A Reward for Diligence

Ruth 2:1-12

1 Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.

2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”

Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.

4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” he said.

“The Lord bless you!” the harvesters replied.

5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”

6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”

8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

This is a great story to confirm many of the Proverbs and other scriptures. The Bible is full of stories of people being rewarded. The one thing they all have in common is that the rewards did not just fall on them for sitting around they had to be doing some type of work in order to get the reward. The Lord does not reward the lazy for their lack of effort. He does not look favorably upon those who want everything to be given to them without their having to put forth any effort for it. This is why it is not God's best for people to live off the government. There is no condemnation if the programs available are used for a short period of time, but to fully rely on them for your every need to be met is putting yourself into a position where you do not trust in God but in the government to meet your needs. That is not a position of being able to receive God's best for your life.

Ruth has really impressed me over the last two days. She chooses not to return to her own family after the death of her husband. That would be the choice most would make in that same situation. She chose to follow her mother-in-law and go where she was going. Now she is showing that she is a go getter. She didn't just sit around the house and feel sorry for herself, which many would even understand after losing a spouse. She saw the need to provide grain for her and Naomi and decided to go out and pick up the scraps in the field that the harvesters left behind.

I love the greeting used by Boaz to his workers. I really love their reaction to his greeting. Upon further review by Boaz he discovers who this foreign woman is in his fields picking up grain left behind. He finds out what a diligent, hard worker she is and who she is. He does the right thing by not only allowing her to stay, but by making her work easier for her and rewarding her and Naomi for her hard work. Boaz did not go and offer this to them upon their arrival in town and the government did not show up to provide for them either. Ruth knew that she was going to have to go out and provide for them and worked hard at doing it. She also saw a reward for her hard work.

Proverbs 12:11, 24, 27
11 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

These verses show what we see in Ruth's actions. I also like this verse that shows why Boaz was a wise man:

Proverbs 12:25
25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

The last part of that verse is where Boaz did well in his treatment of Ruth. It apparently was a way of life for him because his workers responded very well to his greeting them in the fields. This is an area that I am going to work harder on this year. I need to watch my words more closely and make sure that they are building up the person not tearing them down.

Heavenly Father I come to you today to thank You for Your Word. Thank You that Your Word confirms itself over and over again. It goes to show that even though it was written down by many different scribes over many different generations that Your Spirit was guiding them. I thank You for the direction that Your Word brings to my life and the revelation that Your Holy Spirit brings to my spirit each day. May my words this year be ones that lift up others and reveals Your love to the hearers so that they fall more in love with You. I worship You and glorigy You today. Amen.

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved