Ruth: A Story of God’s Redeeming LoveSýnishorn

Our relationship with others is indicative of our relationship with Christ. Boaz showed Christ’s loving-kindness in his interactions with the workers in his fields, how he treated Ruth, and his provision for Naomi. Remembering that integrity and godliness were rare in Israel during those days makes Boaz’s character more astonishing. Boaz’s first words in the book of Ruth were a blessing in the name of Yahweh. His mind was so centered upon God that his chief desire for others was that they should experience the blessings of the Lord. In all this, Boaz foreshadows Christ.

Boaz could have spoken to his workers with arrogance. But he treated them as equals, as brothers. The response of his harvesters was equally wholesome, blessing Boaz in return. The lesson to us is this: exchanging blessings with those around us is godly.

Ruth had come to Boaz’s fields to glean after his harvesters. (Picking up the grain left behind during the harvest was Israel’s way of providing for the poor.) Boaz asked his foreman about Ruth. In a short conversation, the foreman twice mentioned that she was from Moab. Perhaps not realizing it, he emphasized her status as a pagan immigrant from a known enemy of Israel. Boaz, on the other hand, expressed his admiration for her and called Ruth his daughter. He offered her care due to a family member, including water usually reserved for the male workers, and invited her to eat the mid-day meal with him. He gave her enough grain to take home to Naomi to provide for them, equivalent to two weeks’ wages! He invited her to only glean in his fields for the remainder of the harvest season, instructed his harvesters to leave extra grain for her, and told his workers not to hassle or touch her. He looked beyond the stigma of her past and saw her as precious and important, worthy of his respect and protection.

The way Boaz treated those in his fields was generous and respectful. He was genuinely concerned with them, especially Ruth, God’s Moabitess daughter. Why did Boaz show such interest in Ruth? Like the rest of the town, he had heard about how she treated her mother-in-law, Naomi. As a result of this, Boaz showed the same loving-kindness to Ruth. Boaz was an honorable man who recognized virtuous behavior in others. He was the real deal!

Boaz’s interactions with others foreshadow Christ’s interactions with others. As Boaz blessed his employees, Christ blessed those around Him during His time on earth – accepting them, healing them, and casting out demons. As Boaz fed and ate with his laborers, Christ fed and ate with His followers. As Boaz treated others as brothers and sisters, Christ has done the same for us. As Boaz took a personal interest in and assumed a duty of responsibility for others, Christ took a personal interest in and became responsible for those He called.

One of the great things about worshiping God is that He takes an active role in our lives. God did not create the world and then take a passive back seat. God’s “immanence” means He wants to be knowable, perceivable, or graspable by us. Understanding the incredible gap between the all-powerful God of the universe and ourselves, God sent His Son in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, so that we could know Him and relate to Him personally. This is the incarnation of Christ, in which God became man and lived among and interacted with His creation.

The loving-kindness foreshadowed by Boaz came to fulfillment through Christ’s death on the cross. By His selfless sacrifice, Jesus has blessed us so that we can spend eternity with Him. There can be no greater blessing.

Boaz acted out his faith by showing Christ’s love to those around him, even those marginalized by his culture. His treatment of his workers, Ruth and Naomi, was indeed “counter-cultural” and foreshadowed the world-changing love that Christ would bring to us. How do you show God’s love to those around you?