03/22/2009
Speakers:
RUTH - Chapter 2:1-23
ACT 2 sci - Naomi and Ruth's home - BETHLEHEM, House of Bread
1. Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth {indicates how Boaz would be dressed and carry himself and inflection of voice: arrogant? or humble?} , of the family of Elimelech {Naomi's husband whose name means: MY GOD IS KING}, whose name was Boaz {in him is strength}.
2. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor." {Please note that the gleaning of the field is Ruth's initiative, not Naomi's. This indicates that Ruth is hearing the Lord for direction and guidance.}
And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." {Ruth picks up an empty bushel basket and leaves from a higher elevation (Bethlelem) to go down to the fields. Basket is light, so she can move lightly, quickly. Naomi moves into a position of prayer. Boaz has to be at the same elevation as Naomi, but not too close.}
ACT 2 scii - Field being reaped
3. So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. {Ruth is gleaning.}
4. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, "Adonai be with you."
And they said to him, "Adonai bless you."
5. Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Who is that young woman?" {Ruth has moved from gleaning to sitting.}
6. And the servant in charge of the reapers answered and said, "She is the young foreigner who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7. "And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather what falls from the sheaves behind the reapers.' She has been working since early morning and has just now stopped to rest for a little while under the shelter.'"
8. {Boaz moves to where Ruth is sitting.} Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. 9. Keep your eyes on whichever field the reapers are working in and stay with the girls. I have ordered my young men to not bother you or touch you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and drink from the water jars my young men have filled.
10. {Stage directions in narrator's words}: Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to Boaz, "Why have I found favor in your sight? Why are you so concerned about me? Why are you so kind to me, a foreigner?
11. And Boaz answered and said to her, "I have heard about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. I know how you left your father and mother and your own country and how you have come to live among a people you have never known before. 12. May Adonai reward your work, and your wages be full from Adonai, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."
13. Then she said, "I have found favor in your sight, my lord. You have comforted me and encouraged me and have made me feel better by speaking gently to me, even though I am not the equal of one of your young maids. I hope that I can continue to please you."
14. And at mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, Ruth, have something to eat. Dip your piece of bread in the olive oil and vinegar." So she sat beside the reapers; and Boaz served her roasted grain, and Ruth ate and was satisfied and had some left over. {Stage directions show Ruth moves to sit by the reapers and Boaz serves her. Ruth eats what she is given, but has some left over. Ruth puts this into her shawl). The meal and leftovers foreshadow the Messiah's feeding of the multitudes who ate and were satisfied and some was left over. Ruth is in Jesus' lineage by her marriage relationship to Boaz, but this is just the beginning of this relationship. Boaz foreshadows the Kinsman-redeemer, JESUS CHRIST, THE MESSIAH.}
15. When she rose to glean, Boaz ordered his men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her, and do make her feel ashamed. 16. Let her gather grain even where the bundles are lying and don't say anything to stop her, and furthermore, pull out some heads of grain from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up."
17. So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about a bushel of barley. {Ruth's movements are in the actual words of the verse, but the bushel is now full of barley grain - about 56 pounds. She will now be carrying that weight on her shoulder, then on her head? The walk is now uphill so Ruth will not be walking as quickly as she did when she went down to glean.} 18. And she took {it} up {stage direction for the movement of the bushel basket} and went into the city of Bethlehem, and Naomi, her mother-in-law, saw what she had gleaned. She also took {it} out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. {The roasted grain that Boaz had served to Ruth was in her shawl}
19. Her mother-in-law then said to her, "Where did you gather all this grain today? Whose field did you work in?" {Questions are directed to Ruth; then Naomi looks up with eyes open and prays, "Adonai, bless the man who took such good care of Ruth."}
So Ruth told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz."
20. And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law {and takes Naomi's hands into her hands and says,} "May Boaz be blessed of Adonai, who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead." {Then Naomi looks up and prays,} "I receive your grace and kindness, O Lord." {Naomi then takes Ruth's face into her hands}. Again Naomi said to her, "That man is a close relative of ours. Boaz is responsible to take care of us."
21. Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "Best of all, he said to me, 'Keep gathering grain with my young men. You must stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.'"
22. And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, {Naomi touches Ruth lightly on the shoulder} "Yes, it is good advice, my daughter. It will be better for you to work with the women in Boaz' field. You might be molested if you went into someone else's field."
23. So Ruth stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Shavuot (Pentecost) occurs 49 days after the first day of Passover (Moses/Pharaoh). Jewish tradition also commemorates God's giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, 49 days after the Exodus.
The grain harvest lasted 7 weeks (7x7 = 49), 49 days and harvest is a season of gladness. The grain harvest began with the harvesting of barley during Passover and ended with the harvesting of wheat at Pentecost, the wheat being the last cereal to ripen.
Read Psalm 131
Read Hebrews 4:10
In Christ, our only hope; Christ in us, our hope and unity in His glory,