I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ruth 1-4.

It is easy to forget how short the Book of Ruth is because each chapter is like a scene from a play.  Each chapter can be expounded upon with a lesson about how we should live.  Most of the time we focus on Ruth’s actions, and rightfully so.  In a previous year, I pointed out what a wonderful woman of faith Naomi must have been in order to inspire Ruth to make the commitment which she made.  Today, I want to focus on Boaz.  The first thing we learn about Boaz is that he was a wealthy landowner.  As we read the entire passage the details suggest that he was a highly eligible bachelor.  We see that he treated his workers well and held God in high esteem.  He knew the women working for him well enough to immediately recognize that Ruth was someone new.  I always wonder, did Boaz treat Ruth so well because he treated everyone that way, or because he was attracted to her?  We have a few clues about the answer.  We learn from Naomi’s reaction to learning that Ruth was working his fields that Boaz had a reputation for keeping the young men working for him from mistreating the women who followed behind the harvesters.  And yet for all of that, Ruth needed to take the initiative before Boaz made a move towards marrying her.  Ultimately, it was Ruth who chose Boaz, not Boaz who chose Ruth.