When Boaz asks about Ruth, his servant tells him that she is the one who came to town with Naomi. When he talks to Ruth, it sounds like her reputation had preceded her. He was particularly generous to her, and it seems that his generosity might have been because he was impressed by what he knew of her.
Certainly, her loyalty to Naomi and her devotion to God left a good impression. Additionally, he was told that she had been working hard all day. All of this leads to the scene when Ruth goes to Boaz, privately. He praises her: “all my townspeople know you to be a worthy woman.” (Ruth 3:11)
The entire story also paints a picture of Boaz as a man of great character. He seems to treat his workers with great respect. When he comes to the field where they are working, he greets them saying, “The Lord be with you.” (Ruth 2:4) Then he inquires about Ruth, and seems to be instantly compassionate toward her plight. He also admires her loyalty to Naomi, and her devotion to God. When Naomi explains to Ruth that Boaz is a relative who might be a “redeemer” (which we’ll talk about later this week) and Ruth goes to him, Boaz treats her honorably and takes responsibility for her. He decides that if the one relative who is ahead of him in line doesn’t marry her and care for her and Naomi, Boaz will, and he does.
Throughout the story, we see two people who are true to Jewish law and customs, and who are kind to one another. It is such simple acts of character that have such a big impact in people’s lives. To me, this is what we mean when we talk about holiness. I think, sometimes, it’s easy to lose track of the little day-to-day actions that ultimately comprise our character and bring us closer to holiness. The Book of Ruth is a nice example for us.
Lord God, thank you for these stories in the Bible that give us examples of life well-lived. Help us learn to attend to the little details of our lives each day as we strive for holiness.