“Lord of the Harvest”
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| Ruth and Boaz |
In
Boaz’ day there were no welfare plans or social security systems in place. Those who could not work begged for
bread. The poor who could work but had
no jobs gleaned in the fields. Going
behind Boaz’s grain harvesters, gleaners picked up the bits left behind, the
pieces that fell to the ground unbundled.
It took gleaners a long time to gather enough to eat, but at least there
was enough to eat. Boaz had compassion
for the gleaners, and followed the tradition of leaving the edges and borders of
his field uncut, just so there would be more for the poor. He instructed his reapers not to pick up
pieces that were accidentally left behind, so the gleaners could have even more.[i] In this way, Boaz honored God by caring for
the less fortunate.
When
Russell and Lois Harris, members of my church, first told me about the gleaning
ministry they work with, it was in explanation of all the boxes of produce they
had sitting around their house.
Occasionally they would give me a bag of apples or potatoes, telling me
about the ministry that they help that goes around to salvage food and
distribute it to the poor. In my mind, I
pictured a few people with trucks going to farms and collecting fallen apples
off the ground to give to the poor. But
I found out it is much more than that.
In 1998, Rev.
Ron Davidson was so convinced of the need for an organization that met human
needs in a way that other relief organizations did not, that he left his church
of 1,200 members in order to work full-time to start a non-profit ministry
called Gleaning for the World. Modern
gleaning is where corporations donate their overstock supplies or goods that
are close to expiration to charities like Davidson’s, and those organizations
distribute them to people in need. Gleaning
for the World partners with other local groups that help with the
distribution. They have developed a
crisis response plan that helps them respond to disaster situations. Now, every year his volunteers distribute
over $40,000 worth of food, medical supplies, clothing, and other
life-sustaining care to people around the world.[ii]
Rev.
Davidson remembers a man in Guatemala with four children who were sick, whose family
got the food, medical care, and clothing that they needed. He recalls toddler twins who were starving to
death, who got the nourishment and care they needed, and who are now healthy
six-year-olds living in an orphanage. He
tells the story of a grandmother in central Virginia who was trying to raise
five grandchildren on social security, who now has a full pantry because of his
ministry.[iii] Gleaning also has a Teddy Bear Brigade that
distributes stuffed animals to children in crisis, providing a sense of
emotional well-being to kids who just need something to hug. Now, Gleaning for the World is continuing to
meet local needs, and is also working to stop the spread of Ebola in West
Africa and protect Christian refugees from the spread of militant Islam in Iraq
and Syria.[iv] As it does its work of humanitarian aid,
Gleaning for the World is blessed to lead over 30,000 people to Christ every
year.[v] People like Rev. Davidson, and Russell and
Lois, make that possible.
You know,
it’s easy for people who are blessed with plenty to have a lying attitude in
which they’re convinced that they don’t have enough. “I don’t have enough stuff,” they say, so
they have to hoard more. “I don’t have
enough time,” they tell themselves, so whenever they’re asked to volunteer to
help others they make excuses. They say,
“I don’t have enough money,” so when they’re asked to donate of their resources
in order to help the poor they tighten their grip on their wallets. Metaphorically, they never leave the edges of
their fields unharvested because they’re convinced that they need it all. They forget that the Lord of the Harvest
provides enough for those who trust Him to have their needs met, and to have
something to share.
As he was
in his fields, Boaz met a poor young widow named Ruth. She was gleaning on the edges, picking up the
leavings that she could find. Before he
had ever seen her, he had heard of her reputation. She was that foreign girl who had left her father
and mother in the land of her birth, giving up everything that she had
previously known, in order to accompany her widowed mother-in-law to Bethlehem.[vi] He knew that she could have chosen
selfishness, but believed instead that somehow if she was faithful, her needs
would be provided.
Boaz
believed the Lord had called him to provide for Ruth and Naomi—to be the
caretaking agent of God in the world. He
could have had an attitude of poverty, convinced that he had to harvest to the
edge and keep it all for himself.
Instead, his grateful heart knew that the Lord of the Harvest would
provide his needs so that he could take care of others. So he invited Ruth to drink from the water
that his servants drew, to feel safe among his workers, to eat the food that he
provided, and to harvest the extra that he commanded his servants to leave
behind.
God calls
believers to provide for the needs of the poor in the same way. You might do this by donating to Gleaning for
the World or working for a local relief organization. You could help those in poverty by
contributing to the relief efforts of your church or denomination. During this season of harvest we need to
remember that the Lord of the Harvest will meet all our needs so that we can be
generous with those in need. This is how
we put our faith into action.
James 2:14-17 (NASB) says:
What use is
it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?
Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing
and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in
peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary
for their body, what
use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
2 Corinthians 9:11 (NASB) reminds us that if you
give to the needs of the poor, “you
will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which
through us is producing thanksgiving
to God.” Acts 20:35b (NASB) says,
“…You must help the weak and remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give
than to receive.’” During this season of thanksgiving, as we give
thanks for what God has provided for us, our natural response should be one of
gratitude and charity. I pray that you,
like Boaz and Rev. Davidson and Russell and Lois, will put the needs of others
ahead of your own. I pray that as you’re
generous toward others, you’ll trust the Lord of the Harvest to provide your
needs.
[i]
Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19
[ii]
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gleaning-for-the-world-inc-concord. November 8, 2014.
[iii]
http://vimeo.com/gleaning. November 8, 2014.
[iv]
http://Gftw.org.
November 8, 2014.
[v]
If you’re interested in helping Gleaning for the World, or making a donation,
they can be reached at 7539 Stage Rd., Concord VA 24538. Phone: 1-877-913-9212.
[vi]
Ruth 2:11
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