Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 2 · Verse 18
Verſ. 18. And ſhee tooke it vp, and went into the citie; and her mother in law ſaw what ſhee had gleaned; and ſhe brought forth, and gaue to her that ſhee had reſerued, after ſhe was ſufficed.
RVthes comfortable returne out of the field, with what, whither, to whom, with her kindneſſe in giuing what ſhee had reſerued at mealetime from Boaz table; ſo as ſhe had a double witneſſe to ſhew her mother his kindneſſe; the Epha of barley, and the food of his table: both which did (no doubt) greatly comfort the heart of Naomi, as appeareth by her heartie prayers in the next verſe.
And ſhe tooke it vp, and went into the Citie. Shee beareth the burthen her ſelf. And this is noted, to ſhew how the Lord taketh notice of the burthens of his children; which are of two ſorts, either ſuch as bee voluntarily vndertaken, and willingly for diſcharge of their dutie, as Iacob in his ſeruice to Laban, or Ruth here for her honeſt maintenance, or elſe impoſed vponupon them, as the burthens ofGen. 31. 12. Exod. 3. 7. Pharaoh vponupon the Iſraelites: on both the Lord looketh, approouing the one, and pitying the other. Which may giuegive comfort vntounto the painefull, in bearing the burthen of their calling, or of oppreſſion; for the Lord knoweth their troubles, their labour and trauell, and will doe them good in the end, if they waite with patience.
And her mother in law ſaw what ſhe had gleaned.] By this it appeareth, that Ruth did hide none of her gleaning from Naomi, but ſhewed her all, and this for three cauſes; to manifeſt Gods mercy towards her, that ſhe might praiſe God with her; to ſhew that ſhe had been painefull in her abſence, and not ſpent her time idly; and to ſhew her faithfulneſſe, that ſhe kept nothing from her. And thus ſhould children and ſeruants doe to ſuch as depend vponupon their labour, approoue their labour by the fruits thereof, and their faithfulneſſe vntounto their Parents and Maſters. They may not bee faithleſſe as ſome ſeruants bee, nor careleſſe and idle as be too many children, who vnderunder their Parents take libertie to be lazy, when yet they hauehave more reaſon to bee painefull and carefull then ſeruants, as nature, better maintenance, and the hope of portions and inheritance binde them.
And ſhe brought forth, and gaue her.] After that Ruth had ſhewed what ſhe had gleaned, ſhe took out ſome victuals, and gaue to her mother in law alſo. Godly children are kind and louing to their Parents. If this bee in a daughter in law, to a motherSee chap. 4. verſ. 15. in law; much greater is the bond of duty of naturall children to their naturall Parents, if they be truly religious: as may bee ſeene in Dauid to1. Sam. 22. 3. Gen. 45. 11. his Parents, and Ioſeph to his. And good reaſon is there why they ſhould doe their Parents all good: nature bindes them, alſo the commandementExod. 20. of God to honour them; which comprehendeth louelove, reuerence, obedience, and reliefe; and the example of godly children, yea, of Chriſt himſelf vntounto his mother, moueth them. There beIoh. 19. 26, 27. alſo rare examples for this among the Heathen,See Val. Max. lib. 5. cap. 4. the rather to perſwade Chriſtians hereunto, leſt they riſe vp in iudgement againſt them. Let children therefore learne to be kind and mercifull to their poore Parents, and not be like the vnnaturall Impes, whereof there bee theſe ſorts, ſuch as care not to prouide for them, but to get all they can from them; they are not willing to do them good, but grudge to relieue them, and are ſicke of their liues, wiſhing their death, to be eaſed of the burthen. Other there be which will rob their Parents, and ſteale from them what they can get, yea, and thinke it no ſinne, as Salomon tellethProu. 28. 24. vsus; yet are they the companions of a deſtroyer. The third ſort are thoſe helliſh monſters, who riſe vp to murder their Parents, but the Lord reuengeth it, as we ſee in the example of Abſalom.
That ſhee had reſerued, after ſhee was ſufficed.] It is meet to eate to ſuffice nature, for the preſeruation of life, and the better inabling of vsus to walke painefully in our calling, of which before in verſe 14. Note farther hence, I. That ſuch as hauehave true louelove, will ſpare from themſelues to relieue others, yea though they themſelues be but poore, and hauehave nothing but from hand to mouth, as we ſay. Of this we hauehave here an example, and in the pooreLuk. 21. 2. widdow, which gaue her two mites; yea our Sauiour, who was relieued by others, yet kept a bag for the poore; he ſpared of his gifts, to giuegive vntounto others. For true louelove cannot but pittie the want of others: and ſuch as ſo louelove, will not hoard vp for themſelues, and let their poore brethren remaine in want, when for the preſent they hauehave ſufficient; they liue in hope of ſupply, and doubt not of Gods prouidence for the time to come, when they giuegive charitably what they may ſpare for the preſent. This condemneth the curſed couetouſneſſe of ſuch as hauehave laid vp in ſtore for many yeeres, and yet will not beſtow any thing vponupon ſuch as doe need; and alſo it checketh ſuch as excuſe and exempt themſelues wholy and alwayes for giuing any thing, becauſe they be poore. If this plea had ſtucke in the heart of the poore widdow, which caſt her mites into the treaſurie, ſhee would hauehave reſerued them to her ſelfe: but ſo ſhould ſhee hauehave loſt her eternall praiſes. II. Such as would thriue, ſpend not all at once, but reſerue ſomewhat both for themſelues and for others. Ruth ate, ſhee was ſufficed, and reſerued ſome for afterwards, for her mother and her ſelfe: ſhe was not ryotous & waſtfull, becauſe ſhe had more then did ſuffice for the preſent. For ſuch as be painfull, know how they come by that which they hauehave; they alſo know it to be a vertue to ſpare and keep, what neceſſitie cauſeth not to be layd out, neither charitie, nor pietie to be ſpent; they know, that what they hauehave, is ſo their owne before men, as yet before God they are but Stewards thereof. Therefore from this, and Ruths example, we muſt learne frugality, to vſe Gods bleſſings to doe our ſelues good; but we muſt beware of waſte, and not let any thing be loſt, as our Sauiour commanded, when he had fed ſoIohn 6. 12, 13. many thouſands. They then here are worthy of iuſt reprehenſion, who waſtfully conſume Gods bleſſings; ſome on their bellie, as doe Drunkards and Gluttons; ſome on their fleſhly delights, bringing themſelues to a morſell of bread; others vponupon play and gaming, idle and prodigall vnthrifts, ſuch as this our nation now is too much burthened with; others vponupon too coſtly and often fantaſticke attyre, the enſigne of pride and vanitie; to whom if any ſpeake for their reformation, they reply with words of contempt of others, and careleſſe neglect of their owne eſtate, ſaying, They ſpend but their own, what hauehave any to doe with it? But theſe muſt remember, that they muſt giuegive an account vntounto God, whoſe bleſſings they waſte; they muſt alſo know, that Gods gifts are not giuen them to conſume wholely vponupon themſelues after their luſts, but to be Stewards thereof for God, and in his ſtead to doe good to others, as need ſhall require. This prodigality the Lord often puniſheth with pouertieLuk. 15. and ſometime with impriſonment, yea with ſhamefull deaths in ſome, whom God giueth ouer to fall into the hand of the Magiſtrate for ſome euill committed and deſeruing death.