why grace?

Ruth 2:¹⁰Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

Ruth almost couldn't believe that Boaz would allow her great freedom to glean in his fields, to provide for her thirst and to ensure her protection from any men that might harm her.  Men can have different motives for doing good deeds and Ruth wanted to be clear about Boaz and the reasons behind his kind acts.  Like Ruth, we are strangers to the Lord when we first come to Him.  In fact, we may have been blindly living for years without even regarding Him.  But there may come a day when we realize that we have been gleaning in His fields and He has not only allowed us to remain...He has protected us, nourished us and provided all we have needed.  It's interesting to consider Boaz' response to Ruth's question:

Ruth 2:¹¹ And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.

Boaz had extended grace, or favor, to Ruth because he'd been moved by her loyalty to her mother-in-law and her willingness to leave all that was familiar and risk her entire future because she put the needs of Naomi before her own.  Ruth had demonstrated faith.  She'd gone to an unknown place among strangers of a different culture because she was willing to trust the God that Naomi worshiped.  We also find God's grace..His favor..when we are willing to trust Him enough to go to a place we've never been for a higher purpose than ourselves.

 

blessings,

Rob Smith