Now she won’t forfeit precious gleaning time by going elsewhere in search of water to quench her thirst. Ruth is overwhelmed. She drops to her knees, then bows to the ground in an oriental gesture of gratitude. Here is the landowner whose favor she was seeking, and he is more generous than she could have hoped.15 Let us be clear. Boaz is not motivated by sudden infatuation, but by a heart for Yahweh and by his deep respect and admiration for Ruth’s unprecedented kindness to Naomi. He knows she has given up much to come to Bethlehem with Naomi. And now with his own eyes, he sees her taking enormous risks as she gleans for the sake of her mother-in-law and giving Bethlehemites more to talk about. You can be sure this day’s events were soon added to local dinner conversations about the young Moabitess. Then, in words that soothed Ruth’s aching heart, Boaz opens his heart in blessing, as he prays, “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12). Boaz, of course, is unaware that he will, himself, have a hand in how God answers his prayer. Until this moment, Ruth’s interior world has been curtained off from us. The narrator hasn’t disclosed the inner workings of her heart. There were earlier hints in the story of her grief, but here, in this exchange with Boaz, we catch a glimpse of evidence that she is sorrowing as deeply as Naomi. In response to Boaz’s kindness and to his gentle words of blessing, Ruth responds, “You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant — though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls” (Ruth 2:13, emphasis added).