My favorite local restaurant in Central California where I live is a place called Heirloom, which showcases local, seasonal produce and creative dishes. I could eat there every day of the week and savor something different each time. One of their signature appetizers is called Loom bread, which is like a cross between flatbread and a croissant. My daughters and I love this light, buttery-flaky bread that melts in your mouth when served with warm Brie cheese and fig jam. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it.)

In Ruth 2:14-17, we read about the first meal that Ruth and Boaz share. Food plays an important role in bringing these two together. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi left Moab because they were homeless, hungry, and without resources. All of the men in their family died back in Moab. These women had probably grown accustomed to hunger pangs. They traveled the distance because they heard there was a harvest in Bethlehem, which could mean more food — or at least some food — for these widows.

Boaz leans over to Ruth at lunch break and says, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine” (Ruth 2:14 NLT). I like to imagine Boaz inviting Ruth to the table to share a Loom bread and Brie appetizer. Or maybe it was closer to pita bread dipped in balsamic vinegar.

The passage tells us Ruth ate all she wanted. She savored every morsel of that bread. Imagine the contrast. Ruth came to the field of Boaz to glean — basically to gather up the scraps — but now she is being invited to the table with Boaz, the field owner, and his workers. Boaz offered her a portion of his own food. This would not be common for gleaners to be included this way. In fact, it probably wasn’t common for the landowner to come and eat among his own workers either. But Boaz was a different kind of boss.

For Ruth, this was probably top of her list for best meal ever. There are even leftovers, which Boaz later urges her to take home in a to-go box, along with the grain she has gathered. What a feast!

The English Standard Version says Ruth “ate until she was satisfied.” Ruth 2:18 emphasizes: “She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.” The repetition of the word satisfied is important here. 

In Latin cultures, someone pushes back from the table after a big meal and says, “Estoy satisfecha” in Spanish to indicate they are full and satisfied. This is also a compliment to the host or cook. Ruth feasted on abundant food but also experienced abundant generosity.

In Ruth 2:15-17, she is invited to gather grain from the bundles the harvesters have already gathered. This goes above and beyond the scraps that were usually left for widows and the poor to glean. Then Ruth returned home to share this abundance with her mother-in-law Naomi, who is overjoyed by God’s surprising provision.

God gives generously out of His resources. After all, He doesn’t just own a barley and wheat field like Boaz. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies of the field in fancy clothes (Matthew 6:25-34). God, through Boaz, provides abundantly for these two widows who have experienced hunger and emptiness. How much more does He provide for us!

In Philippians 4:19 (CSB), the apostle Paul deepens our understanding of God’s generosity in light of Jesus: “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

The book of Ruth serves as a testimony to Paul’s words. God can and will meet all our needs. In my own experience, He meets those needs in ways we might not ever imagine. God sacrificed His son Jesus as an embodiment of His lovingkindness.

The generosity of this meal provided by Boaz for Ruth is a preview of sorts that points to the many instances when Jesus invited outsiders to the table. He was known for dining with tax collectors, fishermen, and marginalized women, both Jews and Gentiles. He invited everyone to His table to feast on the grace served up by His Father.

David writes in Psalm 34:8 (NIV), “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” These words are an invitation to experience God’s glory with all of our senses. We are to taste and see His goodness all around us. And true blessing from the Lord abounds — not just through food, but also through the feast of His presence. As Ruth experienced, God is our refuge and redeemer in all circumstances.

Whether you are headed to your favorite restaurant today, grabbing a snack at work, or sitting down at the table with your family and friends, savor this opportunity to thank God for His generosity and provision in your life. 

What is the most amazing meal you have ever savored? How did that meal give you a taste of God’s abundant provision?

The story of Ruth is usually viewed through a Hallmark-tinted lens: girl suffers hardship, girl overcomes hardship, boy meets girl, they fall in love, and then everyone lives happily ever after.

But there’s so much more to Ruth’s story!

In her new six-week Bible study, Redeemer: God’s Lovingkindness in the Book of Ruth, (in)courage contributor Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young invites us to view the book of Ruth through a different lens—one that helps us recognize how this story proclaims God’s heart for the vulnerable, including widows, orphans, immigrants, refugees, and the poor. As Ruth’s story unfolds, we discover that God is the main character and that he is the true Redeemer, for Ruth and for us today.

Pick up your copy today, join Dorina for her beautiful video teachings, and enter to WIN a copy right here! We’re so excited to give away FIVE copies of this new study. Just leave a comment answering Dorina’s question above about the most amazing meal you’ve ever savored, and you’ll be entered to win*.

Then be sure to tune into the (in)courage podcast this weekend for a conversation with Dorina and Becky! Trust us, you do not want to miss this episode!

 

*Giveaway open to US addresses only and closes at 11:59 pm central on 2/27/25.

 

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