gleaning

Another important idea mentioned in Ruth was that of gleaning. Her and Naomi had returned to Bethlehem and Ruth went out to the fields to glean. Why was this permissible and what does it signify?

Gleaning is thought of as an early form of a welfare system. Jewish communites were required to not reap their crops all the way to the edge so that there was some grain leftover for those that would glean (lev 19:9,10; lev 23:22; deut 14:28-29; deut 24:19-21). It was the practice of allowing the poor to follow the reapers in a field in order to glean the fallen spears of grain. The amount gleaned was really dependent on the field owner; at the same time the breaking of this law was punishable.

Gleaning can be seen in modern times with food redistribution programs; except that the effort of collection is done by others, not those in need which may lead to dependence instead of independence.

To take the aftermath. To collect everything, even down to the last morsel. Do we work this hard to receive from God? I think we are more likely to receive what is offered us without extending any effort ourselves. We are neither like the reaper, nor the gleaner. Those that reaped had a strenuous job and did so to receive their day's pay, but those that gleaned worked to receive their day's food. There was some difference in these two things. If we approached God with the heart of a gleaner, as if my very life depended on receiving a morsel from the field, would we be more satisfied?

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