True Kindness - Boaz

Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field.”

Ruth 2:8

An exceptionally beautiful woman, the mother of British writer W. Somerset Maugham had married an exceptionally homely man. When a family friend asked her why she picked such an ugly husband, she replied, “He has never once hurt my feelings.”

Kindness in word and deed is a powerful equalizer!

Boaz, a wealthy and influential farmer in Bethlehem, was consistently kind and compassionate.

“The LORD be with you!” Boaz greeted his harvesters in the morning. “The LORD bless you!” the workers answered back (Ruth 2:4). Goodwill flowed between Boaz and his servants. They had seen for themselves that he cared about others and extended kindness and respect to everyone he met.

The generosity and kindness of Boaz came into play when he asked about Ruth, a transplanted Moabite widow who had come to his field to gather bits of grain left behind by his harvesters.

When Boaz heard Ruth’s story, he was moved with compassion. He told her not to glean from anyone else’s field but to stay on his property where he could guarantee her personal safety and give her enough water to drink. He invited Ruth to eat with him (see Ruth 2:14) and commanded his reapers to leave some bundles of grain for her to find (see Ruth 2:15-16).

Do you know anyone like Boaz? If so, what makes him special? How do people respond to him? How can you be more like him?

Do the people closest to you think of you as a kind person? What can you do today to extend to others the same kindness that God has extended to you? Even if you don’t believe that you have much to offer others, keep in mind that simple kindness is a great equalizer.