We’re into Ruth chapter 2 – Ruth, the “small story of two widows and a farmer in their out-of-the-way village.” (Peterson) And the next page in this story was forecast at the end of chapter 1:

They arrived in Bethlehem at the time of the barley harvest. (Ruth 1.22, MSG)

It’s hard to imagine anything more ordinary, but for Naomi and Ruth, it sets up the logical “next thing.”

One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, “I’m going to work; I’m going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly.” Naomi said, “Go ahead, dear daughter.” (Ruth 2.2, MSG)

Naomi and Ruth were destitute widows – no means of support. So Ruth wisely says, “I’m going to work.” And in Israel following a harvester and picking up leftovers was a good strategy. You see, there was this law…

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23.22, ESV)

“Leave them for the poor and sojourner…”

Guided, no doubt, by the sovereign hand of God, Ruth hits the jackpot:

And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech’s relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, “GOD be with you!” They replied, “And GOD bless you!” Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, “Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?” The foreman said, “Why, that’s the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. ‘Let me glean,’ she said, ‘and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.’ She’s been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break.” Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: “Listen, my daughter. From now on don’t go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don’t worry about a thing; I’ve given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled.” (Ruth 2.3 – 9, MSG)

We know God guided her – even Naomi, oops, Mrs. Bitter, recognized that they hadn’t been abandoned after all:

Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, she ended up with nearly a full sack of barley! She gathered up her gleanings, went back to town, and showed her mother-in-law the results of her day’s work; she also gave her the leftovers from her lunch. Naomi asked her, “So where did you glean today? Whose field? GOD bless whoever it was who took such good care of you!” Ruth told her mother-in-law, “The man with whom I worked today? His name is Boaz.” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Why, GOD bless that man! GOD hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!” (Ruth 2.17 – 20, MSG, emphasis mine)

And that sets us up for chapters 3 and 4 – stay tuned.

In the meantime, whatever your current state, remember:

GOD hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! (Ruth 2.20, MSG)