March 25, 2026

Business by the Book

Ruth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

Within the pages of God’s Word we are introduced to heroes and villains, kings and paupers, warriors and poets, good men and horrible men, good women and treacherous women. We can learn lessons from each of them. Someone once said, “The entire Bible was not written to you, but it was written for you.”   Romans 15:4 bears this out. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

It is not a stretch to say that each person reading these devotions on business principles found in the Bible desires to succeed. While the definition of success may differ for each person, one thing is certain: God’s Word provides the foundation for individual success. In fact, I contend that every successful person is so because they utilized God’s laws of business whether they know it or not. Just as a person can use electricity without understanding how it works, so too can one use the principles explained to us in God’s Word without understanding Him or why they work.

Successful people seem to have common traits. Nowhere in Scripture is there a better overview of these traits than in the life of Boaz. Upon being introduced to us we are told that Boaz was a …mighty man of wealth…  This is the first thing that the Bible has to say about this man. He is a character found in the book of Ruth, and while Ruth is the central figure of the book, much can be learned from this ...mighty man of wealth… 

Throughout my life I have been very fortunate to know several people whom I would call “mighty people of wealth.”  I have learned much from them. Although my calling in life is to pastor I know I will never be a person of wealth. For me, success is not based on the money I make, success is serving others, being faithful to my boss and having enough financially to care for my wife and the temporal needs of life. However, I know that most who read these devotions desire financial success in life, among other things. Therefore, over the next twelve days or so we will dissect the qualities found in the life of Boaz. Whether your measure of success is financial, service-oriented, or simply having enough, these character traits will help. 

By the way, Boaz was King David’s great-grandfather. Solomon, David’s son and Boaz’s great-great-grandson, honored Boaz by naming one of the pillars on the porch of the great Temple he built after him. This was a noble gesture to a …mighty man of wealth… that even four generations later Boaz would be remembered and honored. I call these twelve characteristics of Boaz “The Bonus of Boaz.”  The story is about Ruth, but in her story there is a bonus, the bonus of learning the characteristics that made and maintained a …mighty man of wealth…

Dr. William Howe