Ruth 2:12

The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose {e} wings thou art come to trust. (e) Signifying, that she would never lack anything, if she put her trust in God, and lived under his protection.

The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. The Lord recompense thy work. — Though Ruth lacked the world’s wealth, yet she lacked not good works, such as God regarded and rewarded too. Many Papists, and some as silly, have shrunk up good works to a hand-breadth, to giving of alms. Ruth had no alms to give, and yet her work was with the Lord, who heard this good man’s prayer for her, and gave her a full reward, yet not of merit, but of free grace and fatherly love, as a father rewardeth his son that serveth him. And a full reward be given thee. — Fiat merces tua solida. Vatab. It was so when she became his wife, which he little thought of, when he thus heartily prayed for her, but especially when she came to heaven; whither that proud merit monger never came who said, Caelum gratis non accipiam, If I may not earn heaven, I will never have it of free gift. Let us "look to ourselves that we lose not the things that we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." 2 John 1:8 Under whose wings thou art come to trust. — A metaphor usual in Scripture, from young birds hovering and covering under the dam’s wings. Ruth "coming to God, believed that God is, and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6 Fides est quae te pullastram, Christum gallinam facit, ut sub pennis eius speres; nam salus in pennis eius. Luther.

Wings, i.e. protection and care, as Deu 32:11 Psalm 17:8 36:7 91:4 . An allusion either to hens, which protect and cherish their young ones under their wings; or to the wings of the cherubims, between which God dwelt.

The Lord recompence thy work,.... The Targum adds, in this world; meaning the kind offices she had performed, and the good service she had done to her mother-in-law; nor is God unrighteous to forget the work and labour of love, which is shown by children to their parents; and though such works are not in themselves meritorious of any blessing from God here or hereafter, yet he is pleased of his own grace to recompence them, and return the good into their bosom manifold, it being acceptable in his sight: and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel; the Targum adds, in the world to come; which is called the reward of the inheritance, Colossians 3:24 a reward not of debt, but of grace; and that will be a full one indeed, fulness of joy, peace, and happiness, an abundance of good things not to be conceived of, see 2 John 1:8 , under whose wings thou art come to trust; whom she professed to be her God, and whom she determined to serve and worship; whose grace and favour she expected, and to whose care and protection she committed herself: the allusion is either to fowls, which cover their young with their wings, and thereby keep them warm and comfortable, and shelter and protect them, see Psalm 36:7 or to the wings of the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat, Exodus 25:20 and the phrase is now adopted by the Jews to express proselytism; and so the Targum here,"thou art come to be proselyted, and to be hid under the wings of the Shechinah of his glory,''or his glorious Shechinah.

The pious and kind language between Boaz and his reapers shows that there were godly persons in Israel. Such language as this is seldom heard in our field; too often, on the contrary, what is immoral and corrupt. A stranger would form a very different opinion of our land, from that which Ruth would form of Israel from the converse and conduct of Boaz and his reapers. But true religion will teach a man to behave aright in all states and conditions; it will form kind masters and faithful servants, and cause harmony in families. True religion will cause mutual love and kindness among persons of different ranks. It had these effects on Boaz and his men. When he came to them he prayed for them. They did not, as soon as he was out of hearing curse him, as some ill-natured servants that hate their master's eye, but they returned his courtesy. Things are likely to go on well where there is such good-will as this between masters and servants. They expressed their kindness to each other by praying one for another. Boaz inquired concerning the stranger he saw, and ordered her to be well treated. Masters must take care, not only that they do no hurt themselves, but that they suffer not their servants and those under them to do wrong. Ruth humbly owned herself unworthy of favours, seeing she was born and brought up a heathen. It well becomes us all to think humbly of ourselves, esteeming others better than ourselves. And let us, in the kindness of Boaz to Ruth, note the kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ to poor sinners.

9. go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn—Gleaners were sometimes allowed, by kind and charitable masters, to partake of the refreshments provided for the reapers. The vessels alluded to were skin bottles, filled with water—and the bread was soaked in vinegar (Ru 2:14); a kind of poor, weak wine, sometimes mingled with a little olive oil—very cooling, as would be required in harvest-time. This grateful refection is still used in the harvest-field.

The similarity of expression here to Genesis 15:1 , and in Ruth 2:11 to Genesis 12:1 , makes it probable that Boaz had the case of Abraham in his mind. The Lord God of Israel - "Jehovah the God of Israel." Compare Joshua 14:14 , where, as here, the force of the addition, the God of Israel, lies in the person spoken of being a foreigner (see Judges 11:21 note).