God had commanded farmers in Israel not to harvest at the corners of their fields so that the poor and needy could pick up enough leftover food to live. As a foreigner and a widow, Ruth was eligible to glean the fields and gather money for no payment. Alone in Judah, this was the only option available to Naomi and Ruth.

“As it turned out” she ended up in Boaz’s field. This was not her plan, but it was evidently God’s plan. Boaz took her under his wing, allowing her to stay in his field rather than roaming from field to field as would normally be the case. He does this because he has heard of Ruth’s great love for Naomi and her trust in the Lord. Already, her faithfulness and sacrifice are reaping a blessing.

God’s first blessing for Ruth meets her immediate needs – for food and physical safety – and the Lord uses faithful Boaz as a channel of blessing to Ruth. In turn, Ruth becomes a channel of blessing for Naomi, ensuring that she, too has her immediate needs met.

Just as Naomi did, we too can ask for God to bless us. Every prayer in this book is a prayer asking for blessing and God answered every one of them.

Like Ruth and Boaz, we can also be a channel of God’s blessing to others. What opportunities do you have to bless others? Everybody finds themselves in need at some point in their lives, whether it is material need, practical need or emotional need. As a community of believers, may we be committed to becoming a channel of God’s blessing to those around us.

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NEWBOLD BAPTIST CHURCH