Enter Boaz
Boaz looked toward the rising sun. Finally, his crops were flourishing, and his part of the tribe was finally enjoying a time of peace. The rooster crowed, and Miriam next door called to her children. It caused an old ache to return.
Yahweh had blessed him abundantly. With the abundance of barley to be harvested, his fields would provide for many families. He valued the respect and loyalty his servants paid him. They were like an extended family. But he longed for his own, and it seemed Yahweh was slow on his promises.
Barley harvest, what excitement! Boaz enjoyed being in the middle of it all. He also thrived being near the city gate to hear the latest news. One day, the old butcher stopped him.
“Did you hear?” he asked. “Naomi has returned, Elimelech’s widow.”
“In truth?”
“Yes, in truth, they had such hard times.”
The butcher’s neighbour joined in. “She’s changed her name. Wants to be called Mara.”
“Yep, the name Naomi doesn’t work anymore. Says there is nothing left to be pleasant about,” said the butcher.
Boaz continued to walk on.
“But there is more,” said the butcher’s neighbour. “She didn’t come back alone.”
“What do you mean?” Boaz asked.
The butcher grabbed his arm.
“She brought back a girl from Moab, Mahlon’s widow.”
Boaz left the two men and continued until he came upon a group of women talking.
“God’s blessing be upon you,” he said.
“And to you, oh Boaz, did you hear about Naomi?”
“Yes, and I hear she has returned with Mahlon’s widow,” he said.
“Naomi, I mean Mara, says she doesn’t know what she would do without her. She is such a hard worker.”
The next morning, Boaz girded on his sandals and left Bethlehem for the fields. Already the men were sweating beneath the heat of the sun as they cut through the stalks of grain, bits of dust settling in their hair and beards.
“The Lord be with you!” said Boaz.
“The Lord bless you,” they answered.
“Elon, gather this bundle and take it to your mother,” said his chief servant to the young boy chasing another lad in the field. The boy was quick to respond and took the bundle to his mother who tied it up.
Boaz looked about him. Several women were tying the bundles brought by the children. Everyone worked together during barley harvest. Beyond them, he recognized a few widows and the poor of his village. God was good. He had ensured care for those often forgotten by society, in His law. If a worker left a sheaf in the field, he wasn’t to go back for it; that was for the poor, the widow or the foreigner. Then he noticed one he did not recognize. His pulse quickened.
“Whose maiden is this?” he asked.
“That is the Moabite girl who came back with Naomi from the land of Moab. She asked if she could glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. From first light this morning she has been working, except for a little rest in the house.”
