Is there something MORE to be found in your place of REFUGE?

Is there something MORE to be found in your place of REFUGE?

A refuge is a place where one feels safe, secure and sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble. It can also be found outside while enjoying the peace and serenity of God’s creation or an inward place of solitude and silence. Wherever it may be, a healthy place of refuge should provide a space for self-care, rejuvenation and for re-centering our lives.

Finding a place of refuge would have been a priority for Ruth and Naomi in their time of mourning. Both were hurting and grieving. Ruth lost her husband. Naomi not only lost her husband, but her two sons as well.

The entire village of Bethlehem was in a stir when they arrived from Moab. Broken and bitter about the way things turned out in Moab, Naomi wanted to be called by a new name, “Mara,” which means, bitter. Ruth, on the other hand, mourned her loss in a different way. She decided she would explore and discover what this new place of refuge in the Promised Land of Israel had to offer. 

It was springtime and the barley harvest was at hand. So her first curious pursuit began with a simple request.

† And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”‬

Ruth‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NRSV

The Levitical law of the Israelites called for the reapers of a harvest field to never reap an entire field, but to leave the outer edges for the poor. 

† When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.‬‬

Leviticus‬ ‭23‬:‭22‬ ‭NRSV

However, land owners were not always kind nor always followed this particular Levitical law. 

This is WHY Ruth was hoping not just follow any reaper, but one in whose sight she may find favor! 

The Bible tells us she started early in the morning. I can only imagine what she might have been praying to the God of Israel at the time. Maybe something like . . .

LORD, in You I have placed my trust. Guide my steps today as I go into the fields of Bethlehem. As I seek to follow You and glean among the ears of grain today, please place me behind someone in whose sight I may find favor. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Now we may not know exactly how Ruth prayed. But what we do know is that when she came to the servant who was in charge of the reapers in a field belonging to a man named Boaz, and asked for permission to glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers, the servant said, “Yes.”

And when that servant told Boaz about Ruth’s request, he also told him that she had been on her feet since early that morning and had not rested all day. 

It was at this moment, that Ruth found something more than just a refuge in the place where she was trying build a new life for herself. She found favor!

† Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?”‬‬

Ruth‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NRSV

The Hebrew word, “hanan,” is found throughout the Bible. In many other languages this word can mean “to grant a favor, to be gracious and to favor”. In the Bible, it “depicts a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to one who has a need.” [1] 

In the Biblical sense, to find favor (hanan) is find someone who wants to show their approval, support or provide an act of kindness beyond what is due or normal.

It’s worth noting that when Ruth found that favor she was hoping to find—when she found that someone who was eager to show her favor—she couldn’t understand why she would even be worthy to receive such a precious gift. 

† But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” ‭‭

Ruth‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

Boaz recognized all that Ruth did to follow and take care of her broken and bitter mother-in-law all the way back to Israel from Moab. He saw how they mourned each other’s losses together and how they sought the God of Israel, under whose wings they came to find refuge. And in the process, Ruth found something more—she found God’s favor!

Let me encourage you with Psalm 91:1-2:

† Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. ‭‭

Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Make this your declaration and find your place of refuge in Him today! 

Then ask Him for the grace to hear His voice call you to explore and discover what else He wants to reveal to you in this place of refuge He has provided. And whatever field He may call you to today, pray that the Lord would guide you to faithfully follow Him, in whose sight you may find favor. 

When you find your place of refuge in Him, like Ruth, you may find something more—His favor!‬‬

[1] https://www.abarim-publications.com/Dictionary/ht/ht-n-nfin.html

Let me PRAY for you!