Things Written Aforetime For Our Learning - The Story Of Ruth

by N.D.W.Millar | Category: For Young Believers | May 1933

CHAPTER 2. continued

"Why have I found grace in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger ... thou hast spoken kindly unto thine handmaid, though I be not as one of thine handmaidens." Thus Boaz took knowledge of Ruth. He was happy, no doubt, in being able to minister the kindness of God to a widowed stranger. "Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them."

The field, and the possessions of Boaz, were self-contained- all-including. There was no need to go outside to another field. And in this respect we have here an Old Testament illustration of the sphere into which the Lord calls His disciples in the present dispensation. God's House, and kingdom, like the Fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Timothy 3. 15; Romans 14. 17, 18; 1 Corinthians 1. 9), are, to the spiritually minded, self-contained, and all-including. The call of God, having been heard and responded to, there is no need for those "within" to go outside to glean. "Go not to glean in another field," said Boaz. And his words fell upon the listening ear, and found a ready place in the open and willing heart of Ruth. How sad had he found her afterwards wandering into other fields! "Demas forsook me, having loved this present world " (2 Timothy 4. 10). Here was another field indeed! That was a sad day for Paul, and a calamitous day for Demas, as the judgement seat of Christ will no doubt declare.

"Nay world! tho' thou seem fair and good:

That friendly outstretched hand of thine

Is stained with Jesus' blood.

If in thy least device I stoop to take a part-

Thy influence-all unaware-

Steals God's presence from my heart."

Do not be like Demas; but "Abide thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of" (2 Timothy 3. 14).

"Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap," said Boaz. And oh! how much-unknown to Ruth at that time-depended upon these words. No less weighty are the words to you and to me-

"My son, attend to my words;

Incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Let them not depart from thine eyes

Keep them in the midst of thine heart."

(Proverbs 4. 20, 21.)

and

"My son, give me thine heart,

And let thine eyes delight in my ways."

(Proverbs 23. 26.)

Then came Ruth's confession as she fell on her face, and bowed herself in his presence "Why have I found grace in thy sight ... seeing I am a stranger." Ah! she was in the presence of one who knew: "It hath fully been shewed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the

land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore." He knew all-her devotion to Naomi; her self-sacrificing love; and her desire, beyond all else, to find a place among God's people. Can we not appreciate all this? We who can say-" I once was a stranger to grace and to God." "Wherefore remember

that ye were at that time separate from Christ; alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now "-Ah! "But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2.). We now belong to One who knew all things from the beginning. "Jesus ... knew all men; and ... needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for He Himself knew what was in man" (John 2. 24, 25). "Lord, Thou knowest all things" (John 21. 17).

Was all Ruth's self-sacrifice worth while? Yes! A thousand times-Yes! "The LORD recompense thy work," said Boaz, "And a full reward be given thee of the LORD, the God of Israel, under Whose wings thou art come to take refuge." And it was a full reward indeed that Ruth received, for, was she not rewarded with the mighty man of wealth himself, and all that he had? Have you thought of a full reward? In school, did you ever strive to win a prize? Eternal life is God's gift; but rewards must be won. When Abraham, by faith, chose to become a sojourner, "he looked for the City which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God." And when Moses made his great choice, "he looked unto the recompense of reward " (Hebrews 11.). We read of a prophet's reward; and we read too, of a righteous man's reward. And even "a cup of cold water" (Matthew 10. 42) shall have its own reward. "Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things that we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward" (2 John 8).

Such things are mentioned, besides the very wonderful inducements held out to the overcomers, in Revelation, chapters 2. and 3. There are also crowns-" the crown of righteousness" for all who fight the good fight, and finish the course, and keep the faith, and thus make it manifest that they love His appearing (2 Timothy 4.). "The crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love Him" (James 1. 12), and "the crown of glory that fadeth not away," which is offered by the Chief Shepherd in connection with the beautiful work of oversight (1 Peter 5. and 1 Timothy 3.). Let us, as we pass on, give heed to the Master's word, "Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me." " I come quickly: bold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown" (Revelation 22. 12 ; 3. 11).

Ruth, in God's providential care and goodness, was well provided for. "At meal time ... she did eat, and was sufficed ... And Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean ... and also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean." Here was special provision-a special portion. It reminds us of the words of the Psalmist-" Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that put their trust in Thee, before the sons of men! (Psalm 31. 19). "Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men"! (Psalm 107.). Yes indeed! But Psalm 31. surely speaks of something special-might we say "handfuls of purpose."

"So she gleaned in the field until even: and she beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley." She beat it out. A great deal of straw had to be thrown aside, and when this was done there was not so very much left- about an ephah of barley. We find later on, that after lying at her redeemer's feet, Ruth got six measures of winnowed grain, apart altogether from any labour on her part. But not so here. "She beat out that she had gleaned."

Spiritually, do we beat out what we glean? An address, for example, is well worth listening to, if, after pondering over what we have heard, and disposing of what we might deem to be "straw," we definitely get something from God.

Ruth was diligent. How Naomi must have wondered how she was getting on. "And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? And where wroughtest thou?" Ruth had gleaned that day just where she should have gleaned-as she was instructed by Boaz.

May we put the question to ourselves, where hast thou gleaned to-day? We need not expect to find spiritual food in the newspaper. Nor is there, generally speaking, a great deal to be gleaned of real spiritual value, from books (Ecclesiastes 12. 12). But amid the sacred pages of the Book of Books we may glean to our heart's content "the finest of the wheat."

"Here may the sons of deepest want

Exhaustless riches find,

Riches above what earth can grant,

And lasting as the mind."

At length came the great discovery to Ruth-not all at once, but gradually, Boaz was revealed as kinsman. Up to this point Ruth was but "the Moabitish damsel," and Boaz was "the man." "The man's name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz." "Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead," said Naomi; "the man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen."

We discern here a different Naomi. Her old heart was beginning to respond again to all the memories of God's goodness, He who had not left off His kindness. No! And, as far as we are concerned, He never will. For even in the ages to come God will "shew the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2. 7). ~

"And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother in law."

"Steadfastly minded (ch. 1. 18) she went... she... hath continued... she gleaned.., she beat out... and... she kept fast ... unto the end." All this is in principle, disciple language. And in certain respects, Ruth in her day and time may be regarded as illustrative of a loyal-hearted disciple of the

LORD.

N.D.W.Millar | May 1933
For Young Believers