“The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”-Ruth 2:12
God does not see as man sees. We see with a limited eye and weigh our plans and ambitions on an unbalanced scale. God holds all power in earth and heaven, therefore judgement as well. To abandon the world, and all its values, is to abandon what is known to us, what is familiar. The lesson of Ruth is a lesson of trust, as much as it is a lesson of redemption.
The lesson of Ruth begins with a woman named Naomi. She left Bethlehem, in the tribe of Judah and traveled to Moab with her family. Her sons and husband died and left Naomi with two daughters in law. It is here that Naomi decided to return home, and one daughter went back to her people, and the other, Ruth, did not. The scripture says Ruth was: “steadfastly minded” to go with Naomi. So, the two of them arrived back in Bethlehem with nothing, and no one. In a time when women had little chance to support themselves. So, Ruth did what she could and gleaned in the field with the rest of the poor and strangers. It is there she caught the attention of Boaz. Ruth’s faith and dedication made an impact, and Boaz inquired after this young girl, finding the answer to his questions (and her character) in the words: “it is the Moaithish damsel that came back with Naomi.” A damsel that could have stayed, could have abandoned Naomi, could have played it safe. A damsel that left all she knew to follow God. Boaz told her “It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.” Ruth’s faith in God moved Boaz’s heart toward her (a solid foundation for any courtship). I am sure she looked different and was slow to notice the cultural lingo, and ingrained customs. I suspect she was gossiped about, and unaccepted in certain circles. The world may reject you, gossip, slander, and degrade you, but our aim is not to live in this world but to live in heaven. Then Boaz said: “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Baby chicks have an instinct, an innate understanding that under the wings of their mother there is safety, warmth, and protection. They trust in the sheltering covert of her wings. The wings of the Lord provide a sure place, and Ruth found that out firsthand. Boaz would bring her over to his fields and instruct his reapers to “let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her.” Boaz would care for her and eventually marry her. Their marriage would prove exceedingly fruitful because from Ruth would come Obed, who would father Jesse, who would Father David; and David would become the Lord’s anointed, the king of all Israel. From whom would come the true king Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 91. King David writes “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” I cannot help but wonder if David was thinking of his great grandparents when he wrote this. Drawing from their experience, how Grandma Ruth abandoned all that she had, all that was familiar, to follow God. Truly, a full reward was given Ruth for her trust in God, so a full reward will be given to us as well if we trust in Him.
