Under Whose Wings Thou Art Come to Trust (Ruth 2:12)

2022-10-07

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. (Ruth 2:12)

Ruth’s faith in the LORD is seen in her actions. With her husband dead, she could have returned to her parents until she remarried. It would have been the easy choice. She was referred to as a “damsel” in Ruth 2:5; she still would have been quite young. But she left her nation, Moab, the people of Lot whose God was the abomination Chemosh, to a place that was completely different. She would have to be the provider, as the men of the family were dead. It was a life of toil, and if she had not already, the widow quickly learned to trust the Lord.

Boaz, though he blessed her in word in this verse, also became the Lord’s instrument of blessing. “And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (James 2:16). His faith is seen in his actions, just as in the case of Ruth. For example, she could help herself among sheaves, which is more than just gleaning the fields, and purposefully left behind of the crops for her to have.

The faith of Boaz and Ruth again are shown in the naming of their son, Obed. His name means “serving.” The pair had a life of service to the Lord in a very practical sense. Their descendant, David, would have carried on the family tradition, first as shepherd, and then as king. And a further descendant would be the greatest servant of all. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).