Runneth Over

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reaper; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. Ruth 2:14

Every book of the Bible is connected with every other book in the Bible. The same is true with the book of Ruth, especially in regard to the Psalms.

I was struck when I was reading in Ruth 2:14 about how Boaz asked Ruth, a poor widowed foreigner, to share in the food from his table. I wonder if David thought about this story about his great-grandmother when he wrote in the Psalms “my cup runneth over.” As the youngest son of many brothers, he would understand what it felt like to be treated as unimportant; the least of many. David was a shepherd, which was one of the lowliest occupations. (Remember that if you feel you are in a job that’s beneath you.) Yet, our mighty, wise, all-knowing God chose him to be the greatest of all earthly kings. But not just that, he was a “man after God’s own heart.”

I get so excited over the book of Ruth because not only is it a beautiful true love story, but the entire thing also represents what Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is doing for us. The parallels are many. After telling Ruth not to go into other fields because of danger (sound familiar?), he directs her to drink the same water that his servants provide. Then in Ruth 2:14, he invites her to eat bread with him, as he serves her. Can you think of another Man Who offered a woman living water? The Samaritan woman was considered foreign to the Jews. She was most likely seen even lower because she was living in sin. But Jesus reached out to her at the well.

So the next time you read Ruth, put yourself in her place and think to the time when He offered you living water.

Heavenly Father, You never see anyone as too low to reach. I know that because You rescued me. Helped me to never see myself as above others. Help me to have Your heart for the hurting and the lost.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen