Ruth 2:8-12 – God is in Control

⁸ Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

⁹ Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

¹⁰ Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

¹¹ And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

¹² The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of theLord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

If you learn nothing else from the book of Ruth, you need to learn that God is in control and He rewards faithfulness. Here was Ruth, an immigrant in a new land, and she is out working in the fields to gather food for her and her mother-in-law. As it so happens, that field happens to belong to a man named Boaz who was related to Ruth’s late father-in-law! Back then, is a woman’s husband died and she had no kids (like Ruth’s situation), a family member could marry the widow and carry on the dead husbands family tree. The fact that Boaz was related to Ruth’s dead husband and that her and Naomi started picking from his field is such a long shoot that it must have been God’s doing! Boaz learned of who Ruth was and told her that she does not need to go to any other field, but asked her to just stay there and he would give her water and make sure she had plenty of food! God used Boaz to care for Ruth!

Ruth was shocked! Apparently she had no idea who this man was. Boaz, however, said that he was doing this because of her faithfulness to God and Naomi. Ruth was willing to leave everything because she believed she was under God’s protection. God showed that He was protecting Ruth and that he was (and still is) in control. Whatever may be happening in your life, remember that God is in control. If there is something that needs to change in your life, do it! God will take care of you. If there is something that needs to go from your life, do it! God will take care of you. If you need to witness, do it! If God is leading you to do something you are not sure of, do it! God is in control and he will reward your faithfulness.

Life Step: Think about it…

In what ways did God reward Ruth’s faithfulness?

How does God reward our faithfulness?

What do you need to let God have control over in your life?