Chapter 2 has its own chiastic structure.41
ARuth and Naomi (2:2-3)
BBoaz and the reapers (2:4-7)
CBoaz and Ruth (2:8-15a)
B'Boaz and the reapers (2:15b-16)
A'Naomi and Ruth (2:19-22)
Boaz's conversation with Ruth is the focus of this section.
The motif of God's providence, His working out His own plan through the circumstances of life, which runs through the Book of Ruth, is especially strong in this pericope.
The writer introduced Boaz as a kinsman (lit. acquaintance or friend, Heb. myd') of Elimelech. Keil and Delitzsch believed Boaz's name means "alacrity,"but J. Vernon McGee wrote that it meant "in whom is strength."42Boaz was by virtue of his family relationship someone who was eligible to perpetuate Elimelech's line, the larger of Naomi and Ruth's needs. He was also wealthy so he could provide food and physical protection for Naomi and Ruth, their immediate need (v. 1). The same Hebrew words (ish gibbor), translated "man of wealth,"described Gideon (Judg. 6:12).
Ruth's plan to secure favor (v. 2) was a plan to obtain food. She did not realize how favored she would become. God commanded farmers in Israel not to harvest the corners of their fields so the poor and needy, such as aliens, widows, and orphans, could glean food enough to live (Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22). The reapers were free Israelites who hired themselves out to do this work for a stipulated payment.43Ruth qualified for gleaning as an alien and as a widow. She submitted her plans for Naomi's approval and received her blessing.
She "happened"to glean in Boaz's field from the human viewpoint (v. 3), but as the story unfolds God's hand of blessing obviously guided Ruth's choice to go to that field (cf. Prov. 3:5-6).
Boaz's love for God and other people, those qualities most important in a human being from God's perspective (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; cf. Matt. 22:37-39), are obvious in this record of his dealing with his employees (v. 4). There was no labor management tension here since Boaz treated his workers with love.
"Significantly, the two greetings form a chiasm with the name Yahweh at its beginning and end. Hence, the exchange dropped a subtile hint which followed up the luck' of v. 3: in a simple, undramatic way, it affirmed the presence of Yahweh in this scene. . . . Thus, by this simple device the narrator reminded his audience that, though offstage, Yahweh was nevertheless within earshot"44
Ruth's character too was of high quality as the reaper foreman reported (v. 7) and as Boaz later testified he had learned earlier (v. 11). We should probably understand the last part of verse 7 to mean that Ruth had rested only a short time.45In other words, Ruth was a hard worker.
Boaz called Ruth his daughter (v. 8) because she was considerably younger than he (3:10) and because of his affection for her. He explained why he felt as he did for her in the following verses. Normally the poor migrated from field to field to glean. However, Boaz graciously made Ruth one of his maidservants (vv. 8-9, 13) so she would not leave his field and so he could provide for her needs more fully. The foreigner was integrating nicely into Israel as her spiritual ancestors Sarah and Rebekah had done (cf. Gen. 20:6; 26:29). One of the benefits she enjoyed as a maidservant was drinking drawn water (v. 9). Water was a great blessing in the parched Near East.
Why was Boaz blessing her? Ruth wanted to know (v. 10). The Israelites did not normally treat foreigners this way during the period of the judges. Boaz explained that it was not her nationality but her unselfish love for Naomi (v. 11) and her trust in Yahweh (v. 12) that had moved him to bless her.
". . . Boaz's kindness toward Ruth simply reciprocated hers toward Naomi. He was, indeed, a true son of Israel: he treated foreigners kindly because Israel itself knew the foreigner's life in Egypt."46
Verse 12 makes clear that Ruth was trusting in Yahweh and that her trust had become public knowledge in Bethlehem. The Hebrew word translated "wings"here, kenapayim, reads "skirt"in 3:9 (cf. Deut. 32:11; Ps. 36:7; 57:1; 91:4).
"Union of the individual believer with God is therefore expressed in the same way as union between man and wife."47
Ruth had found the favor she had sought (vv. 2, 13). She was now not just a gleaner but a maidservant. Her lord would take care of her physical needs. However, she was an unusual maidservant because she was a poor alien widow.
Boaz treated Ruth generously and courteously. Yet she continued to glean. Her maidservant status did not provide her with sufficient income so she could abandon her gleaning. The fact that Boaz permitted Ruth to eat with his household servants was another blessing from the Lord.
At the end of the day Ruth beat out and winnowed the grain she had gleaned. She had collected about three-fifths of a bushel of barley, "the equivalent of at least half a month's wages in one day"(v. 17).48Ruth also took the food she had left over from lunch back to Naomi in Bethlehem (v. 18; cf. v. 14).
Naomi twice blessed Ruth's benefactor (vv. 19-20). She prayed that Yahweh would bless Boaz who had been a source of blessing to her and Ruth.49She also identified Boaz's kindness as loyal love (Heb. hesed, v. 20). Previously she had asked God to deal "kindly"(hesed) with Ruth and Orpah for dealing kindly with her husband, her sons, and herself (1:8). Boaz had proved to be God's agent in extending kindness to Naomi and Ruth, and indirectly to their husbands (2:20).
The beauty of Ruth's character shines forth in verse 21. She did not view her relationship with Boaz as a way out of her own responsibility to provide for herself and her aged mother-in-law. Instead she rejoiced that she could continue to discharge her duty in safety.
The wheat harvest followed the barley harvest by a month (v. 23). The Feast of Unleavened Bread in late March or early April inaugurated the barley harvest. The Feast of Firstfruits seven weeks later in late May or early June terminated the wheat harvest.
Chapter 2 marks God's initial blessing on Ruth for her faith in Yahweh. She received blessing and became a channel of blessing to Naomi. So far God's blessing had been the provision of food and safety. These blessings came through Boaz, another channel of blessing, because of his faith in Yahweh seen in his fear of God and his love for people. Still more abundant and more significant blessing was yet to come.
