Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 2 · Verse 4
Verſe. 4. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and ſaid vntounto the Reapers, The Lord bee with you. And they anſwered him, The Lord bleſſe thee.
GOD bringeth Ruth by his hand into Boaz field, and then he by the ſame hand draweth Boaz to come thither while ſhee was there, that ſo the one might be knowne to the other; that by ſeeing and liking, the match might bee made, which God in his mercy intended for his daughter, this young woman. Here in this verſe is Boaz going into the field to his Reapers; then his ſaluting of them, and their re-ſaluting of him.
And behold.] This is vſed to ſet out a remarkeableChap. 4. 1. thing, and is here, as if it had beene ſaid, Take notice of Gods prouidēce herein, as a thing worthy obſeruation, that Boaz ſhould now come into the field, at this time, vntounto his Reapers, and in willing the Reader to behold this, wee may learne, That the prouident hand of God is in all things to be diligently marked and obſerued. For hereby we ſhall ſee God in eueryevery thing, and ſo acknowledge his ruling hand in and ouer all; wee ſhall ſee his fauour and helpe in deliuering his children and ſeruants, as he did Dauid from Saul; in1. Sam. 23. 26, 27. Eſter. 6. furthering them to their honour and welfare, as here Ruth; and ſo Mordecai, when the King muſt, in reading, light vponupon that place in his Chronicles, which concerned him. Wee ſhall then hereby ſee his wrath againſt the wicked, in bringing Iezabel to Iezreel, with Iehoram and Ahaziah, 2. King. 8. 29. & 9. 15, 16.to cut off at once the houſe of Ahab, as he had threatned. Let vsus then obſerue wiſely the hand of Gods prouidence, that he may hauehave the glory in all things, when we ſee his rule and power either in his workes of mercy, or workes of iudgement.
Boaz came from Bethlehem,] vntounto his Reapers, who were reaping in his field, and ſo like a good huſband would hauehave an eye vntounto them: for good houſholders do ouerſee the affaires of their houſe & family, and ſuch alſo as they ſet on worke. 2. King. 4. 8, 18. The Shunamite would bee with his Reapers, as Boaz was here. This is Salomons counſell, Pro. 27. 23. And the praiſe of a good houſewife alſo is, to looke well to the waies of her houſehold, becauſe riches are vncertaine, Pro. 27. 24. they abidePro. 31. 27. Non minor eſt virtus, quàm quaerere, parta tueri. not for euer: and it is no leſſe a vertue to keepe what we hauehave gotten, then to get what wee had not. Carefull vigilancy ouer our family is a good means to preſerue our eſtate: by this ſhal we ſee, who is faithfull and painfull, to commend and reward them, and who is negligent and faithleſſe to reproue and correct them, or elſe to remoue them. Let vsus therefore learne to play the good husbands, as men ſay; for it is no fault for a man to be thriuing, or for the greateſt to looke well to their charge: if any fault be, it is in couetouſnes, and niggardlineſſe, and not in prouident circumſpection, & in a watchfull eye ouer the family, to keepe them in honeſt labour, and to preuent waſtfulneſſe. Negligent maſters in this point are worthy reproofe, they ſpoyle their ſeruants, they vndoe themſelues. And here ſuch muſt know themſelues to bee in an errour, vvho thinke it a diſgrace for mē of vvorth, to ſee to their ſeruants; and to be among their workemen. Indeede, if ſeruants were like vntounto Iacob, faithfull and painfull,Gen. 31, 38, 39, 40. and 39. 23. 2. King. 12. 15. and 22. 7. or like Ioſeph to be truſted with all that men hauehave, or like the faithfull workemen in Ioaſh, and Ioſias daies; the eye of the maſter might be ſpared: but many ſeruants be rather like falſe Zibah, filching Oneſimus, before his conuerſion; riotous, like thoſe in Mat. 24. 49. or Run-avvaies, like Shemeies ſeruants, ſo that maſters had neede to ſee to them: yet muſt maſters bevvare of a greedy mind, as thinking that ſeruants neuer doe enough: they muſt take heede of diſtruſtfull mindes, without iuſt cauſe, charity thinketh no ill; neither muſt they keepe their ſeruants to worke ſo hardly, as that they cannot afford them any time to ſerue God: for ſuch maſters are more like Turkes than Chriſtians, and vſe their ſeruants rather like beaſts, than like men, endued with reaſon, and hauing ſoules to ſaue. If Maſters take time alſo for the ſoule, and for the ſeruice of God, & then be prouidēt for the world, it is praiſeworthy, and the fruit thereof wil appeare in Gods bleſſing falling vponupon the worke of their hands.
And ſaid vntounto the Reapers, The Lord bee with you.] Thus Boaz ſpeaketh to them, when he commeth into the field; this was his manner of ſalutingIud. 6. 12. them, and likewiſe of their reſaluting him againe; ſo that the forme of ſaluting is not one and the ſame, as wee may ſee in Pſal. 129. 8. Mat. 26. 49. Ioſh. 20. 26. Now, ſalutations are not onelyonly words of courteous and ciuill behauiour, but prayers made vntounto God one for another; and therefore wee may hence learne,
I. That it is a commendable thing for one to ſalute another when they meete. This our God andIoh. 20. 26. Iud. 6. 12. Luk. 1. 28. Sauiour did: this Angels hauehave done, and this we ſee good men hauehave done. It is among men ciuility and courteſie, eſpecially of the ſuperiour to the inferiour, as here: it alſo procureth louelove; as wee may ſee in Abſaloms courteous ſaluting the people, by which hee ſtole away their hearts after him; but this was the abuſe of this commendable practice: wee muſt beware of hypocriſieMat. 26. 49. 2. Sam. 20. 10. therein: we muſt not ſalute like Iudas; not like Ioab, with faire words, and foule hearts and hands; neither muſt any neglect this, of pride and contempt of others, as too many now doe. If this be cōmendable, then ſurely the Anabaptiſts do erre, who hold it vnlawfull to ſalute ſuch as they meet, obeicting certaine places of Scripture, as 2. King. 4. 29. where the Prophet commandeth his ſeruant not to ſalute, or reſalute any that hee met. But this place is to be vnderſtood, onelyonly to expreſſe the haſte he ſhould make, as the commandement to gird vp his loynes, doth ſhew: It doth not ſimply forbid to ſalute any, at all other occaſions, or times. Another place is in Luke 10. 4. where our Sauiour Chriſt forbiddeth his Apoſtles to ſalute any man by the way. Neither is here forbidden to ſalute any: for in verſe 5. hee teacheth them to ſalute others. But this ſpeech was, to ſhew that they ſhould make ſpeede in that whereabout they were ſent, and to auoid the leaſt hinderance that might ſtay them from performance of their duty: for by ſaluting one another, ſometimes occaſions are taken of ſtaying, which here he ſeemeth to hauehave relation vntounto, and not that hee would hauehave them neglect common, and commendable courteſies. The third place is 2. Iohn verſe 10. where hee forbids to bid God ſpeede to ſome: which is to be vnderſtood, of not allowing of ſuch as were Heretickes and falſe teachers, as farre forth as they were ſuch, and therein not to wiſh them proſperity; which is nothing to ordinary ſalutations.
II. That Maſters are to pray that God may be with their houſehold, family, and workemen. So doth Boaz here pray; and there is good reaſon for it: for if God be with them, they ſhall proſper, as did Iacob, and Ioſeph in their ſeruices, and Abrahams ſeruant in his buſineſſe. It is hee that giueth them ſtrength to labour, and without his bleſſingPſalm. 127. 2. Deut. 8. 18. nothing can goe forward: for hee giueth power to get wealth. And therefore let Maſters remember this duty to God for their family and ſeruants.
And they anſwered him, The Lord bleſſe thee.] Thus they religiouſly ſalute him againe: So as they which doe ſalute, are to be re-ſaluted. The Scripture teacheth humanity, and commendeth the ſame to vsus in godly mens practice; as here in ſaluting one another, ſo in comely geſture in reuerencing our betters, as Abigail, did Dauid, and Ioſeph Iacob. Indeed the Scripture, beſides otherGen. 48. 12. things is a ſchoole of good manners, and therefore checketh ſuch as be vnciuill in their carriage and behauiour, when ciuility and good manners are a grace to a Chriſtian profeſſion. Againe note, that ſeruants are to pray for a bleſsing vponupon their Maſters. It is a rare grace to play the part of an Abrahams ſeruant. But thus to doe, arguethGen. 24. true louelove in a Seruant: and if a Maſter be bleſſed, he is the better inabled to doe for a good ſeruant. But where are ſuch ſeruants now to bee found?