There are three main characters in the book of Ruth. Chapter 1 introduces two characters: Naomi and Ruth. Naomi was married to Elimelech. During a famine in Bethlehem, Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons became refugees in the country of Moab. Elimelech died in Moab. Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women. Without having children, both sons died, Naomi was left without her husband and two sons. When the famine passed, Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, followed her. Naomi pressed them to remain in Moab to restart their lives. Orpah obeyed. Ruth clung to Naomi. 

When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, the women asked, "Is this Naomi?" In Ruth 1:20-21, Naomi answers, "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 to me?" Naomi's emotional outburst is the climax of chapter 1. It is not the end of the story. The final sentence of chapter 1 reads: "And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest." Chapter 2 takes place during the barley harvest. The scenes recorded in this chapter take place over one day. 

Before the story proceeds, Ruth 2:1 introduces the third main character: "Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz." This first mention of Boaz reports two critical facts about him. First, Boaz was "of the clan of Elimelech." He was qualified to redeem the family land and preserve the family name. Second, Boaz was a "worthy" man. This is a military term. In Judges 6:12, the angel of the Lord called Gideon a "mighty man of valor." Proverbs 31:10 asks, "An excellent wife who can find?" In Ruth 3:11, Boaz calls Ruth "a worthy woman." The word seems to be used here to describe Boaz as a man of character, wealth, generosity, dignity, and kindness. After introducing Boaz, the chapter unfolds in three scenes: 

• Ruth asks Naomi's permission to glean the fields. 
• Ruth meets Boaz as she gleans in his field. 
• Ruth tells Naomi about her day with Boaz. 

These three scenes make one point: Nothing just happens in the lives of those who trust in the Lord. Verse 3 says, "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." This is the only place in scripture that describes unfolding circumstances this way. But Ruth did not arrive at Boaz's field by luck, fate, or chance. There are no such categories in the Bible. 

Many believe the Earth was formed by a big bang that just happened, and humans evolved from a natural process of evolution that just happened. Others believe good or bad things happen randomly, independently, accidentally. Things happen because a sovereign God providentially orchestrates all affairs. Life is like a tapestry. On one side, there are tangled threads. The other side is a beautiful design intricately woven together. Because we live on the tangled side, we sometimes think there is no rhyme or reason to life. But the invisible hand of divine providence is at work through your decisions, in your relationships, and beyond your expectations. 

God is at work through your circumstances. 

Verse 2 says, "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 favor.'" In Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22, the Law of Moses commanded Israel to leave the edges of the field alone when they brought in the harvest, so widows, orphans, and foreigners could glean the field. Deuteronomy 24:19 reads: "When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." This was God's ancient welfare system. More specifically, it was a welfare-to-work program that enabled the needy to labor to care for themselves and their families. 

Ruth understood the Law of Moses in this regard. She also understood the times in which she lived. Ruth 1:1 tells us it was "in the days when the judges ruled." Judges 21:25 describes the days the judges ruled: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It was a time of moral decline, spiritual decay, and national calamity. As a result, landowners disregarded the law and refused to allow the needy to glean in their fields. The poor were so mistreated that many would starve rather than risk gleaning in the fields. Yet Ruth courageously said to Naomi, "Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." Ruth did not wait for something to happen. She took the initiative. It is a statement about her character and loyalty to care for Naomi. 

Favor pictures an inferior coming to a superior to present a need, hoping the superior will show kindness to the inferior. Ruth's faith moved her to go to the field with the prayerful expectation that someone would show her favor. Naomi permitted Ruth but did not join her, for whatever reason. Verse 3 says, "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." As you read those words, you can almost see the narrator winking at you in the text. From verse 1, we know Boaz is a key figure in the story. Verse 3 even reminds us he was of the clan of Elimelech. Ruth did not know who Boaz was. She did not realize she gleaned his field. Ruth acted unintentionally. God orchestrated her decision. 

Verse 4 begins, "And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem." "Behold" further indicates the Lord was at work behind the scenes. One day, Ruth happened to glean the field of Boaz. That same day, Boaz happened to visit his reapers in the field. Boaz will fulfill Ruth's hope for favor in verse 1. Before Ruth and Boaz meet, verse 4 shows Boaz to be a worthy man by how he treated his employees. Boaz greeted the reapers: "The Lord be with you." This is the only place in scripture where this benediction is spoken. The reapers answered, "The Lord bless you," alluding to the blessing of Aaron in Numbers 6:24-26. This is not how coworkers greet each other at your job. It was not typical then, either. Boaz was a worthy man. This was evident by how he treated those under his authority. There was no dichotomy between the secular and spiritual with Boaz. He acknowledged in all his ways. 

Verse 5 says, "Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, 'Whose young woman is this?'" Boaz did not ask who Ruth was. He asked, "Whose young woman is this?"

• Who are her people?  
• Where does she come from? 
• What is her background?

In verse 6, the foreman answers, "She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab." The foreman does not tell Boaz Ruth's name. He identifies by Naomi, nothing twice that she was a Moabite. In verse 7, the foreman commends Ruth's humble attitude: "She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers." Ruth did not have to ask permission. The law commanded reapers to allow widows, orphans, and foreigners to glean behind them. Ruth had the right to be there on two of three counts. Yet she asked permission. Then the foreman noted Ruth's work ethic: "So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest." 

On the surface, this seems like an arbitrary decision that resulted in a chance encounter. Ruth decided to glean in the fields and happened to work her way into Boaz's field. Boaz decided to check on his reapers and happened to show up while Ruth gleaned in his field. Ruth went to work to put bread on the table and met the man to whom her destiny was tied. There are no small decisions in life. Proverbs 16:9 says, "The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps." In every decision, God is at work for your good and his glory. 

• As you make right, wise, prayerful decisions, God is at work. 
• When you make wrong, foolish, sinful decisions, God is at work. 

You may suffer the consequences of your bad decisions. But if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, your failures are not final!

God is at work in your relationships. 

It is said that you cannot pick your family, but you can pick your friends. I have not picked my friends, either. People I have tried to keep close have grown distant. And people I never thought I would meet have become close friends. The God who is at work in our decisions is also at work in our relationships. Ruth needed a husband – a relative of Elimelech willing to redeem Naomi and Ruth. Ruth did not go to the single hot spots, get her friends to hook her up, or download a dating app. She went to work. As Ruth worked, God worked. 

Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz. Boaz came to check on his workers the same day. After getting a report about Ruth, verses 8-9 record Boaz's first words 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." Not only did Boaz give Ruth permission to glean his field, but he also instructed her not to glean anywhere else. She should remain with his young women. Boaz established the first sexual harassment policy for Ruth. No one was to touch her. He did not even want Ruth to go to the well for water. She was free to drink from the supply provided by his young men. Boaz's generosity surpassed the letter of the law. It was favor. 

Verse 10 records Ruth's response to the kindness of Boaz: "Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, 'Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?'" Ruth went to the field, hoping to find favor from someone. Boaz showed great favor to Ruth. But Ruth was not presumptuous. She asked, "Why?" This is the second time the question "why" is asked in Ruth. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi asked, "Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?" Naomi asked the question we ask during bad times: "Why me?" 

It is not wrong to ask, "Why?" We just ask it at the wrong times. In response to Boaz's kindness, Ruth asked, "Why me?" We have not given the Lord any reason to be kind to us. We have given the Lord plenty of reasons to withhold favor and send calamity. Yet the Lord blesses us in spite of us. This is why you should not spend your life at the complaint counter. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 exhorts: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Boaz answers Ruth in verse 11: "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before." Boaz was kind to Ruth because her reputation preceded her. It has nothing to do with her physical appearance. The Life Application Study Bible comments: "Ruth's past actions were a report card by which others judged her. Her good reputation was her most valuable asset. It came as a result of her hard work, her strong moral character, and her sensitivity, kindness, and loyalty to Naomi." Boaz cited two grades from Ruth's report card. 

• Ruth had shown loyal-love to her mother-in-law, Naomi. 
• Ruth left her parents to live among people she did not know. 

She could have returned home to her family, like Orpah. But Ruth clung to Naomi and returned to Bethlehem with her. 

In verse 12, Boaz blesses Ruth: "The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" When dangers approach, storms arise, or predators attack, a mother bird lifts her wings, and her children take refuge under her wings. This is what Ruth did when she forsook Moab and returned to Bethlehem with Naomi. In clinging to Naomi, Ruth to refuge under the Lord's wing. This is why favor fell on Ruth. She trusted in the Lord.  John Piper said it well: "God is not an employer looking for employees; he is an eagle looking for people who will take refuge under his wings." In Matthew 23:37, Jesus says, "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" Take refuge under the wings of divine love outstretched at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ! 

In verse 13, Ruth said to Boaz: "I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants." Ruth hadn't seen anything yet! In verse 14, Boaz said to Ruth at lunchtime, "Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine." So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over." By sharing this meal, Boaz treated Ruth as an equal in front of all his workers. In verses 15-16, Boaz said to his reapers after lunch, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her." Be careful about how to treat people. Don't worry about how others treat you. God is at work! 

God is at work beyond your expectations. 

Verse 17-18 says, "So she gleaned in the field until the evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied."

Ruth returned home with at least thirty pounds of barley – proof of Boaz's generosity, Ruth's diligence, and God's providence. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi says she left full and returned empty. That day, Ruth left the house empty and returned full. Shocked and surprised, Naomi asked in verse 19: "Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you." This unidentified man Naomi blessed was no random stranger. In verse 19, Ruth answered, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."God is great! You may suffer one bad day after another. It may seem things will never get better. All it takes is one day for the Lord to turn things around! 

At the end of the last chapter 1, Naomi was in a dark night of the soul. Now she can see the dawning of a new day. In verse 20, Naomi exclaims, "May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi blessed Boaz. The focus of her benediction was God, not Boaz. Kindness is hesed, the loyal-love of God. God showed kindness to the living – Naomi and Ruth – through Boaz. God showed kindness to the dead – Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion – through Boaz. God showed kindness to the unborn through Boaz. We are beneficiaries of Christ's finished work because of the kindness God showed the living and the dead through Boaz! Boaz is a type of Christ. He illustrates Christ's character, compassion, and conduct toward sinners. Like Ruth, we are spiritually needy, hopeless, and unworthy foreigners. But a worthy man showed up! He knew us before he met us. He was compassionate toward us. He served us graciously. He provides and protects us at his own expense! He shows us the favor of God! 

In verse 20, Naomi told Ruth, "The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers." To redeem is to set free by paying the price. It is an illustration of what Christ did to purchase our salvation at the cross. As a close relative, Boaz was qualified to redeem Naomi and marry Ruth. Ruth did not understand what all that meant. But she remembered Boaz told her, "You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest." Naomi agreed. In verse 22, she counsels Ruth, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted."

• Ruth saw in front of her. Naomi saw down the road. 
• Ruth saw barley. Naomi saw a bride. 
• Ruth saw bread. Naomi saw a wedding cake. 
• Ruth thought, "I have a place to glean." Naomi thought, "I am going to be a grandmother."  

Verse 23 concludes, "So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law." This closing verse summarizes a two-month harvest period. Every day, Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz. Through this process, God provided daily bread for Ruth and Naomi. But Ruth still lived with her mother-in-law. There was no progress yet in the relationship between Ruth and Boaz. There was plenty of food to eat. However, Ruth remained a widow in Naomi's house. But it was not her final destination. It was just a layover. After the wheat and barley harvest, God set up the first date between Boaz and Ruth in chapter 3. Romans 8:28 is true: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

I hate layovers. But I accept that layovers are necessary. Sometimes, people who start the trip with you are not going all the way. Sometimes there is baggage on board that needs to be removed. Sometimes you do not have enough fuel for the whole trip. So, there are layovers. But God is at work beyond your expectations. If you trust and obey through the layover, you will make it to your final destination.