The word “glean” has different definitions. One of them is to gather leftover grain after a harvest. This is the meaning of the word “glean” in the story of Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. It was Ruth’s idea to go and pick up leftover grain, and she asked Naomi for permission to do so.
“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.’” (Ruth 2:2)
Ruth was hoping that she would find favor with someone in the field. She did not know whether she would be allowed to pick up grain or if she would be pushed away harshly. She needed favor from someone that day.
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”
So Ruth went out, entered a field, and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek (Ruth 2:2–3).
Did she feel out of place? Embarrassed? We need to remember that she was in a strange land among unfamiliar people. Out of desperation she went out—not only for herself, but also for her mother-in-law’s sake. She had become the sole breadwinner.
Ruth only wanted to work hard and gather as much leftover grain as possible to feed herself and Naomi. She had no husband and no father-in-law to provide for them.
Some of us may also be working hard just to make ends meet for our families. We do what we can, yet it never seems to be enough, and the responsibilities keep piling onto our shoulders. Like Ruth, who labored from morning until the end of the day under the heat of the sun, resting only briefly, perhaps you too have felt tired but dared not stop for long.
Let me encourage you today: the Lord is with you. Ruth did not give up; she kept going by the grace of God. You too have the grace of God to continue.
It may have seemed to Ruth that this was simply a good idea of her own, but God was the One who initiated it. It was more than a good idea—it was the right thing to do. It was God’s idea. Ruth, a Moabite, had no idea who Boaz would become to her. As we read on, Boaz became Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. There was another man who could have blocked Boaz’s way, but God had already planned everything and gave Boaz the wisdom to act.
Boaz is a prophetic picture of who Jesus is to us. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. Like Boaz, He was willing to give everything to Ruth—a picture of who we are as followers of Jesus. The closer relative, who had the first legal right to redeem Naomi’s land and marry Ruth, was unwilling. He did not want to “endanger his own inheritance” (Ruth 4:6). His name was never mentioned in Scripture, and what he lost was more than just his inheritance.
Boaz, like Jesus, was rich, yet he was willing to take a risk for Ruth (for us) and give his best. Jesus gave His all for us. He held nothing back.
The desire of the Lord for you and me in 2026 is not to only glean leftovers. As children of God, we have every right to receive until we are overflowing with His goodness.
“My cup overflows.”
(Psalm 23:5 — representing overwhelming blessing, more than enough, and extravagant generosity)
We can break off the mentality that restricts us—like Ruth’s initial mindset of “I can only glean from leftovers.” We are no longer outsiders. We have been adopted.
Jesus is saying to us this year that we can come to Him and receive all that we need. His blessings are without restraint. It is His pleasure to give to us.
From the story of Ruth, we learn this:
Before she met Boaz, Ruth could only glean at the edges. She survived on leftovers and depended on the permission of others, with no inheritance of her own. After her marriage to Boaz, Ruth sat at the same table with him—a rich and generous man. She received full rights as a joint heir of everything her husband possessed. She became part of his family.
Likewise, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). In Christ, we live in abundance, not on scraps.
Friends, it is okay to ask your Heavenly Father for more than what you need. When you have more, you can give more. This year, let us ask God to bless us abundantly so that we can be a blessing to others. Ask the Lord to raise us up as His givers.
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