The barley harvest would be the scene of this short story, the tale of the romance of Ruth and Boaz. God’s timing here is perfect: not only would Ruth and Naomi’s need draw Ruth to the gleaning fields, but only at those fields would the worlds of wealthy landowner Boaz and destitute immigrant Ruth ever be likely to cross. And only at those fields would Ruth ever have a socially-acceptable way to signal her interested to Boaz. The barley harvest was the time God had selected to work out his plan to save Naomi.
Naomi couldn’t see it. When she arrived back home this is what she said to all her friends, in verse 21, just before the one I quoted above: “’Don’t call me Naomi,’ she told them. ‘Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.’”
Naomi had no idea that she was an instrument of God’s salvation to the world. Naomi could only see her present circumstances as a poor widow, bereft of everything she loved. Except Ruth, the faithful daughter-in-law, and God’s precious gift to Naomi. For whatever reason (I think it’s to show clearly that Jesus would be a Messiah for all people) God wanted a Moabite woman in Jesus’ family tree. Boaz, of the line of David, would marry Ruth and through them Jesus’ ancestry would continue. So it seems to me that God sent Naomi to Moab to bring Ruth back. And Ruth would be God’s means to reward Naomi with a restored place in Jewish society.
That’s why I love the story of Ruth and Boaz. It’s a simple story about village life that shows as clear as good water what God planned for the whole world. Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, saves Naomi and Ruth just as Boaz’ distant grandson would save us all.
And it all happened, this happy story that was a clear message of God’s love and intent for me, during the barley harvest.
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