April 1, 2026

Business by the Book

Ruth 2:11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

Search out a matter before reaching a conclusion; Boaz did. There is no feeling like that of being in the middle of a disagreement and it dawns on you that you are the one that is wrong. The only honorable thing to do is humble yourself, put your proverbial hat in your hand, and slither out of the situation any way you can. The remedy to this embarrassing scenario is to search out a matter before taking a stand on it.

Boaz states that he had …fully been shewed... the facts about Ruth and her plight. He searched out the reaper in charge asking about this strange woman and perhaps he learned additional information from other sources. The end result was that he knew all he could know about her; therefore he could make good decisions regarding her condition. He chose to help.

It is always amazing to witness the extent that people will go to defend people and positions they personally could not have searched out extensively. The word gullible is perhaps too soft a word for them, and foolish is too harsh a word for them, but somewhere in between abide those who defend, support, and protect individuals and issues of which they really know nothing.

Business people are inundated with statements, ideas, products, and the like daily. It is humanly impossible to completely check out each. However, sometimes it is necessary in order to make proper decisions to fully check out claims made by others. Wise and successful people take the time to perform “due diligence” before sticking their neck out in support of a person, idea, or product.

The vast majority of embarrassing failures in my life are due to rash decisions being made without the benefit of fully searching out a matter. One time I bought a house that I should not have, and lost all the equity I put into it. Many times I made unfair decisions concerning my children because I failed to search out a matter. In business and in ministry I have succumbed to the easy way out, not searched out a matter, made a decision and paid the price of embarrassment, resentment, and loss of confidence in my leadership.

Boaz was not a young man, and perhaps this ethic of searching out a matter before reaching a decision comes with age. I really don’t know, but I wish that I had developed this trait long before middle age.

Dr. William Howe