Day 1137: A providential coincidence - Ruth 1 vs 19 – 2 vs 10

19-22 And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2-3 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favour.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

4-7 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” 8-9 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Ruth 1:19-2:10 English Standard Version.

Naomi was at a time in her life when she believed God had dealt bitterly with her. She says: “the Almighty has brought calamity upon me”. Perhaps she felt great regret that she and her husband had ever gone to live in Moab. There may be readers who can identify with her sorrow. Choices that were made in the past come back to haunt us. And it's a situation that only God can change. And God was going to change it.

We read that Naomi had a relative of her husband, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. So there was a kinsman redeemer. But at this time Naomi placed no significance on that. Ruth, however, seeing their poverty stricken condition, asked that she might go and glean after those who were reaping the barley harvest. In Leviticus 19:9 God said to Israel: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest . . you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” So, with Naomi's blessing, Ruth set out to gleam, and she 'happened' to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz!

The King James Bible says “her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz.” Coincidence, or divine providence? I would say it was divine providence. Boaz also happened to come from Bethlehem, and he asked about the young stranger gleaning after his servants. They tell him she is a Moabitess who came back with Naomi, and they told him of her hard labour from early morning.

And so Boaz goes to Ruth and speaks the kind words we read in vs 8-9. And vs 10 tells us Ruth's response. “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” She was discovering that Naomi's God had not forgotten her. Rather, He was the God of grace. As Lamentations 3:31-32 says: “Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”