Lay It on Me

T HE P ROGRESSION OF THE B LESSING / 43

T HE L AW OF G LEANING There are those lean times when situations beyond our control dictate to us what we must do. During these times, there may not be a field to plow. We may have no seed to plant. But even in these situations, God has provided a spiritual principle that will allow us, if we are obedient, to get back on our feet. God established a law through Moses called the law of gleaning. When a man harvested his field he was to allow the four corners to remain unharvested so that the poor, the widows and the strangers could glean in the field (Leviticus 19:9, 10). As a poor stranger, Ruth went out, according to the law and custom, to glean in the field. Notice the divine "set up" in the location of her gleaning. So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech (Ruth 2:3, NASB). F OCUSED ON Y OUR A SSIGNMENT During her first days in Bethlehem, Ruth was hired to glean in the fields. Given this opportunity, Ruth became so focused on her assignment that she didn't have time for a lot of social activity. Usually after work, the reapers and the young ladies would gather together for fellowship, but notice what Boaz told Ruth: