Message summary: Today we will consider the Biblical practice of gleaning.

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"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" (Leviticus 23:22). "And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor'" (Ruth 2:2).

Early one morning last week I took four of our Amish neighbors to a farmer's meeting at the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-Op about 12 miles away. As most know the Amish do not use conventional transportation but rely on and pay the English to take them on longer trips. On the way they talked farming, including farms being sold and land prices. A farm is going up for sale on our road for $40,000 per acre! Currently it is owned by a commercial floriculturist where many greenhouses and fields filled with flowers for market. Their specialty is dried flowers.

In 2006, the Co-Op had their first meeting on hay bales in a Lancaster County barn. They met at that time out of a clear need: to support local farms in an industry eclipsed by large agribusiness. Today, the Co-Op represents over 100 member farms (mostly Amish) committed to helping farmers thrive in their vocations and livelihoods.

In the afternoon I picked the farmers up and took them back to their farms. The last one lives right up the road from us and grows squash. He had already harvested all the squash but I saw there was still some in the field. I asked him about this and he told me they had some blemishes and were unsuitable for market. But some were still suitable for eating and if I chose to do so I could go through the field and pick them out.

On Saturday Brooksyne and I drove over in our van with several boxes and picked out quite a few that we will be using. Last night Brooksyne made some pureed butternut squash and it was delicious, the flavor enhanced by maple syrup which we purchased while in Vermont. She will prepare the rest in the next several days for freezing since they will not last the winter due to their blemishes.

When we picked the squash from the field we were essentially practicing "gleaning" which was taught in the law of Moses as a means of provision for the poor. "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" (Leviticus 23:22).

Centuries later this was still practiced at the time of Ruth when she gleaned from the fields of Boaz. "And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor'" (Ruth 2:2).

Gleaning is a biblical practice where farmers were commanded to leave the edges of their fields and any leftover crops for the poor, the foreigner, and the widow to gather for themselves. This was not only an act of charity, but a divinely mandated provision to ensure the vulnerable had a right to sustenance and could earn their living. The Book of Ruth provides the most famous example of this principle in action, with Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz to support herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi.

There's a lot of wisdom in the concept of gleaning (not surprisingly) that we will examine tomorrow. In what ways can the principles of gleaning be applied to modern life?

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13