Ruth 2

“So she … gleaned in the field after the reapers …” (2:3).  Like Ruth, Boaz was a bright light in a dark era.  Old Testament law was apparently followed in Bethlehem, so women like Ruth might pick up grain left behind by reapers (Lev 19:9).  Boaz also protected her, acknowledging the vulnerability of young women in the fields (2:8,22).  In this small region, God’s laws to protect widows, the poor, and foreigners were actually obeyed.

Living in wicked times is no excuse.  We are always called to live out God’s love, especially for “the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow” (Deut 24:19).