Your Reputation Precedes You - July 16

Read Ruth 2:11-13 (ESV)

But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

Reflect

What motivated Boaz, a wealthy and well-to-do man, to bless a foreign woman of such low social standing?

Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than gold or silver.” Our name and the reputation associated with it gets around as we interact in our communities. We can’t always choose what people say or think about us. Sometimes we are misunderstood or even slandered. But in general, if we are people of godly character, others will take notice and our good character will earn us a good name among the people.

This had certainly happened for Boaz. He was a wealthy man, yes. But he is also described as “a worthy man” (Ruth 2:1). Among his people, he was considered a man of noble character. He had earned a good name for himself.

But in today’s passage, it wasn’t Boaz who received recognition for acting with noble character, it was Ruth. Before Boaz met her in the field that day, he had heard about her. Her reputation had preceded her and it was a good one!

Keep in mind that Ruth was a Moabite. The Moabites worshiped Chemosh, a pagan god. “Worshiping'' false gods like Chemosh, Baal, Ashteroth, and Molech included child sacrifice (2 Kings 3:27) and sexual immorality/orgies. Moabite women had led the Israelites into idolatry in the days of Moses, bringing swift punishment from God upon Israel in the form of a deadly plague (Numbers 25:1-9). Given this history, the Israelites probably didn’t think very highly of Moabite women.

Earlier in chapter 2, Ruth expressed her amazement that Boaz was treating her so kindly even though she was a Moabite. Today, she was amazed that Boaz treated her with so much favor though she was even lower in social status than his servants. Why was Boaz acting so graciously toward her?

Well, Boaz answered that question for us. He said that he had heard all about how she selflessly left her family, her home, and everything familiar in order to care for her widowed mother-in-law. Boaz had great respect for her and even prayed that God would reward her for her kindness towards Naomi. He viewed her move from Moab to Israel as coming to take refuge under the Lord’s wings. In his metaphor, she and Naomi were like helpless, baby birds but the Lord, the God of Israel, is compared to a mother bird who gathers her babies to her side and protects them under her wings. Boaz prayed that the Lord would reward her and be her refuge. Ironically, (spoiler alert!) Boaz is going to be the answer to his own prayer. God is going to use Boaz to shelter, protect, and provide for Ruth and Naomi even more than he already has!

Ruth may have been poor. She didn’t have great riches, gold, or silver. But her reputation preceded her. She had earned a good name for herself and that proved to be very valuable because her noble deeds caught the eye of a noble man who was going to step in and save the day. Imagine how our sovereign God could work in and through our lives if we humbly obeyed Him and sacrificially loved others!

Respond

Lord, thank You for being my refuge and for sheltering me under Your wings. May my actions and my character do far more than just earn me a good name. May my reputation reflect my relationship with you for the glory of Your name, not mine. Amen.

Reveal: How can the way that we conduct ourselves and the reputation that we earn for ourselves, reveal the work of Christ in our lives?

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