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The Pleasure of Naomi
v. 18. And she took it up and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought forth, from a pocket or from a special package, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed, the amount of roasted grain which she had saved from her plentiful meal in the field.
v. 19. And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today, and where wroughtest thou? This was a question of astonishment at the large quantity brought home by Ruth, for gleaners usually got very little. Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee, showed her a friendly interest. Whosoever treated Ruth thus kindly and loaded her with presents must have intended to show his appreciation of her position and of her virtues. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, in whose field she had been busy all day, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz.
v. 20. And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead. Through the kindness of Boaz, God was showing mercy not only to the living, Naomi and Ruth, but also to the dead, namely, by providing so richly for the two widows. Naomi recognized God's hand to an extent which made her feel that this would not be the end of the interest which Boaz had taken in Ruth. Cf Gen_24:27. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen, one of those who had the right to redeem the land belonging to Elimelech by marrying the widow of his son. Cf Lev_25:25.
v. 21. And Ruth the Moabitess, without paying any attention to the hint in Naomi's words, which she probably did not understand at the time, said, He said unto me also, Thou shall keep fast by my young men until they have ended all my harvest. This permission to keep with the laborers of Boaz till the end of harvest safeguarded Ruth against rude treatment.
v. 22. And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, where safety was now assured, that they meet thee not in any other field, namely, that she might not be fallen upon and abused in other fields, where she was not protected in this manner.
v. 23. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley-harvest and of wheat-harvest, well through the first part of summer; and dwelt with her mother-in-law, always returning there when she came from gleaning in the evening. Her diligence did not relax, nor did she change her behavior on account of the favors shown her; she was as modest and unassuming as ever, her gentle and virtuous conduct being obvious to all. All such virtues, both those shown by Boaz and those found in Ruth, are fruits of true faith.