An Ephah

So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. - Ruth 2:17-18

It’s hard to connect with the Bible sometimes because of the ancient context and language. Who knew that an ephah was about 30 pounds - that’s A LOT of barley to carry home! As Ellie Dote pointed out in the chat at church yesterday, for Ruth to hike all the way home (at least a mile, no doubt), it was like carrying a small child on your back all day at Disneyland!

Ruth’s abundance was far, far beyond what she or Naomi could have imagined. It was divine provision. Yes, she worked for it - both in the threshing and in her boldness in approaching the overseer for the privilege of working right amongst the sheaves instead of only on the edges of the field. And yet, not even in her wildest dreams could she have imagined coming home with that much grain. Tomorrow we’ll look at Naomi’s response - and the way God’s been at work behind the scenes.

But for today… spend some time thinking back to when you’ve experienced real generosity (even if it included you needing to work hard). When did you send a true abundance being poured out on you? What did it feel like? Sit in those feelings for a moment. As you reflect now on it, what do you think was going on in that situation? Talk with God about whatever comes up for you.