by Kevin Burton
From the Old Testament book of Ruth comes a message of faithful, steady industry, to the gain of those who walk with God.
Our lesson today is about gleaning.
Ruth is a love story, but without sappy sentiment. It is a picture of what God has done for humanity, providing redemption through Jesus Christ.
“From start to finish, Ruth’s story is about redemption,” writes Pastor David Jeremiah in the book Understanding The 66 books of the Bible. “The Hebrew words for redeem or redemption occur more than 20 times in this book.”
“By her acceptance of Naomi’s God, Ruth became a picture of what Paul would teach centuries later: it’s not by physical descent from Abraham that one is redeemed, but by the faith of Abraham,” Jeremiah wrote.
The redemption of Ruth began with Israel’s law concerning gleaning.
“The Hebrew word for “glean” is laqat, and it means “to collect, gather up, pick up,” reads an explanation on www.gotquestions.org.
“Gleaning is the gathering of grain or other harvested material left behind by reapers. In the Bible, the Israelites were commanded to allow the poor to follow behind reapers and pick up leftover spears of grain and fallen grapes. In this way, the Law of Moses provided food for the poor, orphans, widows, and resident aliens. The law specified that land owners must leave some of the harvest for gleaners.”
Today Alistair Begg, speaker on the Truth For Life ministry, draws practical lessons for us, for Ruth’s gleaning.
“Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner,” Begg writes. “As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I set out for the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the Word to gather spiritual food.”
“ The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: So I must be content to search for single truths, if they come just one at a time. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise for salvation.”
“The gleaner keeps her eyes open: If she stumbled dreamlike among the stubble, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at evening. I must be careful in religious exercises in case they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost quite a bit already. I need to estimate my opportunities properly and glean with greater diligence.”
“The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and I must do the same,” Begg writes. “Proud minds criticize and object, but humble minds glean and receive benefit. A lowly heart is the key to profitably hearing the Gospel. The soul-saving Word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes for a bad gleaner. Pride is a vile robber and must not be tolerated for a moment.”
“What the gleaner gathers, she keeps: If she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day’s work would be but meager; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last she makes great gains,” Begg writes “How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I understand the importance of storing up the truth?”
“Hunger helps to make the gleaner wise; if she has no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she works under a sense of necessity, and consequently she moves swiftly and her grasp is firm.”
“My need is even greater,” Begg writes. “Lord help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields that yield to diligence a plenteous reward.”
I would also add that the gleaner knew what to gather and what to let go. May God train our spiritual eyes, granting you and me the discernment to know God’s word and to reject all else. In this way we can enjoy a bountiful harvest in the Lord.
Page 7 