From the book of Ruth:
1. I wonder what sort of man Boaz was. From what the scripture says, it does not appear that he is married, yet he is not a very young man. (See Ch 3:10) He apparently has some wealth or at least land, anyways, since he has servants that are harvesting his crops. I wonder why he is not married or otherwise engaged and yet seems to be older. It does not appear that he was avoiding marriage, as he was very interested in Ruth when she showed interest in pursuing a relationship. What was his story? A career-minded middle ager? A widower? I suspect he is a very motivated career person who is now looking to start a family. (See Ch. 3:18) He "will not rest until the matter is settled today."
2. There is a perception in many circles that Jewish people can be very stingy and "money-grubbers" so to speak. However, from the account we are given of Boaz's first responses to seeing Ruth gleaning in his fields, it actually illustrates the opposite. He is very generous to her, a foreigner in need. (Keep in mind that he does not know that in the future she will be his wife, nor does he expect it.)
3. Ruth is really amazing. Think of how tough life must have been for her, leaving not only her family but also her country of birth and going to a foreign land where people speak in a different language and have different customs. Yet she is understanding of what she has chosen and even illustrates her lowly position in society. (See Ch. 2:13)
4. The book of Ruth is really a very nice love story. It is not all mushy or anything like that, but it shows how God can provide the right person at the right time in one's life, if that is what one wants / needs.
5. I think I know why we no longer do deals with sandals. Can you imagine trying to buy some land from a guy with athlete's foot. Man!
6. Ruth later gave birth to a boy they named Obed. This was the grandfather of King David. Coming from my perspective, I always wanted a number of sons (which God has blessed me with) so that I could be sure that the legacy of the Bossley clan could be remembered. However, this story illustrates that it is not number that is important, but rather quality. I bet many other families had many sons, but there was only one King David.
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