“And clear about foreign women.”
“Boaz’s mother was a foreign woman.”
“I suggest we concentrate on our work and mind our own business.”
And the women were saying . . .
“Do you see how the men are cutting stalks and tossing them over to her?”
“When a girl is pretty, men turn helpful.”
“Boaz spoke to them before he left. He probably told them to give her extra grain.”
“So even the master is interested in her. Look there. Do you see?”
“See what?”
“Shimei is looking at her again.”
“Well, if you weren’t staring at Shimei, you wouldn’t know that.”
“I don’t like her.”
“Why?”
“Do I have to have a reason?”
“Well, I like her.”
“Why?”
“Unlike some I know, the girl works hard and minds her own business.”
“So much!” Naomi exclaimed, rising as Ruth entered their dwelling place and lowered the bundle of grain from her back. The girl was smiling brightly, her eyes aglow. “Where did you gather all this grain today? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!”
“I’ve been saying prayers of thanksgiving for the man all the way home, Naomi. His field is some distance from the city.”
Naomi didn’t ask why Ruth had ventured so far, seeing the bruise on her cheek. She was afraid she knew the answer. “What was the landowner’s name?”
“The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”
Naomi put her hand to her throat. “Boaz?”
“Yes, Boaz.” Ruth took the bread she had saved and handed it to Naomi. “He invited me into the shelter where his maidservants and reapers ate the midday meal, and gave me a double portion!” She held out a piece of bread. “I’ve never heard of a man in his position stooping to serve his workers.”
Naomi took the bread with trembling fingers. She hadn’t given a thought to Boaz when she returned to Bethlehem. She had forgotten all about him. Or maybe the truth was that she had deliberately put the man out of her mind. Just thinking about him made her cringe with shame. Many years ago, he had come to her father and made an offer of marriage for her. How she had carried on as soon as he left the house! How she’d wept and pleaded that her father accept Elimelech instead.
“But he hasn’t even offered for you!” her father had said, red-faced with anger.
“He will. His sister told me he has spoken to his father about it.”
“Boaz is a man of unquestioned virtue, my daughter.”
Indeed, but he was not a man to make a girl’s heart beat with love. She wanted a tall husband, ruddy and handsome with laughing eyes and winning ways. She wanted Elimelech. His name meant “my god, a king.” Surely that was an indication of his character. The love she saw in Boaz’s eyes had embarrassed her. She had been impatient with his attention, repulsed by it. Why wouldn’t he go away? Why wouldn’t he look for some other girl, one as plain as he?
She had known none of those reasons would sway her father against Boaz, but one thing would—a fact he seemed to have forgotten. “Boaz has unquestioned virtue, Father, but questionable blood.” His mother was Canaanite. And a prostitute.
Naomi lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly. Oh, Lord God, that Boaz of all men should be so kind! What shallowness she had shown toward this man. And to look down upon his mother, who had proven herself a woman of such strong faith! Unthinkable! Unpardonable! Yet, despite Naomi’s sins against him, Boaz welcomed Ruth and poured a double blessing out for her. “Praise the Lord for a man like that! May the Lord bless him!” she said, her words choked with tears. She deserved his condemnation but received his compassion. She hadn’t recognized his worth when she was young, but life had taught her hard lessons. She was older now and far wiser.
A tiny spark of hope came to life within her.
Raising her head slowly, she looked at Ruth. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband.” She saw confusion in the girl’s eyes. There were so many things yet to teach her about Hebrew ways and the Law. What would be her response if she were to tell Ruth the fullness of Boaz’s obligations to them? Would Ruth respond the same way she herself had all those years ago, seeing only the outer shell of the man and not his lion heart? She had never known a man to be more bent upon pleasing God than Boaz. Sadly, a young woman’s heart was not often won by a man’s character.
“That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers, Ruth.”
“No wonder he was so kind to me.”
“No,” she said quickly, not wanting her daughter-in-law to misunderstand. “Boaz is not the sort of man to limit his kindness to family members, Ruth. He has always been kind to anyone in need.”
“Even foreigners?”
“His mother was a Canaanite. In fact, she was a prostitute who lived in the wall of Jericho.” When Ruth’s eyes widened, Naomi hastened to explain. “She was a woman of great faith, but there were many people who looked down upon Boaz when he was a young man because he was of mixed blood. Hebrew on his father’s side, and Canaanite on his mother’s. Rahab hid two spies sent out by Joshua before our people took the land promised us by God. She declared her faith in Yahweh and saved the men’s lives by letting them down from her window by a rope. They went back for her and brought her out when the city was being destroyed, and she lived among our people from that time on. One of the spies took Rahab as his wife.”
“Then perhaps Boaz was kind to me for his mother’s sake.”
Naomi was certain that was not the only reason. “He would understand better than anyone that God calls whom He chooses.” If God had called Rahab to be of His own people, then He could call a young Moabite widow as well. She leaned forward. “Did he say anything else to you?” Had Boaz mentioned her?
“Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”
Naomi felt a rush of relief. Surely Boaz wouldn’t have encouraged Ruth if he held the ill will of a long-ago rejected suitor. “This is wonderful! Do as he said, Ruth. Stay with his workers right through the whole harvest. You will be safe there, unlike in other fields.”
As she ate the bread Boaz had given Ruth, Naomi smiled to herself. She watched her daughter-in-law pour the barley into a basket, careful not to lose a single seed of grain. It seemed all was not lost after all. There was one door left to open so that Ruth could walk through into a future and a hope. And, if God was willing, the door would stay open for her as well.
Naomi awakened when she heard a soft cascading of rocks just outside the cave. The sun was barely up and Ruth was coming up the slope, carrying a large skin of water. “You’re awake early,” Ruth said, smiling.
“I thought I would go into Bethlehem today and talk with some of my old friends.”
Ruth poured the water from the skin into a large earthen jug. “Good. I’m sure they’ve missed you and will have plenty to talk about with you.” She hung up the empty skin and swung her black shawl over her hair and shoulders. “I’ll try to be back before dark.”
“God be with you, Ruth.”
Ruth smiled brightly. “And with you, Mother.”
Naomi rose. Dragging a blanket around her shoulders, she went to the mouth of the cave and watched Ruth head down the road. Naomi stood amazed that God had blessed her with such a daughter-in-law. Ruth had left behind opportunities and possibilities. She had turned away from a secure future in Kir-hareseth so that she could come here to Bethlehem and live in this cave with a tired, despairing, complaining old woman. At any time, her daughter-in-law could have returned to the home of her affluent parents, but instead she went off every morning to do the work of the poorest of the poor. Not once had she uttered a word of complaint. Every evening, she returned with a smile, grain, glad tidings, and a grateful heart.
A man of discernment like Boaz would appreciate a
young woman with Ruth’s virtues, Moabitess or not.
Naomi drew herself up before she allowed her thoughts to run rampant. It wouldn’t do to make plans for Ruth’s future before learning the facts. Naomi had no intention of rushing into Bethlehem, seeking out the elders, and making a case. No, she would move slowly. There was no hurry, now that she and Ruth had shelter and food. She would take time to observe, take time to let people get to know her daughter-in-law . . . for who could not respect her when they did? Was there a finer young woman than her precious Ruth? Above all, Naomi would take time to pray for God’s guidance, even though it was surely God Himself who had planted this seed of hope in her mind.
For the first time since burying her last son, Naomi saw what life could hold in the future instead of what life had held in the past.
And the women were saying . . .
“I think she’s pretty.”
“That’s because you like her.”
“You’re just jealous because Rimon, Netzer, and Tirosh were trying to talk with her today.”
“Have you noticed how she never works near the men?”
“She never even gives them a second glance.”
“She must have loved Mahlon very much.”
“She’s certainly loyal to her mother-in-law.”
“My mother said Ruth comes to the well early every morning and takes water back to her mother-in-law before she comes to the fields.”
“Then she must be up well before dawn.”
“Shamash keeps an eye on her.”
“So do all the men!”
“No one’s going to marry a Moabitess who’s already had a husband.”
“I would be sorry to see Ruth and her mother-in-law live out their days in that cave.”
“They live in a cave?”
“The one just below town where the shepherds keep their flocks in the winter. Didn’t you know?”
“I thought they lived in the city.”
“Naomi spends her time in the city, visiting with friends and bartering.”
“What about the house that belonged to her husband?”
“I heard my father say Naomi’s husband mortgaged it and all his land before taking the family to Moab.”
“Everybody is talking about them.”
“Especially about Ruth, I would imagine.”
“You’re jealous!”
“I’m not jealous!”
“Then why do you dislike her so much?”
“Foreign women rouse the worst kind of interest in our men.”
“Foreign women don’t make a habit of going to the synagogue.”
“Now you’re telling me she’s a proselyte?”
“Ruth attends every Sabbath with her mother-in-law, drinking in every word the priest reads from the Law. They stand at the back with the other widows. That’s probably why you haven’t noticed them. You’re up front near the screen where you can look through and see Netzer.”
“How you talk, Tirzah, when you’re no better, gawking at Lahad all day.”
“Can I help myself? He’s so handsome.”
The young women entered Bethlehem laughing together.
“He’s not married?” Naomi said in surprise, feeling a pang of guilt at this bit of information given to her by Sigal, a friend from years past. “What’s wrong with the man that he’s not taken a wife by this age?”
“Nothing.” Sigal poured grains of wheat onto the grinding stone. “He probably never had time to seek a wife. He’s poured his life into building up his estate. Boaz isn’t like other landowners. He’s out there in the fields every day. And when he’s not, he’s at the city gate helping settle disputes.”
“What good is an estate without sons to inherit?”
“He’s not in the grave yet, Naomi. He can still look for a wife, if he has a mind to do so. Believe me, there are plenty of fathers who would throw their daughters at Boaz if he broached the subject of marriage. He’s become the wealth-iest man in Bethlehem.”
“And probably the loneliest.”
Sigal gave a snort of laughter. “The man has no time to be lonely.”
“Still, it’s a pity he isn’t married.”
“Maybe he’s waiting for the perfect woman, someone beautiful and intelligent and who has the faith of his mother. Some men have expectations so high they can never be met.”
“Some men want a wife who will love them.”
“Boaz is loved and respected by everyone in Bethlehem.”
“I mean he might be waiting for someone to fall in love with him.”
“I doubt that. Most men know love takes time. As long as the girl respects her husband, there’s every reason to hope for a happy marriage.”
“You are a wise woman, Sigal.”
“I always was.”
Naomi couldn’t help wondering. Had she hurt Boaz so badly he never dared ask another woman to marry him? She felt grieved at that thought. Surely that wasn’t the reason he had remained without a wife. Boaz was too sensible to give up marriage just because of one foolish girl.
Should she ask him about it?
Her heart lurched. No! Never! She couldn’t say a word about the past without embarrassing Boaz and possibly jeopardizing the future. She wanted to make up for the pain she had caused him so many years ago. Whatever his reasons for not taking a wife, it made her sad to think of him living out his life alone. A man was not meant to be alone. And certainly not a man like Boaz. God had blessed him with land and possessions, but surely it was a sign that He had not blessed the man with the one thing he needed to fulfill his life: a wife who would bear him sons. The man should have a family of his own.
“I remember a rumor I heard years ago,” Sigal said, con-tinuing to grind wheat. “About you and Boaz.” She gave Naomi a teasing smile.
“Rumors aren’t worth the sand we walk on,” Naomi said. If the rumor was revived, it would only serve to humiliate a good man. “Elimelech paid my father the bride-price when I was fourteen.”
“All the young women were envious of you. Elimelech was very handsome.”
“Were they envious of me when he mortgaged the land and took me and our young sons away from Bethlehem?”
Sigal blinked in surprise.
Naomi grimaced at her own harshness. “I’m sorry, my friend. Even after all these years, I still remember the bitterness of that day.”
Sigal stopped her grinding and placed her hand over Naomi’s. “I thought of you many times over the years.”
Tears filled Naomi’s eyes. “I longed for home every day I was gone.” She drew in her breath and released a contented sigh. “But for all that, the Lord blessed me with Ruth.”
“Truly,” Sigal said. “She loves you as though you were her own mother.”
“I could not love her more if she were from my own flesh.”
“God has comforted you through her, Naomi. Everyone says she is a young woman of excellence.”
Naomi was pleased. Ruth was no longer looked upon as “the Moabitess.” Surely the Lord Himself had seen that her virtues had not gone unnoticed by those who dwelt in Bethlehem.
The question remained: Had Boaz noticed?
BOAZ came by the barley field every day to see how the work progressed. And every day, he took cautious notice of the young Moabitess working close behind his reapers. He didn’t speak to her, concerned that his attentions might cause his workers to gossip. When he stayed to share a meal with his workers, he made sure he kept his gaze away from the young woman. Never had he found anything more difficult to do!
The barley harvest was over, and the wheat stood tall and ripe, ready for the reapers. In another few weeks, all the grain would be harvested. Had Ruth gleaned enough to carry herself and Naomi through the year? He knew they lived in the cave within the boundaries of Bethlehem. Elimelech had owned the field near it. But did they have enough stored to carry them through until next harvest?
Boaz looked out at the workers. “Has the young Moabitess made any fri
ends among our people?” he asked his overseer.
“All of them look upon her with respect and admiration.”
That was not what he’d asked, but Boaz understood the implication. Ruth was admired from a distance, much as his mother had been.
“What about the young men? Has she taken interest in anyone in particular?”
“She never leaves the company of the maidservants. She pays no attention to the men. Unlike some of our other young women, I’ve never seen Ruth do anything to draw attention to herself. She comes early to the field and works late. And she seems content with the work. I hear her singing with the maidservants.” Shamash smiled. “She always asks me to extend her thanks to you. Is there a reason you don’t speak with her yourself?”
“You know how people talk.” Boaz mounted his horse. “You like her, don’t you, Shamash?”
“Everyone admires her, Boaz. I’ve never known a young woman more worthy of praise. I haven’t heard a word said against her, even in the city.” Shamash looked out at the young woman working in the field. “She would make a good wife.”
Boaz felt a pang of discomfort. Was Shamash falling in love with Ruth? Boaz didn’t like the sinking feeling in his stomach. Should he begrudge another man happiness? Who knew better than he that a man alone was often lonely, even among friends. “A good wife is worth more than her weight in gold, Shamash. She is a crown on her husband’s head. The young woman out there would bring honor to any man.” He saw Ruth look up and averted his gaze. He was startled to find Shamash staring at him with an odd smile. Frowning slightly, Boaz gave a nod. “May the Lord bless you in your endeavors, Shamash.”
Shamash bowed. “And may the Lord grant you your heart’s desire, Boaz.”
It was a long ride back to Bethlehem. Boaz gave charge of his horse to a waiting servant and talked with the elders at the gate. He was occupied with various disputes and business affairs of the city until he saw the maidservants returning to the city. His pulse quickened when he saw Ruth among them. She was walking along the road with his girls, listening and smiling over their carefree chatter, but not joining in. He was startled when he saw Naomi pass by. She went out the gate to meet her daughter-in-law. They kissed one another in greeting and talked briefly as the other young women walked through the gate into Bethlehem. When Ruth and Naomi turned toward their humble home, Ruth glanced his way. She smiled and bowed her head respectfully. Naomi was looking at him. He looked away from the two women and forced himself to listen to the elders. What fine point of the Law had they been discussing? Closing his eyes for a moment, he pretended to be deep in thought, when in truth, he was trying to calm the wild gallop of his heart.
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