Ruth 2:4 - Meaning and Application

Now Boaz himself appears, and a great deal of decency is seen in how he treats both his own servants and this poor stranger. First, toward his own servants, the people who reaped and gathered in his grain, he shows himself to be a good master. Harvest time is busy, and many hands must be at work. Boaz was a wealthy man, so he had many people working under him and living off his land. When possessions increase, so do the mouths that depend on them, and what does the owner gain except looking at them? (Ecclesiastes 5:11).

Boaz gives us a good picture of a wise household manager. He had a servant set over the reapers (Ruth 2:6). In a large household, it is fitting for one person to oversee the rest, assign each one their work, and see that they are properly cared for. In God’s house, ministers are like such servants, and they should be wise and faithful, reporting everything to their Lord, as this steward did (Ruth 2:6).

Yet Boaz did not leave all the work to others. He came himself to his reapers to see how the work was going, to correct anything wrong, and to give further orders as needed. This was good for his own interest, because work left entirely to others is often only half done, and a master’s eye keeps things moving well. It was also an encouragement to his servants, because they worked more cheerfully when their master came and showed his care. Masters who live comfortably should think kindly of those who labor hard and bear the burden and heat of the day.

Kind and godly greetings were exchanged between Boaz and his reapers. He said to them, “The Lord be with you,” and they answered, “The Lord bless you” (Ruth 2:4). This showed mutual respect. He treated them as good servants, and they treated him as a good master. When he came, he did not begin by scolding them as if he had come only to find fault. He prayed for them, asking the Lord to be with them, prosper them, and keep them safe. They, in return, did not wait until he was out of hearing to complain about him, as bad servants sometimes do. They returned his kindness and asked God to bless him and make their work useful to his prosperity.

This also shows their shared trust in God’s providence. They showed kindness by praying for one another. So we learn to use courteous greetings as honest signs of goodwill, and also short prayers that lift the heart to God for his favor. We must be careful, though, that such words do not become empty habit, lest we take the Lord’s name in vain. If we are sincere, these brief prayers can keep us in fellowship with God and bring mercy and grace from him. This seems to have been the common way of greeting reapers, as the Psalms also suggest (Psalm 129:7-8).

Boaz also asked about the stranger he had seen in the field, and he gave proper orders about her, telling the reapers not to touch her (Ruth 2:9) or speak badly to her (Ruth 2:15). Masters must watch not only their own conduct, but also the conduct of those under them. He also told them to be kind to her and even to let extra handfuls fall on purpose for her. While masters should stop their servants from wastefulness, they should not forbid them from being charitable. Rather, they should allow it and guide it wisely.

Boaz was very kind to Ruth and showed her great favor. He was moved by what he heard about her, by what he saw in her, and by God’s own hand, which was turning his heart toward her. When he came among the reapers, he noticed this stranger and asked his steward who she was. The steward gave him a fair report that recommended her to his kindness (Ruth 2:6-7).

He told him that she was a stranger, and therefore one of those whom God’s law allowed to gather leftover grain from the harvest (Leviticus 19:9-10). He said she was the Moabite young woman. He also said that she was connected to Boaz’s family, because she had come back with Naomi, the wife of Elimelech, who was a relative of Boaz. He noted that she had come from Moab to live in Israel, so she was a convert, someone who had turned from her old people to join herself to the Lord’s people. He also said she was modest, because she had not begun gleaning until she asked leave. And he said she was hardworking, since she had stayed at her task from morning until now.

Poor people who are diligent and willing to work deserve encouragement. In the heat of the day, she rested a little in the house or shelter set up in the field to protect the workers from the weather. Some think she may also have used that time for prayer. But she soon returned to her work and kept at it all day, except for that short break, though this kind of labor was new to her. Servants should be honest when they report to their masters, and they must not misrepresent anyone or wrongly discourage their master’s generosity.

Boaz then showed her great courtesy in several ways. He told her to stay with his maidens and keep close to them in every field where they gathered grain, instead of going somewhere else to glean, because she did not need to look elsewhere for better treatment (Ruth 2:8). He also commanded all his servants to be gentle and respectful to her, and they likely would be, since they saw their master’s kindness toward her. She was a stranger, and her language, dress, and manners probably looked different from theirs, but he told them not to insult her or treat her roughly, as rude servants too often do to outsiders.

He also welcomed her to the food and drink prepared for his own workers. He told her she could drink the water drawn for them, likely from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, the same water David later longed for (2 Samuel 23:15). At mealtime she was to come and eat their bread (Ruth 2:14). She was even welcome to their sauce, “dip your bread in the vinegar,” which would make it taste better. God allows us food that not only nourishes us, but also gives delight. To encourage her further and to guide the servants, Boaz himself, when the reapers sat down to eat, gave her some roasted grain to eat.

It is no disgrace for even the finest hands to reach out to help the needy (Proverbs 31:20) and to serve the poor. Boaz was not stingy with his workers. He gave them more than they needed, enough to welcome a stranger as well. So it is true that one who scatters widely can still grow richer.

Boaz also praised Ruth for her dutiful respect toward her mother-in-law, Naomi, though he had not seen her before and knew her only by report (Ruth 2:11). He said that everything Ruth had done for Naomi had been told to him. Those who do what is right should receive praise for it. But what he especially admired was that she had left her own country and become a believer in the God of Israel. The Chaldee explains it this way, "You have come to become a proselyte and to live among a people you did not know." Those who leave everything to embrace the true faith deserve special honor.

Boaz also prayed for Ruth, saying, "The LORD repay your work" (Ruth 2:12). Her deep love for Israel, though she was born outside it, was a work of God’s grace in her. Because she had come to trust under God’s wings, she would surely receive a full reward from him. Those who, by faith, come under the shelter of divine grace and rest in it with full trust can be sure of a full reward. From this picture, the Jews describe a convert as one who is gathered under the wings of God’s majesty.

Boaz encouraged Ruth to keep gleaning and did not try to pull her away from her work. The best kindness we can do for poor relatives is to help them and encourage them in honest labor. He told his servants to let her glean among the sheaves, where other gleaners were not usually allowed, and not to shame her, meaning they were not to accuse her of stealing or suspect her of taking more than was allowed (Ruth 2:15). This shows Boaz had a generous spirit and, as the law required, gave careful thought to the needs of a stranger.

Ruth received his kindness with deep humility and thankfulness. She behaved with modesty in her place, just as he behaved with dignity in his, though she had no idea she would soon become the owner of the field she was then gleaning in. She showed him full respect, falling on her face and bowing to the ground, according to the custom of the land (Ruth 2:10). Good manners are a real ornament to religion, and we should give honor where honor is due.

She also humbly admitted that she was not worthy of his favor: "I am a foreigner" (Ruth 2:10) and not like one of your servant girls (Ruth 2:13). She saw herself as less polished, less trained, less neat, and less capable. It is fitting for us all to think lowly of ourselves and to notice what is weak or lacking in us, while considering others better than ourselves. Ruth also gratefully recognized his kindness, and though it cost him little and was not much more than the law required, she still valued it highly and wondered, "Why have I found favor in your eyes?" (Ruth 2:10)

She asked that his goodwill would continue, saying, "Let me continue to find favor in your sight" (Ruth 2:13). She said his kind words had comforted her, because he had spoken so kindly to her. Those in high positions often do not realize how much good they can do by a kind look or a few friendly words. Yet such small acts cost little, and they should not be grudged when they serve as true charity.

When Boaz gave Ruth her meal with his reapers, she ate only enough to satisfy her and then left the rest. After that, she got up at once to glean again (Ruth 2:14, Ruth 2:15). She did not use her need or her hard work as an excuse to eat too much or to become unfit for afternoon labor. Self-control helps steady work, and we should eat and drink to strengthen ourselves for our duties, not to weaken ourselves for them.