"And Boaz said unto her, At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the
bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the
reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was
sufficed, and left."--RUTH 2:14.
WE are going to the cornfields, not so much to glean, as to rest with
the reapers and gleaners, when under some wide-spreading oak they sit
down to take refreshment. We hope some timid gleaner will accept our
invitation to come and eat with us, and will have confidence enough to
dip _her_ morsel in the vinegar. May all of us have courage to feast to
the full on our own account, and kindness enough to carry home a portion
to our needy friends at home.
I. Our first point of remark is this--THAT GOD'S REAPERS HAVE THEIR
MEAL-TIMES.
Those who work for God will find him a good master. He cares for oxen,
and he has commanded Israel, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he
treadeth out the corn." Much more doth he care for his servants who
serve him. "He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be
mindful of his covenant." The reapers in Jesus' fields shall not only
receive a blessed reward at the last, but they shall have plenteous
comforts by the way. He is pleased to pay his servants twice; first in
the labor itself, and a second time in the labor's sweet results. He
gives them such joy and consolation in the service of their Master that
it is a sweet employ, and they cry, "We delight to do thy will, O Lord."
Heaven is made up of serving God day and night, and a foretaste of
heaven is enjoyed in serving God on earth with earnest perseverance.
God has ordained certain meal-times for his reapers; and he has
appointed that one of these shall be _when they come together to listen
to the Word preached_. If God be with ministers they act as the
disciples did of old, for they received the loaves and the fishes from
the Lord Jesus, and then they handed them to the people. _We_, of
ourselves, cannot feed one soul, much less thousands; but when the Lord
is with us we can keep as good a table as Solomon himself, with all his
fine flour, and fat oxen, and roebucks, and fallow-deer. When the Lord
blesses the provisions of his House, no matter how many thousands there
may be, all his poor shall be filled with bread. I hope, beloved, you
know what it is to sit under the shadow of the Word with great delight,
and find the fruit thereof sweet unto your taste. Where the doctrines of
grace are boldly and plainly delivered to you in connection with the
other truths of revelation; where Jesus Christ upon his cross is always
lifted up; where the work of the Spirit is not forgotten; where the
glorious purpose of the Father is never despised, there is sure to be
rich provision for the children of God.
Often, too, our gracious Lord appoints us meal-times _in our private
readings and meditations_. Here it is that his "paths drop fatness."
Nothing can be more fattening to the soul of the believer than feeding
upon the Word, and digesting it by frequent meditation. No wonder that
men grow so slowly when they meditate so little. Cattle must chew the
cud; it is not that which they crop with their teeth, but that which is
masticated, and digested by rumination, that nourishes them. We must
take the truth, and turn it over and over again in the inward parts of
our spirit, and so shall we extract suitable nourishment therefrom. My
brethren, is not meditation the land of Goshen to you? If men once said,
"There is corn in Egypt," may they not always say that the finest of the
wheat is to be found in secret prayer? Private devotion is a land which
floweth with milk and honey; a paradise yielding all manner of fruits; a
banqueting house of choice wines. Ahasuerus might make a great feast,
but all his hundred and twenty provinces could not furnish such dainties
as meditation offers to the spiritual mind. Where can we feed and lie
down in green pastures in so sweet a sense as we do in our musings on
the Word? Meditation distils the quintessence of joy from the
Scriptures, and gladdens our mouth with a sweetness which excels the
virgin honey. Your retired periods and occasions of prayer should be to
you refreshing seasons, in which, like the reapers at noonday, you sit
with the Master and enjoy his generous provisions. The Shepherd of
Salisbury Plain was wont to say that when he was lonely, and his wallet
was empty, his Bible was to him meat and drink, and company too; he is
not the only man who has found a fulness in the Word when all else has
been empty. During the battle of Waterloo a godly soldier, mortally
wounded, was carried by his comrade into the rear, and being placed with
his back propped up against a tree, he besought his friend to open his
knapsack and take out the Bible which he had carried in it. "Read to
me," he said, "one verse before I close my eyes in death." His comrade
read him that verse: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you;" and there, fresh from the
whistling of the bullets, and the roll of the drum, and the tempest of
human conflict, that believing spirit enjoyed such holy calm that ere he
fell asleep in the arms of Jesus he said, "Yes, I have a peace with God
which passeth all understanding, which keeps my heart and mind through
Jesus Christ." Saints most surely enjoy delightful meal-times when they
are alone in meditation.
Let us not forget that there is one specially ordained meal-time which
ought to occur at least once in the week--I mean _the Supper of the
Lord_. There you have literally, as well as spiritually, a meal. The
table is richly spread, it has upon it both bread and wine; and looking
at what these symbolize, we have before us a table richer than that
which kings could furnish. There we have the flesh and the blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ, whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger and never
thirst, for that bread shall be unto him everlasting life. Oh! the sweet
seasons we have known at the Lord's Supper. If some of you knew the
enjoyment of feeding upon Christ in that ordinance you would chide
yourselves for not having united with the Church in fellowship. In
keeping the Master's commandments there is "great reward," and
consequently in neglecting them there is great loss of reward. Christ is
not so tied to the sacramental table as to be always found of those who
partake thereat, but still it is "in the way" that we may expect the
Lord to meet with us. "If ye love me, keep my commandments," is a
sentence of touching power. Sitting at this table, our soul has mounted
up from the emblem to the reality; we have eaten bread in the kingdom of
God, and have leaned our head upon Jesus' bosom. "He brought me to the
banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love."
Besides these regular meal-times, there are others which God gives us,
_at seasons when, perhaps, we little expect them_. You have been walking
the street, and suddenly you have felt a holy flowing out of your soul
toward God; or in the middle of business your heart has been melted with
love and made to dance for joy, even as the brooks, which have been
bound with winter's ice, leap to feel the touch of spring. You have been
groaning, dull, and earth-bound; but the sweet love of Jesus has
enwrapped your heart when you scarce thought of it, and your spirit, all
free, and all on fire, has rejoiced before the Lord with timbrel and
dance, like Miriam of old. I have had times occasionally in preaching
when I would fain have kept on far beyond the appointed hour, for my
overflowing soul has been like a vessel wanting vent. Seasons, too, we
have had on our sick beds, when we would have been content to be sick
always if we could have had our bed so well made by tender love, and our
head so softly pillowed on condescending grace.
Our blessed Redeemer comes to us in the morning, and wakes us up by
dropping sweet thoughts upon our souls; we know not how they came, but
it is as if, when the dew was visiting the flowers, a few drops had
taken pity upon us. In the cool eventide, too, as we have gone to our
bed, our meditation of him has been sweet; and, in the night watches,
when we tossed to and fro, and could not sleep, he has been pleased to
become our song in the night.
God's reapers find it hard work to reap; but they gain a blessed solace
when in one way or another they sit down and eat of their Master's rich
provisions; then, with renewed strength, they rise with sharpened
sickle, to reap again in the noontide heat.
Let me observe that, while these meal-times come we know not exactly
when, there are _certain seasons when we may expect them_. The Eastern
reapers generally sit down under the shelter of a tree, or a booth, to
take refreshment during the heat of the day. And certain I am that when
trouble, affliction, persecution, and bereavement become the most
painful to us, it is then that the Lord hands out to us the sweetest
comforts. We must work till the hot sun forces the sweat from our faces,
and then we may look for repose; we must bear the burden and heat of the
day before we can expect to be invited to those choice meals which the
Lord prepares for true laborers. When thy day of trouble is hottest,
then the love of Jesus shall be sweetest.
Again, these meal-times frequently occur _before_ a trial. Elijah must
be entertained beneath a juniper tree, for he is to go a forty days'
journey in the strength of that meat. You may suspect some danger nigh
when your delights are overflowing. If you see a ship taking in great
quantities of provision, it is probably bound for a distant port, and
when God gives you extraordinary seasons of communion with Jesus, you
may look for long leagues of tempestuous sea. Sweet cordials prepare for
stern conflicts.
Times of refreshing also occur _after_ trouble or arduous service.
Christ was tempted of the devil, and _afterward_ angels came and
ministered unto him. Jacob wrestled with God, and afterward, at
Mahanaim, hosts of angels met him. Abraham fought with the kings, and
returned from their slaughter, and then it was that Melchisedec
refreshed him with bread and wine. After conflict, content; after
battle, banquet. When thou hast waited on thy Lord, then thou shalt sit
down, and thy Master will gird himself and wait upon thee.
Let worldlings say what they will about the hardness of religion, we do
not find it so. We own that reaping for Christ has its difficulties and
troubles; but still the bread which we eat is of heavenly sweetness, and
the wine which we drink is crushed from celestial clusters:
"I would not change my bless'd estate
For all the world calls good or great;
And while my faith can keep her hold,
I envy not the sinner's gold."
II. Follow me while we turn to a second point. TO THESE MEALS THE
GLEANER IS AFFECTIONATELY INVITED. That is to say, the poor, trembling
stranger who has not strength enough to reap, who has no right to be in
the field except the right of charity the poor, trembling sinner,
conscious of his own demerit, and feeling but little hope and little
joy, is invited to the feast of love.
In the text _the gleaner is invited to come_. "At meal-time _come_ thou
hither." We trust none of you will be kept away from the place of holy
feasting by any shame on account of your dress, or your personal
character, or your poverty; nay, nor even on account of your physical
infirmities. "At meal-time come thou hither." I knew a deaf woman who
could never hear a sound, and yet she was always in the House of God,
and when asked why, her reply was that a friend found her the text, and
then God was pleased to give her many a sweet thought upon it while she
sat with his people; besides, she felt that as a believer she ought to
honor God by her _presence_ in his courts, and by confessing her union
with his people; and, better still, she always liked to be in the best
of company, and as the presence of God was there, and the holy angels,
and the saints of the Most High, whether she could hear or no, she would
go. If _such_ persons find pleasure in coming, we who _can_ hear should
never stay away. Though we feel our unworthiness, we ought to be
desirous to be laid in the House of God, as the sick were at the pool of
Bethesda, hoping that the waters may be stirred, and that we may step in
and be healed. Trembling soul, never let the temptations of the devil
keep thee from the assembly of worshippers; "at meal-time come thou
hither."
Moreover, _she was bidden not only to come but to eat_. Whatever there
is sweet and comfortable in the Word of God, ye that are of a broken and
contrite spirit are invited to partake of it. "Jesus Christ came into
the world to save _sinners_"--sinners such as you are. "In due time
Christ died for the _ungodly_"--such ungodly ones as you feel yourselves
to be. You desire to be Christ's. You _may_ be Christ's. You are saying
in your heart, "O that I could eat the children's bread!" You _may_ eat
it. You say, "I have no right." But the Lord gives you the invitation.
Come without any other right than the right of his invitation.
"Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream."
But since he bids you "come," take him at his word; and if there be a
promise, believe it; if there be an encouraging word, accept it, and let
the sweetness of it be yours.
Note further, that she was not only invited to eat the bread, but to
_dip her morsel in the vinegar_. We must not look upon this as being
some sour stuff. No doubt there are crabbed souls in the church, who
always dip their morsel in the sourest imaginable vinegar, and with a
grim liberality invite others to share their misery with them; but the
vinegar in my text is altogether another thing. This was either a
compound of various juices expressed from fruits, or else it was that
weak kind of wine mingled with water which is still commonly used in the
harvest-fields of Italy and the warmer parts of the world--a drink not
exceedingly strong, but good enough to impart a relish to the food. It
was, to use the only word which will give the meaning, _a sauce_, which
the Orientals used with their bread. As we use butter, or as they on
other occasions used oil, so in the harvest-field, believing it to have
cooling properties, they used what is here called "vinegar." Beloved,
the Lord's reapers have sauce with their bread; they have not merely
doctrines, but the holy unction which is the essence of doctrines; they
have not merely truths, but a hallowed delight accompanies the truths.
Take, for instance, the doctrine of election, which is like the bread;
there is a sauce to dip it in. When I can say, "He loved _me_ before the
foundations of the world," the personal enjoyment of my interest in the
truth becomes a sauce into which I dip my morsel. And you, poor gleaner,
are invited to dip your morsel in it too. I used to hear people sing
that hymn of Toplady's, which begins--
"A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with thy righteousness on,
My person and offering to bring."