Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 2 · Verse 20
Verſe 20. And Naomi ſaid vntounto her daughter in law, Bleſsed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindneſse to the liuing & to the dead. And Naomi ſaid vntounto her, The man is neere of kinne vntounto vsus, one of our next kinſmen.
THis is Naomi her ſpeech againe vntounto Ruth: wherein ſhee firſt earneſtly prayeth for Boaz, with the reaſon why ſhee was ſo moued thereto, and then ſheweth her what he was to them, euen a very neere kinſman.
And Naomi ſaid vntounto her daughter in law, &c.] When ſhee heard who it was, and calling to remembrance what hee was to them, and what mercy he had formerly ſhewed vntounto her husband and children, ſhee breaketh forth into prayer for him. Whence we may learne, that new kindneſses added to the old, doe the more inflame the affections to louelove and hearty well-wiſhing, as may appeare heere by Naomi: For new fauours call the old to remembrance, and teſtifieth the continuance of louelove. This is an encouragement to ſuch as hauehave beene kind, ſtill to continue ſo to the thankefull; the latter fauors ſhall keep vp the affectiō of louelove, and be the remembrancer of what is paſt, and to bind the parties the more vntounto them. Now, if this be ſo with men, how ſhould we be inflamed in louelove towards our good God and Father, who daily reneweth his bleſſings vponupon vsus? Ought we not to increaſe in louelove according to his mercies? But oh vngratefull man: What ſtupiditie poſſeſſeth thine heart! Doe we not receiue his bleſſings with one hand, & ſhew our vnmindfulneſſe of him by the other? If the keeping of his commandement be the marke of our louelove, as it1. Iohn 5. 2. is, then ſurely our waxing wanton againſt him, by abuſing of his bleſſings, openly proclaime rather hatred than louelove vntounto him. This is our vnthankefulneſſe, of which we muſt repent.
Bleſsed be hee of the Lord.] This is her prayer made to the Lord to bleſſe him. From this note many things. I. That Prayer in and by eueryevery true member of the Church, hath beene onelyonly made vntounto God. This the examples of all the godly doe confirme, and thus are we commanded to doe, and therefore the prayers made to Sants, Angels, yea, or to the Virgin Mary, are abominable, and curſed idolatry. II. That it is the Lord that doth bleſse and make happy: for what is begged of God, that is acknowledged to be his gift. And what happineſſe corporall or ſpirituall can man attaine vntounto, but by the Lord? Therefore if we want bleſſings, let vsus beg them of him, if wee hauehave them, acknowledge him the Authour, and be thankfull in cheerefull obedience for the ſame, as wee be exhorted in the Word of God: For who canDeut. 10. 12. Rom. 12. 1. think himſelfe bleſſed of God, & not be thankfull and obedient vntounto him, but ſuch as be void of all grace? III. That the Lord will bleſse the mercifull. For ſhee prayeth for that which ſhe had warrant to aske: and wee find that the Lord hath ſo promiſedPſal. 41. 1, 3. Mat. 5. 7. to doe. And therefore let the mercifull looke for a bleſſing, and let vsus pray for that bleſſing vponupon their heads, which ſhew mercy vntounto the poore and needy, that they may be encouraged in ſuch workes of charitie. And to moue them hereto, let them conſider Gods promiſe to them, how they be vnderunder Gods protection,Deut. 24. 13. how others pray for them, when they doe little thinke thereof, and doe bleſſe them, as Naomi doth Boaz here; and if the poore faile of their duety, yet the almeſdeed aſcendeth vp to God, andAct. 10. 4. the worke done ſhall bleſſe them, euen the backe and belly of the poore. Let theſe things moueIob 31. 20. the rich to doe workes of mercy, and to reioyce therein. IV. That the poores reward vntounto the rich for their workes of charity, is onelyonly their prayer to God for them. Naomi had no other recompence for Boaz, but this; and this is a great requitall, when it is a feruent prayer from faith; for ſuch the Lord doth heare, and will himſelfe reward their workes, he becomes bound for them, to make good what on their behalfe is wanting. Which may greatly comfort ſuch as be mercifull. And ſeeing the poore hauehave nothing elſe to repay backe, but their prayers; let them not faile in this, not onelyonly when and while the benefit is in receiuing, but euen when for time the fauour may ſeeme to bee forgotten, ſo often as their Benefactors come to their remembrance, not to faile to lift vp a thought to God for them.
Who hath not left off his kindneſse to the liuing and to the dead.] The reaſon which moued Naomi to pray ſo feruently for a bleſſing vponupon Boaz, was his conſtant fauour towards them aliue, as before to her husband and children then dead: and it is as if Naomi had ſaid, He continueth ſtill in his former kindneſſe to vsus that be now aliue, to thee and me, which he ſhewed to my husband and children now departed this life. The Papiſts prattle,Feuardentius in hunc locum. I know not what, of benefiting the dead by workes of charity, out of this place, by wreſting the ſenſe thereof to maintaine their errour: which I leaue as idle and vnprofitable, and come to more ſound and profitable inſtructions for our ſelues. Hence may we obſerue, That true louelove in good men, dyes not with the dead, but is ſhewed to thoſe they leaue behind them, as Boaz doth here to Ruth and Naomi for their husbands ſake; ſo did Dauid to Mephiboſheth for Ionathans ſake:2 Sam 9. 1. Prou. 17. 17. 1. Sam. 22. 4. for a true friend loueth at all times. Dauid receiued kindneſſe of the King of Moab, and being dead, hee ſent to comfort his ſonne Hanun, if it2. Sam. 10. 2. had beene ſo taken. For a true friend ſeeth his friend aliue in his children, and poſterity. Let vsus then, if we louelove one truely, not bury our louelove with him in his graue, as the manner of the world is now, which is full of counterfeit louelove. But let vsus imitate our heauenly Father, who loued Abraham, Iſaac, and Iacob, and their ſeed after them, and promiſeth mercy vntounto thouſands of the poſterityExod. 20. of ſuch as louelove him, and keepe his commandements. This reproueth ſuch which let their louelove die with their friends; alſo ſuch as louelove their friends poſterity, if they be rich, but not if they be poore, as Boaz doth here: But true friendſhip maketh no difference of a friend by riches and pouerty: for if this make the difference, the friendſhip is certainely counterfeit. Thirdly, this condemneth ſuch friends as louelove ſuch as remaine of their friends departed ſo, as vnderunder colour of kindneſſe, they rob their children committed by the will of their dead friend to their cuſtodie; ſuch villanie there is in the world, and falſehood masked vnderunder the ſhadow of louelove. Beſides inſtruction, here is alſo matter of cōſolation, if we conſider how God raiſeth vp conſtant friends to poore poſterities; though this be rare, yet wee hauehave in this place an example, that God is the ſame in power and mercy to doe the like ſtill for his children: but be it that men faile to be faithfull in their louelove, let vsus be comforted in this, that the Lord is faithfull: if he louelove Abraham his friend, his poſterity in Egypt after foure hundred yeeres ſhall reape benefit thereby; if the Lord choſe a Dauid, he will for a long time for his ſake ſhew kindneſſe to his poſterity. Let this, this I ſay, ſettle the hearts of carefull parents for their poſterity: for if the Lord louelove them, hee will not faile them; nor forſake their poſterity that ſhall depend vponupon him, hee is the ſure and conſtant friend, and will not leaue off his kindneſſe to the liuing and to the dead, as Naomi ſpeaketh heere of Boaz.
And Naomi ſaid vntounto her, The man is neere of kin vntounto vsus, one of our next kinſmen.] It may ſeeme by this, that before now Naomi had not told Ruth of Boaz her rich kinſeman, but at this preſent, as occaſion had now offered it ſelfe, now ſhe telleth her that hee was a very neere kinſman, one of her Redeemers, which had a right to redeeme the inheritance, and ſo to marry her, and to raiſe vp ſeed vntounto the dead, as the Law required; and thisDeut. 25. Naomi telles her of, to ſhew how naturall affection did in ſome ſort bind him to this kindneſſe which he had ſhewed her, and alſo to comfort Ruth in this poore eſtate, in hope of a better condition, as it afterwards fell out. Obſerue hence, I. That the godly wiſe poore are not vainglorious boaſters of their rich friends and kindred. Naomi made not him knowne before this to Ruth, both for that ſhee would not intice Ruth to come and embrace her company for any outward reſpect of worldly friendſhip, and alſo becauſe ſhee knew it to be folly to boaſt of rich friends, except they were ſure to find them good and kind. Naomi was not as ſome poore be, which fooliſhly brag of rich kinsfolke, while yet they find them not true friends, ſuch as will hardly acknowledge them to be of their kindred, either doe them almoſt any good at all. II. That it is then a comfort to the poore to ſpeake of rich kindred, when they ſhew themſelues kind, as kindred ought to doe; for kindred may ſo be called from kindneſſe in them, and by ſhewing themſelues kind to their kinſfolke, as Boaz doth here; and therefore Naomi now, but not before, telleth Ruth of him, what he was to them. The poore may hence learne when fitly to ſpeake of ſuch kinsfolke: and the rich may ſee how to open the mouthes of their poore friends to ſpeake of them, and to pray for them, euen by ſhewing the true tokens of louelove and kindred. III. That neere kinsfolke are to be kind to their poore kindred: for Naomi giueth this as ſome reaſon of Boaz his ſo great fauour towards them: and this naturall bond of louelove hath both reaſon and Religion to ſtrengthen the ſame: and therefore ſuch as bee ſo bound and will not be kind, doe againſt nature, reaſon, and Religion: as when parents neglect children; theſe, their parents; ſo brethren and ſiſters one another: and yet this vnnaturall affection is common in theſe our dayes, which the Apoſtle condemneth, and alſoRom. 1. 31. 1. Tim. 3. 3. foretelleth it to be a ſinne in the laſt dayes. Laſtly, in calling Boaz one of the Redeemers, as the word tranſlated kinſmen ſheweth, it may put vsus in mind of this, that the Lord hath great care ouer the poore, who appointed by his Law the redemptionLeuit. 25. 25. of lands to the family againe, fromDeut. 25. 5. 6. which it was fold. And this care hath euer the Lord had, as may appeare by commanding to relieue them, by promiſing to reward the good done vntounto them, by bleſſing ſuch as hauehave beene mercifull, and leauing their praiſes in the Scripture, by publiſhing their reward at the laſt day, and by ordaining a Law for the redemption of their eſtate among the Iſraelites. The conſideration whereof may moue the poore to be thankfull, and reſt in God; and the rich to bee good vntounto the poore, and herein to imitate the Lord, who ſo careth for them, as we ſee.