The Prevailing Provision of God

“The women said to Naomi, ‘Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel.’”

Ruth 4:14   

 

Last week we reviewed the opening chapter of Ruth – a touching account of a widowed daughter-in-law (Ruth) who chose to intertwine her destiny with her widowed mother-in-law (Naomi). This was a cherished commitment, and one that Ruth could have opted out of. But even though Ruth had a spiritually pagan upbringing she possessed a noble quality of faith and believed in the one true God who Naomi worshipped. Therefore, Ruth willingly and bravely left her Moabite homeland and journeyed with Naomi to reside in Bethlehem. In the process, Ruth became a believer in the Lord and would soon come to discover how a kernel of faith can be richly blessed by God.  

 

The closing verses of Ruth paint a stirring picture of the prevailing provision of God. But before we consider God’s hand of blessing we must briefly assess two ancient customs inherent in this text, two ancient customs that appear unorthodox to a modern-day audience:

1) The divine instruction allowing the monetarily destitute to glean from fallen crops

and

2) The observance of kinsmen-redeemers to restore widowed family members

 

The divine instruction allowing the financially destitute to glean from fallen crops is a commandment which originates from Leviticus 23:22. In this passage, God provided a mechanism to help provide food for the poor and needy, and not just the lowly within the Hebrew community, but those outside it as well. This became a custom honored by Jewish households for many generations, including the estate of Boaz, which is where Ruth went to glean crops so that she could help feed herself and Naomi. This action illustrates the incredible humility of Ruth. Gleaning the crops of others was essentially the last-ditch effort performed by starving and wholly penniless individuals. It was a sign of total poverty and often a social stigma for those who were seen gathering leftover harvested crops. But Ruth cared little for pretense or personal perception on the part of strangers. She possessed a modest spirit and was more concerned with attending to her mother-in-law than virtually anything else.

 

Regarding the kinsman-redeemer practice this model was established by God in the latter part of Leviticus 25. God designed a system by which family members could reinstate the property and legacy of widowed and impoverished relatives. And it would come to pass that Ruth would realize that Naomi had a close genealogical connection to Boaz. Eventually, this seemingly happenstance set of events would be revealed as the majestic working of God. Boaz claimed his right as kinsman-redeemer to Naomi, and thereby gladly welcomed the opportunity to enter into marriage with Naomi’s daughter-in-law (Ruth). The tale of tragedy transformed into one of the most amazing stories of love and restoration in Scripture. It is remarkable how God can take ashes and turn them into something beautiful.

 

The final analysis of Ruth reveals that God’s prevailing provision can reign down no matter how bleak our circumstances may be. Ruth and Naomi were deluged by disheartening conditions. But Ruth chose not to dwell on the state of affairs. She chose to press ahead and see what each new day held. This story speaks to the unmistakably good nature of God. All things are possible with Him. No cave is too dark. No valley is too low. No mountain is too high. No wind is too strong. No storm is too great. In everything, God can overcome. All He requires of us is faith and trust. Let us serve Him and find significance and relevance in the biblical tale of Ruth. Clearly, God works. God saves. God heals. God provides. In short, God is God and delights in caring for His people.