Whereas Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were privileged to know God as “El Shaddai” (God Almighty), Moses (and the people he led) received the blessing of God’s self-revelation as Lord: “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you” (Exodus 6:6). Leviticus 19 contains one law after another, punctuated by the reminder, “I am the Lord.” In Deuteronomy 24, God weaves commands and appeals to “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing.”

When God instructed the Israelites that they were not to harvest the corners of their fields, that they were not to go back to get sheaves left behind, that they were not to beat their olive trees twice, that they were not to gather fallen grapes, that they were not to go over their vineyards a second time, was it as God Almighty? Or was it as Lord? Did God “lay down the law” in a spirit of “because I said so”? Or was God looking for godly compassion among those who received these commands? Was God recognizing not only the needs of aliens (those who have lost country), orphans (those who have lost parents), and widows (those who have lost spouses), but also the former sufferings of those who were now in the midst of a greater prosperity, an easier time? Was God inviting them (and us) to participate in the perfection Jesus mentions in Matthew 5:48 - to be like God?

In Ruth, a tiny book tucked between Judges and 1 Samuel (don’t blink, or you’ll miss it), Boaz, a landowner in the area of Bethlehem, recognized that Ruth was an alien (she had left her own country, Moab), an orphan (she could not rely on her parents to provide for her), and a widow (her husband and her husband’s father had both died). Boaz chose to obey (and go a step beyond) the dictates of the law by instructing his reapers to “pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it, that she may glean.” Aware that Ruth needed physical and emotional safety, as well as food, Boaz added, “Do not rebuke her” (Ruth 2:16).

As givers and receivers, may we recognize God’s generosity, God’s intent to provide for our needs - and God’s desire to perfect us as beloved children who “look like” their Father.