“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?
FOUR
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 friends 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.
* * *
Naomi studied Ruth’s manner each day when she returned home from gleaning in Boaz’s fields. She relished every detail Ruth told her about her time with the maidservants and reapers, and she was hungry to hear her every thought about Boaz. But Ruth said nothing about the landowner. She talked about the work and the pleasant maidservants. Sometimes she sang the songs she’d learned while working among them.
But now, Naomi had cause for hope. Today she had stood just inside the gate waiting for Ruth. Boaz hadn’t noticed her there, but she had been in a good position to watch the man. Oh, how his head had come up as his maidservants returned. She knew the moment he spotted Ruth.
“Does Boaz come often to the field?”
“He came four times this week and three times the week before that.”
Oh! Naomi thought with deepening satisfaction. The girl keeps count of the landowner’s visits! That was a good sign. “Does he speak with you each time?”
Ruth shook her head. “He hasn’t spoken with me since the first day when he gave me permission to glean. He’s a very busy man.”
“Ha. Not so busy he couldn’t show you a little courtesy.” She watched Ruth closely to see her reaction to such talk and was satisfied when Ruth protested.
“Oh, Mother, no. Boaz has shown me courtesy beyond measure. Was it not Boaz who made my work easy by telling his reapers to drop grain for me to glean? We’re both indebted to him for his kindness. Every grain of barley and wheat we have is due to his kindness.”
“You like him?”
Ruth lowered her eyes. “No more than all those who work in his fields.” She sat at the mouth of their cave, gazing out at Elimelech’s fallow field. “I wonder why he never married, Mother. How is it God has blessed this man with such prosperity but not given him a wife and sons?”
Naomi smiled to herself. Ruth saw past the plainness of the man to the lion’s heart of faith that beat in his breast. Why not test her a little more and see if her compassion could not be refined into tenderness of another kind? “There was never anything in his appearance to commend him.” When Ruth glanced back in surprise, Naomi hastened on. “A pity he is so homely.”
“He’s not handsome the way Mahlon was, but I don’t think he’s homely.”
“Did you find him the least attractive when you first saw him?”
Ruth blushed. “I never considered . . .” She shook her head. “Surely you’re not saying you think Boaz ugly.”
“Would I call a man ugly who puts grain in my hands? May it never be! But I won’t pretend to be blind either. Boaz is a good man, a man who lives the Law and doesn’t just preach it. But he’s wanting in the assets that would win a girl’s heart.”
“He has dignity and character.”
“Was it dignity and character that made you fall in love with my son? If Mahlon had been plain, short, and thin, would you have been attracted to him?”
“Mahlon was more than a handsome face, Mother. You know that as well as I.”
“We aren’t talking about love growing in the bonds of marriage, my dear. We’re talking about what you thought the first time you saw Mahlon striding along the streets of Kir-hareseth. God was merciful to my son. At least Mahlon knew the love of a good wife.” She shook her head. “Poor Boaz.” She clucked her tongue. “He has no one, and it’s too late now.”
Ruth looked troubled. “Why should it be too late?”
“He’s old.”
“Oh, Naomi!” Ruth laughed. “You were telling me yesterday that Abraham fathered Isaac when he was one hundred years old, and Boaz can’t be more than half that age.”
What a jewel Mahlon had received in this girl. If only Mahlon had given her a son, Naomi would not have so many worries. As it stood now, Mahlon’s name and the name of Elimelech would die out. Naomi couldn’t sit by and let it be so.
Oh, Elimelech, had you been stronger in faith, your sons would be gathering in the wheat from that field down there. You would be enjoying the inheritance God gave you. You would have claimed the promises and lived by
the Law and been blessed like Boaz. Instead, my beloved husband, you took us away from our inheritance and gave your life to dreams of wealth. And everything you worked so hard to gain for yourself is gone, used up, blown away like dust. Your life was as fruitless as that fallow field out there. There’s nothing to show for all the work you did. Even the fruit of your loins has died. You left nothing behind that will last.
And I’m angry, so angry with you, Elimelech. My very blood cries out against you for wasting our lives. I’m angry with myself because I was so easily swayed by your handsome face, your winning ways, your sweet words that went down and turned sour. You’ll never know the full extent of the pain you caused because you wanted to take the easier road rather than the right one.
But as God has forgiven me for my sins and brought me home, I forgive you, too. Because I loved you to the end, no matter the manner of man you were. And besides, you suffered more than anyone for the choices you made.
As much as Naomi had loved her husband, she knew better than anyone that Elimelech had never been the man Boaz was. Her husband had rejected the promises of God, left his land, brought up his sons in a foreign country. When Elimelech had died in Moab, he’d left his family stranded there. His two sons, the fruit of his loins, had taken foreign wives and died in Moab. Through eyes of love, Naomi could see the truth. Elimelech had sinned against God, cast blame on Him for the consequences, and looked out for himself rather than repent. Her husband had believed he could prosper by his own power.
Oh, the foolishness of man.
Boaz was the other side of the coin. He’d chosen to stay in Bethlehem during the hard years when God was punishing His stiff-necked people for bowing down to the baals. He’d claimed the promises of God and lived an upright life before the Lord. And God had blessed him for his steady, stubborn faith. Boaz was wealthy now, a man of high standing in Bethlehem. He sat at the city gate with the elders and made decisions that affected the entire city. Yet he hadn’t become puffed up with pride because of his exalted position. Humility was his mantle. He looked out for others less fortunate, even a young widow from Moab.
The cry of Elimelech had always been “God has abandoned us, so I will provide!” Boaz’s life made his declaration: “God is my provider, and I will trust in Him.”
Surely the wife of such a man would have cause for rejoicing. Naomi wanted Ruth to be happy. She wanted this precious girl, who had given up everything to take care of an aging mother-in-law, to have joy!
But there was a problem.
Boaz was not the only relative left. Naomi had learned during her visits in town that there was another man more closely related to her than Boaz. A younger man that made the women roll their eyes and smile.
A man like Elimelech.
* * *
Ruth was disturbed by what Naomi had said about Boaz. When he came to the field the next day, she watched him surreptitiously and felt a strange tenderness for him. Everyone respected him and had great affection for him, but it was the kind they would have for a father or an older brother.
Had any woman ever looked upon Boaz with love? Had the mere sight of him walking by stirred any woman’s heart with passion the way hers had been stirred for Mahlon? She couldn’t imagine it, and that saddened her. How old was Boaz? Fifty? Sixty?
The poor man. For all his wealth, what did he have that would last?
Oh, Lord, God of Israel, don’t let the name of Boaz die out.
She watched him talking with Shamash and thought he looked so solemn. Did he ever laugh? What did he do when he wasn’t checking on the progress in his fields, seeing that his servants were well cared for, or serving the community by making heavy decisions at the gate? He had friends, but could he confide in them as he would a woman who loved him? What were his dreams? She had seen the sorrow in his eyes. Was it a sorrow born of having no one who cared enough to look beneath the rugged casing of the man into his heart and spirit?
He must have sensed her attention, for he glanced her way. Her feelings of tenderness swelled, and she smiled, giving him a nod of respect, and quickly looked down. She had cause to be thankful that God had led her to this field and this man. When she glanced up, sensing his perusal, Boaz looked away. One of the maidservants noticed the silent exchange and gave her a curious look. When she spoke to another close by, Ruth felt the heat climb into her cheeks. Did these young women think she was showing an inappropriate interest in their master? He was a rich man, after all. There were women who would want to be his wife for that reason alone, without thought to his feelings.
Shaken, Ruth kept her attention on her work for the rest of the day. She didn’t want her interest in Boaz to be misinterpreted. Gossip could destroy her reputation and cause him embarrassment. She would keep her eyes off the man and pray for him instead.
Oh, Lord, God of mercy, remember this man for his kindness toward the less fortunate. Let his name be held in esteem not for this generation only, but for generations to come, for surely Boaz is Your faithful servant. He proclaims Your name with every opportunity. He is a man who desires to please and obey You. Oh, Jehovah-jireh, this lonely man has been a tool of Your mercy and provision. I know You are enough, but surely a man such as this one was not meant to be alone. May it please You to give him whatever his heart desires. . . . Oh, Lord, oh, Lord . . .
She prayed unceasingly for her benefactor. She thought of little else but Boaz while she worked in his field.
And the more she prayed for him and thought about him, the more she saw his goodness.
* * *
Naomi prayed fervently as well. She set her grief aside in favor of her love for Ruth and a desire to see her daughter-in-law settled somewhere better than in this cave. Naomi knew it was time she stopped grieving and started to live again, no matter how painful the effort. It was time to take a good hard look at her own life instead of attending Elimelech’s mistakes. Nothing she supposed would happen had happened. Hadn’t she left Kir-hareseth expecting to travel back to Bethlehem alone? And Ruth had come with her. Hadn’t she expected to be destitute? And Ruth worked in the fields to sustain her. Hadn’t she expected all her friends and family to be dead or gone away? And she’d found half a dozen women she’d known and Boaz, as well as another relative.
Boaz was attracted to Ruth. Anyone who bothered to study the man would know. Naomi also knew him well enough to realize he wouldn’t speak up and make any attempts to win her. The man’s hair would go white and fall out entirely before he allowed his feelings to show openly.
And Ruth would go on dedicating her life to providing for her poor old mother-in-law. She would work until her back was bent and her womb dry. She’d slave away until Naomi had gone the way of her ancestors. Then what would happen to the poor girl? Should Naomi sit by and watch Ruth dedicate her life to gleaning rather than running a household and raising up children for the Lord? Should she do nothing about Ruth’s future? Wasn’t it a mother’s place to stoke the fires a little? Who else but her and God would care about the future of this precious young woman?
So, Lord, what are we going to do about her? How do we shake up that quiet old man and get his blood moving again? If we wait on him, what chance is there?
Supposing she did think up a plan that would turn Boaz’s head. Would Ruth agree to carry it through—whatever it was? Ruth would have to agree!
Naomi spent the next days and nights thinking about Ruth’s future and what a good husband Boaz would make. Toward the end of the wheat harvest, she thought of a plan so bold it was certain to capture Boaz’s attention. Just imagining his reaction made Naomi laugh. But would Ruth trust her judgment? Would her daughter-in-law heed the advice of an old woman who’d made so many mistakes it might seem a way of life?
In the confusion of her feelings, Naomi could not be sure about her motives. She knew only that the Lord could sort it all out and make things right. She loved Ruth as she would a daughter of her own womb and wanted to see her happily settled, but she also wanted
a grandson to claim Mahlon’s inheritance and carry on his name. She wanted to make amends to Boaz for the pain she had caused him when she was a young girl. And what better way to do that than by offering him a beautiful young wife with many years of childbearing ahead of her?
Was it right to ask so much of God when she’d spent most of her life walking behind Elimelech?
Ruth and Boaz. Boaz and Ruth. Don’t You think they’re right for each other, Lord? I grant she is much younger than he, but what better blessing to give a righteous man like Boaz than a quiver full of children in his old age? And what children they would have! You would not see their sons and daughters bowing down to baals!
She pleaded their case to the Almighty and longed for an answer. How fortunate Moses had been to hear The Voice from a burning bush. Naomi knew better than to expect God to give her an audible answer, but she couldn’t trust any of her friends with the questions tormenting her. Was this plan right before God? If it wasn’t, what might be the cost to Ruth?
Let the cost be on my head, Lord.
* * *
When the harvest came to an end, Naomi knew the plan had to be put into action now or never. Boaz had been given plenty of time to notice Ruth’s virtues, and Ruth had great respect for him.
“My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. I intend to find a husband for you and get you happily married again.”
Ruth laughed. “And who would marry someone like me?”
“The man I’m thinking of is Boaz.”
“Boaz!” Ruth spilled some of the grain she was pouring into an earthen container and stared at her. “You can’t be serious!”
“I know he’s old . . .”
“He’s not old.”
“Homely, then. Is that why you object?”
“Mother, he’s the most respected man in all Bethlehem! He stands among the elders at the gate! He’s a rich man with land and servants!”
“All the more reason to consider him.”