भाष्य सध्या फक्त इंग्रजीत उपलब्ध आहे. मराठी भाषांतर प्रगतीपथावर आहे.
Ruth 2 — A Mighty Man of Wealth
Ruth goes to glean in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi. By providence she comes to the field of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of Elimelech. Boaz notices her, protects her, and shows her kindness, having heard of her loyalty to Naomi. He invites her to his table and instructs his workers to leave grain for her. Naomi recognizes Boaz as a near kinsman.
“A full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”
— Ruth 2:12
- v.1-3 Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz
- v.4-16 Boaz's kindness and protection
- v.17-23 Ruth returns to Naomi; Boaz is a near kinsman
Boaz had heard of Ruth's loyalty. Her reputation preceded her. The faithfulness she showed in private had become known publicly. Good character eventually speaks for itself.
Boaz's description of Ruth — thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity — echoes God's call to Abraham (Genesis 12:1). Ruth is cast as a female Abraham, leaving everything to follow the God of Israel.
Under whose wings thou art come to trust. A beautiful image of taking refuge in God. The same wing-imagery in Psalm 91:4 — he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.
There is a poignant foreshadowing here. Boaz prays that God's wings would shelter Ruth — and in chapter 3, Ruth will ask Boaz to spread his wing/skirt over her (3:9). Boaz himself becomes the answer to his own prayer. God's protection often comes through human instruments.
Boaz, a wealthy landowner, invites the foreign gleaner to his own table. The barrier between rich and poor, native and foreigner, is set aside in an act of personal kindness.
She did eat, and was sufficed, and left — she had more than enough, with food left over. The abundance of Boaz's provision foreshadows the abundance of the kinsman-redeemer's eventual provision for her whole future.
One of our next kinsmen — Hebrew goel, the kinsman-redeemer. Under the law, a near relative could redeem the property and continue the family line of a deceased relative (Leviticus 25:25, Deuteronomy 25:5-10). The whole plot now turns on this role.
Naomi, who had said God dealt bitterly with her (1:20), now blesses God for His kindness. The bitter widow begins to see the providence that had been working all along. Hope returns as the redeemer comes into view.
Go about your ordinary duties faithfully, trusting that God is arranging what you cannot see. Ruth simply went to find food; God was arranging her redemption. Your daily faithfulness — showing up, working honestly, caring for those entrusted to you — is the field in which God's providence operates. You may hap upon the very thing God prepared before you knew you needed it.
Boaz the kinsman-redeemer is one of the clearest Old Testament types of Christ. He is a near relative (Christ took our flesh, Hebrews 2:14), able to redeem (Christ alone could pay the price), and willing to redeem (Christ gave Himself freely). The goel of Ruth 2 points directly to the Redeemer who would come through Ruth's own line — taking the human nature of His people in order to redeem them.
Her hap was to light on — apparently by chance she ended up in Boaz's field. But the whole book reveals there was no chance involved. The Hebrew understatement is deliberate; what looks like coincidence is divine appointment.
God's providence often operates through what feels like ordinary chance. Ruth simply went out to find food; God was arranging a redemption. The believer's seemingly random circumstances are frequently the threads of a tapestry only God can see.