by John O’Malley
“And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house” (Ruth 2:7).
The servant shared with Boaz:
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- Ruth’s devotion to the harvest.
- Ruth’s desire to harvest.
- Ruth’s determination in the harvest.
- Ruth’s dedication to the harvest.
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The servant was impressed with her declarations to him and her duty to his boss. At the end of his testimony of Ruth’s demeanor, he mentioned an interesting point for the believer to ponder.
The servant set over the reapers said Ruth had “continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.” Notice with me his last eight words: “that she tarried a little in the house.” It is apparent that Ruth was a good harvester for Boaz. The servant pointed out to Boaz that Ruth had tarried only a “little” in the house.
The servant set over the reapers had a place where all in his charge could come and seek refreshment and rest. Service in the field requires rest and refreshing. After a period of work, the reapers would come to the house and gather for fellowship. The resting house was also a place of rejoicing when the harvest was completed.
The thought of a house in which to rest from our labors brings two concerns to mind in light of this present generation. The first concern is that of God’s laborers ignoring times of needed rest. Many times, in the service of our Eternal Boaz, we pride ourselves in our work and brag that we never take a break or a time to rest. Ruth was a diligent worker, both in her reaping and her resting.
The second concern is one that is far too common among twenty-first-century believers. This is the danger of all rest and no labor. Many today have made a ministry of staying in the house and never going to the fields.
It is clear that it could be said of those like this, “They have tarried too long and labored too little for our Eternal Boaz.” You can always spot those in this way; they are the spiritual hogs of the church. They linger long at the trough and do little but grunt if they cannot feed their bellies.
It should be overwhelmingly apparent that the believer working in the field should make regular trips to the house of God. We should go to the house of our Eternal Boaz for rest from the noonday sun after we have labored for Him.
We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz; it is there we will meet other harvesters, and we can fellowship over our labors. We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz and listen to His words of encouragement for our needed refreshment. We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz for times of rejoicing over the harvest.
Temporary rest is vital; full-time rest is for when we leave this earth for the eternal house of our Boaz. “Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).
Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley