In The Book of Ruth, Chapter 2, we look at Ruth’s work as a gleaner, as she gleans in Boaz's field, who is Naomi's kinsman.
“And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.”
- Ruth 2:1 (KJV)
“Naomi had a kinsman:” Naomi was related to this man Boaz through her deceased husband, Elimelech. We don't know exactly how he was related, but he was.
“A mighty man of wealth:” During the time of famine, when Elimelech, Naomi, and their whole family had left the Promised Land and went to Moab, Boaz had stayed behind, and God provided for him. In fact, God made Boaz a mighty man of wealth.”
Naomi and her family made a choice ten years before and it was a choice made in a hard time, a time of famine. But they didn't have to make the wrong choice they did. The people of Bethlehem had not perished from hunger. They were still there. And they were blessed more than Naomi's family.
Sometimes we justify wrong choices because of difficult circumstances. But God will strengthen us, and bless us, to make the right choice, even in difficult circumstances.
“A kinsman:” This introduces an important word in the book of Ruth. To say that Boaz was a kinsman was more than saying he was a relative; it was saying that he was a special family representative. He was a chieftain in the family.
God bless!
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