Ruth 2:4-7 - The Lord be with you!

2:4,5

Boaz had not been around when Ruth started work in the field. Boaz now arrives. He is the owner of the field and he greets the harvesters, and is welcomed by them. He obviously knew who his workers were, so notices that there is a woman there and asks “who does that young woman belong to”. The picture painted of Boaz is a very positive one, this is a pleasant change from the bunch that we encountered in Judges. His question could show that he assumed that she was a slave of someone. Anyway, she was not assumed to have an independent identity. 

2:6,7

The overseer informed Boaz that she was “the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi”. Naomi’s return was well known throughout the town. Ruth had asked to be allowed to glean the remnants of the harvest, and had been allowed to do so. He also observed that she had been a hard worker. It seems that she was treated well by Boaz’s employees. The attitude of the boss or owner in any organisation will tend to affect everyone within the organisation.

Acts 23:1-5 - I have fulfilled my duty to God

23:1,2

Paul now speaks again, beginning in what seems a conciliatory manner, claiming that he had fulfilled his duty to God, and had a clear conscience in all that he had done. However, these words drew a strike on the mouth from the high priest Ananias, or at least from one of the others on the order of Ananias. Why was this? This seems a rather odd way for the high priest to act. Well, this high priest had a reputation, and not a good one. So he most definitely did not have a clear conscience. And when our guilt is shown up we tend to react irrationally and with violence. This is what the high priest did.

23:3-5

Paul remained calm. He was actually quite used to suffering violent attacks. He referred to Ananias as a “whitewashed wall”, this reminds us of Jesus’ words in Matt 23:27. The priest had clearly violated the Law, the Law he was meant to uphold. The others then berate Paul for insulting the high priest. Paul responds in rather mocking terms, claiming he did not know that he was the high priest. He certainly was not acting like a high priest. When those in power, be it in the church or in society at large, we should not be surprised at their ungodly behaviour. And we should not acts as if everyone is an upright citizen.

Ruth 2:1-3 - Let me go to the fields

2:1

Ruth and Naomi are now back in Bethlehem and they have to settle back into life there. We are told at the outset that Naomi had “a relative on her husband’s side” called Boaz. He was “a man of standing”.It will become apparent that he had reasonable wealth, and he also had a good reputation. In those days families were meant to care for each other. So we are introduced to Boaz.

2:2,3

Ruth knows that they need food, so she suggests that she should go out into the fields and take the gleanings. It was the barley harvest (1:22), and under the Law some of the crop was to be left for the poor to collect. Ruth was proactive, but wanted Naomi’s permission, which was granted. Ruth went off and worked in the field belonging to Boaz. This is presented as chance, and it was in the sense that Ruth had no idea whose field it was, but it was also God’s providence.

Acts 22:23-30 - Are you a Roman citizen?

22:23,24

The Roman commander was desperate to avoid a riot, which would definitely have been a black mark against him. He then directed that Paul be flogged. This was a common practice amongst the Romans, and was aimed to get the truth out of the victim. The commander wanted to know why the presence and words of Paul were causing such a commotion. 

22:25-29

As they were just about to begin the flogging (which would have been of a particularly severe kind), Paul told them that he was a Roman citizen. Under Roman law floggings were limited to non-Roman citizens. This immediately changed the whole situation, for the commander would not want to be found to have flogged a Roman citizen. He was surprised to find that Paul was a Roman citizen, especially that Paul was born a Roman. Roman citizenship was something to be greatly prized. The flogging was immediately called off.

22:30

The commander still wanted to know why there was such a commotion over Paul. He knew it was the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders, who were the root of the problem. So he arranged to have Paul and  the Sanhedrin and chief priests to meet together so he could get to the bottom of the matter. This would take place in a controlled environment, so as to avoid any riots!

Ruth 1:18-22 - Call me Mara

1:18,19

Naomi realised that there was no changing of Ruth’s mind. So she stopped trying to change Ruth’s mind, and the two of them went on to Bethlehem. When they arrived there the whole town became aware of Naomi’s return. We aren’t told what their reaction to her leaving had been. Was there any reproach for Elimelek deserting the place? If so, it would be Elimelek, more than Naomi, who would be the object of reproach.

1:20-22

Naomi means “pleasant”, but Naomi told them to call her Mara, which means “bitter”. Naomi felt that God had dealt with her harshly, and saw the loss of her husband and two sons as God’s direct action against her. She saw the loss as misfortune brought upon her by the Lord. Today we would quickly react against such an attitude, but maybe there is something in Naomi’s approach. She knew that everything was ultimately in God’s hands. There are times when this seems a very hard thing to think, but the upside is that it also means that God can change the circumstances. If He “inflicted” them, He can reverse them.

By the way, we needn’t think that Naomi actually changed her name, but was simply expressing what she felt about the way her life had gone.

So Naomi had returned from Moab with her Moabite daughter-in-law. The time of the barley harvest was a few weeks before the wheat harvest. The significance of this is that it meant there would be work for Ruth to do in the fields.

Acts 22:19-22 - I will send you to the Gentiles

22:19-21

Paul wasn’t too keen to leave Jerusalem, thinking that his record of persecuting Christians would somehow stand him in good stead. He also states that when Stephen was martyred he stood there giving approval. But God had other plans, namely to send Paul to the Gentiles with the good news. There may be times when changes are coming about in our lives that we do not like, even seem to be upsetting good work that we are doing. But it may be that God has even greater plans. Note, however, that God often communicated with Paul, informing him of what he was doing, and why.

22:22

I don’t know if Paul expected his speech to have an emollient effect on the crowd or not, but if he did he was to be greatly disappointed. Instead the crowd just wanted to get rid of Paul, possibly killing him. They knew that Paul truly understood Judaism, and deeply steeped in it. Yet despite all this he had deliberately chosen (as they saw it) to reject their religion and was a keen advocate of an alternative religion. He was a threat to them, as they saw it. Of course, the gospel is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets, and it was their religious leaders who were unfaithful to the Law and the Prophets. But that was not how it seemed to them.

Ruth 1:14-17 - Your God will be my God

1:14,15

The two daughter-in-laws are distraught, having now been faced with the full reality of the situation. Up until this point they had perhaps been consoling themselves that somehow they could carry on as they were, but now it was made abundantly clear to them that this was not the case. They reacted in very different ways. Orpah decided to go back to her own people. Sometimes she is criticised for this, but we should note that the Bible makes no adverse comment about her decision. Naomi certainly does not seek to condemn her, indeed she urges Ruth to do the same.

1:16,17

Ruth, however, refuses to follow her mother-in-law’s urgings. Instead she declares “Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God”. She makes as full a commitment as possible to Naomi. Why did she do this? Surely she must have seen something good in Naomi. And bear in mind that Naomi had been going through a very difficult time, losing her husband and her two sons. Yet Ruth saw something in Naomi that made her willing to change her whole direction of life. This is how God’s people are meant to operate, leading/attracting people to Christ through the examples of their lives. This was how God’s nation Israel was meant to live, being a beacon of light to the other nations. We know that she failed miserably as a nation, but not all of them failed.