Bible stories Ruth is the second in this series. It describes the experience of Ruth trying to make a home in Bethlehem for herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. In the Bible stories, Ruth goes out looking to provide for the family and is met with help on all sides and more good fortune than she could have hoped for. Bible stories Ruth is an inspiring story of a young woman who took a step of faith and God met her all the way.
The concluding part of this Bible stories of Ruth will follow in the next episode. Enjoy.
Bible Stories – Ruth
Ruth woke up with a yawn and got up from the mat she had been lying on. She folded it neatly and tip-toed past Naomi who was still sleeping beside her. They had been in Bethlehem for a few weeks and had found accommodation at the temple shelter. Naomi had been well-known and loved and they had been met with only kindness from everyone around them. People thanked her for her kindness to her mother-in-law, but she responded saying any of them would do the same.
The shelter mostly housed widows and others who had no one to care for them. People who otherwise may have been on the streets. Supplies were low and the shelter could only provide a roof over their heads and one bowl of soup a day at dinner. Naomi and Ruth were lucky to find a place there. And Ruth promised her mother-in-law that they would be out of there very soon.
Ruth sorted through her and Naomi’s things and took inventory. They had gone through all the food they brought from Moab and they had next to zero cash left. They needed food and some supplies. She remembered seeing some Barley farms on their way into Bethlehem and determined she would visit one of them. She planned to ask to pick up any grains dropped by the harvesters.
Making a living
Naomi had told stories of how Jehovah, their God had commanded the rich among their people to look out for the poor by allowing them to gather grains from their farms during the harvest season. Farmers were instructed not to harvest the grains along the edges of their farms but to leave them for the poor and people who were foreigners. And if the harvesters dropped any grains as they harvested, they were to leave them there for the poor to pick up*.
Ruth had dressed and was ready to go when Naomi woke up.
“Up so early?” Naomi asked.
“I thought I would go to one of the farms we saw on our way here, and glean some grain from anyone who is kind enough to let me,” She told Naomi.
“That actually sounds like a good plan, Ruth. Thanks for thinking of that, and may Jehovah bring you favor as you go.”
“Amen,” Ruth responded.
She had been learning about the ways and the God of Israel and she was really impressed with everything she had learned so far. While Moab worshipped a lot of Gods, the Israelites had just one God who was sovereign. And from everything she had learned about Him so far, He seemed a very kind and considerate God who looked out for His people and did not demand ‘questionable’ sacrifices like some of the gods she was familiar with. She shuddered when she thought of some of the stories she had heard of parents sacrificing their kids to Molech.
Partnering with Jehovah
Ruth picked up a large basket, she was hopeful that it would be a good day. She draped herself in her scarf like she had seen the women do and she started out towards the farms. Humming as she walked to the tune of one of the songs Naomi usually sang.
She didn’t know all the words of the song, but one of the lines said something like “the horse and its rider, He has thrown into the sea”. Actually, now that she thought about it, Naomi’s God who had now become her God was awesome. She remembered hearing from her mother-in-law how their God had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and drowned the entire Egyptian army. Talk about going out with a bang!
She was brought back to the moment as she approached the farms. She did not see too many people on the first piece of land and she walked by. The next farm had lots of men working on it and there were women too. She decided to go in there. There were lots of people and no chance of her being left alone in the vast lands without protection.
Jehovah Provides
She spoke with one of the men who seemed to be a supervisor of the workers and asked if she could glean behind the reapers. He asked for her name and when she said Ruth, his eyes lighted up and he asked “How is Naomi? Is she well?”
Ruth smiled and responded in the affirmative. She thanked the man for his kindness when he told her to feel free to glean on their farm and she got to work immediately. It was about the first hour of the day and she worked tirelessly till it was about noon and did not stop at all except to have a sip of water.
She just kept working until the supervisor caught her attention. He was calling her name and asking her to come to him. She looked up and saw that he had been talking to an older, distinguished-looking man. She walked up to them hoping she had not offended them by going to take a sip of the water that the young men drew from the nearby well. Ruth approached the men with caution but they smiled at her as she came up to them.
Comforting Words
“Hello young lady,” the distinguished-looking man said. “Hope you are well?”
“I am well, thank you” she responded
“Don’t look so worried,” He said “Ishbah has told me how hard you have worked all morning”
“My name is Boaz by the way, and this is my farm. I would like you to please stay here and not go to any other farm. I have warned the young men and they will not bother you. You can stay and work beside my female workers, and whenever you are hungry or thirsty, feel free to take a break and eat with the rest of the workers.
“In fact, it’s time for lunch now, let’s go”
“Thank you, sir,” Ruth said a little stunned at his kindness “I am very grateful for your kindness, I am just not sure what I did to deserve it. I am a foreigner after all”
“Don’t worry about it, Ruth.” He said “I know your story and how you have cared for your mother-in-law since you lost your husband. I also know how you left your parents to come and live in a city full of strangers. May the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you for what you have done.”
“Everyone only has nice things to say about you. How decent and respectful you are. No one ever saw you seen flirting with young men, rich or poor. And I know how kind you are to your mother-in-law. It’s the least I can do to show kindness to Naomi.”
Favour
She thanked him again profusely for his kind words. He urged her to take as much as she could eat for lunch. And when she was done eating, she kept some of the food to take home to Naomi. She went back to work as soon as she was done eating. And worked hard till evening. She noticed that the reapers seemed to drop more grain on purpose for her to glean. She gathered that it might have something to do with Boaz’s kindness and she was glad.
At the end of the day, Ruth beat out the Barley and went home with a full basket of grains. When Naomi saw it, she asked Ruth where she had gleaned that much grain.
“On the farm of a man named Boaz,” She said. “He was so nice to me, he asked me not to leave his farm throughout the harvest period. He even allowed me to have lunch with his female workers and asked all the reapers to be kind to me.”
Hope for the future
“God has answered our prayers, Naomi. If we get this much grain every day, we will have enough to eat and sell. And we will have a place of our own in no time.”
“You know what’s even better? Boaz is actually one of our close relatives and family redeemers.” Naomi said.
“Make sure you do as he said and do not leave his farm. You may get harassed on other farms, but you will be safe with his workers.”
So Ruth worked with the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law, Naomi.
One day, Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time I found a permanent home for you so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he has been very kind by letting you work alongside his female workers this summer. Now listen, and I will tell you what to do.”
*Leviticus 23:22 – When you harvest crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.
Story from Ruth Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 vs. 1
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