Ruth 2:12 (NASB)

May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.

Bible Commentary

Ruth 2:12 is a Bible verse in the Old Testament where Boaz is rewarding Ruth for her faith and loyalty to the Lord, the God of Israel and to Naomi, her mother-in-law.

The Book of Ruth is a fascinating and popular Bible story about a young woman whose husband had died. Not only that, but her husband’s father and brother had also died. The only survivors of the family were Ruth, her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law, Naomi.

Naomi, now the head of the family, decided to move back to Bethlehem, her hometown, a place the young women had never known, and urged both her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers’ houses since she had nothing left to bless them with, as she had no more sons.

One did turn and go back, but Ruth remained steadfast in her loyalty to Naomi and to Naomi’s God, the Lord and God of Israel, Who had also become her God. Once in Bethlehem, Ruth went out looking for work and found a field to glean in, a common practice for the poor.

The owner of this field, also a distant kinsman of Naomi’s, took notice of Ruth and inquired of her. Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi and to God had been duly noted among the people in Bethlehem, and in Ruth 2:12, Boaz was rewarding Ruth.

May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.

Unlocking the Truth – Wings of Provision

Instead of turning back to seek shelter and refuge at her own mother’s house, Ruth chose to follow after Naomi and seek the God of Israel in a land she did not know, even though she had experienced great pain and loss in this family and in this faith.

What would we do in this situation? Would we turn back to our old gods after going through such a hardship? Maybe you’ve already faced such a situation.

When God allows our faith to be severely tested, how do we respond? Do we turn away from Him in anger and bitterness, or do we stay true and forge onward?

What did Mary, the mother of Jesus and His disciples do when Jesus was crucified on the cross? They faced great loss and disappointment, but did they disavow God? No! They stuck together.

Then three days later, they experienced a great reward—He arose!

God rewarded Ruth’s loyalty and faith. Even after tremendous loss and heartache, Ruth stayed true. Not only did He provide for her relationally… click to continue reading