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Then
she (Ruth) said, let me find favor in thy sight, my lord;
for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken
friendly unto thine handmaid,
Though I am not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
And Boaz said unto her, at mealtime come thou hither, and eat of
the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.
And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn,
and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young
men, saying,
Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her,
And leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
So she gleaned in
the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned:
And
it was about an ephod of barley. -Ruth 2: 13-17
Ruth
showed marks of good training and how much she really cared for
Naomi, and now there was the opportunity to glean in Boaz
field.
Boaz
was a rich and influential landowner. He was also a kind and
considerate employer and was in the direct line of the Messiah.
He showed respect and courtesy to Ruth and others. He chose to
be a channel for happiness and a man of high moral character.
This
was a rare privilege for Ruth to be able to glean among the
sheaves. Ordinarily, no person was allowed to glean
until the sheaves until all were bound and the shocks set.
Boaz had his blessings were upon her and she was not to be
reproached or rebuked and his young men were instructed to
drop
HANDFULS
ON PURPOSE FOR HER!
This
shows the interest Boaz had in the Moabite Ruth. She gleaned an
ephod and that was heavy load for a young woman to carry into
the city about 60 pounds...
Perhaps
Boaz carried it for her!
He
did seem to take notice of her.
Naomi
had instructed Ruth to seek out Boaz, as it was a custom to
marry someone next of kin. Ruth requested that Boaz spread his
skirt over the handmaid. It is a symbolic pledge of
marriage and reflects a well-known custom in the ancient Near
East that is still practiced in some quarters. The Lord made it
easy as He so moved in the lives of Boaz and Ruth that the
duties of family institutions were reinforced by a genuine love
for one another
The
story ends with the gift of a child to an empty womb. The
Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Ruth 4: 13
From
the union of Boaz and Ruth was to come the line of descendants
that gave birth to King David, through who came Jesus Christ.
God
always provides for us and sometimes-even leaves
HANDFULS
ON PURPOSE
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