18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
2:18
Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.
Ruth picked up her 30 pounds of food and went back to Bethlehem to show her mother-in-law her harvest. Naomi must have been surprised at the amount Ruth brought home.
So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.
Ruth also gave Naomi the extra food left over from lunch with Boaz.
2:19
And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.”
Naomi asked Ruth for the source of her blessings.
So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
Ruth revealed that her benefactor was Boaz.
2:20
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!”
Naomi blessed Boaz for not forgetting her legacy within the family. The term “dead” refers to her husband and sons, and the word “living” refers to Naomi herself and Ruth. It was the Lord’s grace upon Boaz that allowed him to demonstrate his grace towards Ruth and Naomi. This is a clear indication of God’s providence in guiding Ruth to the field of Boaz. It was God’s hand that allowed her to go to the right field at the right time.
And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
The word “relative” is sometimes translated kinsman-redeemer. Naomi saw the significance of the situation in that Boaz was their kinsman-redeemer. This was the levirate law, which required the closest relative to redeem the property and persons of a dead relative. This law required a brother of a deceased man to marry his widow (Dt 25:5-10). Boaz was not the brother in this case, but was a close relative to Ruth’s husband, Mahlon. This meant he could act on the levirate law if he desired. Naomi immediately saw the possibility of this.
PRINCIPLE:
God providentially cares for us.
APPLICATION:
When we relax in confidence upon God, He cares for us. If God cares for the sparrow that falls to the ground, He much more cares for us (Mt 10:20-31). The Christian life is not about self-confidence or self-sufficiency. Our entire relationship with God depends on our faith in Him.
