“You never know who the Lord will use.
Perhaps one day, it will be you, Ruth”. Through the line of Ruth, the Moabite, came
Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world.
Moody Publishers has graciously provided
me with a complimentary copy of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an
honest review. Thank you!
Beloved, I am afraid one day you will be famous. Everyone wil hear about your story, for you are far too extraordinary to remain forgotten. As long as there are people in this world, they will speak of your faithfulness and courage [Afshar 2014:266]
Destitute, grief-stricken,
and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to
recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation. But God has other plans for her life.
While everyone considers
Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah
showing her favor. Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the
foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.
Based on the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that ultimately changes the course of Israel's destiny and the future of the whole world.
 |
| This is one of my all time favourite book covers. So stunning! I especially love that they ultimately used the cover I voted for on Afshar's Facebook page |
At
the market a young Moabite, Ruth, meets the Israelite, Naomi, and the two become fast, if
unlikely, friends. Ruth soon catches the
eye of Naomi’s son, Mahlon. It is not
long before they are married. With
Naomi, Mahlon, Chilion and Orpah, Ruth finally experiences acceptance and love,
and her marriage to Mahlon is a tender one.
It is also during this time when her new Israelite family teaches Ruth
about the Lord, and as naturally as breathing Ruth comes to give her heart to
the Lord as well.
[…] Ruth prayed to the Lord with increasing frequency. It wasn’t a calculated, well-examined decision. She gave it no thought. She made no conscious change of allegiance in her faith. She just clung blindly to the One who seemed to bring her a strange kind of relief.
A
few years into their marriage, in illness takes Mahlon from Ruth, along with
his brother, Chilion. On the brink of
starvation, Naomi makes the decision to return to her homeland, Bethlehem,
where the harvest is bountiful. Naomi
releases Ruth and Orpah from their duties to her and bids them to return to
their mothers’ houses. Orpah obeys, but
Ruth refuses to leave Naomi in one of the most famous statements from the
Bible: “Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God
will be my God” (Ruth 1:16).
 |
| Naomi and Ruth © Sweet Publishing |
As a
Moabite, a Caananite, Ruth is not welcome in Bethlehem. The fact that she was once married to an
Israelite does not endear her to the people of Bethlehem; on the contrary! “[It] only raises their ire more. She had no
business marrying a son of Bethlehem”.
Without
any means of supporting herself and Naomi, Ruth is forced to glean: the poorest
of the poor are allowed to follow the harvesters and pick up whatever wheat is
dropped or left behind. The Lord answers
Ruth’s prayer for guidance and leads her to the field of Boaz – a cousin of
Naomi. Boaz, a fair master and faithful servant
of the Lord, fears for Ruth’s safety in other fields, and not only allows Ruth
to glean in his field but instructs her to glean only in his field. He then
charges his servants to intentionally drop more wheat for Ruth to glean in
order for Ruth to provide for herself and Naomi.
In
his field, Boaz comes to see Ruth as a remarkable woman, far removed from the unsavoury
reputation that Moabite women hold. He finds
her to be a patient and kind woman, brushing off the insults of others, never
retaliating with harsh words of her own.
More than anything Boaz values Ruth’s visible love for the Lord. Despite Ruth’s destitute status, Ruth and
Boaz become tentative friends. Ruth
never ceases to be astonished by Boaz’ character. He is friendly, fair, compassionate and
generous. He treats his servants, and
even her – a Moabite! – with kindness and respect.
Ruth
and Boaz fall in love with each other, but desperately try to hide their
feelings. Ruth believes she is not
worthy of Boaz, and Boaz believes he is too old for Ruth. Thank goodness for Naomi’s interference, for
these two are too stubborn to get out of their own way!
 |
| Boaz invites Ruth to join him and his servants for lunch © Sweet Publishing |
Before
they can settle into their happily ever after, Ruth and Boaz must learn to
surrender their fears to the Lord and trust Him above all else.
In
The Field of Grace is the fourth book by Tessa Afshar, and is a sequel of sorts to my beloved Pearl In The Sand. It tells the
story of Salmon and Rahab’s son, Boaz, and his Ruth; one of the most famous
love stories in the Bible.
As
with her previous books, Afshar brings a well-known Biblical tale to life in a
marvellously realistic way. I feel like I've experienced indifference from a family in Moab, hostility from a community in Bethlehem, gleaned wheat in Boaz' fields, fallen in love with the perfect gentleman in an olive grove and found a love so pure it will be remembered for thousands of years. The book of Ruth is a short one of only four
chapters, but Afshar has managed to turn Ruth’s story into a very believable
account of what Ruth’s life could have been like.
As
much as In The Field of Grace (and
the book of Ruth) is about the love
Ruth bears for Boaz, it is also about the love Ruth bears for her mother-in-law,
Naomi. Even after the death of her
husband, Ruth refused to separate from Naomi.
Instead, she joined Naomi in a move to Jerusalem, a place where she knew
she would be unwelcome at best. Ruth’s
love for Boaz and her love for Naomi carry equal weight in this telling, a very
clever touch, as historically Ruth is as well known for her love for Naomi as
she is for her love for Boaz. My only
complaint in this regard (and it is a tiny one) is that Ruth and Boaz only meet
approximately 25% into the book – I adore Boaz and I love him and Ruth
together, so this complaint is just me being greedy and wanting even more of
them.
 |
| Ruth holding her son Obed, with Boaz looking on © Sweet Publishing |
I
find it wonderfully poetic that Boaz falls in love with - and marries - a
Caananite who came to love Jesus, much like his father and mother. Rahab’s pearl earrings also make their way
into the tale of Ruth and Boaz’ romance; a lovely touch by the author that made
me extremely happy.
I
love all the colourful characters in the book.
Ruth is wonderful; her legendary courage and loyalty is brought to life
so beautifully. Likewise, the character
of Boaz is every inch the perfect gentleman, tender and kind – just like the
Bible portrays him. I felt very
frustrated by Naomi at times, but I think in that the author illustrated just
how bitter Naomi had become after the death of her husband and sons, and how
Ruth’s love and God’s grace ultimately healed her hurts. I adore Dinah and Adin and wish there was
even more of them!
Tessa
Afshar has become one of my favourite authors, flawlessly bringing tales
from the Bible to life. I eagerly anticipate
each of her new books, and she doesn’t let me down. I don’t know what Afshar plans to write next,
but I am still clinging to hope for a book about Lysander and Roxanne (from Harvest of Gold). Here’s hoping :)
Product information:
Title:
In The Field Of Grace
Author:
Tessa Afshar
Publisher:
Moody Publishers
Year:
2014
Number
of pages: 304
ASIN: B00J3EQGSO
Related Posts:
One
scene in particular touched my heart, and so reminded me of Jesus as our
shepherd:
Ruth noticed the tender way Boaz caressed the lamb. He owned thousands of sheep. One more or less could not make a material difference to him. And yet he treated the helpless animal with a singular care, as though he were the only one Boaz owned. As thought pain of this little lamb made his heart ache.
