Part of a Larger Story

The best thing about Facebook for me is connecting with family.  And before there was Facebook there was Naomi. 

The neighbor ladies say, “There is a son born to Naomi.”

They give him a name. And they called him Obed. 

Now Obed is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

Life will not be all sunshine and lollipops.

But we can know peace.  We can know love.

And we can know we’re part of a larger story.

For Naomi, just having Obed as grandson is beyond her wildest dreams.  She hasn't seen anything yet. 

Remember Perez?[i]  It’s all connected.  This is the genealogy of Perez: 

ü  Perez had Hezron;

ü  Hezron had Ram;

ü  Ram had Amminadab;

ü  Amminadab had Nahshon, and

ü  Nahshon had Salmon;

ü  Salmon had Boaz;

ü  Boaz had Obed;

ü  Obed had Jesse; and

ü  Jesse had David. 

That’s David of David and Goliath fame.  David, the man after God’s own heart.  David, whom Samuel promised would never fail to have an heir on the throne.  David who committed adultery.  The story continues three more generations to David.    

Naomi’s heartache and bitterness is rewarded well beyond her grave.  That’s the irony of the Christian hope.  No, life will not be all sunshine and lollipops.  But we can know peace.  We can know love.  And we can know we’re part of a larger story. 

Our Sovereign Lord rewards the faithfulness

of his people far more gloriously than

any of us could possibly dream.

As overwhelmed a Naomi was with Obed, her head would spin at the prospect of mothering the line of David.  But that barely scratches the surface.  You see, the Ruth genealogy doesn’t end with David.  The book of Ruth ends a thousand years later in the gospel of Matthew, where we find that Naomi's greatest descendant is not David, but the son of David, Jesus. 

And the Lord brought Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And Abram believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.  (Genesis 15:5-6)

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.

Our line, because of Ruth's faithfulness, traces to Christ himself.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

And God, the Father of you, and Christ your brother. 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12)

A day is coming that will be far better than anything we can imagine.  Look at Naomi's reward.  Ours is greater still.  Naomi's line went to David.  Our line, because of Ruth's faithfulness, traces to the Christ himself, and to you.  And to generations as yet unborn.  

Just as Naomi could never have dreamt of a redeemer who would lead to the King of Israel, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Son of David, is King of Kings, and so a day is coming that will be far better than anything we can imagine.

Are you ready to heal? 

Are you willing to be one whose nobility is shown, not by what you have, but by who you are?    May Almighty God make it so. 

The End and The Beginning

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[i] Perez, the son of another ethnic outsider, Tamar, who herself took the initiative to ensure an offspring.  In Genesis 38, after Judah refused to fulfill his kinsman-redeemer responsibility to Tamar, she role-played a prostitute in order to trick Judah into preserving the family line.  The book of Ruth is not the first time in Scripture where it is the women who take reproductive initiative in order to preserve a family line.

More Than Seven Sons

My dear friend Bev knows something of the heartache Naomi knew.  Late in 2004, Bev’s grandson Sebastian was hit by a car and killed while bike riding.  He was fourteen.  It was the first funeral I presided over in that community.  Sebastian’s dad Darryl was raising him on his own, with his mother Bev’s help.  The loss tore deep into their hearts and lives.  Do you ever recover?  Darryl didn’t.  He couldn’t.  Darryl took his own life three and a half years later, in 2008. 

Bev, the mom and grandmom, and one of the sweetest, most serene human beings I have ever known, was dealt a blow that rivals Naomi’s.  She has every human reason to claim Bitterness as her name.  But I could name her Pleasant and it would be the truth – there is no bitterness in this dear woman who has known such heartache.  She has found it in Jesus Christ. 

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.  And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.”

 – Ruth 4

Naomi has come full circle hasn’t she?  In a fallen world we are not exempt from heartache and pain.  There is no guarantee about the details. But God, himself a Father, can restore the wounded soul and heal the bitter heart.  And he can heal your heart too. 

Ruth and Boaz are conspicuously absent in these closing moments with Naomi.  Instead, it is as if a spotlight shines through the darkness to where Naomi sits, bouncing baby boy on her lap, and the women look on.  And this really is Naomi’s story, isn’t it?  In a culture so dependent upon sons, the Lord provides a woman in Ruth who means “more to Naomi than seven sons.”  

Sebastian told Darryl that if he went first,

he would send him a sign from heaven,

to let him know he was okay.

Naomi’s grandson is her redeemer.  “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a redeemer.”  With Obed comes the promise that he will be the restoration of Naomi's soul and her provider into old age.  Naomi is no longer the bitter Mara – she is Naomi – Pleasant – whose circumstances have brought her to pleasant places. 

Imagine the gratitude, the fullness that filled Naomi’s heart, the joy and peace as she dandled this little baby on her knee, this child who represents everything she thought she could never have on that dusty road back in Moab.  Obed alone is beyond anything Naomi could have hoped for. 

Ruth’s baby represents the end to Naomi's bitterness, and her healing and redemption, even as God’s Son (& Naomi’s descendant) represents ours. 

By his wounds we are healed.

The summer before Bev’s grandson Sebastian died, he and his dad had a conversation about death.  Sebastian told Darryl that if he went first, he would send him a sign from heaven, to let him know he was okay.  And if you knew Sebastian well, you might have known that his favorite foods included Christmas oranges, shepherd’s pie (or potatoes), honey garlic chicken wings, and pizza. 

One day shortly before Sebastian’s funeral, someone brought by food for the family.  Here’s what they brought:  Christmas oranges, shepherd’s pie, honey garlic chicken wings, and pizza. 

Darryl and Sebastian are together again. 

God her Father has done an incredible work in his daughter Bev’s heart.  And the Father can heal your heart too.  Almighty God, who lost a Son himself, can restore the wounded soul and heal the bitter heart.  In a fallen world we are not promised exemption from tragedy. 

We are however promised that we don’t need to go it alone. 

It Takes a Village

The transaction Mr. So & So wouldn’t risk is the transaction Boaz can’t wait to perform.   

The Elders Blessing

Everyone is watching, and the now elders add their blessing.  They use names that may not mean much to us at first but they matter.  So pay attention. 

“We are witnesses.  May the Lord make the woman coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, two who built the house of Israel.  May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.  May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you because of this woman.” 

Paying attention? 

We may be tempted to “check out” when it comes to lists like this.  But these names are in the Hall of Fame of Israel.  This blessing goes well beyond social platitudes. 

It looks to the future. 

It is superlative. 

"The book of Ruth is not the first time in Scripture

where it is the women who take reproductive initiative

in order to preserve a family line."

The witnesses pronounce a blessing that the covenant Lord will make this Ruth, a Gentile of a country Israel has often gone to war against, like Rachel and Leah, two mothers of Israel.  They invoke the name of the Lord for her prosperity. 

They ask that Ruth will give birth to another Perez, the son of another ethnic outsider, Tamar, who herself took the initiative to ensure an offspring.  In Genesis 38, after Judah refused to fulfill his kinsman-redeemer responsibility to Tamar, she role-played a prostitute – quite literally – in order to trick Judah into preserving the family line.  Your Sunday School class might have skipped that one too.  The book of Ruth is not the first time in Scripture where it is the women who take reproductive initiative in order to preserve a family line. 

You see, blessings can come true.  This blessing is fulfilled, and in an extraordinary way that even the ones who announce it will never see.  To you and me these may just be names, but to Israel, these names were the essence of her history.  By invoking these names from Israel’s history, the town elders pray a similar future for Naomi’s offspring that shares in God’s plan for humanity. 

And they would stagger at the fulfillment of their words. 

Boaz takes Ruth as his wife. They consummate the marriage and “the Lord makes her conceive, and she bears a son.”[i] 

The Women’s Blessing

Now it is women’s turn to bring the blessing.  And though the author doesn't say so, I bet these are the same small-town women who were there when Naomi first returned, asking, "Can this be Naomi?"

The women add their blessing to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a redeemer – may his name be famous in Israel.  And may he restore your soul and provide for you in your old age, since your daughter-in-law who loves you – who is better to you than seven sons – has borne him.” 

Another dream come true. 

Naomi takes the child and sets him on her lap, and becomes a nanny to him. 

Could she have envisioned this outcome even months earlier? 

Could Naomi have dreamt of such an outcome to small, courageous acts of faithfulness?  In what way is God giving you an opportunity to show perhaps small, but nevertheless courageous faith? 

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[i] Once again, we see the hand of God working quietly, but no less certainly, in the everyday affairs of life. 

A Life Invested in the Labor Of Love

Boaz formalizes the transaction.  His devotion leads to a formal, public commitment. So the transaction Mr. So & So wouldn’t risk is the transaction Boaz can’t wait to perform. 

Throughout the Old Testament there are types, prototypes, types of Christ.  Sometimes they are women and sometimes they are men.  Boaz is a type of Christ as he displays the qualities of God, made in God’s image as he is, that ultimately point to Christ. 

Someone once raised a question with me about Boaz’s motives.  Was Boaz’s compassion somehow less noble because he was falling in love with Ruth?  I suggest Boaz’s act of compassion was noble precisely because it involved his heart. 

Does God’s sending his Son to save us not involve his love for us?  “For God so loved the world…”    

Giving your life to material comforts and thrills is like throwing your money down a rat hole.  But a life invested in the labor of love yields dividends of joy unsurpassed and unending – even if it costs you your property and your life on this earth. 

John Piper, Dangerous Duty of Delight

Once again, we have the faithfulness, the loyal devotion, the steadfast love, the hesed, of one person, in this case Boaz, an example to us, set in contrast to someone else.  It was the same Boaz, who lavished kindness on Ruth in the harvest field, when she meant nothing to him, now he is ready to marry her in order to provide an offspring for Naomi and ensure her inheritance. 

This is God’s grace.  God shows his faithfulness, his kindness, his steadfast love to us in what he does, just as Boaz did.  And a right response is acceptance of his love for us – for you, reciprocity and devotion. And it leads to peace. 

It is not wrong to love; in fact love is what drives compassion best, out of a response to God’s love for us.  Doing it because we want to, because we have seen the cross, and are overwhelmed by the hesed, the love, God has demonstrated to us.  We have seen the way Boaz reached out to Ruth.  It’s simply an analogy to the greater love shown to us by God through Jesus Christ. 

In our suffering, God meets us with grace.  We are changed, and we can worship. 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Which Bottom Line?

The story is coming to an end.  Or, one story is ending and another will begin: yours. 

But first there’s the next of kin to deal with.   

Boaz goes up to the city gate and sits down.  And, what do you know, the closer relative, the next of kin Boaz told Ruth about, just so happens to come by.  So Boaz grabs ten men from among the elders – respectable fellows – and says, “Hey Mr. So & So, come have a seat!”

“Mr. So & So” is literally how the writer records the identity of the nearer kinsman.  The author is sending us a message that, like Orpah, Mr. So & So is forgettable.  Heck, even Oprah Winfrey’s aunt couldn’t get it right. 

So down they sit. 

Boaz puts it on the table.  “Naomi – who’s come back from Moab – is selling the land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.  It occurred to me that I should let you know, so that you could buy it back in the presence of these witnesses and elders.  If you want to redeem it, it’s yours.  But if you don't, then let me know, because I am next in line after you.” 

Mr. So & So’s knee jerk reaction is, “I’ll redeem it.” 

Here’s the story on the kinsman-redeemer.  The Law of Moses required that the closest male relative had the responsibility of protecting the family’s name and property, including when a family member died.  Deuteronomy 25 describes circumstances similar to the ones we find in Ruth, describing a situation when a man dies, and his brother is responsible to

• first, to protect his property and
• second, to provide an heir for the widow. 

This was especially important in Bible times because it was an agrarian culture (hard work!) and there was no government safety net.  The name of the deceased had to be preserved in terms of both land and descendants.

Then Boaz drops the other shoe, er, sandal[i].  “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you also buy it from Ruth the Moabite, the wife of the deceased, to establish the name of the dead on his inheritance.” 

Mr. So & So puts the brakes on.  “Whoa, wait a second.  I can’t redeem it – I might ruin my own inheritance.  You yourself redeem my share.  I am not going to do it.”  Mr. So & So says, “Buy it yourself.”

Mr. So & So can’t look past his own self-interest in order to do the right thing. 

From one perspective, Mr. So & So is just being a good businessman.  His initial thought is probably that this was a good idea.  After all, Naomi is an older woman.  If he fulfills his duty as kinsman-redeemer and buys Naomi's field, he keeps it in the family, and it means that as soon as Naomi dies the property will go to Mr. So & So and his heirs. 

With a young woman like Ruth in the picture, however, everything changes.  Suddenly the likelihood of adding a new heir increases.  Someone else will get a cut of his inheritance.  If Mr. So & So takes Ruth and they have a child, their child will stand to inherit not only Naomi’s property but also a share of the kinsman-redeemer’s estate.  Mr. So & So is looking at the bottom line. 

The bottom line, though, is this:  Mr. So & So can’t be bothered with his brother's family line, let alone with Ruth.  In chapter one it was Orpah whose self-interest was contrasted with Ruth.  Now Mr. So & So is being contrasted with Boaz.  Mr. So & So’s priorities are himself and his assets. 

What is a key situation you are facing right now where you are at a crossroads: being more like Mr. So & So or being like Boaz? 

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[i] Actually there was some sandal removal going on in this scene but we’ll let that one go. 

Roots of Ruth in the Torah

Ever say, “Why me?” 

Bethany Hamilton was a member of North Shore Christian Church, leader of the Hanalei Girls Surf Team and the No. 1-ranked amateur female surfer in Hawaii.  Then she was attacked by a shark.  She lost her arm, but only grew stronger.  Her parents always described her as a compassionate kid, but after losing her arm to a shark in a surfing accident, her compassion has only grown deeper. 

·        When she learned of plans to hunt down the 13-foot, 1,500-pound tiger shark that attacked her, she tearfully insisted the animal not be harmed.

·        During a stress debriefing session with a Christian counselor who is legally blind, Hamilton offered to donate money raised to help pay her own medical bills to fund an operation to restore the psychologist’s sight.

·        On a media tour of New York City, she took off her ski jacket and gave it to a homeless girl sitting on a subway grate in Times Square. Wearing only a tank top, Hamilton then canceled a shopping spree, saying she already had too many things.

"We thought we'd be at her bedside, helping her cope, but she's not suffering," her father says. "Somehow God gave Bethany an amazing amount of grace in this. I am in awe. She never says, 'Why me?' "

Roy Hofstetter, a close family friend, says, "Bethany sees it as an opportunity that has been handed to her by God," "She believes that her arm was taken by the shark so that she would be noticed and that she would help and inspire others."

In Hamilton’s own words, “This was God's plan for my life, and I'm going to go with it.  I might not be here if I hadn't asked for God's help. I look at everything that's happened as part of God's plan for my life.”

Bethany’s story has been retold in the movie Soul Surfer. 

We’re all going to experience adversity, some more than others.  We may even say, “Why me?”  But you can overcome your circumstances, knowing the power and work of God in your life in the midst of it all.  Suffering need not have the last word.  Ruth chapter four shows us why.   

Your disability doesn’t define you. 

Your disability is your opportunity. 

~ Kurt Hahn

Ruth looks back to the patriarchs of Israel and ahead to the messiah, and beyond.  There are striking parallels in Ruth with the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the fathers of Israel.  In all, a good student can find at least eleven parallels in Ruth with the patriarchs.  Here are three.

• As Abraham went to Egypt, there is migration because of a famine, so advancing God’s plan:
• Like Abram, with Ruth there is a foreigner’s voluntary, permanent immigration to a new land;
• A family line’s survival is threatened because of a mother’s childlessness (Abram and Sarah, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel)

So what?  What difference does it make? Parallels with the Patriarchs can show us the hand of God guiding the history of his people.

• At the time, it was one way of showing ancient Israel, continuously on the verge of civil war, that David’s family line had a legitimate claim to the throne. 
• It ties God’s people together with a common strand, down through the ages. Even we share the same connection with God’s purposes for his people and in history as Ruth, Boaz and the Patriarchs. 
• It shows us the unity of Scripture, and God’s hand behind it all. 
• It demonstrates the inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant promises, even tying them to great blessing, through a role as important as David’s. 

And you know what’s cool? You’re part of the plan. 

Boaz Steps Up

Boaz has competition and he knows it.  “It’s true.  I am a kinsman-redeemer.  But there’s a guy who has first dibs.  Stay here overnight.  In the morning, if he wants to step up and redeem, fine – let him redeem you.  But if he isn’t willing, you can be sure that as the Lord lives and the sun gets up in the morning, I am your man.” 

One way or another, Naomi’s days of loss and sadness are coming to an end. 

Ruth spends the night with Boaz at the threshing floor, and she gets up before anyone will recognize her.  Even though he probably doesn’t need to, Boaz says it, “Don’t let it get out that a woman has spent the night at the threshing floor.” People would talk.  Fill in the blanks.  Draw their own conclusions.  You know the drill. 

How Ruth does what happens next is beyond me.  Before she leaves, Boaz loads Ruth up with more than a bushel of barley.  Do the math.  That would be between 27 and 45 kilos (between 60 & 100 pounds) of grain.  Ruth is one sturdy woman.  It wouldn’t look good at that hour of the morning for Boaz to be carrying Ruth’s books home from school, so Boaz goes back to town.  And Ruth carries her load of barley.  

Remember: The Sovereign Lord rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope. 

Ruth comes home, and Naomi has to know, “So, how did it go, my daughter?” 

Ruth tells Naomi everything.  She shows her the barley and adds, “He told me, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”  They had to have a chuckle over that one. 

Naomi takes one look at the barley and tells Ruth, “Just sit back and wait, my daughter, because Boaz isn’t going to rest today until he settles this.” 

Though the details are not clear yet, Naomi knows her future is secure.  And like them, we don’t have all the details.  But, we have the same confidence about our own future. 

We have seen a transformation begin in Naomi.  Naomi is no longer a bitter widow, giving up responsibility for her daughters-in-law.  Naomi is still a widow, but she has become optimistic enough to assume responsibility for Ruth's well-being.  Naomi is no longer the woman who came back empty-handed.  She is the woman whose daughter-in-law brings her abundance.  Have you ever been through a time when you couldn’t see a good outcome, but looking back you see the good in it?  Maybe you’re still “in the weeds.”

We will experience real pain, real loss in our lifetime.  Bad things are certain to happen.  But where there has been bitterness and emptiness, we see can healing and wholeness in this life, just as we have seen with Naomi, and in the next life peace will be fulfilled. 

For one thing, we don’t go through it alone.  The Spirit of God is present with and in us, and is in fact our guarantee that it will all make sense one day.    

"Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory."  (Ephesians 1:13, 14)

This guarantee does not lie dormant, but God finishes what he starts. Naomi is still a widow, but she's changing on the inside.  

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 1:6)

The Spirit of God works continually in a specific direction: to bring about the wholeness that both God and you desire. 

Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29)

Like Naomi, our redemption is assured.  It is still ahead for her at this moment in the story, as it is for us right now.  But we have a kinsman-redeemer in Jesus Christ, under whose wing we have sought refuge, who will ensure that, whatever may happen, we are promised an inheritance that is as secure, certain and reliable as God himself. 

We don’t have all the details.  And we won’t.  But in Christ we can have the same confidence about our future that Naomi has about her own.  

Naomi says to Ruth, “Just sit back and wait, my daughter, because Boaz isn’t going to rest today until he settles this.” 

The Sovereign Lord rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope.  

Boaz Responds

Boaz Responds

In another Liam Neeson movie besides The Grey, Rob Roy, the following dialogue occurs between Robert Roy McGregor and his son: 

Father, will McGregors ever be kings again?

All men with honour are kings, but not all kings have honour.

What is honour?

Honour is what no man can give you and none can take away. Honour is a man's gift to himself.

Do women have it?

Women are the heart of honour, and we cherish and protect it in them. You must never mistreat a woman or malign a man, nor stand by and see another do so.

How do you know if you have it?

Never worry on the getting of it. It grows in you and speaks to you. All you need do is listen.

Ruth proposes marriage and Boaz responds with surprise.  “The Lord bless you, my daughter.”  He stays respectful.  “This hesed of yours is greater than what you showed earlier.  You haven’t run after the younger men – rich or poor.  And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid – I’ll do everything you’re asking me to do.  Everyone in town knows that you are a woman of noble character.” 

Boaz said that this last kindness – hesed – her proposal to Boaz – exceeds what she showed earlier.  Boaz is probably referring to her decision leave Moab to care for Naomi.  All the while, her motivation has been selfless, for Naomi's sake, not her own.  This young woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties fulfills Isaiah 32:8, "The noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands."  Ruth’s convictions, her ideals, her motives and her conduct are one. 

And notice how Boaz describes her: having noble character.  Here is Ruth, once a poor foreign widow, having risen to maidservant, now a desirable, noble woman.  And we find the same term – woman of standing, woman of noble character -- applied to Ruth that was used to describe Boaz at the beginning of chapter two.   Boaz and Ruth are equals – not because of bloodline, or race, or social standing, but because of their character.  Ruth, because of her character is the peer of this wealthy, influential, lifelong resident of Bethlehem, who also happens to be a class act himself.  Nobility is not a matter of who your parents were, or how much money you have.  Nobility comes from the heart – like the kingdom of God, it is within you – in our midst. 

Boaz takes the high road, the noble way, the character way.  He doesn’t exploit Ruth.  He protects and honors Ruth in this most vulnerable moment.  He relieves her fears.  Despite his now-clear attraction to her, Boaz will once again do the right thing.  He sends Ruth home with a generous gift of barley. 

Ruth has followed Naomi's instructions faithfully, and the Sovereign Lord rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope. 

What does it mean for you to be a person of noble character?  What does it mean for you to be a noble man or woman in the next twenty-four hours?  What does it mean for you to honour another?  By what person, who perhaps can do nothing for you, will you show your character most?  Husbands, wives, what does it mean for you to be a protection and a place of refuge for your significant other?  Singles, what does it mean to be a man or woman of character in your world? 

The plot thickens.  Boaz puts an asterisk to his answer.  “It’s true I am a kinsman redeemer, says he.  “But there’s a relative who’s closer still.  Stay here overnight.  In the morning, if he wants to redeem, fine -- let him redeem you.  But if he isn’t willing to redeem you, as sure the Lord lives, I will."    

As sure as the Lord lives.  

Ruth’s Proposal

Ruth’s Proposal

Ruth goes down to the threshing floor and follows her mother’s orders to a T. 

And author emphasizes gender now – the man, the woman – to highlight the dynamics. 

When the man is done with his eating and drinking and is "feeling good," he goes to lie down on the other side of the grain pile. 

The woman sneaks up to him, uncovers his… um... feet, and... um... lies with him.  The man shivers.  No kidding. 

The man rolls over and what do you know, there‘s a woman lying next to him!  “Who are you!” the man asks. 

Ruth is taking a huge risk by visiting Boaz at the threshing floor.  Think about it.  She is going alone into an uncertain, compromising situation with a great deal hanging in the balance.  Everything depends upon Boaz’s response.  Ruth has a lot to lose. 

• Technically, as Mahlon’s wife, Boaz can charge Ruth with adultery.
• He can take advantage of Ruth, then malign her character or even charge her with prostitution.  Happens all the time.  
• The wealthy and powerful Boaz might scorn this poor foreign widow’s advance. 

Boaz is not free of risk, either.  What will become of his standing and reputation in a small town, if it were to become known that this newcomer woman has visited him at the threshing floor, of all places? 

And Ruth’s reply is loaded with meaning:  “I am your maidservant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you're a kinsman-redeemer.” 

Ruth is proposing to Boaz. Though you can’t tell from most translations, Ruth refers to herself for the first time as a “maidservant.”  Ruth has stopped referring to herself as a poor, subservient, unworthy foreigner.  Ruth is identifying herself as a marriageable woman to an eligible man.  She’s proposing to him. 

You see, in asking Boaz to spread the corner of his garment over her – literally, she says ‘spread the wing of your garment’ – Ruth is asking Boaz to fulfill his own prayer for Ruth in chapter 2.  Ruth is asking Boaz to be the protection he prays the Lord will provide her[i].  

She’s asking him to be the answer to their prayers.  Ruth has removed from Boaz the wing of his garment, exposing him, asking him to become the protector of her own vulnerability. 

Ezekiel speaks to this image in powerful covenantal terms, as God says to his people:  "When I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine (Ezekiel 16:8)."  Love is oath-making.  Love leads to covenant.  Love means risk, courage, faithfulness, vulnerability and reflects nothing less than the love-covenant God enters into with his people. 

What courageous action is God calling you to take – it may be a seemingly little thing like saying “no” to someone, or something bigger, like taking a tough stand on an issue.  It may be bigger still.  Maybe it involves your significant other. 

What real risk is God calling you to take for a noble cause?  Are you the answer to someone’s prayer and you just need to act in faith to do the right thing? 

Remember: The Sovereign Lord rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope. 

Ruth took a huge risk when she visited her kinsman redeemer at the threshing floor.  What risk lies before you that God wants to reward? 

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[i] May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. (Ruth 2:12); Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. (Ezekiel 16:8); For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” (Malachi 2:16)

Stuff You Never Learned in Sunday School

This is where the courage comes in. 

Get all dressed up just to go to the threshing floor?  How romantic is that?  There's something you need to know about the threshing floor.  Harvest was a time to celebrate the fertility of the earth.  Winnowing marked the climax (pun intended) of the harvest.  You shouldn't be surprised to learn that then, as now, pagan fertility rites were associated with the harvest, and threshing floors in the Ancient Near East often became a site of immorality. 

And as the religious faithful are tempted to compromise, sexual sin found its way into Israel.  The prophet Hosea specifically denounces sexual sin at the threshing floors:  “You have been unfaithful to your God,” he cries.  “You love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor.[i]” 

Winnowing wasn't the only action on Ancient Near East threshing floors.  

“Don’t let Boaz know you’re there, though,” Naomi says, “until he’s finished eating and drinking.  Once you see where he lies down, uncover his feet and lie with him.  He’ll take from there.” 

Uncover… his feet… lie with him… he’ll take it from there. 

I bet he will. 

Ruth chapter three is loaded with innuendo and double entendre, and to appreciate the story as it was written and repeated, you need to appreciate the sexual tension too. 

Two phrases in particular are worth mentioning, though there are others, as we’ll see when we return to the story.  The reference to ‘uncovering the feet’ is a euphemism for exposing one’s privates in Scripture[ii].  The writer is intentionally using these terms to evoke sexual tension and to be suggestive of the romantic potential.

And of course Naomi's instruction to “lie with him” – is another intentional double entendre to create the right mood for the reader.  Ruth and Boaz will be in a hotbed of temptation tonight, and it would not take much for gossipy townsfolk to read between the lines and start filling in the blanks[iii].  

Why all the intrigue?  Well, heck, aside from making for a great story, again, it brings us back to the noble character of the main characters.   That’s why there can be no doubt that Ruth and Boaz will behave themselves tonight.  Ruth and Boaz stand against the culture.  How’s about you? 

Naomi gives Ruth her instructions.  Ruth answers, “If you say so.” And so Ruth freshens up with a bath, anoints herself with sweet smelling oils, adorns herself in her finest cloak, and strolls down to the threshing floor where she will make a move on Boaz.  She follows her mother’s orders to a T. 

Risk?  You have only an inkling of the risk Ruth will take.  But remember: the message of Ruth three is that the Almighty LORD rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope. 

What unlikely, courage-requiring task is God calling you to trust him for? 

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[i] Hosea 9:1

[ii] "uncovering" -- Deuteronomy 27:20; Leviticus 18:6-19; Ezra 22:10; "feet" -- Exodus 4:25; Deuteronomy 28:57; Judges 3:24; 1 Samuel 24:3; 2 Kings 18:27

[iii] This explains Boaz’s later warning to Ruth not to let anyone know they were together.    

I Need a Hero

Naomi, crushed by more than a decade of hardship and heartache, returns to her hometown feeling empty, bitter, and hopeless.  But she finds hope in the success of her daughter-in-law.   

What do you care about most?  What are you willing to risk?  Seriously.  Your family?  Your career?  Your money?  For what are you willing to put it all on the line?   

Ruth takes a huge risk in showing utterly selfless devotion to her mother-in-law.  She leaves her family, her people, her land and her gods.  Ruth risks everything – her future, a chance at a marriage and family, social ostracism, perhaps racism, even the possibility of physical abuse – to go with Naomi, to stay with Naomi, to identify with Naomi’s people, to bow to Naomi’s God. 

Boaz, a successful local businessman, a man of character, shows extraordinary kindness to a poor, young, foreign widow who can do nothing for him. 

Who are the “least of these[i]” in your world?  Would you stick your neck out for a nobody? 

The book of Ruth demonstrates that the Lord works intimately in all the affairs of life, even in the darkest times, through and on behalf of you and me – his own “noble people.” 

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?

~ Ruth 3:1

Is this the same Naomi who gave up and told Ruth to go home?  Who said, “Don’t call me Pleasant; call me Bitter?” Naomi is finally looking outward, to the future, to someone besides herself and her own misfortune.  Naomi’s healing has begun.  

She continues. 

Is not Boaz our kinsman-redeemer, with whose young women you were? Look, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.  So wash and anoint yourself, put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor...

~ Ruth 3:2-3

Naomi’s wheels are turning.  She’s thinking.  Plotting, even.  “Isn’t Boaz, with whose servant girls you’ve worked, a kinsman-redeemer of ours?  

“Kinsman-redeemer?”  Pardon me?  What is this kinsman-redeemer?  Boaz is described in Ruth as the go'el (Hebrew), the kinsman-redeemer.  The go'el is the closest relative of a deceased (in this case Ruth’s husband; he died in Moab).  The kinsman-redeemer was the closest male relative, and he had a family obligation to ensure that the widow's family line and property interests were protected.  Family first.  Biblical social welfare: look out for the widows.  Ruth is the heir-apparent to Elimelech’s property, but she was in danger of losing it all.  Someone needed to step up.  I need a hero.  I need a go’el; the kinsman-redeemer. 

Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer whose own noble character leads him, like Ruth, to go far beyond what law and custom require to express hesed – steadfast love, kindness, and faithfulness to Ruth. 

“Listen,” Naomi says.  “Tonight he’ll be winnowing barley at the threshing floor.” 

Winnowing 101 – After grain was gathered in the field, it was bundled (remember the workers pulled some stalks out for Ruth) and then brought to the threshing floor.  The threshing floor was either exposed bedrock or hard earth, flat and smooth.  It is there that the grain was threshed, or crushed, under animal hooves or cart wheels, to separate the husks from the kernels.  Winnowing then involved tossing the grain into the air to allow the breeze to blow the lighter husks – the chaff – to the side and allow the denser kernels of grain to fall to the ground in front of the winnower.  No waste.  The grain was set aside for food.  The straw fed to the animals.  The chaff was burned for fuel.  And that’s why the chaff got thrown into the fire[ii].

“So wash up,” says Naomi, “Put on some perfume and your best outfit and then go on down to the threshing floor.”  Okay, hold on a minute.  Let me get this straight.  Did you just say, “Wash up, put on some perfume, your best outfit and go on down to the threshing floor?”    

To the threshing floor?  Am I missing something?  Hmmm…

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[i] The righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’  (Matthew 25:37-40)

[ii] As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John [the Baptist], whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:15-17)