Thursday, December 4, 2008

"Gathering some thoughts on Gleaning" by Mark Hershey


In light of the economic woes, increased unemployment, and more of America living off welfare, I want to take a glimpse on the biblical concept of gleaning… I’m not trying to solve all economic problems, but just provide a few thoughts that may better inform and stimulate discussion on how we can integrate gleaning into life today.

Gleaning

The biblical custom of gleaning “was rooted in the practical necessity of caring for the poor. The Mosaic law stipulated that owners allow needy persons to gather the grain that remained after the reapers had made a single sweep of their fields (Lev 19:9–10; Lev 23:22; Deut 24:19–21).” (From, IVP Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

Lev. 19:9 “‘When you gather in the harvest of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest.
Lev. 19:10 You must not pick your vineyard bare, and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
Lev. 23:22 When you gather in the harvest of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.’”
Deut. 24:19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the LORD your God may bless all the work you do.
Deut. 24:20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
Deut. 24:21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time; they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.

“This solution to a social problem required that the recipients work hard for their provision, and it therefore preserved the dignity that is sometimes forfeited by those who are entirely dependent on the generosity of others.” (From, IVP Bible Background Commentary: OT)

Gleaning in The Book of Ruth

The character of a widowed stranger in the land
Check it… Ruth was someone in need. She was a widow, an alien in a foreign land, and had to serve as provider for her and her mother-in-law (I’m reminded of some women today and how they have to serve as the sole provider for their family after daddy either went to jail, left them, had a deadly illness, etc.). But, Ruth was impoverished and didn’t have a source of income or food. Though she didn’t have much, she did have the determination to serve her mother-in-law (who also did not have a husband or any sons to look after her in her old age).

The character of a man whose life God had blessed
Then, we see a man, Boaz, who had possessions and the means to not only feed his own household, but others’ as well. The setting of the book was bleak… the times of the Judges were dark… there are recordings of women and the poor in general being taken advantage and abused. But Boaz followed the law and the commands of God (see above). He allowed Ruth to glean in his field, which enabled her to do work that provided food for her and her mother-in-law.

Ruth and Boaz
In the story of Ruth and Boaz, we find a Biblical image of gleaning. (By the way…After Boaz showed kindness to her, and they hooked up… it turns out that their Great-Grand child was King David! If you want to track the genealogy even further, you will find our Savior, Jesus Christ as a descendent!) How does this biblical example of gleaning carry over to our lives today? Is there a command or example to follow?

In what way could we today follow the lead of Boaz and allow others to glean from the bounty that God has given to us?