Gleaning and Grieving by Brother Curtis Hansen

         This morning, we are going to go to the book of Ruth and the 1st chapter. We will begin at verse 19. Now, everyone here is pretty familiar with the story of Ruth where she did some work out in the field and a guy named Boaz spotted her. A bit of a quick summary to be sure, but what we are going to do is go about the story from another direction.

        19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

        20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me

        21 I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

        22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the harvest.

       We are going to speak a little about the work of gleaning. Ruth's primary job in the story was her ability to glean. Gleaning is more than just an act, it can also be a mindset. As what Jesus said "Seek and ye shall find" gleaning is similar and applies to different aspects of life away from our relationship with God. If you are gleaning you are seeking. Ruth was gleaning the fields to find sustenance after she and her mother in law Naomi arrived back in Bethlehem. Naomi in turn was gleaning grief and sorrow given what had transpired in Moab with the loss of her husband and her sons. Naomi was so upset, she changed her name to Mara which is translated as bitter.

        It is easy to come to fellow christians proclaiming the truth when things are going well in your life. So easy, we can be obnoxious about it, even self-righteous. A lot of the time though, when there is a profound tragedy like the death of a spouse or child, the whole perspective of the confident christian is upended. There are men and women who were of the faith, sometimes confident in their faith now on their own, quitting their relationship with God due to a tragedy in their life. In our walk we are called to be a servant, but we should be wise in our servitude. If your spirit cup is not full nor your defenses up when you go into the world to work, the strife and pressures of the world and sometimes your own family will drain your spirit dry.

        So, we established what Naomi's name change meant in English. The name Naomi is translated to pleasantness. The name of Boaz means swiftness. Let us start reading chapter 2 of Ruth.

        And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

        2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

        3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

        4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.

        5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

        6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:

        7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

        8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

        9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

        Verse 9 explains the favor Boaz shows Ruth. On the whole it is quite the favor.

        10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

        There's a difference between gleaning and grief. There is no time established in the book of Ruth how long the women had been in Bethlehem. Ruth went out to work and find grace in verse 2. 

        11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

        Gleaning in the biblical period what was left behind was given for the poor, the widow, and the foreigner to pick up. Sometimes we can take a blessing of God and call it a curse. There are those gleaners who are always sunny and have a positive perspective. It is far easier to glean negativity. It is easier to take things and break them apart. You cannot glean through garbage and complain about the stench afterwards.

        The question to ask this morning is are you good at gleaning? There are parts of our life where we need to glean on a consistent basis. Look at verse 11 again and then verse 12 below.

        12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

        Both verses summarize why Ruth was attractive to Boaz. It was Ruth's integrity and character as well as her actions in chapter 1. This is why Boaz had moved Ruth to the front and given her favor. It is an answer that was touched upon in verse 2.

        Grief can overtake gleaning if you allow it. Ruth wasn't praying for a blessing or direction from God, she just went to work hoping for grace and favor. Gleaning and seeking are similar in that you will reap what you find. There are professed christians ignorant of church and its culture because they don't go to church. Ruth went out and remained. The character Ruth had is why she found favor. It wasn't going by her looks or romantic gestures like the tropes of the world. We may feel good in our life and not be favored by God. Favor comes from obedience of God's law. Negativity is everywhere and can happen at a moment's notice. Bitterness is a choice we have in life. We can choose sin, be bitter, ignore the areas of our life God wants us to purge and to clean out. 

        What are we looking for in the world that we glean? What do we pick up? That's a challenge for you this coming week.