Read Ruth 2:15-23
Boaz is such a gentle man. He tells his young men to let Ruth glean in the open field and to drop some for her on purpose. In Lev.23:22 it gives the law concerning reaping your harvest. You were not suppose to reap the corners or go back over your field to get any remaining produce. The corners and the excess was to go to the poor. Boaz was extending mercy to Ruth past the law. Isn't that what Jesus does for us when we are new to the things of God? He goes past the law and extends abundant mercy. Ruth gathered an ephath of grain which is 5 gallons worth. I would quess that a poor person might be able to glean that in a week! No wonder Naomi was surprised. When Ruth told her that it was Boaz's field, she was elated because he was a near relative. Boaz had instructed her not to glean in any other field but his. Naomi warned her to stay with his field also. She did; through the barley harvest and the wheat harvest.
This says to me that when we stay obedient to Jesus and stay on his path that he has made for us, we will have abundance. The grass always looks greener on the other side till we get there. Someone else's gift looks better that ours till we try to be them. We were all given a field to reap and glean in and it is safer, more fruitful, and definitely more rewarding to stay there. One of Christian's greatest temptations is to get out of their "field" into someone else's because they feel too quilty to say "no". A sign of maturity is when you know your calling and are confident in Jesus enough to know He will give you grace for what He has called you to, otherwise you are on your own. And doing things in your own strength is exausting and unproductive. It will rob you of your confidence and your passion.
Lord, show us our field and give us the wisdom to stay there till you move us on to new fields.
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