Leftovers

“And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind someone in whose eyes I find favor.’” Ruth 2:2.

To give some history on this process, the Israelites were instructed by God long before this set of circumstances to open their fields to the foreigners, fatherless and widowed. ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’ Lev. 23:22.

Imagine the humility and courage it took for Ruth to approach the fields in a foreign land where she was considered tarnished. (1 Kings 11:1 - They were forbidden to intermarry with the Moabites.) She had arrived as someone who wasn’t worthy of introduction. Yet, in an effort to care for her mother-in-law, she places aside her own dignity to gather some provisions for them – now that is grace. She acquires Naomi’s blessing to avoid embarrassing her and places one courageous foot in front of the other. She reaches out to grab what the law has provided her with as a foreigner. Notice that although the law provides for her as a widowed foreigner she still feels that she may require the favor of someone in the field. This tells me that throughout history, those belonging to God sometimes do not act in that way. They know the commands but seem to find loopholes around them. Many hoard their resources and refuse to give…could these gleanings around the edges be compared to the 10% tithe we are to set aside? God gives us our fields and only asks for a small percentage to be left untouched for the benefit of others.

God’s heart is so tender that He even provides for those who are foreign to His family. His hope is that no one should perish but all should have eternal life in His family. (John 3:16) He commanded those with fields of resources to leave provisions around the edges for which others could be fed. Today, we must reap our harvest making room for others. We never know the circumstances for which others come into our lives, but with a command like this one, we must build our fields with reserve for the needy, the lonely and all people who come hungry.

‘For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field…’ 1 Co. 3:9. …do not reap to the very edges of your field!