May 23 - Fruits of Generosity
May 23
Fruits of Generosity
Bible Reading: Ruth 2:1-3
1There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. 2So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
Ruth 2:8-18
8Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 13Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.” 14Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.
A LONG TIME ago, in a land far away, a famine occurred. Many people began to starve.
A woman named Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and her two sons decided to leave their home and go to a neighboring country where food wasn't so hard to find. There, in a country called Moab, the two sons met and married a couple of the local women--Ruth and Orpah. During their stay in Moab, Naomi's husband died. About ten years later, her sons also died, leaving Naomi in a strange land with no husband and no sons. Naomi decided to go back to the home she had left, to Judah.
She told Ruth and Orpah of her plans and said, "Go back to your mothers' homes instead of coming with me. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me" (Ruth 1:8). She kissed them good-bye, and the three women cried together. Orpah turned back to return to her mother's home, but Ruth did not. She insisted on staying with Naomi, even if it meant going to a strange land.
Ruth and Naomi were poor, and they arrived in Judah with nothing. But it was harvesttime, and God had commanded his people to allow those who needed food to go out to the fields after the harvest and gather whatever grain had been left on the ground. (See Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22.) Ruth went to the field of a man named Boaz and picked up enough grain for her and Naomi.
Boaz noticed Ruth and, after asking around, learned her story. He told Ruth to help herself to the water from his well. He invited her to eat lunches with him and his field hands. He told his workers, "Leave extra grain on the ground for her to gather. Don't give her a hard time."
Ruth and Naomi were overwhelmed by the generosity of Boaz and, to make a long story short, Ruth and Boaz were later married. And they lived happily ever after.
A little generosity can go a long, long way. When we are generous, God can bless us in ways we would never imagine. Boaz's generosity to Ruth gained him her love and respect, which resulted in a successful marriage. But the story didn't end there. Ruth and Boaz had a son, and their son became the grandfather of King David, the second king of Israel. David had another famous descendant--Jesus, the Savior of the world.
It's amazing what a little generosity can do, don'tcha think?
REFLECT: Do you think Boaz would have been happier if he had been greedy? Why or why not? How did God reward Boaz's generosity? Have you ever enjoyed the blessings of being generous?
ACT: Why not start a generosity campaign by giving away unneeded or unused items? (Be sure to ask your parents' permission first.)
PRAY: "God, thanks for Boaz's example. Thanks for the way you blessed Boaz and for the way you bless me."