So Ruth went and gathered grain in the fields behind the harvesters. Now she just happened to end up in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Ruth 2:3 NET
Naomi, her husband, and their two sons had moved to Moab. While there, the two sons married local women and then, along with their father, died. Naomi was left desolate and returned home to Bethlehem along with Ruth, her daughter-in-law.
During the barley harvest, Ruth gathered grain as the fields were being harvested. The Old Testament law made provision for the poor to be able to collect this grain that had been missed during the first pass of the harvesters. It helped to provide for those who otherwise would have nothing.
As the story progresses, we see Ruth in a field belonging to Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s dead husband. They met, fell in love, were married, and Ruth had a son, the grandfather of King David—a sad story with a happy ending.
A Coincidence?
Such a lucky coincidence that Ruth just happened to end up in a field belonging to Boaz. Or was it a coincidence? Could there have been more going on here than Naomi and Ruth getting a lucky break?
While the story never credits God with this “coincidence,” it is not hard to imagine that he was at work behind the scenes, orchestrating this meeting. Meaning it was not a coincidence at all.
I wonder how often this happens in my own life. The job no one else wanted that turned into a career. The woman who came into my life after we both had given up on marriage and became my wife and the mother of our children. Or the house that just fell into our laps and has been our home for the past 35+ years.
Does God orchestrate every event in our lives? I do not believe so. But I do believe that the one who knows best is at work in my life, in the lives of other believers, and in the world around us—working to accomplish his purpose in my life, in his church, and in his creation. And I am thankful for that.
