Saturday, July 28

In Time for the Harvest

Narrative Lectionary Daily Devotions written by Kace Leetch from Clergy Stuff.

Naomi and Ruth left Moab to return to Naomi's homeland of Bethlehem in Judah. Naomi and her family had moved to Moab to escape a famine. Now that Naomi's and Ruth's husbands had both died, they decided to return to Bethlehem once they heard the famine had ceased.

Fortunately for them, they returned at the beginning of the harvest season. There were very few ways women could make a living at that time. Widows, especially, had a difficult road. But one thing they could do if they were strong enough was to glean barley. That meant after the harvesters harvested the barley, they could wander behind, picking up what fell upon the ground. Since it was the beginning of the harvest, Ruth and Naomi would have many opportunities to find fields in which they could glean.

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Narrative Lectionary Text: Ruth 1:22

So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.