Septuagint (LXX): apoteisai (3SAAO) kurios ten ergasian sou kai genoito (3SAMO) o misthos sou pleres  para kuriou theou Israel pros on elthes (2SAAI) pepoithenai (RAN) hupo tas pterugas autou 

MAY THE LORD REWARD YOUR WORK AND YOUR WAGES BE FULL FROM THE LORD: (1Sa 24:19; Ps 19:11; 58:11; Pr 11:18; 23:18; Mt 5:12; 6:1, 10:41, 10:42; Lk 6:35; 14:12, 13, 14; Col 2:18; 2Ti 1:18; 4:8; Heb 6:10; 11:6, 11:26)

BOAZ PRAYS
AUDIBLY
FOR RUTH

Boaz prays for Ruth and he himself becomes part of God’s answer! In Ruth 3:9 (note) we see a similar metaphor used by Ruth as she appeals to Boaz to assume the role of her kinsman redeemer...

And he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering (Hebrew = kanaph = wing here in Ru 2:12) over your maid, for you are a close relative (Goel = a Kinsman-Redeemer)."

And so we see that God provides Ruth with a kinsman-redeemer (Boaz) and a son Obed who is in the line of David and ultimately the Messiah (her wages were certainly "full").

Notice how God often uses one who prays as His agent to answer that prayer. Boaz was the human agent for both the present and future recompense for Ruth. If you pray for others to be blessed by God, do not be surprised if God asks you, as He did Boaz, to give of yourself and your substance to provide the blessing for others.

Reward (07999) (maskoreth) conveys the basic idea of engaging the services of a person in return for pay. The Septuagint translates with the Greek word (misthos) which is often used in the sense of a reward to be received in the hereafter. In the Revelation the greater Kinsman-Redeemer says...

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward (misthos) is with Me, to render to every man (and woman) according to what he has done. (Rev 22:12-note)  

As the psalmist records

Surely there is a reward for the righteous. Surely there is a God who judges on earth! (Ps 58:11)

But Jesus also warned us that one's motive will radically affect one's reward

Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (Mt 6:1-note cf 1Co 4:5)

Paul in some of his last recorded words spoke of a reward reminding us that

In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved (present tense = continuous, habit of one's life) His appearing. (2Ti 4:8-note)

Who will receive the crown of righteousness according to Paul?

What does the writer of Hebrews add? 

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6-note)

What then can one conclude about Ruth but that she had faith and was righteous because of her faith.

The writer of Hebrews also encouraged the afflicted Hebrew saints much like Boaz had encouraged Ruth writing that

God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. (Heb 6:10-note) 

Ruth's attitude and actions parallel those of Moses who

by faith...when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin" for he considered "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (Heb 11:24, 25, 26-note)

Working in the vineyard,
Working all the day,
Never be discouraged,
Only watch and pray;
Do your duty nobly,
Heart and hand unite,

Minding the watchword,
Stand by the right,
Minding the watchword,
Stand by the right.”
--Fanny Crosby--

Be full (08003) (shalam) is from the Hebrew root which denotes perfection in the sense that a condition or action is "complete." The concept of meeting one's obligation in full. Boaz knew what Ruth had done for man, and what she had given up for God. Hers, as he now assured her, would be recompense for the one, and a full reward of the other, and that from Jehovah, the God of Israel, under Whose wings she had come to trust. 

Boaz's words are reminiscent of the encouraging words God spoke to Abram saying

Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great. (Ge 15:1)

Shalam - 27v in OT - Gen. 15:16; 33:18; 34:21; Deut. 25:15; 27:6; Jos. 8:31; Ruth 2:12; 1Ki. 6:7; 8:61; 11:4; 15:3, 14; 2Ki. 20:3; 1Chr. 12:38; 28:9; 29:9, 19; 2Chr. 8:16; 15:17; 16:9; 19:9; 25:2; Pr 11:1; Is 38:3; Amos 1:6, 9; Nah 1:12

The NAS renders shalam as blameless(1), complete(1), completed(1), completely(1), devoted(4), entire(2), friendly(1), full(4), just(1), perfect(2), prepared(1), safely(1), uncut(2), whole(5), wholeheartedly(1), wholly(4).

The Septuagint translates shalam with the Greek adjective pleres which means filled up (as opposed to empty) as of a hollow vessel, and speaks of a totality of something or someone with nothing lacking -- complete, in full, wholly filled.

John Butler writes that...

Boaz prayed that Ruth would be given all the reward due her. He prayed that her cup would be filled to the top. She had been "full" in her consecration in coming to Judah, and a full consecration will bring a "full" compensation. "Full" obedience brings "full" reward. Many cut short their reward because they do not fully obey; they do not fully dedicate themselves to God's work. If you have not been "full" in obedience and dedication, do not complain if your reward is small. You have only yourself to blame. (Ruth Ancestress of Christ)

All believers would do well to emulate Ruth's sterling example (cp He 6:12-note, He 13:7-) and follow Paul's exhortation that in

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ Whom you serve. (Col 3:23, 24-see notes)

THE GOD OF ISRAEL UNDER WHOSE WINGS YOU HAVE COME TO SEEK REFUGE: (Click for over 30 Hymns relating to God as our Refuge)

The ICB translates it "You have come to Him (Jehovah) as a little bird finds shelter under the wings of its mother."

the LORD God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter (GWT)

under whose wings you have come to take cover (BBE)

to whom you have come for protection! (TEV)

GOD'S WINGS
OF REFUGE

No one is more secure
than the one who rests in God's hands.
or
Under His wings!

Play & watch...
On Eagle's Wings
or
On Eagle's Wings by Maureen Derry

Wings (03671) (kanaph) is a noun used to describe a wing, a skirt or corner of a garment. Kanaph conveys the basic meaning of to cover. It is used in Scripture as a beautiful illustration of several facets of Jehovah's care for His children.

Kanaph - 85v in the OT (Would you like to be encouraged? Then go through the Scriptures in Psalms) - Ge 1:21; 7:14; Ex 19:4; 25:20; 37:9; Lv. 1:17; Num. 15:38; Dt. 4:17; 22:12, 30; 27:20; 32:11; Ruth 2:12; 3:9; 1Sa 15:27; 24:4f, 11; 2Sa 22:11; 1Ki 6:24, 27; 8:6, 7; 2Chr 3:11, 12, 13; 5:7, 8; Job 37:3; 38:13; 39:13, 26;

Ps 17:8; 18:10; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 68:13; 78:27; 91:4; 104:3; 139:9; 148:10; Pr 1:17; 23:5; Eccl 10:20; Isa. 6:2; 8:8; 10:14; 11:12; 18:1; 24:16; Je 2:34; 48:40; 49:22; Ezek 1:6, 8, 9, 11, 23, 24, 25; 3:13; 5:3; 7:2; 10:5, 8, 12, 16, 19, 21; 11:22; 16:8; 17:3, 7, 23; 39:4, 17; Da 9:27; Ho 4:19; Hag 2:12; Zec 5:9; 8:23; Mal 4:2

The NAS renders kanaph as bird(1), corner(1), corners(4), covering(1), each other(1), edge(5), edges(1), ends(3), fold(2), garment(1), kind(3), skirt(3), skirts(1), sorts(1), wing(14), winged(5), wings(59), wingspan(1).

My God, how excellent Thy grace,
Whence all our hope and comfort spring!
The sons of Adam in distress
Fly to the shadow of Thy wing.
--Isaac Watts

The TWOT explains that...

Only ten of the occurrences of this noun literally refer to a bird. Of these ten references, in at least eight “wing” is used to qualify “bird” (cf. Ge 1:21 “every fowl of a wing”).

Many more references use the term figuratively, most of these referring to God and most having a positive connotation.

The deliverance from Egypt is twice described in terms of God bearing His people upon eagle’s wings (Ex 19:4; Dt 32:11). But mostly he is seen as sheltering his own beneath his wings as a hen does her chicks (Ps 17:8; Ru 2:12).

Commonly some statement of God’s proven trustworthiness is related to the statement of an intent to seek shelter under His wings (Ps 36:7).

Malachi 4:2 speaks of the Sun of righteousness (Messiah Jer 23:6) rising with healing in his wings. Evidently this is an appropriation of the winged sun disc symbol which is used throughout the ancient near east as a manifestation of the deity’s protection. The appropriation of this ancient theme in a prediction of Christ is very significant. He alone is the true manifestation of God’s benevolence and he comes to heal (not merely protect) those who cast away their pride through fear of God.

However those wings which offer deliverance and security to those who fear him, can bring terror to those who defy him.

Jer 48:40; 49:22 tell that God will spread his eagle’s wings over Moab and destroy them, just as an eagle may swoop upon a hapless rabbit. In Isa 8:8 Assyria is the eagle overshadowing Judah (cf. also Ezek 17:3, 7). (Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) 

For example in Ex 19:4 we see the picture of provision of deliverance (from bondage) as God reminded Israel

You yourselves (speaking to Israel) have seen what I did to the Egyptians (the Red Sea), and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.

Rob Salvato explains eagle's wings figure of speech: Here is this idea that is seen again of the Lord bearing up His People on Eagles wings – seen throughout the Bible – what is this about. It is somewhat confusing to us but would make perfect sense to these people camping in this region, for eagles were prevalent. Eagles have an interesting way of nurturing and training their young. When the mother eagle builds the nest, it is on the side of a cliff. She gathers several somewhat sharp sticks pointing in towards the nest. When the little baby eaglet is born the mother eagle brings it food ( Breakfast lunch & Dinner) and the little eaglet lives there in the comforts of the nest until it gets so big that the sticks begin to poke at it. Suddenly that nest is not quite as comfortable as it once was – but there is a reason for that – The mother eagle doesn’t want that little eaglet living in the nest the rest of his life. So then, the mother eagle does a most Interesting thing. She stirs up the nest which causes the baby eaglet to fall out...falling...falling and wondering "What is up with my Mom?" (Call & report her to CPS!) But as the Eaglet falls 100 ft or so, suddenly the mother eagle swoops down, catches the baby eaglet and bears it up on her wings back to nest -safe and comfortable again – accept for the poking sticks! And then the mother repeats this ritual -- over and over until the eaglet spreads out his wings catches a wind draft & begins to fly (soar)!

This is the Reason why God does this at times – He stirs up the nest because He wants us to learn what it means to sore how to fly – That is what the Lord was doing with Israel through the previous stops for in each situation He was bearing them up and allowing them to fall a little further so that they would learn to do what was promised in  Isaiah 40:31. Now waiting on the Lord is different from waiting for the Lord – wait – for  in Acts 1:4 which was fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost, not doing anything until the promise was fulfilled (Acts 1:4). But waiting on the Lord is actually an active process, walking in (faith/obedience to) the truths that we know and walking in the Promises that have been declared (2Pe 1:4). God wanted Israel to keep walking and moving on the Journey because He wanted them believing that He was going to do just what He said He would accomplish. So the Lord tells Moses to remind Israel of His Love and How He bore them up on Eagles Wings (On My Back) (Modified from Exodus 19:1-4)

Woodrow Kroll comments: A friend told me that when he was a young boy, he lived on one side of his small town and the school he attended was located on the other. Bus transportation was limited to the students who lived out of the city limit, so he had to walk many blocks both to and from school. "After a tiring day at school," my friend explained, "I would sometimes fantasize on my way home of having wings that would lift me over all the houses and trees and deposit me directly on my front porch."

It was wings like these that God figuratively used to bring Israel to Himself. In spite of the obstruction of Pharaoh and his army, through the barrier of a seemingly uncrossable sea, over the hurdle of a dry and barren wilderness, God lifted His people up and brought them safely to their destination. No obstacle was allowed to stand between Him and those He loved.

Are you facing obstacles today that threaten your joy as a Christian? Maybe these obstacles are health problems, financial struggles or family relationships. Perhaps you are frustrated by circumstances beyond your control. Well, don't fantasize as my friend did. Instead, look to God's mighty wings to lift you up and carry you to where He wants you to be. Remember the promise of Isaiah 40:31: "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Claim that promise today. (Back to the Bible)

Dave Guzik comments: God's love and care was shown for Israel already, as He bore you on eagle's wings. It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back. The deliverance (I bore you on eagles' wings) was for fellowship (brought you to Myself); God didn't deliver Israel so they could "do their own thing," but so they could be God's people. God intended for Israel to be a special treasure unto Him; a people with a unique place in God's great plan, a people of great value and concern to God. (Exodus 19 - David Guzik's Commentaries on the Bible) (See also Exodus - Chapter 19 - Verse 4 - The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Scott Grant comments: Then the Lord bore the people on eagle's wings. This is a reference to the people's three-month journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. The Lord led them away from a battle they were not ready for, He crushed Pharaoh's army, He provided them with food and water, He gave them victory over the Amalekites and He brought Jethro to give them important instructions. It's been an incredible trip, one they never could have navigated on their own.

Thus, the picture of an eagle carrying her chick is apt - and beautiful. An eaglet is helpless. It has no ability to provide for itself or get from one place to another. Like an eaglet, Israel was helpless. It would have perished in the wilderness without the Lord. But the Lord, like a strong eagle caring for its helpless chick, led and provided for His people for three months. Like the eagle who tenaciously clings to her chick as she soars through the air, the Lord tenaciously clung to His people. He did not drop them; He could not drop them. In so many words, the Lord is telling the people, "I poured out my heart for you."

If this were all He did, it would be enough to send their spirits soaring. But the journey had a purpose. It was so that He might bring them to Himself. The image here shifts from the Lord as an eagle to the Lord as a king, as we will see in Ex 19:5, 6. The Lord, like an eagle, carries them through the wilderness and deposits them at the foot of Mount Sinai, which is serving as His throne. Then at the mountain, He meets them. (The Lord's treasure chest)

In Dt 32:11 we read...

Like an eagle (simile) that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He (Jehovah) spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.

Keil & Delitzsch (Commentary on the Old Testament) has this note...

Under the figure of an eagle, which teaches its young to fly, and in doing so protects them from injury with watchful affection, Moses describes the care with which the Lord came to the relief of His people in their helplessness, and assisted them to develop their strength. This figure no doubt refers more especially to the protection and assistance of God experienced by Israel in its journey through the Arabian desert; but it must not be restricted to this. It embraces both the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by the outstretched arm of the Lord, as we may see from a comparison with Ex 19:4, where the Lord is said to have brought His people out of Egypt upon eagles' wings, and also the introduction into Canaan, when the Lord drove the Canaanites out from before them and destroyed them.

...It is rendered correctly by the Vulgate, provocans ad volandum pullos suos; and freely by Luther, "bringeth out its young." "Soareth over its young:" namely, in order that, when they were attempting to fly, if any were in danger of falling through exhaustion, it might take them at once upon its powerful wings, and preserve them from harm.

...The point of comparison between the conduct of God towards Jacob and the acts of an eagle towards its young, is the loving care with which He trained Israel to independence. The carrying of Israel upon the eagle's wings of divine love and omnipotence was manifested in the most glorious way in the guidance of it by the pillar of cloud and fire (Shekinah glory cloud), though it was not so exclusively in this visible vehicle of the gracious presence of God as that the comparison can be restricted to this phenomenon alone. Luther's interpretation is more correct than this--" Moses points out in these words, how He fostered them in the desert, bore with their manners, tried them and blessed them that they might learn to fly, i.e., to trust in Him,"-- except that the explanation of the expression "to fly" is narrowed too much.

The psalmist records...

He (Shaddai  in Ps 91:1,Jehovah and Elohim in Ps 91:2)  will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. (Ps 91:4, read Ps 91:1, 2, 3 for context)

Comment: In loving condescension, God likens Himself to a mother hen sheltering her young from the hawks of the sky and the snares of the field.(Mt 23:37). By natural instinct she not only protects them, but calls them under that protection when she sees them in danger, not only keeps them safe, but cherishes them and keeps them warm. (cp Ru 2:12). Yahweh’s care is both tender and sufficient because he is faithful, i.e., “true” to his people.

Spurgeon comments: He shall cover thee with thy feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. A wonderful expression! Had it been invented by an uninspired man it would have verged upon blasphemy, for who should dare to apply such words to the Infinite Jehovah? But as He himself authorized, yea, dictated the language, we have here a transcendent condescension, such as it becomes us to admire and adore. Doth the Lord speak of His feathers, as though He likened Himself to a bird? Who will not see herein a matchless love, a divine tenderness, which should both woo and win our confidence? Even as a hen covers her chickens so does the LORD protect the souls which dwell in Him; let us cower down beneath Him for comfort and for safety.

Under His Wings

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
(play hymn by W O Cushing)

Through the prophet Isaiah God encourages wayward Israel that

"Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new (literally exchange their strength for His strength!) strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary." (Isa 40:31)

I rest beneath the Almighty’s shade,
My griefs expire, my troubles cease;
Thou, Lord, on Whom my soul is stayed,
Wilt keep me still in perfect peace.
- Charles Wesley (cp Is 26:3)

Have you watched the seagulls catch the updrafts and be effortlessly driven up and away from the dangerous rocky crags?

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
(Play and sing Praise to the Lord, the Almighty)

Malachi prophesies that the Jews

who fear (God's) name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. (Mal 4:2).

The imagery of a young bird under the wing of its mother is used in the Psalms of one seeking refuge in the Lord and conveys a close relationship of protection and provision which is found in one's intimate relationship with Jehovah.

(David prayed) Keep me as the apple of the eye. Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings." (Ps 17:8-note)

(David declared) How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. (Ps 36:7-note)

(David when he fled from Saul in the cave prayed) Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in Thee; and in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by. (Ps 57:1-note)

(David prayed) Let me dwell in Thy tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings. Selah. (Ps 61:4-note)

(David) For Thou hast been my help (Lxx = boethos [word study]) (See also study of Jehovah Ezer: The LORD our Helper), and in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy. (Ps 63:7-note)

(Author unknown) He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. (Ps 91:4-note)

 Jesus evokes an image of God similar to that painted by Boaz, lamenting

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. (Mt 23:37) 

I was raised on a farm and remember frequently observing the mother hen raise her wings in times of danger to provide a feathered canopy of protection for her otherwise defenseless chicks. For the young, vulnerable chick, the mother's wings promise safety and security. This is the picture Boaz paints for us as he assured Ruth that her unselfish deeds would not go unrewarded. Ruth had abandoned the security of family and the familiar in Moab leaving everything that spoke of safety for the greater, more certain safe refuge under the wings of Jehovah.  It behooves us all to recall this image of God to mind the storms of life come, and to hold firmly to the fact that God never abandons His own.

Instead as Woodrow Kroll reassures us...

in times of danger and distress, He spreads His wings of protection and comfort over us. Enveloped by His pinions, we do not need to fear the difficult circumstances of life. Personal storms may rage around, but we are safe under the canopy of God's constant care...If you are going through painful times, nestle yourself under His wings. Take comfort in the fact that God's protection is spread over you. Nothing can touch your life without His express permission. Nothing can threaten you without His express protection. God's protection is more than a match for our problems. (Kroll, W: Lessons on Living)

God Himself is our center of safety. It is not our strength but His that shields us from the fierce winds of circumstance and change.

Play
"Hide Me In Your Holiness"

The psalmist assures us that

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (El Elyon: Most High God - Sovereign Over All) will abide in the shadow of the Almighty (EL Shaddai - God Almighty). I will say to Jehovah, "My Refuge and my Fortress, My God, in Whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, (the terminal section of a bird’s wing) and under His wings you may seek refuge (chasah) His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark." (Ps 91:1, 2, 3, 4-notes)

Seek refuge (02620) (chasah/hasah) means to take shelter or flee for protection. To go to a place where one finds safety, rest, comfort. The implication is that the place of refuge is a place that can be trusted to keep one safe (cp Jdg 9:15, 2Sa 22:3, see all uses below).

The TWOT states that chasah/hasah...

While used literally of taking shelter from a rainstorm (Isa 4:6; 25:4; Job 24;8) or from any danger in the high hills (Ps 104:18), is more often used figuratively of seeking refuge and thus putting confident trust whether in any god (Dt 32:37) or in the “shadow” (protection) of any major power such as Egypt (Isa 30:2; cf. the plant in the parable of Jdg 9:15)...

To seek refuge stresses the insecurity and self-helplessness of even the strongest of men. It emphasizes the defensive or external aspect of salvation in God, the unchanging One in whom we “find shelter” (F. D. Kidner, The Psalms, 1973, ad loc Ps 46:1)...

The result of taking refuge in God is to be “blessed” (Ps 2:12) and be “saved” (Ps 17:7). (Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) (Bolding added

Here in Ruth 2:12 chasah/hash figuratively speaks of Ruth putting her trust in Jehovah. The KJV pick us this latter nuance, translating the passage as

under Whose wings thou hare come to trust.  Ru 2:12KJV

Play
"You Are My Hiding Place/As A Deer"

Or the version by Selah -
You Are My Hiding Place

The relationship between seeking God and trusting God is conveyed by the writer of Hebrews who states that...

without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6-note)

The Septuagint also supports the idea that the writer of Ruth is conveying the picture of Ruth fleeing for refuge as an action which expresses her trust in Jehovah. Why do I say that? Because the Septuagint translates chasah/hasah with the Greek verb peitho (see word study) which means to come to a settled persuasion concerning some truth or fact (Acts 17:4). Based upon what Boaz had learned of Ruth, he declares that she had come to a place of settled conviction or confidence (perfect tense of peitho - this tense speaks of permanence) that Jehovah was her God. The picture of her seeking refuge reflects her heart attitude of trust. And remember that we learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial.  Ruth's commitment to Jehovah reminds one of Paul's commitment centuries later, declaring

I am convinced (same verb used to translate "seek refuge" = peitho) that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (2Ti 1:12-note)

Chasah/hasah - 36v in the OT (Where are most of the uses?) - Deut. 32:37; Jdg. 9:15; Ruth 2:12; 2Sam. 22:3, 31; Ps 2:12; 5:11; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 17:7; 18:2, 30; 25:20; 31:1, 19; 34:8, 22; 36:7; 37:40; 57:1; 61:4; 64:10; 71:1; 91:4; 118:8f; 141:8; 144:2; Pr 14:32; 30:5; Is 14:32; 30:2; 57:13; Nah 1:7; Zeph. 3:12. The NAS renders chasah as has a refuge(1), seek refuge(3), seek shelter(1), sought refuge(1), take refuge(25), taken refuge(3), takes refuge(3).

I trust in God, I know He cares for me
On mountain bleak or on the stormy sea;
Though billows roll, He keeps my soul;
My heavenly Father watches over me. --Martin

The Lord may calm the storm around you,
but more often He'll calm the storm within you.

God has not promised to keep us from life's storms,
but to keep us through them.

Are you between a rock and a hard place?
Take refuge in the Rock of Ages - play hymn.

It is interesting that later Jewish Rabbis referred to Gentile proselytes as those who took refuge under the wings of God's glorious Shekinah (word that is not in Scripture but means resting place and used to designate the visible symbol of God's presence in the Jewish temple).

As John Butler says...

Ruth not only left Moab geographically; but more importantly, she left it theologically. No decision by Ruth was so great, wise, and honorable as this one. This action was one of faith, and her faith resulted in her leaving her relatives and her religion and coming to Judah and caring for Naomi. So it was not works but faith that was the foundation of her blessings just as it is with salvation. Her confidence in Jehovah was the greatest justification for the favors from Boaz. (Ruth Ancestress of Christ)

J Vernon McGee comments that ...

Ruth had come to trust the Lord God. This is the reason she had left the land of Moab and made that radical decision. She had said that the God of Naomi would be her God. She had turned from idolatry to the living and true God (cp 1Th 1:9, 10-note). This woman has come to trust God; she was one of His children. Therefore this is the wonderful testimony that she had in the land of Israel. And Boaz says, “May a full reward be given to you. May you be recompensed for this decision.” And if Boaz has anything to do with it, he’s going to see that she gets a full reward, and he begins immediately to work toward that end. (Ed: Boaz in effect begins to answer his own prayer - witness the mysterious outworking of divine sovereignty and human responsibility - amazing grace indeed!) He’s in love with her and he is going to redeem her. She needs to be redeemed (Ed: And we all need to be redeemed from sin!). (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary:  Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Taylor writes that...

I had intended to add a word on the beautiful prayer of Boaz for Ruth--

"The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou hast come to trust "

--but I must forbear. Let me only commend to you all the protection of these outspread wings. You must go to trust somewhere. You are now trusting in something. Whither have you gone? In what are you trusting? No wings but God's can cover you in the time of trial and in the day of judgment. Therefore, get beneath them now. This is your opportunity. Get beneath them now, lest a day should come when He shall say, "How often would I have gathered thee as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not? Behold, now, your house is left unto you desolate." (Mt 23:37) (William M. Taylor. Ruth The Gleaner) (Bolding and color added for emphasis)

John Piper adds that

God is not an employer looking for employees. He is an "Eagle" looking for people who will take refuge under His wings. He is looking for people who will leave father and mother and homeland or anything else that may hold us back from a life of love under the wings of Jesus. (Read full message) (Bolding added)

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild;
Still I can trust Him--I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child. --Cushing

No life is more secure
than one shielded by God.

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Two Sides Of Work - The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel. --Ruth 2:12

Ruth was facing serious problems. Her husband had died, and she had come to a foreign land with her widowed mother-in-law.

Many women find themselves in similar situations today. For various reasons, they must care for a family without the assistance of a husband.

So what did Ruth do? She went to work. It wasn't glamorous or easy. She walked the barley fields, picking up grain the reapers left behind. And she met the landowner, Boaz, who would become her husband.

Of course, not all stories of hard-working people turn out as well. Yet what happened with Ruth points out two important principles. First, God wants us to be compassionate. The needs of Ruth and Naomi were met because landowners followed God's instructions to leave excess grain in the fields for the poor and the widows (Dt. 24:19, 20, 21, 22).

Second, the Lord rewards those who work (Ge 1:28, 29, 30; 2:15; Pr 22:29; 2Th 3:10, 11, 12). In this case, Ruth received a special blessing from the Lord (Ru 2:12).

Both laborers and those who are in positions of authority have obligations to each other and to the Lord. No matter what our situation is, we need to follow godly principles. Any other approach to labor doesn't work. — Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Man's work can make of him a slave
And lead him to an early grave;
But if it's done as to the Lord,
His work will bring him great reward. --DJD

Life works better when we do.

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In after-days this was a favorite image with David in his wanderings and escapes among those same hills. Perhaps he had received it as a fragrant legacy from the life of his good ancestor, Boaz. At least on one occasion Jesus employed it in saying that He had wished to gather Jerusalem as a hen her chicks.

How warm, cozy, and safe, the chickens are when they have gathered under the wings of the brooding hen! It must be a very heaven for them. The storm may roll through the sky, the heavy raindrops fall, the hawk may hover above, poising itself on its wings; but the body of the parent-bird is interposed between them and all that threatens. What wonder that the Psalmist said that he would hide under the shadow of God’s wings till all his calamities were overpast!

Are you sheltering there? Have you come out of the storm and tempest to hide there? (cp Ps 57:1, 2) Can you say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust”? (Ps 91:2) If so, remain in happy confidence. God is between you and all evil or alarm. Be still; yea, be still. (Ps 46:10)

Septuagint (LXX): e de eipen (3SAAI) heuroimi (1SAAO) charin en ophthalmois sou kurie hoti parekalesas (2SAAI) me kai hoti elalesas (2SAAI)  epi kardian tes doules sou kai idou ego esomai (1SFMI) os mia ton paidiskon sou 

GRACE SOUGHT (Ru 2:2)
GRACE FOUND (Ru 2:10, 13)

Found favor - In Ruth 2:10 the Hebrew is in the perfect, indicating that Ruth simply states the fact that Boaz is kind to her. In this verse the Hebrew switches to the imperfect tense which emphasizes the ongoing attitude of kindness (grace) displayed by Boaz. One could therefore translate it "I am finding favor in your eyes."

Other versions phrase this verse as a request rather than a declaration. For example, the NIV translates it as

"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord" (NIV)

Found Favor (04672 02580) (matsa chen) means to experience actions which display fondness or compassion (sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it).

The Septuagint translates the Hebrew chen with the Greek word charis (word study) for grace. Ruth received unmerited favor from her future kinsman redeemer. In a similar way, all saints both Jew and Gentile, are like Ruth, "for of (our greater Kinsman Redeemer's) fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (Jn 1:16) which is a picture of endless and inexhaustible grace, of grace piled upon grace so to speak!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
- Fernando Ortega

In Boaz we see many of the traits of Christ illustrated for Boaz was a man of great wealth (Ru 2:1-note) and had great compassion for a stranger who had no claim on his favor (Ru 2:8, 9-see note Ru 2:8; 9). Boaz knew all about Ruth, even before she met him (Ru 2:11), even as our Kinsman Redeemer knew all about us before we knew Him. Boaz served Ruth graciously, and all her needs were satisfied (Ru 2:14-note). He granted her protection and prosperity for the future (Ru 2:15,16). In these acts of grace we see a foreshadowing of our blessed Redeeming Relative’s mercies to us.

Lord (0113) (adon) describes one who exercises control or authority over another or it can refer to the naming of a superior to an inferior as a title of respect, as exemplified in the present context.

My lord was a common way of showing respect. And so we see Ruth behave with dignity and respect to Boaz without appearing servile or ingratiating.

for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly (Literally = to the heart of) to your maidservant though I am not like one of your maidservants:

You have comforted and encouraged me, though I am not even the equal of one of your work-women. (NJB)

Upon which she said, “Even though I am not equal to any one of your maid servants, you have spoken so kindly to me, sir, that you have given me courage. What you say touches your servant girl’s heart.” (Berkley)

You have said kind words to me, your servant. You have given me hope. And I am not even good enough to be one of your servants (ICB)

"You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant-- though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls." (NIV)

Comforted (05162) (nacham) according to the TWOT reflects the idea of "breathing deeply" and hence refers to the physical display of one's feelings, such as sorrow, or in this case compassion or comfort.

The Septuagint renders nacham with the Greek verb parakaleo (para = beside + kaleo = call) which has the basic picture of calling someone to oneself (very apropos with Boaz treatment of Ruth!), to call to one's side, to encourage, to instill someone with courage or cheer and so to comfort (used this way in Mt 5:4-note, cp Lk 16:25).

Nacham occurs in (Ps 23:4) where David writes

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Webster says that comfort (from Latin con = with + forits = strong) means to give strength and hope to or to ease or console the grief, worry or trouble of another. To strengthen; to invigorate; to cheer or enliven. To strengthen the mind when depressed or enfeebled; to console; to give new vigor to the spirits; to cheer, or relieve from depression, or trouble.

What a wonderful example Boaz provides for all men to emulate whether they are courting a lady or married for many years. How many marriages could benefit from the "Boaz approach" where the husband speaks words of comfort rather than criticism!

Nacham - 100v in the OT - Gen. 5:29; 6:6f; 24:67; 27:42; 37:35; 38:12; 50:21; Exod. 13:17; 32:12, 14; Num. 23:19; Deut. 32:36; Jdg. 2:18; 21:6, 15; Ruth 2:13; 1 Sam. 15:11, 29, 35; 2 Sam. 10:2f; 12:24; 13:39; 24:16; 1 Chr. 7:22; 19:2f; 21:15; Job 2:11; 7:13; 16:2; 21:34; 29:25; 42:6, 11; Ps. 23:4; 69:20; 71:21; 77:2; 86:17; 90:13; 106:45; 110:4; 119:52, 76, 82; 135:14; Eccl. 4:1; Isa. 1:24; 12:1; 22:4; 40:1; 49:13; 51:3, 12, 19; 52:9; 54:11; 57:6; 61:2; 66:13; Jer. 4:28; 8:6; 15:6; 16:7; 18:8, 10; 20:16; 26:3, 13, 19; 31:13, 15, 19; 42:10; Lam. 1:2, 9, 16f, 21; 2:13; Ezek. 5:13; 14:22f; 16:54; 24:14; 31:16; 32:31; Joel 2:13f; Amos 7:3, 6; Jon. 3:9f; 4:2; Nah. 3:7; Zech. 1:17; 8:14; 10:2

The NAS renders nacham as am sorry(1), appeased(1), become a consolation(1), change(7), changed(4), comfort(31), comforted(18), comforter(2), comforters(4), comforts(2), console(3), consolers(1), consoling(1), ended(1), give rest(1), have compassion(2), mind(10), minds(1), moved to pity(1), regret(1), regretted(1), relent(5), relented(4), relenting(3), relents(1), relieved(1), repent(3), repented(2), sorry(6), think better(1), time of mourning(1).

Spoken (01696) kindly (03820) (dabar leb) is literally spoke to her heart, indicating that Boaz spoke tenderly as a suitor would speak to the woman he is seeking to woo. He also undoubtedly knew the truth that kind words can give a lift to a heavy heart.  A sharp tongue leaves a scar, while a helpful word heals the heart.

How would you characterize your words today, sharp or kind like Boaz? How have you been encouraged by someone recently? How can you become more responsive to people  who need an encouraging word? Remember that kind words are always the right kind. (Pr 15:1,7, 10:20, 21, 12:18, 16:24, 25:11)

In Genesis this same phrase is used of the Hivite Shechem (a far cry from the virtuous Boaz!) speaking to the Hebrew Dinah (whom he had just forcefully raped), the Scripture recording that after this heinous act he "spoke tenderly to her" (dabar leb) (Ge 34:3 same Hebrew idiom in Jdg 19:3 - note)

This Hebrew idiom is even used by God addressing His unfaithful "wife", Israel, declaring

behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly  to her (speak to her heart). (Hos 2:14)

In Isaiah God says

Speak kindly (dabar leb NIV = "speak comfort") to Jerusalem and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed... (Isa 40:2)

Although the Proverbs had not yet been written Boaz undoubtedly understood that

Pleasant (kind) words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Pr 16:24).

Solomon adds that

Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious (Hebrew word chen = favor). (Ecc 10:12)

Maidservant (08198) (shiphchah) is translated "servant girls" by the NIV. This word Ruth uses for servant designates the lowest rung on the social ladder, lower than other words that might be used to identify a woman servant. In genuine humility Ruth added that she did not even deserve the position of one of Boaz's lowliest shiphchah. Ruth is saying in essence

"I am not even good enough to be one of your servants" (ICB).

The Septuagint translates shiphchah with the Greek word doule which refers to a female slave, the slave in that time having no rights of their own because they belonged to their master, even their will being entwined in the will of the master as indicated in the following usage. Ruth beautifully pre-figures another young woman named Mary the mother to be of Messiah who when told that "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Lk 1:37) humbly replied

Septuagint (LXX): kai eipen (3SAAI) aute Boos ede ora tou phagein (AAN) proselthe (2SAAM) ode kai phagesai (2SFMI) ton arton kai bapseis (2SFMI) ton psomon sou en to ochei kai ekathisen (3SAAI) Routh ek plagion ton therizonton (PAPMPG) kai ebounisen (3SAAI) aute Boos alphiton kai ephagen (3SAAI) kai eneplesthe (3SAPI) kai katelipen  (3SAAI)

Come here (05066) (naga) is from the root word which signifies coming into very near proximity and so the verb indicates to come into close  proximity, near enough to touch. The Hebrew verb is in the imperative mood, indicating that it is the form of a command.

Observe - Boaz invited Ruth to eat with him (a "luncheon date"). He himself (the wealthy master) sat beside the reapers (his servants). And then Boaz served Ruth. What a picture this passage unfolds for us of the grace of God! The master became like the servants that he might show his love to a foreigner. Does that sound like anyone in the New Testament?

Dip (02881) (tabal) conveys the immersion of one item into another, here of bread into vinegar. The Septuagint translates tabal with bapto which means to dip or immerse and is the root word for our common NT word baptize (baptizo -see note). Vinegar was a weak wine derived as a by-product of winemaking and an effective thirst quencher. Vinegar was sometimes mixed with a little olive oil and was very cooling, as the intense heat generated by harvest labor would require. 

Although I don't agree with the following Midrash interpretation of Ruth 2:14, it is worth quoting for another reason as you will see.

Midrash Rabbah, Ruth V,6 comments that "the fifth interpretation makes it refer to the Messiah. COME HITHER; approach to royal state … AND EAT OF THY BREAD refers to the bread of royalty; AND DIP THY MORSEL IN THE VINEGAR refers to His sufferings, as it is said But he was wounded because of our transgressions (Isa 53:5). AND SHE SAT BESIDE THE REAPERS, for He will be deprived of His sovereignty for a time, as it is said, For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken (Zech 14:2). AND THEY REACHED HER PARCHED CORN, means that He will be restored to His throne, as it is said, And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth (Isa 11:4).

R. Berekiah said in the name of R. Levi: The future Redeemer will be like the former Redeemer. Just as the former Redeemer revealed himself and later was hidden from them … , so the future Redeemer will be revealed to them, and then hidden from them." (bold, italics & color added for emphasis)

Huckel (a Christian author writing a comment on the Messianic allusions in the Midrash Rabbah) notes that "Unlike the common Jewish belief made popular by Raashi in the 9th century that Isaiah 53 is referring to the nation Israel, this ancient writing shows that Isaiah 53 was earlier believed to be a Messianic text. The former Redeemer in this Midrash is Moses and the future Redeemer is Messiah of course. One can’t help but notice the striking parallel to the Christian belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. According to Christian belief He like Moses came and was rejected by Israel as their Redeemer at his first appearance and like Moses is hidden from them now."  (from Huckel, T. 1998: The Rabbinic Messiah. Philadelphia: Hananeel House)

SO SHE SAT BESIDE THE REAPERS AND HE SERVED HER ROASTED GRAIN: (Click Spurgeon's Sermon "Mealtime in the Cornfields")

In NT times Jews refused to eat with Gentiles for according to Peter  it was "unlawful...for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit" them (Acts 10:28)

Served (06642) (tsabat) is used only here in the OT and means to make a non-verbal signal by stretching out the hand as an offer of something. The Septuagint translates tsabat with an interesting Greek verb (bounizo) which means heaped up or piled up!

Note throughout this drama how Boaz manifested the “spirit” of the law in going beyond what the Mosaic legislation required by (1) feeding Ruth (Ru 2:14-note), (2) letting Ruth glean among the sheaves (Ru 2:15-note), and (3) leaving extra grain for her to glean (Ru 2:16-note).

Who waited on Ruth? Obviously the lord of the field himself. This picture in a Bethlehem field reminds one of the incredible promise our Lord Jesus Christ made that

Blessed (fully satisfied) are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (Lk 12:37, 38, cp Jn 13:4,5, 1Co 2:9)

This remarkable beatitude pictures our Kinsman Redeemer, at His return, ministering as a Servant to believers. This passage in Luke seems to place the timing of this Messianic banquet on earth at the beginning of the millennium.

The venerable J. C. Ryle adds that

this is perhaps one of the most wonderful promises made to believers in the New Testament

Roasted grain (07039) was a common food of the period. Grain so prepared is still served today.  Roasted grain was prepared from grains of wheat which were not yet fully ripe. They were roasted in a pan or iron plate, or sometimes the stalks of wheat were tied in small bundles and the ears held in a blazing fire until roasted. Roasted grain was eaten with or without bread and was a common article of food in Palestine and Egypt. Jesse sent an ephah to the army (1Sa 17:17). Abigail gave five measures of it to David's men as a present (1Sa 25:18). David was supplied with it in his flight from Absalom (2Sa 17:23).

AND SHE ATE AND WAS SATISFIED HAD SOME LEFT: (Spurgeon's Sermon: Mealtime in the Cornfields)

"she took it, and there was more than enough for her meal" (BBE)

She...was satisfied -

Satisfied (07646) (saba) means to be satiated with food or drink. In addition to the idea of nourishment, the Hebrew word saba is used to connote fullness in other areas of life. For example, David uses the cognate noun form (soba) exclaiming that

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life. In Thy presence is fulness (soba) of joy. In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. (Ps 16:11-note)

Spurgeon writes- Trapp's note on the heavenly verse which closes the Psalm is a sweet morsel, which may serve for a contemplation, and yield a foretaste of our inheritance. He writes,

Here is as much said as can be, but words are too weak to utter it. For quality there is in heaven joy and pleasures; for quantity, a fulness, a torrent whereat they drink without let or loathing; for constancy, it is at God's right hand, who is stronger than all, neither can any take us out of his hand; it is a constant happiness without intermission: and for perpetuity it is for evermore. Heaven's joys are without measure, mixture, or end.

What a wonderful picture this psalm presents - satiated with joy in the presence of God. There is little doubt that Ruth although physically satisfied was also emotionally satisfied by the pouring out of unmerited bountiful kindnesses from this gracious master of the field. In fact the word idea of blessed is one who is fully satisfied independent of the circumstances and would surely be descriptive of the condition of her soul.

Saba - 92v in OT - Ex 16:8, 12; Lev. 26:26; Deut. 6:11; 8:10, 12; 11:15; 14:29; 26:12; 31:20; Ruth 2:14; 2 Chr. 24:15; 31:10; Neh. 9:25; Job 7:4; 9:18; 19:22; 27:14; 31:31; 38:27; Ps. 17:14f; 22:26; 37:19; 59:15; 63:5; 65:4; 78:29; 81:16; 88:3; 90:14; 91:16; 103:5; 104:13, 16, 28; 105:40; 107:9; 123:3f; 132:15; 145:16; 147:14; Prov. 1:31; 5:10; 12:11, 14; 14:14; 18:20; 20:13; 25:16f; 27:20; 28:19; 30:9, 15f, 22; Eccl. 1:8; 4:8; 5:10; 6:3; Isa. 1:11; 9:20; 44:16; 53:11; 58:10f; 66:11; Jer. 5:7; 31:14; 44:17; 46:10; 50:10, 19; Lam. 3:15, 30; 5:6; Ezek. 7:19; 16:28f; 27:33; 32:4; 39:20; Hos. 4:10; 13:6; Joel 2:19, 26; Amos 4:8; Mic. 6:14; Hab. 2:5, 16

The NAS renders saba as  became satisfied(1), become weary(1), being satisfied(1), continually(1), drink their fill(1), enough(1), fed full(1), filled(9), full(2), get enough(1), glutted(1), had enough(2), have abundance(1), have enough(2), have excess(1), have his fill(1), have plenty(3), plenty(1), ripe*(m)(1), satiated(2), satisfied(49), satisfies(2), satisfy(10), saturates(1).

The Septuagint (LXX) translates saba with the verb empiplemi means to completely take up the space of something and then to provide a sufficient amount, to fill up, satisfy, satiate (Jn 6:12,  Lk 1:53, 6:25)

Spurgeon wrote the following devotional entitled "Satisfied"...

Whenever we are privileged to eat of the bread which Jesus gives, we are, like Ruth, satisfied with the full and sweet repast. When Jesus is the host no guest goes empty from the table.

Our head is satisfied with the precious truth which Christ reveals; our heart is content with Jesus, as the altogether lovely object of affection;

our hope is satisfied, for Whom have we in heaven but Jesus?

and our desire is satiated, for what can we wish for more than "to know Christ and to be found in Him?"

Jesus fills our conscience till it is at perfect peace;

our judgment with persuasion of the certainty of His teachings;

our memory with recollections of what He has done,

and our imagination with the prospects of what He is yet to do.

As Ruth was "sufficed, and left," so is it with us. We have had deep draughts; we have thought that we could take in all of Christ; but when we have done our best we have had to leave a vast remainder.

We have sat at the table of the Lord's love, and said,

"Nothing but the infinite can ever satisfy me; I am such a great sinner that I must have infinite merit to wash my sin away;"

but we have had our sin removed, and found that there was merit to spare; we have had our hunger relieved at the feast of sacred love, and found that there was a redundance of spiritual meat remaining. There are certain sweet things in the Word of God which we have not enjoyed yet, and which we are obliged to leave for awhile; for we are like the disciples to whom Jesus said,

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."

Yes, there are graces to which we have not attained; places of fellowship nearer to Christ which we have not reached; and heights of communion which our feet have not climbed. At every banquet of love there are many baskets of fragments left. Let us magnify the liberality of our glorious Boaz. (Spurgeon's devotional)

Left (03498) (yathar) expresses the concept of to remain. Clearly the picture of food left over is an indication that one's need has been abundantly met. The people gave liberally for the building of the tabernacle so that items, were left over (Ex 36:7). Instead of living on leftovers, Ruth became a friend of “the lord of the harvest” who gave her more than enough. Can you not see in this drama in an inconspicuous Bethlehem barley field, a beautiful picture of what our Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, has done for those in His glorious fields!

Roop summarizes this section writing that...

A conversation that has begun with a lecture by Boaz (Ru 2:8, 9), concludes with a foreign widow sitting among workers and being served food by the man of substance. Ruth has left home that morning, intending to obtain food and favor (Ru 2:2). She has managed both. Clearly, initiative in the story remains in Ruth’s hands (Trible, 1978:178). She has drawn a family member and pillar of the Bethlehem society into her story. (Roop, E. F. Ruth, Jonah, Esther. Believers Church Bible Commentary).

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WHEN THE KINSMAN REDEEMER SERVES YOU YOU ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH...

According to syndicated columnist L. M. Boyd, an out-of-work and penniless man was strolling along a San Francisco beach one day in 1949. The man, Jack Wurm, found a bottle with a note inside that read, "To avoid confusion, I leave my entire estate to the lucky person who finds this bottle and to my attorney, Barry Cohen. Share and share alike."  The courts accepted the document as the last will of Daisy Singer Alexander, heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She had thrown it into the Thames River in London 12 years earlier. Somehow drifting across the oceans, it washed ashore in California, where Jack Wurm went from a penniless indigent to the possessor of over $6 million dollars in cash and Singer stock. Suddenly, he had more than enough. Ruth the Moabitess a destitute widow also just happened to walk beside the barley field of a rich, compassionate benefactor who unbeknownst to her was her kinsman redeemer. Instead of gleaning barely enough barley to feed herself and Naomi, she now had more than enough to eat because of the kindness of her kinsman redeemer. What a beautiful picture of every saved sinner, each one of us just like Ruth, broken and bankrupt,

"strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (Ep 2:12-note)

"But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared (in the form of our Kinsman Redeemer), He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:4-note; Titus 3:5-note)

Our spiritual portfolios were forever changed and we were filled to overflowing

with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ep 1:3-note).

In a moment  we were changed from spiritual pauprs to e

"children of God and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." (Ro 8:16, 17-note) 

Don't count your wealth in terms of what you have or don't have in your bank account. As a child of the King, you are far richer than Jack Wurm and have more than enough to be forever satisfied.

Only One Who is Himself more than enough
can truly satisfy forever.

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BOAZ
SERVING RUTH:
A SHADOW...

There is another symbolism in the picture of Boaz serving and satiating Ruth - that incredible day when our Greater Boaz girds Himself to serve us at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the Messianic Kingdom...

Luke records (in the context of looking expectantly for the Bridegroom's return) Jesus words...

And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly (Amen = what follows is trustworthy!) I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve (cp Jesus in Jn 13:4, 5), and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. (Luke 12:36, 37)

J C Ryle comments on Jesus' statement in Lk 12:37...

This is perhaps one of the most wonderful promises made to believers in the New Testament.

Constable commenting on Luke 12:37 adds...

The blessing that Jesus promised was that the Master would serve His servants. This was unthinkable in Jesus’ world (cf. Jn 13:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). However, Jesus enforced its certainty with a strong affirmation ("Amen") that Luke did not record Him using since Lk 4:24. The messianic banquet on earth at the beginning of the millennium is evidently in view here.

Warren Wiersbe writes...

But the remarkable thing in this story is that the master serves the servants! In Jewish weddings, the bride was treated like a queen and the groom like a king; so you would not expect the “king” to minister to his staff. Our King will minister to His faithful servants when He greets us at His return, and He will reward us for our faithfulness.

John MacArthur writes...

This remarkable statement pictures Christ, at His return, ministering as a servant to believers. (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word or Logos)

The College Press NIV Commentary says that Luke 12:37...

beautifully expresses the reward which is awaiting believers who faithfully serve. It apparently reflects the joy of the messianic feast, which Luke mentions in Lk 13:29 and Lk 14:15-24 (see also Lk 22:27, 28, 29, 30). (Black, M. C.  Luke. College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub)

Here are a several other related NT passages...

Mt 8:10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; let it be done to you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very hour.

Luke 13:28 "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God (Ed: Eg, Daniel, cp Da 12:2, 13), but yourselves being cast out. 29 "And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God (Ed: Millennial Kingdom.).

Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Mt 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom (Ed: Millennial Kingdom.)." (See also Lk 22:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20).

John records these words regarding the wedding feast...

And he (angel) said to me (John), "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God." (Rev 19:9)

Some would say this scene occurs in heaven before the one thousand year Messianic (Millennial) Kingdom, but note that there are "guests". Who might they be? The only reasonable answer is that these are the OT saints (and tribulation martyrs), who will be resurrected at the end of this present age (cp Da 12:2, 13 - note specifically the phrase "the end of the age" which is when Daniel was promised bodily resurrection).

It is at this great banquet (in my opinion), that the Bridegroom will serve His Bride as foreshadowed in Jesus' words in Lk 12:28. At this time our "greater Boaz" serves us even though we were all foreigners like Ruth [see Ru 2:10-note, Ep 2:11, 12-note], not to mention that we also were helpless, ungodly [Ro 5:6-note], sinners [Ro 5:8-note], enemies [Ro 5:10-note], formerly alienated and hostile [Col 1:21-note] toward our "greater Boaz"! Does this truth not paint a most incredible picture of undeserved favor/grace...our Redeemer, our Bridegroom, like Boaz, will gird Himself to serve us in this future day (cp 1Co 2:9)! And as you ponder this thought, consider also the scene as the Lamb of God Himself hands us the bread and the wine and we see the scars on His wrists that are the eternal marks of His New Covenant (cp Lamb standing as if slain - Re 5:6-note).

Tony Garland (Commentary on Revelation 19:9) commenting on this scene adds that...

Since the bride needs no invitation to the marriage supper (see MacArthur's note in next paragraph), those mentioned here are a separate body of saints who are not part of the church, having never been baptized into the body of Christ. They are the saved who died before the Day of Pentecost or who came to faith after the Restrainer was removed in the Rapture of the Church. See Who is the Restrainer?

(MacArthur's Note) - That they are invited guests marks them as a distinct group from the church, since a bride would hardly be invited to her own wedding. (John MacArthur, Revelation 12-22 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2000)

Since the banquet includes the saints of all ages (not just the bride), this also indicates the feast will be held during the Millennial Kingdom. In order for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to participate (cp Mt 8:11), it will have to follow their resurrection (Is 26:19; Da 12:2, 13). In order for the Tribulation martyrs to participate, it will also have to follow their resurrection (Re 20:4-note).