Taken from the book, Reflections on the Book of Ruth, by A. B. Saint
Chapter 8
“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
“He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust.”
Psalm 91: 4
Someone who lived a very long time ago once said these words: “That man which minds not his vintage, or harvest, the further he is from his labour, the nearer he is to his loss.” Wise words. This is a quotation that many people should carefully think upon today, for is it not true that numerous individuals are pursuing things in this life which in the end will prove futile, and will achieve absolutely nothing for they have entered into what we might describe as mere fantasies or worthless pursuits?
We might call this kind of notion, action, or proclivity, ‘chasing rainbows’ or going on ‘wild goose chases’ or ‘going round and round in circles.’ Time wasting is not an occupation which the bible endorses. For instance, take a look in the book of Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 11 where we read: “He that tills or works his land shall be satisfied with bread but he that follows vain persons is void of understanding.”
This is the old-fashioned way of saying, “whatever has been placed in your hands and whatever that valuable piece of land means to you, whether your work be found in the confines of the family home, or on overseas business, whether it be behind the pulpit or in the schoolroom, whether it be in the office or attending the workshop, whatever has been placed in your hands do not neglect in the care of it.” Think, this is where God has placed you to labour, and this is where you must diligently perform your tasks, knowing that you are required to do everything in the Name of the Lord and that throughout it all the Lord should be glorified.
The other morning, very early on, I awoke with a Scripture verse upon my mind. To be honest it was only half a verse and shadowy at that. I must have read it at some time or other, but I could not remember where I had first seen it in Scripture. For a few days I found myself in the same position as things became even more vague, yet I never lost the desire to remember where it was in the Word of God that I first read it. At least a full week passed and then to my surprise, there it was in the book of Proverbs, this time Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 23. Here is what the text says: “Be thou diligent to know the state of your flocks and look well to thy herds.”
These words were written a long time before either office blocks or city skyscrapers were built and the industrial revolution had not yet taken place. All those men knew was the working of the land. If they didn’t toil upon the land there was no food, and if there was no food, they were left hungry. Same with the shepherds and the keepers of herds, land was either used for agriculture or for the keeping of animals.
Both the quotation and the two bible verses before us are very fitting for what we are looking at today in the book of Ruth as we see Boaz’s visible presence now upon the scene. It is very obvious that Boaz was an industrious man. Desiring to see how things were progressing that day, do we not see him making his way from his home in Bethlehem to that happy harvest scene? Did he not have an eager desire in his heart to see and know and enquire as to how things were going? He knew well the necessity of preparing and cultivating and sowing the ground else it would yield only weeds.
At the time of Joshua, the land of Canaan had been divided amongst the tribes, and here is Boaz of the tribe of Judah, enjoying that portion which had been given his tribe and which he in turn had inherited. It is on this particular visit that he sees a new face among the reapers and the face of course belongs to Ruth,
In his well-known devotional book, which is called ‘Morning and Evening,’ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that great Baptist minister, takes a look at the verse in Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 23, and compares the flocks and herds referred to there to the lives of believers in Christ, and the keeping and preserving of that Christian life.
This is what he writes:
“Every wise merchant will occasionally hold a stock-taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine what he has on hand and ascertain decisively whether his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise in the kingdom of heaven, will cry, ‘Search me O God and try me;’ and he will frequently set apart special seasons for self-examination to discover whether things are right between God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great heart-searcher; and of old his servants knew Him as the Lord which searches the heart and tries the reins of the children of men.
Let me stir you up in His Name to make diligent search and solemn trial of your state, lest you come short of the promised rest. That which every wise man does, that which God Himself does with us all, I exhort you to do with yourself this evening. Let the oldest saint look well to the fundamentals of his piety, for grey heads may cover black hearts: and let not the young professor despise the word of warning for the greenness of youth may be joined to the rottenness of hypocrisy. Every now and then a cedar falls into our midst. The enemy still continues to sow tares among the wheat.
It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; nay; verily, I shall hope the rather that the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but carnal security which we would kill; not confidence, but fleshly confidence which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace which we would destroy. By the precious blood of Christ, which was not shed to make you a hypocrite, but that sincere souls might show forth His praise, I beseech you, search, and look, lest at the last it be said of you, “Mene, Mene, Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
I understand that it is in the minds of some, that because of the following verses in this chapter, Boaz himself personally received a direct communication from Almighty God as to the background and character of the young Moabite damsel. I personally do not think this was the case, but rather the details were talked about by those with whom he had converse.
To me it is a most natural thing that Naomi and her young Moabite friend would have created some great interest for a while and been the centre of attention as they began to settle down in what would from now on be their permanent dwelling place.
Ruth finds herself at work upon the land owned by Boaz because the young man who was overseer of the project had given his permission. It follows that Boaz himself then proceeds to have a little conversation with her at which point he confirms in a somewhat endearing way what his servant had previously spoken unto her. Notice how he calls her ‘my daughter.’ This is indeed a special term of endearment and also shows that Boaz must have been some years older than Ruth.
Along with this, he tells her there is no need for her ever to go from field to field on a day-to-day basis, but to stay in his field and glean alongside his own maidservants. There and then he offers her protection from any harassment, if there was to be any, from any of his young men. He concludes by kindly offering her refreshment whenever she is thirsty. He is so very kind to her that she is completely taken aback by this and in verse ten falls upon her face upon the ground and cries out: “Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?”
It is amazing in life how quickly things can change, sometimes even like the weather. The day may start out beautifully, the sky a cloudless blue, the breeze soft, the warmth of the sun penetrating. Then look again some hours later to find the blue is now gone, the wind is now chill, the picture has completely changed. Equally, first thing in the morning the clouds may look foreboding, in fact it looks like rain, there is now a stiff wind and so before we venture out an overcoat of sorts must now be donned.
Over in the pages of the book of Ruth the wind of change was certainly beginning to blow for her and thankfully blowing for the better. Although she didn’t realise it then, the man who spoke kindly to her in one of his harvest fields would eventually turn out to be the man whom she would marry! Oh, what a lesson for us all to learn, that of being kindly to all and sundry to those whom we may meet on any given day, many whom we will most probably never meet again and others who will have more of a place in our lives than was first presumed. At this point in time only God knows.
As an aside, I have just been reading of a man who did well in business. Year after year his profits seemed to rise and when asked why he was so successful in life he pointed to those men and women who had worked so hard and tirelessly for him. When the business did well, they were paid well and when the business fared better, they earned more. This modern-day story makes me think of the man Boaz who in ancient times also had such a rapport with those who did his bidding. Even though in the eyes of the world there is a vast difference between the servant and his master, we know from the Scriptures that in the eyes of the Lord they are both alike, and it is God’s desire, it is His intention that the principle of goodwill between each other must follow the Divine standard.
Boaz was a diligent man, a courteous man, a wealthy man and of course a man of deep faith. He was a godly man and the life he lived declared this, the words he spoke expressed this. Over in chapter two, Boaz gives Ruth his answer as to his kindness toward her. This is what he says in verses 11 and 12 of our reading. “It hath fully been showed 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 strange people which thou knew not heretofore. 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.”
Do they still use the phrase ‘examine the motive’ these days? I haven’t heard it for a while, but it still rings true with me. Over in the Gospel of Luke chapter 14 and verses 12 to 14, our Lord gave a message filled with this truth. The truth being, that if we do any good thing only to be seen of man and to be likewise rewarded by man then our motive is not pure. Rather, Jesus said that we should seek to bless those who will never ever be able to recompense us in this life, but the God who sees all things will reward us at the resurrection of the righteous. One lady at Church used to always say: “If you have had your reward now whilst on this earth you won’t get it in heaven.” She was right. She had evidently read Luke chapter 14.
Ruth’s motive was pure throughout, and Boaz recognised this when he spoke these encouraging words into her life. What a lovely expression he uses when he sees her newfound faith in the Lord God. He says: “Under whose wings thou art come to trust.” A place of safety and security, warmth and wellness, peace and prosperity, refuge, and repair. Look into the Psalms for instance and you will find that David, the sweet psalmist of Israel spoke often of this place. Look at the mother hen and see her love and protection for her little brood. In times of danger, she calls to them and spreads her wings wide, and they run to her sensing her loving protection. Is this not the same with us who also know the Lord?
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide
Safely abide forever.
Amen.
Words taken from an old hymn.
Taken from the book, Reflections on the Book of Ruth, by A. B. Saint
LIFE ON THE ALTAR 