Leviticus 23:22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
Ruth 2:7 She (Ruth) said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
Ruth 2 contains a revealing attitude about Naomi in her plight. She has lost a husband and 2 sons and is bitter. Ruth comes to the harvest fields and asks permission to glean for Naomi.
The opportunity to glean is dependent on the workers obedience to the Lord their God as instructed in Leviticus 23:22. If they had not obeyed the word of the Lord, gleaning would not be possible. One might view this as being faithful to God and not a view of the plight of the needy.
Ruth 2:14-16 English Standard Version
14 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. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Something in Boaz went beyond what was required by edict, and had compassion for this stranger.
Ruth 2:20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”
Note the inclusion of Ruth in her comment “a close relative of ours”. Ruth is included in her family, not just a stranger. This is important in viewing how Rauth might be offered protection. This is played out in the next two verses as Boaz tells her to stay in his fields in order to avoid being assaulted.
This is noteworthy as mere obedience does not in and of itself demand compassion. That comes with character which is built into us as children of God.
In chapter 3 Naomi tells Ruth how to act towards a redeemer which was not part of her Moabite culture. She obeys Naomi and it pays off.
Ruth 3:10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.