”And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, ‘The LORD be with you! ‘And they answered ‘The LORD bless you’” (Ruth 2:4).
In some countries the daily greetings carry a religious blessing. In parts of Germany and Austria, this is ‘Grüss Gott’: God greet you. Other greetings with religious significance are ‘Adieu’ (French), ‘Addio’ (Italian), ‘Adiós’ (Spanish), and ‘Goodbye’ (God be with you). These greetings express the wish that God will be with the other person. The deeper meaning of these greetings has been lost in the course of time, but how beautiful it is to greet each other with a blessing.
In today’s Scripture, Boaz and his workers greet each other with the wish that God will be with the other person. Boaz was a landowner in Israel. During the wheat harvest on his land, he visited his workers to see how the work was progressing. It was a common way of greeting that also made it clear that faith in God was part of everyday life. We can also be a blessing in the way we approach and greet other people. By showing kindness, we let the other person know: ‘I see you’. In Numbers 6:24, Psalm 128:5 and Psalm 134:3 we find similar phrases
How can you encourage people in the way you approach and greet them?