Ruth 1:20-21 (NLT), “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty.”
Ruth 2:1 (NLT), …Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.
THOUGHT: Ruth’s choice of a field to gather grain in, while totally random to her, was by NO ACCIDENT to God… Even when Ruth and Naomi were unaware, God was behind the scenes silently working, nudging Ruth in the direction of the field belonging to Boaz…
Ruth 2:20 (ESV), …[the Lord’s] kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!"
NOTE: The Hebrew word for "kindness" is "hesed."
“Hesed” – “the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God!”
Ruth 3:1 (NLT), One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for.
NOTE: In that culture, it was the responsibility of the girl’s father or brother to arrange the marriage of a daughter or sister… This insured the girl's protection and provision. Unfortunately, Ruth's Dad is absent from the scene...
Ruth 3:2 (NLT), Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor.
Ruth 3:2 (MSG), And isn’t Boaz our close relative the one with whose young women you’ve been working? Maybe it’s time to make our move…
D-T-R
Define The Relationship
Ruth 3:2b-3 (NLT), Tonight [Boaz] will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes.
THOUGHT: Ruth was a widow! Since the death of her husband, she had probably been wearing clothes that designated her as such! On top of that, the only place Boaz has seen her has been while she was at work out in the field, hair pulled back in a pony tail, clothes all funki-fied, dirt and grime smudged on her face and up under her finger nails…
Naomi is basically saying, “All right, girl! Enough is enough! Take a bath… Put on some of that perfume that you packed away a long time ago… Get your nails done and your hair done… Put on your make up… Go to the tanning bed and the spa… Take off the black dress and those work clothes… Put on that gorgeous red dress…
Ruth, its time for us to stop living in the PAST… It’s time to take off the symbols and garments of a widow… It’s time to start living in the PRESENT… It’s okay… I’m on your side… It’s okay for you to LIVE again… It’s okay for you to LOVE again…”
Ruth 3:3b-4 (NLT), Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking.
Ruth 3:4 (NLT), Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
THOUGHT: Naomi is not suggesting that Ruth cross any lines... This is important! Naomi is counting on the CHARACTER of Boaz. She knows the INTEGRITY of Ruth. This is going to require a colossal, gutsy step of FAITH.
“Family Redeemer”
• If someone had sold themselves into slavery or servitude to cover their debts, the redeemer could purchase their freedom (Leviticus 25:35-55).
• If a family member had been murdered, the redeemer could avenge the crime (Number 35:9-34).
• If someone had lost their land because of poverty, the redeemer could save the land by paying off the debt (Leviticus 25:23-34).
• Or, if a widow was desperate and in need, the redeemer could provide care and protection (Ruth 4:4-10), and if the widow’s husband had died without leaving behind an heir, the family redeemer could marry the widow and the first born son from that union would carry on the family name (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
Ruth 3:5-6 (NLT), "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
Ruth 3:7-8 (NLT), After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he lay down at the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet!
Ruth 3:9 (ESV), He said, “Who are you?”
And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer."
Ruth 2:12 (NLT), May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully.
THOUGHT: Most scholars agree, this is a proposal of marriage. But, in this proposal Ruth is actually framing her proposal based on the very blessing Boaz had prayed over her back in Ruth 2:12, the first time they met…
Ruth 2:12 (NLT), May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully.
How Did Boaz Respond?
Ruth 3:10 (ESV), And he said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.”
THOUGHT: The reason Boaz hadn’t made his move was because he thought that Ruth was OUT OF HIS LEAGUE…
THOUGHT: The word "kindness" in Ruth 3:10 is the Hebrew word "hesed." Here, Boaz praises Ruth for being an agent of God's "hesed" - His loving kindness, consistent, ever-faithful, unrestrained and furious love in his own life...
Ruth 3:11 (NLT), “Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.
THOUGHT: Boaz and Ruth were what Paul would call, “equally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Both of them deeply loved God and were people of impeccable character…
Ruth 3:12 (NLT), But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am.
THOUGHT: Boaz is forced by his integrity to tell Ruth, “I’m related to you… But I’m not the closest in line… I’ve already checked this out… There’s a guy more closely related to Elimelech than me…”
Ruth 3:13-15 (NLT), Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.”
14 So Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet until the morning, but she got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. For Boaz had said, “No one must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz said to her, “Bring your cloak and spread it out.” He measured six scoops of barley into the cloak and placed it on her back. Then he returned to the town.
Ruth 3:16-18 (NLT), When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “What happened, my daughter?”
Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her, 17 and she added, “He gave me these six scoops of barley and said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 Then Naomi said to her, “Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won’t rest until he has settled things today.”
Four Qualities We Need To Imitate:
1. The Courage to Risk.
THOUGHT: Trusting in the sovereignty and providence of God, Naomi and Ruth take some bold and gutsy risks in Ruth 3.
2. The Faith to Wait.
THOUGHT: To “wait” means to surrender your rights to CONTROL the situation and to “let go” and “let God” control the situation…
Naomi and Ruth were patient... They trusted God and Boaz to go to work on their behalf…
3. Grace to Break The Rules.
THOUGHT: A servant asks the boss to marry her… A Moabite asks an Israelite… A woman asks a man… A poor, penniless widow asks a wealthy business guy…
Grace ignores protocol and embraces Ruth.
4. The consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of God.
THOUGHT: This entire story is a picture of God's love for us and the gospel of grace. Charles Spurgeon called Jesus "our glorious Boaz."
Want a picture of God's "hesed" for you?
Romans 8:35, 37-39, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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