Years ago Chester Morrison was on a trip to Egypt at Christmastime. Somewhat lonely, somewhat depressed, and being away from home at Christmas, Morrison decided to go for a walk. He headed down through the lobby of his hotel and out the door onto the street.
Within minutes as he watched all the hustle and bustle of the evening traffic, a man in a horse-drawn carriage pulled up to the sidewalk and asked if he’d like to head into town to see the nighttime bazaars. Morrison hopped in and began to ride through the busy streets. Suddenly, Morrison looking up into the nighttime sky and seeing a panoply of stars said, “I wonder which one is the star of Bethlehem?” The driver looked around and exclaimed, “Bethlehem? I was born in Bethlehem!” To which Morrison instantly replied, “In a manger?” The man stopped the carriage and stared at him, “A manger? What’s a manger?”
If you’ve been to the mall lately or turned on the TV, you’ve undoubtedly had a similar experience. It’s astounding the ubiquity of the carols and the din of disregard all around us. In all of the brokenness and bitterness of the world today (and every day) there is a clear answer calling out in the darkness; and yet it’s unknown and unheard by most. And that’s a shame because God goes to great lengths to bring light out of the darkness. Indeed, C.S. Lewis said rightly, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain.” And all throughout His Word He testifies to that fact.
When we ended our study last week we saw a glimmer of hope in an otherwise hopeless decade of events. Elimelech’s dead. His sons are dead. Naomi is left with two foreign daughters-in-law and a load of misery. She’s entered the ancient triangle of need. She’s a widow. She’s childless. She’s a stranger in a strange and pagan land.
So, in her pain she decides to head home – back to the land of Judah, the land of Promise. After Orpah (stiff-necked) determines to stay in Moab she’s left alone with Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law. In one of the most moving statements of Scripture, Ruth says she will not leave her, but will die with her. And this stands to reason, for her name means “sensitive friend.”
All around Naomi are hints of divine mercy, and yet she can’t see any of them. When she gets home she says to her fellow Bethlehemites, “Don’t call me Naomi (beautiful), call me Mara (bitter)!” Rather than being blinded by the light of God’s mercy, she’s blinded by her own brokenness and bitterness. But as the chapter ends there’s yet another sign that God is working out his purpose, for Naomi and Ruth get to Bethlehem just in the time for the first harvest of the year – the barley harvest.
Now that’s how chapter 2 begins. It gives us a glimpse into the life of the poor in ancient Israel. There were not many ways of making a living open to widows, but one way was to glean. In Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22 the Lord decrees that landowners should not reap to the borders of their property, but leave the corners and sides for the poor, the widows, and the sojourners. The disenfranchised could go out into the fields after the reapers and get what they missed. Indeed, if a reaper forgot a sheaf he had harvested and left it in the field, he was forbidden to go back for it (Deuteronomy 24:19). He must leave it for the less fortunate.
So, as chapter 2 begins, Ruth asks Naomi’s permission to go glean in the fields. Now interestingly it’s Ruth who goes out to glean, Naomi stays “home”. This is interesting on several levels. Naomi had been in the fields in Moab (1:6), but here it’s Ruth the foreigner who goes out into the fields. Her Moabite identity is mentioned five times in the Book of Ruth and twice in this chapter. According to the law of Moses, Moabites were forbidden from coming into the congregation of Israel up to the tenth generation. And yet, here she is in the fields of Bethlehem. It is an act of extraordinary courage. We see allusions to that fact in verse 8.
In the midst of Naomi’s deep darkness and brokenness the light of God’s grace cascades throughout chapter 2. As you read it and prepare for Sunday’s study, you may wish to consider the following:
1. What does the name Boaz mean? Can you find any other place in Scripture where the name Boaz appears?
2. Why does Boaz refer to Ruth in the same way Naomi does in verse 2?
3. What is the significance of this reference in verse 8?
4. Why does Boaz tell Ruth to stay close to his young women?
5. What is the meaning of Ruth’s posture and question in verse 10?
6. What is the reason for Boaz’s favorable comment to Ruth? (v.11)
7. How many dialogues are there in chapter 2? Which is the most significant?
8. How many evidences of divine involvement can you find in this chapter?
9. What correlations can you draw between the Boaz/Ruth relationship and our relationship with Christ?
10. What is the origin of Boaz’s “wings” reference in verse 12?
11. If you had to pick the most important verse out of this chapter, what would it be?
See you in the fields of Bethlehem this Advent Sunday!
