GO GLEAN

• DAY 147
• FEAR FILE: RUTH
• SCRIPTURE: RUTH 2

“So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.”

Ruth 2:2-3 nkjv

No doubt what we know of Ruth so far proves that she’s a woman of faith and courage. In our conversation yesterday we discovered how persistent she was in fighting for a new beginning in a foreign land. In our text today she is in now in that land but there is a little problem.

Naomi and Ruth came to Judah with nothing. If you recall Naomi went with her husband and two sons to Moab when there was famine. She had not been back in over 10years so she had no cultivated field and stored grain. They came to Judah with whatever they had left from Moab.

if you’ve ever relocated you know that it is an expensive endeavor. From the trip to the settling down is enough expenses for anyone to want a fast paying gig or full-time job. These women had neither. it is in the reality of this that Ruth decides to go find a way to make ends meet.

Step Out

Going in search of a job, in a new country, with no strategy other than favour was a courageous move. She wasn’t going to just sit around in her home, hungry, because she was in the land of promise. She understood that the same faith she had to move is the same faith she needs to glean. She took note of her environment and realized that it was harvest season. She probably noticed that the reapers left something behind when they harvested. What she may not have known is that God instructed Israel saying:

“When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the fields, and do not go back to cut the heads of grain that were left; leave them for poor people and foreigners. The Lord is your God.” -Leviticus‬ ‭23‬:‭22‬ ‭GNT‬‬

I’m guessing that this was not the first time she left the house. She had to have known that going out to glean after the reapers would yield some profit. She was probably not the only foreigner, poor person or widow around, but that was not going to stop her. She needed food for her self and her mother-in-law and she took courage and stepped out. This courage is what we need today.

A couple times I’ve heard people say, I believe what God said for this season and they sit and do nothing. God said this season He will bless supply all your needs and you will have abundance but you refuse to pay attention to the “reapers” in your neighborhood. You’re believing God for a job but your CV hasn’t been written yet. You aren’t acquiring free knowledge littered everywhere, you aren’t applying for jobs or volunteering while you’re idle. You sit at home sleeping and eating and waiting for the reapers to come knock on your door.

Lazy Daisy

“Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let me announce to you that God hates laziness. If you are lazy, expect premium hunger. But if you are like Ruth and you take advantage of the little opportunities He has put before you, He will bless you with favour. And like Ruth, you will stumble upon a land that not only promises food but a future. Just as Ruth found Boaz.

Beloved, it’s gleaning season. So ask the Father to open your eyes to the opportunities you have been missing that you need to glean from. Repent from idleness, pride and laziness. And ask Him for grace to be diligent.

If you prayed that prayer, pay attention. Be diligent to observe and confirm everything that comes your way. May the Lord empower you in this season. In Jesus name.

Shalom.