22nd February 2022
Where have you gleaned today?
“She [Ruth] said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
Ruth 2:7 (NIV)
Gleaning the fields is central to the story of Ruth found in the Old Testament. Ruth was a Moabite, widowed daughter-in-law of the widow Naomi. To prevent starvation, Ruth gleaned the field of Boaz: ‘And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” ’ (Ruth 2:2).
The task of gleaning after the harvesters was a menial, tiring and degrading task, but Ruth did it willingly and without complaint to provide food for Naomi and herself. Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been harvested, or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. ‘It is a practice described in the Hebrew Bible that became a legally enforced entitlement of the poor in a number of Christian kingdoms.’
The Biblical concept of gleaning is first found in Leviticus: ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.’ (Leviticus 19:9-10). When wheat and barley fields were ready to be harvested, some of the grain was allowed to fall to the ground and the corners of the fields were not to be harvested, so that the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the stranger could gather what they needed for provision; it served as a safety net and a resource for them.
God’s love for the poor and oppressed is revealed in these instructions regarding the harvest and gleaning, and his desire is that his people have a responsible attitude and do what they can to relieve suffering. The New Testament instruction for Christians is no less direct, as James writes, ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…’ (James 1:27).
As Christians today let us take seriously the responsibility God places on us to help, as we are able, those who are poor and in need in our communities.
Prayer
Eternal Father, we give you grateful thanks for all the blessings you have given to us. Help us to think about the needs of others and to do what we can to help them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Study by Dennis Payne
About the writer:
Dennis Payne is a Deacon in the Central London congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central London
Indian YMCA Student Hostel
Mahatma Gandhi Hall
41 Fitzroy Square
London
W1T 6AQ
Meeting time:
Saturday 2:00pm
Local congregational contact:
Barry Robinson
Email: london@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church