Leftovers

Leftovers                                                            10-07-16

Ruth 2:18 (ESV) ¹⁸  And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.

For some reason this week I felt like reading the Book Of Ruth. I had not read this book in a very long time. It is a short book and so I read it a few times over during the week and didn't really get too much out of it until today. I decided to consult a commentary(Moody's) just to get some details on some passages and whatnot.It was not any particular interpretation that struck my fancy today but a point of grammar that sparked this message. Let me see if I can make some sense of this.

In the commentary while expositing on the second chapter there was a footnote about grammar on verse 14.

Ruth 2:14 (ESV) ¹⁴  And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.

The expression "and she had some left over" is a grammatically active expression. That being the case,the above translation,while correct,does not capture the true nuance of the Scripture. The better translation is "and she sat some aside" The KJV captures verse 18 more accurately.

Ruth 2:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.

Ruth"had reserved" (past tense) or "set some aside" for her Mother in law Naomi.When I read this footnote the Holy Spirit quickened me on the inside. The word leftovers started floating around. And herein lieth the lesson.

This seemingly unimportant detail takes on some significance when viewed in this light doesn't it? You see it appears that Ruth was conscious of Naomi's welfare wasn't she?She took up to Naomi after she had eaten her full, that which she had RESERVED BEFOREHAND for Naomi.

You see Ruth did not offer to Naomi LEFTOVERS. It was not an afterthought to provide for her mother in law.Neither did she make sure that she had enough before she considered her mother in law's plight. (They were very poor) It seems to me that she actually PREFERRED Naomi's welfare to her own in that she RESERVED/SET ASIDE Naomi's portion beforehand. Whether it was beforehand or not is moot. Ruth had reserved in her heart Naomi's portion before her own. You gettin my drift here?  

Brothers and sisters,the demands made on you and me by this ever more corrupt world are increasing in intensity and frequency. It is very and I do mean VERY easy to become inundated and even overwhelmed by the daily grind to just survive. The system is DESIGNED to wear us down. It's only concern for us is that we continue to feed the beast. More and more and more. Just like the horse leach. Give and Give.

Proverbs 30:15 (ESV) ¹⁵  The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”:


If we are not careful the enemy will steal all that we have so that all that is left for God are the leftovers. That is the design or purpose isn't it? It matters not what area of our lives this affects. Money,time,service,...the plan is to steal the best that we have to offer,and give to God the leftovers,...if any are left.The pressure to feed the beast is intense and real. The temptation to put God on the "back burner"is sly and subtle.

In order to prevent us from falling into this snare of the devil, we must CONSCIOUSLY decide to RESERVE AND SET ASIDE THAT WHICH IS GOD'S. Whether it be money,time,service to others etc., we must BEFOREHAND make up our minds to take God off the back burner and get Him before our hearts and minds. Ya feelin'me here?

You see brothers and sisters the Bible says that in spite of Naomi's considerable efforts to persuade her daughters in law to return to their people and their gods. One fell for it. Ruth,on the other hand,would not be dissuaded. She clung to Naomi. 

Ruth 1:14 (ESV) ¹⁴  Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.



That is the key in this upside down world of ours. We must cling to God.We must make every effort to reserve and set aside our time, our possessions and most of all our hearts.Folks,it's tough enough in this world, we don't need to make it any tougher by leaving God out of the equation. Amen? Amen!   

Psalm 25:12 (ESV) ¹²  Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.



God Bless