Read: Ruth 2:4-17
And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. (v. 14)
Up to this point in the book of Ruth, things have not been going well for our heroine. Ruth’s husband has died, as has his brother and father. She and Naomi, her mother-in-law, have been left with nothing in her homeland of Moab. Instead of returning to her father’s home, Ruth has clung to Naomi, supporting her in her trip back to Bethlehem in Israel. They are destitute widows with no money and little to eat. Their future certainly looks bleak.
But God provides for these women through the generosity of a landowner named Boaz. Ruth comes to his fields during the harvest, hoping to glean the grain that the reapers leave behind. But when Boaz asks about her, he discovers that Ruth is the Moabite daughter-in-law who is caring for his kinswoman Naomi. Realizing her poverty, Boaz takes several steps to give her protection and hospitality. She is invited to sit at the table with the harvesters and to eat her fill. Boaz tells his people to watch over her, and to even leave grain on purpose for her to glean. His generosity goes far beyond what is expected towards a poor, foreign stranger.
This spirit of generosity goes hand in hand with true hospitality. As we love others and open our homes to them, we need to remember “to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:18). Let’s follow Boaz’s example of hospitality with a generous spirit. —Laura N. Sweet
As you pray, ask God to give you a generous spirit.
About the Author
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian schoolteacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
