"I have heard a lot about you..."

What was it that caused Boaz to treat Ruth so kindly right from the start? Her testimony.

“It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.” (2:11)

News spreads rapidly in a small town. People would have talked about the fact that Naomi had returned to her husband’s village as a widow, with a Moabite daughter-in-law. Ruth’s faithful devotion to Naomi had certainly caught the attention of others. They would have spoken well of her, and at some point, the story was recounted to Boaz. He had already heard a good testimony of her before their first meeting in the fields.

Perhaps this is why Proverbs 22:21 says that “a good name is more desirable than great riches; favour is better than silver or gold.” Favour is a mystery. It is beyond reasoning. I have been on the receiving end of great favour, and each time, I ask, “Why me?” As I wait, I do not hear an answer, but I feel the weight of God’s pleasure surround me, like a firm embrace.

How is a testimony built up? One deed at a time.

A testimony is more than an anecdote of a one-off incident. It is not what we say of ourselves or choose to project as our public persona. A testimony is an enduring narrative that is consistent over time, and vouched to be authentic by a community of witnesses. You can cheat someone some of the time, but not everyone all of the time.

Of all the jobs in the world, serving an elderly and destitute mother-in-law has got to be at the bottom of the heap, in terms of excitement and glamour. But Ruth did it so well, so faithfully, over such a long time, that her sacrifice and devotion became the talk of the town.

Like attracts like. Ruth’s commitment to her mother-in-law attracted Boaz, who takes 

decisive action to prove his commitment to her too. Ruth went the extra mile for Naomi, and Boaz did the same for Ruth. There is a beautiful mutuality and reciprocity at work, a dynamic giving and receiving of love and honour. It is a picture of what relationships can be like in the Kingdom of God...and in Ruth's case, it all began with her testimony going ahead of her, paving the way for hope and love to come to her right in the midst of very difficult circumstances.

Yes, a good name is more desirable than riches. Its sweetness lingers long after riches have been spent, and its value lasts for as long as God wills it to.