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Day 22: The Redeemer Who Feeds the Hungry
Scripture:
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.
Ruth 2:14
There are days for all of us when we are spiritually exhausted and hungry. We feel like we have nothing in our reserves, nothing to give, nothing to draw from. We don’t know how we’re going to make it unless the Lord comes through. This is how Ruth feels on day 22. She has been running on faith and believing that the Lord is going to provide.
But now, for the first time ever in the book, Ruth has a meal in which she can eat until she is satisfied. She doesn’t have to hold back, being unsure of where her next meal will come from. The Lord has come through at just the right time and in just the right way. But Ruth’s physical fullness is just the beginning of the spiritual fullness she and Naomi will experience. And it’s part of the spiritual fullness that we enjoy because of Jesus.
The Lord loves to feed us. He doesn’t want any of His children to be hungry. And when the Lord feeds us, He doesn’t feed us with leftover scraps. He feeds us with the best. In our story here, the Lord works through Boaz to feed His daughter. But notice not only the fact that Boaz gave her the best, he also did it in a way that showed his care for her. The other place in scripture that this phrase is used is when Abner sits beside King Saul in a place of honor. The author of Ruth has the same thing in mind here. She is being honored and brought into the special circle.
As Ruth sits down, Boaz pours out the grain until it’s overflowing. He is not going to hold back anything from her. All that she wants, she will be given. Isn’t this a beautiful picture of the Lord’s grace? He seats us around His table, in a place of honor, where He lavishes His grace and mercy upon upon us. What other savior would do this? Who else would take his enemies and seat them at his table, feeding them like his friends?
You may be the one who is spiritually starved today. You keep looking to a spouse, a friend, or a parent to fill your emptiness. But when they fail, you feel angry, disappointed, or unloved. Or you overload your schedule, believing satisfaction is found in productivity. But you end up exhausted, chasing a shadow you can never grasp.
Perhaps you try to create security and order through your own efforts. But it only leads to worry, anxiety, and self‑focus. Or yet, maybe a secret sin has been exposed, leaving you embarrassed and empty. Or maybe you fear the day your weakness will be seen by others.
It could be that you read your Bible, attend church, and go to Bible study, but you feel like an empty jar, outwardly full but inwardly dry. You keep high standards, but your heart is filled with disdain, unforgiveness, or pride. You look like a vessel filled with water, but lack the transformation of true spiritual life.
Did you know that Jesus delights to pour out overflowing grace to cover and replace your shame? He does not give the bare minimum. You do not enter the wedding feast with a half‑cleaned garment and a hesitant welcome. You enter with a full welcome because Jesus has provided the abundant cleansing of His blood.
Did you know that Jesus delights to share His honor with you? There is nothing in you that deserves honor — yet He loves to clothe unworthy sinners with His glory. Did you know that Jesus gives you overflowing and eternal grace, not a one‑time filling, but a daily supply that never runs out? He sustains His people, so they do not fall into despair as they wait for the ultimate wedding.
Did you know that Jesus not only prepares your garments for the wedding, but He prepares your heart? Every desire and struggle is being transformed. One day, your righteousness will not only be external but fully internal. The invitation today then is to stop living empty. Stop running on fumes. Come and drink from the glorious Christ.
Guilt may whisper in the darkness, reminding you of your failures, your shame, your past. Guilt is an unforgiving judge that shouts, “You are stained. You are broken. You deserve this.” But Jesus — the One who gives abundant wine — answers, “I drank the cup of wrath so you wouldn’t have to. The verdict is final: forgiven, set free, clothed in My righteousness.”
To the one who is tired of trying, tired of failing, tired of pretending — come. Your heart may whisper, “That sounds lovely, but it feels far away. Look at me — I am proof of failure.” But Jesus says, “Stop looking within. Look to the Cross. There is your hope. There is your freedom. I have a better future for you.”
To the one wearing stitched‑up rags of self‑righteousness — let Jesus strip away every patch of pride, every attempt to save face. He does not come to patch you up. He comes to clothe you in His robe of righteousness so you may sit unashamed at His table.
To the one stuck in shame because of what you’ve done — whether one big failure or ten thousand small ones — Jesus pours out more mercy. Why? Because He is rich in mercy.
So again, I invite you: stop running on empty. You don’t need another self‑improvement plan. You don’t need another jar of your own works. You don’t need a pep talk. You need the Overflowing Christ.
If you are tired of striving, weary of trying to make your own celebration last, lay down the empty jars of your pride and performance. Look to the Cross, where the true cost was paid and the fountain of new, life‑giving wine was opened.
Come and drink deeply from the inexhaustible, joyous, transforming grace of Jesus. Let the celebration begin — for the Redeemer has come to feed the hungry and prepare us for the ultimate wedding feast.
Pastor Josh Gerber
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