God Gives Handfuls On Purpose

Ruth chapter 2 has to be one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament because of its portrayal of our relationship with Christ. I don’t want to over-spiritualize the text. It’s a real story that happened in a real time and place. But it’s also a picture. In fact, the whole book of Ruth is a picture of our relationship with Christ.

• In chapter one, we see Ruth deciding to follow Naomi and to adopt Naomi’s people as her people and Naomi’s God (Jehovah) as her God.
• In chapter two, we see Ruth working and serving. It’s a picture of our role as believers in Christ.
• In chapter three, we see Boaz marrying Ruth and saving her from her suffering, and it’s a beautiful picture of how Christ rescues HIs people from sin.
• In chapter four, we see Ruth enjoying a bountiful reward and inheritance that she didn’t earn. It was given to her by grace.

Chapter 2 stands out to me because of a couple of phrases. In verse 2, Ruth wants to go into the field of “him in whose sight I shall find grace.” Then verse 3, in the King James Version, uses these awesome words… “her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.”

She just happened to land there! She just happened to land, by accident and coincidence, in the field of the one ready to not only show her grace, but abundant grace! Boaz is ready to pour out a blessing into her life. Of course, it was no accident. It was no coincidence. It was the purpose of God at work in her life.

Boaz and Ruth meet one another and verse 16 tells us the beautiful thing that happens next. Boaz tells his reapers (behind whom Ruth is on her knees scraping up finger-fulls of wheat) to drop “handfuls… on purpose!” Instead of scraping up little bits here and there, God provides for her to fill her hands over and over.

Ruth is a book filled with divinely-guided “accidents” that demonstrate how God works out His purpose behind the scenes. It’s a picture of God’s over-abundant love for His people. We don’t deserve to be Hid kids, much less to be blessed with such an abundant outpouring of His grace. He’s good to us because He is good, and because He loves us.

What a love story… of God for His people!