Ready to dig into some Daily
Bread and our study of the story of Ruth? Let's begin! Our story began with a woman from
Israel named Naomi, who lost her husband and two sons, while she and her
family lived in Moab during a famine. She was left with two
daughters-in-law. She decided to return to Israel because the Lord provided
food for His people there, and encouraged her daughters-in-law to go back to
their families in Moab, but one of them, Ruth, clung to Naomi, and vowed to
stay with her.
Now, Naomi's late husband had a
relative in Israel, who was wealthy, named Boaz. And Ruth said to Naomi, Let
me go and glean ears of corn in a field where I might find grace with the
owner.
Here's a little Daily Bread Crumb!
Gleaning is gathering the grain or other produce left by the reapers. The
Lord's commandment was:
Leviticus
19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
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RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH LESSON WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS BY
FAITH EXPLANATION AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH SUMMARY
So, Naomi said to Ruth, Go, my
daughter. And it happened that Ruth was gleaning in a field that belonged to
Boaz. Now, Boaz said to his servant who was in charge over the reapers,
Whose damsel is this? And the servant answered, It is the girl that came
back with Naomi out of Moab. She said, please allow me to glean and gather
after the reapers among the bundles. She has stayed since morning until now,
though she rested a little in the house.
Boaz said to Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Don't go glean in another
field, neither go from here, but remain here close by my maidens. Let your
eyes be on the field where they reap and go glean after them. I've ordered
the reapers that they shall not touch you, and when you're thirsty, go to
the vessels and drink the water that they've drawn.
Ruth bowed herself to the ground,
and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes, that you should pay
attention to me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered her, I've been
fully informed of all that you've done for your mother in law since the
death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother and your
homeland, and have come to live among a people that you didn't know before
now. May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you of the
LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to trust.
Thankfully, Ruth said, Let me find favor in your eyes, my lord; because you
have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to me, though I am not
like one of your handmaidens. Boaz said, At mealtime come here and eat of
the bread, and dip your bread in the vinegar. And she sat beside the
reapers: and he gave her parched corn, and she did eat, and was filled, and
left.
RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH INFORMATION WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS BY
FAITH MEANING AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH DISCUSSION
When Ruth stood up to glean, Boaz commanded his reapers, saying, Let her
glean among the sheaves, and don't forbid her, and also let some of the
handfuls of what you reap fall on purpose for her and leave them so that she
may glean them too.
So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening,
and separated what she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah (1.1 bushels)
of barley. She gathered it up and went into the city, and her mother in law
saw what she had gleaned, and she gave to Naomi what she had left after she
kept what was sufficient for her.
Naomi asked Ruth, Where did you glean today? Blessed is he who took notice
of you. Ruth said, The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. And
Naomi said, The LORD bless him, who has not forgotten his kindness to the
living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us,
one of our close relatives. Ruth said, He also said to me, You shall stay,
until my reapers have finished all my harvest.
Naomi said, It is good that you go
out with his maidens, and that they don't find you in any other field. So
Ruth stayed close to the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley
harvest and of wheat harvest; and lived with her mother in law.
BIBLICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE BIBLE SUMMARY
RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH BIBLE CONCLUSION
As you can see, the Lord rewards
devotion to righteousness. The Lord guides Naomi in finding a way to show
her gratitude to Ruth, as you'll see in our next study, so hurry back, and
we'll share it together, right here at Daily Bread.
CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STUDY