Ruth 2:1 –23: Go Not to Glean in Another Field

[Study Aired October 11, 2021]

Rth 2:1  And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. 
Rth 2:2  And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 
Rth 2:3  And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. 
Rth 2:4  And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. 
Rth 2:5  Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 
Rth 2:6  And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: 
Rth 2:7  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. 
Rth 2:8  Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 
Rth 2:9  Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 
Rth 2:10  Then 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? 
Rth 2:11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 
Rth 2:12  The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 
Rth 2:13  Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 
Rth 2:14  And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 
Rth 2:15  And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 
Rth 2:16  And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 
Rth 2:17  So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 
Rth 2:18  And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. 
Rth 2:19  And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 
Rth 2:20  And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 
Rth 2:21  And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 
Rth 2:22  And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. 
Rth 2:23  So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law. 

The first chapter of Ruth deals with how our Lord uses His four sore judgments, specifically, famine, to bring us from Babylon to the Heavenly Jerusalem or the body of Christ. Both Naomi and Ruth, representing the elect, came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

It is during our time in Bethlehem, or the church of the first born which is represented by the period of the harvest, that we come to clearly see the tares (false doctrines and our iniquities) and the wheat (the truth) through the angels sent by our Lord. That is when all the tares in us are destroyed by our fiery trials, and we are ready to be harvested as mature sons of God.

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Chapter 2 of Ruth deals with the process we go through to mature in Christ after entering the house of God or the Heavenly Jerusalem as indicated by the entry of Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem, the house of bread.

Rth 1:22  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Rth 2:1  And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

At the beginning of this Chapter, we are introduced to the One who makes all things possible, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. Elimelech means ‘my God is king’ and Boaz means ‘in Him is strength’. From the meaning of the names here, we can see that Boaz here represents the Lord Jesus Christ. A mighty man of wealth suggests that all the resources of both heaven and earth are at His disposal. He is indeed a great God!!

Psa 95:1  O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Psa 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psa 95:3  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psa 95:4  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
Psa 95:5  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Psa 95:6  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Rth 2:2  And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
Rth 2:3  And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

The field, as explained by our Lord Jesus in the parable of the tares and wheat, is the world. So, what verse 2 is saying is that it is in this life, or world, that the elect gets to know the word of God, represented here by gleaning of ears of corn. If we are blessed for our eyes to see and ears to hear, then it means that we have found grace in our Lord’s sight just as Ruth was looking to find favor to glean ears of corn. The rest of humanity will get to know Christ through the word during the lake of fire age.

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

As we are aware, our steps are ordered by the Lord as we see Ruth end up in the field of Boaz. This field of Boaz also stands for the church of the first born or heavenly Jerusalem. What this means is that in whatever situation we find ourselves, we must rejoice knowing that our Lord is working things out for our good and that what He starts, He is able to finish because He has all the resources to do so!!

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

The reapers here are the angels or messengers of God who speak the fiery words of the Lord. Gleaning in the field after the reapers means we follow the messengers as they follow Christ.

1Co 11:1  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Rth 2:4  And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

It is in the church that we get to know who our Lord Jesus is. Our coming to know Christ is the same as the revelation of Christ to Apostle John on the island of Patmos. As we have learned, the whole of our walk with Christ is to know Him, and that is the essence of eternal life.

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Rth 2:5  Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 
Rth 2:6  And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
Rth 2:7  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.

The servant that was set over the reapers also represents our Lord Jesus, and therefore what we are being told here is that our Lord knew us even before we came to know Him, and He is concerned about us.

Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Psa 139:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Psa 139:2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Psa 139:3  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Psa 139:4  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Psa 139:5  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Psa 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Such knowledge about the fact that all my actions including my thought formation and what comes out of my mouth are all ordered by the Lord is impossible to attain while we walk in the flesh as revealed in Psalm 139:6 above.

The statement in verse 7 that “she had continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house” is to let us know that our Lord is aware of our labor and all that we are doing in the kingdom, and He has assured us that our labor just like that of Ruth, who stands for the elect, will never be in vain in the Lord.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Rth 2:8  Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

Here our Lord, represented here by Boaz, is admonishing us not to go glean in another field. That means we must focus on the word of God and not be distracted by our works or anything else. Paying attention to anything but the word of God amounts to gleaning in another field. Another field also represents Babylon which represents the religions of this world including Christianity. It is the word of God which is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance.

Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Boaz also admonished Ruth to abide by the maidens. That means we should not stay away from the church of the first born.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We must continually be in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ as this fellowship invariably involves our Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Rth 2:9  Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap and go thou after them is another way of saying that we must pay attention to what we hear from the messengers or angels of the Lord. In other words, we must hold on fast to what we hear. If we do not do that, it will cost us our crown.

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Boaz charging the young men not to harm Ruth is another way of saying that no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper as the Lord (Boaz) is in full control of both good and evil. In this case, the young men are used in a negative sense.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Ruth was also instructed by Boaz to go to the vessel and drink of that which the young men have drawn. The young men in this context represents the messengers of the Lord who are providing us with the word of God. So, what we are being told here is that the way to grow or mature as sons of God is to put into practice (drink) what we hear from our brothers and sisters who are laboring for the gospel.

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Rth 2:10  Then 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?

We all have found grace in the sight of the Lord by being allowed to see and to hear His words of life even though we were strangers just like Ruth. We were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, but in the fullness of time, our Lord has brought us who were far off to become part of His elect.

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Finding grace is another way of saying that our Lord is leading us in the way to know Him as we saw Moses making a request for the Lord to show him the way if he has found grace in the Lord’s sight.

Exo 33:13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
Exo 33:14  And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Exo 33:15  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

As we can see in verse 14 and 15 of Exodus Chapter 33, as we find grace in the sight of our Lord, we are assured of His presence to go with us to give us rest in Him. This rest is coming to know that we, of ourselves, cannot do anything and that everything is of the Lord including our salvation. That is when we cease from our own works and depend on God alone for everything.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Rth 2:11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 
Rth 2:12  The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 

These verses are another way of expressing the fact that anyone who has left all to follow our Lord will surely be rewarded.

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Rth 2:13  Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 
Rth 2:14  And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

Boaz inviting Ruth to come and eat is to let us know that finding favor in the sight of our Lord is being given eyes to see and ears to hear what the spirit of the Lord is saying to us through His words.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

In verse 14, Ruth did eat and became satisfied. As our understanding deepens concerning the word of God, we become satisfied by being content with whatever situation we find ourselves in knowing that our Lord is with us and is working out our salvation.

Psa 36:8  They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psa 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Psa 36:10  O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

Rth 2:15  And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 
Rth 2:16  And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 

Reproach her not in verse 15 and rebuke her not in verse 16 means we must not put impediments in the way of new believers as they seek to know the truth.

Rom 14:13  Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Rom 14:14  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
Rom 14:15  For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. (ESV)

1Co 8:9  But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1Co 8:10  For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?
1Co 8:11  And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.
1Co 8:12  Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
1Co 8:13  Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (ESV)

Rth 2:17  So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

Gleaning in the field until evening implies that for the rest of our lives until the sun goes down on us, or our body is destroyed through death, we must focus on hearing what our Lord is saying through the word. Beating what she gleaned signifies acting or obeying what we have heard.

Jas 1:19  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Jas 1:20  for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21  Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Jas 1:23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Jas 1:24  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Jas 1:25  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (ESV)

The statement “And it was about an ephah of barley” is to show us that as we hear and act on the word of God, we are being measured by the Lord. An ephah is a biblical measure of volume. It is about 9 gallons or 40 liters. We are being measured to see whether we are attaining the standard of Christ. Those who are not part of the new Jerusalem are not being measured in this life.

Rev 11:1  Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,
Rev 11:2  but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

Rth 2:18  And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.
Rth 2:19  And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.

As we hear and act on the word of God, we must share what we are receiving from the Lord with the body of Christ or the New Jerusalem, signified here by the mother-in-law, Naomi. We must feel free to share or discuss with our brothers and sisters in the body what we have gleaned from the word of God. This sharing or discussion of the word of God is what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

To the Babylonians and the people of the world, we must be ready to answer them when they come to us enquiring about our faith.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Rth 2:20  And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

In the CEV version of the Bible, this is how verse 20 is rendered:

Rth 2:20  “The LORD bless Boaz!” Naomi replied. “He has shown that he is still loyal to the living and to the dead. Boaz is a close relative, one of those who is supposed to look after us.” (CEV)

Boaz, who represents our Lord Jesus, is our close relative in the sense we all share the same body while He walked on earth. In addition to being a close relative, He is supposed to look after us. The scripture says that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren [brothers and sisters],
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

So, how is our brother Christ looking after us? The verses we just looked at give details regarding how He is looking after us. As we are aware, all humanity are our Lord’s children, and He is caring for all of us in terms of providing us what we need – food, clothing and a place to sleep. But in the case of the elect, this is what He is doing in addition:

He is making His Father known to us by declaring His name unto us, His brethren. (Heb 2:12)

He is delivering us who through fear of death were held in bondage in our lifetime. (Heb 2:15)

Because He was made like us, He is serving as a merciful and faithful high priest and is reconciling us to God. (Heb 2:17)

Because He is our brother, who grew up in the same environment of suffering just like us, He is able to help us when we go through all kinds of trials or suffering. (Heb 2:18)

Oh, may we praise our Lord for the wonderful work He is doing on our behalf!!

Rth 2:21  And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.

The young men here are the reapers who, according to our Lord Jesus’ parable of the tares and the wheat, are His angels or messengers of the gospel. The harvest is the end of the world.

Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Thou shall keep fast by my young men means keeping in step with our brothers and sisters who are laboring for the gospel. This is telling us that we should not refuse our Lord who is speaking through our brethren. Doing so will disqualify us of the reward.

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Rth 2:22  And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
Rth 2:23  So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

Naomi’s suggestion to Ruth that it is good going out with the maidens means we should not neglect fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters of the same mind.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

Belonging to a physical church of this world is meeting in a field that does not belong to Boaz or our Lord. That is what we call Babylon, of which we are admonished by the Lord to leave.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Ruth, who represents the elect, kept pace with the reapers and was also in the company of the maidens in Boaz’s field until the end of the harvest. Dwelling with the mother-in-law is the same as keeping the company of the maidens in Boaz’s field. This is to tell us that we must keep feeding on the word of God until the end of the harvest, which by that time, everything belonging to the world within us has been destroyed. That is the time of our departure from this present world!! May the Lord grant us the grace to endure to the end of the world as we focus on His words which is able to give us an inheritance. Amen!!