From Gleaning to Glory

It was a sunny, crisp morning in the later part of October. In Virginia peanut country, the harvest had just taken place. The owners of some acreage in the area invited my daughter’s homeschool group to come pick peanuts that had been left behind by the combine harvester. This age-old practice is called gleaning. Picking out individual shelled nuts from the dirt rows meant frequently stooping and grabbing one pod at a time. When some in the group came upon a fairly large number of peanuts still attached to plants, they called it the jackpot, and they were delighted to have an easier time filling their containers. The whole experience gave a peek into the work it takes to provide common food products that stock our pantries and satisfy basic nutritional needs. And the students were given a glimpse into the much more difficult task of gleaning a field after the harvesters have already made their way through.

The time my granddaughters spent in the field brought to mind the story of Ruth found in her eponymous book in the Old Testament. An Israelite family moved to Moab because of a famine in Judah. When there, even before her sons married, Naomi’s husband died. After they each wed a Moabite woman, the sons died as well. Naomi was full of sorrow regarding her situation. When the famine ended, Naomi decided to go back to her home country, exhorting both of her daughters-in-law to return to their family homes. But Ruth chose to accompany her saying, “‘Do not urge me to leave you or return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you’” (Ruth 1:16-17, ESV).

Back in Judah, having no form of income to sustain them, Ruth enthusiastically volunteered to become a gleaner, working in the barley fields following the reapers who were hired to harvest the crop. She humbly and willingly endured the hard work of gleaning, and her efforts were noticed by one of the owners of the field, Boaz. Hearing about the story of Naomi, and Ruth’s loyalty to her, Boaz welcomed Ruth to stay with his workers, offering protection, provision, and even extra portions from the bundles the workers had already gathered. Imagine Ruth’s joy as she encountered her jackpot in the field, blessing her and Naomi with the sustenance they needed.

When Naomi heard about the kindness offered to Ruth from Boaz, she gave Ruth wise advice. Naomi recognized Boaz as a relative who could provide redemption for the family. This was critical for both women’s continued welfare. Ruth followed a practice that opened the door for Boaz to take her as his wife. They married, and they had a son. Naomi was also a beneficiary from the marriage as she was cared for and became the baby’s nurse. From Ruth’s obedience and willingness to work hard and support her mother-in-law, she secured a very special place in history. Her son, Obed, became the grandfather of Israel’s King David. And, he who came as the Savior of the world, was called “the Son of David” (Matthew 1:1, ESV), and thus Ruth is included in the genealogy of Jesus, one of only a few women recognized as being an ancestor of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is interesting to consider the young woman who came generations before Jesus and willingly gave herself to hard work and pleasing those in authority over her. While sweating in the fields to make a living, she never knew what was ahead for her or her future family. Ruth simply cared, obeyed her mother-in-law, and then pledged her devotion to her kinsman redeemer, Boaz, and to God. Just as the humble Ruth took the role of a servant to ensure the well-being of her mother-in-law and restore honor to her, Ruth’s great, great, great… great, great, great grandson, Jesus, came in complete humility, making himself a servant to ensure our well-being and bring honor and glory to his Father. Each has left us a tremendous example of a life worth living: unassuming, giving, loving, serving.

As we enter this Christmas season and remember Jesus’ coming, pause to reflect on his humble beginnings all the way back to Grandma Ruth. In God’s hands, her life took a leap from gleaning to glory. Likewise, God can use your obedience, hard work, and care for others to do the same in your life. May all the glory be unto him!

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