A Foreigner's Table Continued

At mealtime Boaz said to her, Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar. When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

As we continue and conclude, we seek hearing ears, seeing eyes and a heart that is fully surrendered to God.

It is mealtime and Ruth has no meal of her own, as she gleans in the field of Boaz.
It is mealtime and Boaz and his workers all have a meal already prepared for them.
It is mealtime and the workers of Boaz are now all seated at table, however table comes to you, ready to eat to their hearts’ content.
It is mealtime, indicating that not one of the people belonging to Boaz will go hungry.

Remember, Ruth does not belong to Boaz for she is not one of his contracted workers. He owes her nothing and she owes him nothing. Yet, he does not sit down with his hired servant-workers and leave her out in the field at mealtime. Does Boaz, the boss man, send a gleaner to call her and invite her to share food with them? Unheard of! He does it all personally. What then does he do? We list his actions.

The Invitation – Come over here. Have some bread. She is called to leave the place where she is and come to the place where he is. She is not just invited to come where he is, just for the sake of leaving where she is. Not at all! Where he is, there’s food and she is invited to partake of some of his food.

The Inclusion - And dip it in the wine vinegar. She is included in the communal cup of wine vinegar. With her own unworthy hands, she is able to place her bread into the one cup and eat. Stop! Does this not send you wild inside? You are a foreigner, from a country that is held as an enemy and here is an intelligent, wealthy farmer, who does not just tolerate you scavenging in his field, but he includes you in his mealtime, treating you as one of his own precious workers.

The Integration - When she sat down with the harvesters. She does not face any kind of table segregation. Normally, gleaners and harvesters do not mix. It’s like having janitors, for example, sitting at table with executive office staff to have meals. There is oneness here, as no discrimination, no scorning and no segregation is practised at this table. They all sit together as one happy, working family - Hallelujah!

The Intimacy - He offered her some roasted grain. She is given much – liberty, freedom, friendship – all at this mealtime, but what transpires now, is nothing short of open, expressed love. He offers her some of the cooked grain. Think of it. She has been gleaning and has managed to salvage some stalks of grain so she has a little grain in her possession, but that is raw food, inedible food for the present. Boaz shows intimacy in many ways, but these two stand out prominently. He demonstrates intimacy in his care and concern for her being fed on the spot, then and there. He offers her cooked food. He also shows intimacy in ensuring and wanting her to be as he is, eating just what he is eating. Nothing different or of a lower grade for example, is brought for her. Roasted grain is his and he shares it with her. Wonderful!

The Insight - She ate all she wanted and had some left over. She is neither timid nor shy to receive such grace. She knows that she is an outsider; she knows that she deserves nothing of this good; she knows that Boaz is being extremely kind, loving and caring to her. She literally takes him at his word and eats as he has offered, with some remaining. Here is the intention. Ruth never took roasted grain, meaning that she never helped herself to it. Boaz gave her the grain and deliberately gave her more than she could ever eat at one sitting. He knew that there would be left overs. He knew that she would have some remaining to take back to her mother-in-law.

I ask you, as you were listening and seeing and hearing, has it not been Jesus, all the way for you? Jesus has seen you and me, total strangers, foreigners to truth and righteousness, most undeserving of His Table. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3: 12. And the Lord Jesus, full of Grace and Truth, saw our desperately hopeless plight and came Himself to invite us, include and integrate us at His Table with deep heartfelt intimacy and most profound insight.

The Lord still spreads a Table for the foreigner. Be fed and blessed! Amen!