Day 2: God's Hand in Our Luck ( Ruth 2:1-13)

The second day of my Ruth study was just as excellent as the first one! The focus of the day two study was Ruth meeting Boaz--a humble daughter of the King meeting a worthy knight holding the key to her heart. The name Boaz means "strength" and fits Boaz well! He was not only a man of God, but a man who lived that out. As a wealthy businessman, he could have been selfish, prideful, stingy, and controlling. Yet, instead, Boaz radiated humility, generosity, character, and the love of Jesus Christ. We see that he was attracted to Ruth, but for the right reasons. So many times, we see men and women attracted to each other solely on the physical level. Not in this case. Ruth was humbly picking up leftover wheat in Boaz's field. She would have been hot, sweaty, and filthy--not exactly how we women picture ourselves looking when we meet our future husbands! But Ruth's physical appearance wasn't Boaz's first priority. He looked much deeper than that--he looked at her faith, her actions, and her character. The next moves Boaz made were the actions of a true man, a man who desires to be worthy and who is in love with Christ. He offers Ruth fellowship with other women. He offers her protection by warning the other men not to lay a hand on her. He meets her physical needs by offering her water and a constant place to find food. And just to top it all off, her prays for her! That is enough to make any woman's heart melt. :) As a young single woman desiring to serve God with my life, become inwardly beautiful, and marry a Godly man someday, the exchange between Ruth and Boaz along with the providence of God amazes me. When I am tempted to spend more time beautifying my outside than my inside, follow the world, or give up believing that there are truly Godly men out there, I simply have to remember Ruth's story. Ruth really had nothing going for her. She was dirty, poor, foreign, a new Christian, a widow, and also a "package deal" that came with her bitter mother-in-law. Yet, she focused on obeying God and Boaz noticed. The respect and honor Boaz offers Ruth is that of a worthy man. He paints a picture of the Gospel: Ruth is "unworthy," Boaz is "worthy." Yet, Boaz is the one who gives immensely to Ruth and shows her love even though she has nothing to offer. What a parallel to what our Lord has done for us! Wow. God's providence is seen so clearly throughout this story. What could have been seen as many "coincidences" were really the many threads of a beautiful tapestry He was weaving! I find this story to be so compatible with my life today. I am so thankful God knew/knows just what I am needing. Maybe someday He will send me a knight--my "modern-day Boaz." :)