sitting at his feet
“Then Ruth continued gleaning in the field until evening. Then she winnowed out the barley she had gathered, and it yielded up about an ephah’s worth of grain.” (Ruth 2:17-18).
The story of Ruth provides an excellent example of the connection between spending time in God’s presence and receiving material provision. Naomi was married to Elimelech. He had two married sons. Elimelech died and ten years later both sons also died. Ruth was married with one son.
The other daughter-in-law went back to her family, but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi, despite Naomi’s encouragement. The only way to continue the family line would have been for Ruth to marry another son or a direct relative. Now, through a practice known as Kinsman Redeemer, Ruth could be married to a relative of the family. Times were difficult and most people earned their living from farming. Naomi had a relative named Boaz who was a prominent landowner and farmer. He sent Ruth to glean in Boaz’s fields all day long, hoping to pick up extra grain left by the harvesters.
Ruth remained in the fields all day and produced only one ephah of grain. It’s a picture of sweat and hard work for very little return.
However, something happens later in the story. Naomi realizes that Ruth can only have any kind of future if a relative comes to her rescue. He instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz would be and sit quietly at Boaz’s feet the whole night. This would be a signal to dedicate her life to Boaz. He must exercise his authority to become his relative’s savior.
Later, Boaz sends Ruth home and takes the necessary steps to become her savior. But before sending him home, he gives him six ephahs of barley – six times as much as he would have got from spending the whole day in the fields.
Friend, if we want to be successful in fulfilling God’s destiny in our lives, we must live a life of intimate worship and devotion to Jesus. Why not start spending more time at the feet of Jesus.
