You can turn in your Bibles to Ruth chapter 3. The book of Ruth chapter 3. Just by way of reminder, remember that chapter 1 begins with a man by the name of Elimelech and his family, or his wife, Naomi, and their two sons. Because of a famine in Judah, they depart from Judah, they travel to Moab, and they try to ride out the famine in that part of the world.
When they are there, of course, Elimelech dies, the two sons of Naomi also die, and then she has her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi then learns that there is food back in Judah, so she and the daughters set out, or the daughters-in-law set out for Judah. Now, of course, Naomi tries to turn them back. She essentially says, don't follow me, you need to find husbands, because without a husband you're going to be in a big a big difficult situation.
At that particular time in history, you couldn't just go out and get a college degree and land a secure job. It was very essential that a woman have a husband. So, of course, Naomi tries to turn them back. Orpah does go back to Moab. goes back to her God, Chemosh, but Ruth, as chapter 1, verse 14 says, clung to her.
And then as Naomi again encourages Ruth to leave her, Ruth makes this great confession in verses 16 and 17. And treat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me and more also. If anything but death parts you and me." So in that confession, she expresses, of course, her love for Naomi and her identification with the covenant people of Israel.
Your people shall be my people. She leaves Moab not just geographically, but she leaves Moab religiously and joins by the grace of God with the people of God. As well, she affirms her allegiance to Yahweh of Israel and your God, my God. She expresses a commitment to the very end, where you die, I will die. and there I will be buried." She ratifies this entire sermon by an oath, the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts you and me.
God had done a work in the heart of Ruth. She accompanies Naomi. They get to Bethlehem. Of course, when they arrive at Bethlehem, Naomi says, do not call me Naomi.
Do not call me pleasant, but rather call me Mara, or bitter, because it has been a difficult day for me. Now, in chapter 2, we move from famine to feast. Remember the initiative of Ruth. Ruth has the idea that she'll go out and find a field so that she can glean in.
The law of God stipulated gleaning rules, so that if the poor were to come along after the harvesters had done their thing or the reapers had done their thing, the poor could then pick up those things that remain. And she just happens to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, chapter 2, verse 3. Remember we noted this idea of she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz is the author's way of drawing attention to the providence of God. We know, as readers of this story, that nothing happens by chance.
She didn't just happen, luckily, to come upon this particular land of Boaz. God is behind the scene. He is orchestrating every particular event. He is moving everything according to a particular plan so that, indeed, Ruth and Boaz would ultimately come together in marriage, and they would then have a son named Obed.
Obed would have a son, Jesse, and, of course, Jesse would give birth Jesse's wife would give birth to David, and it's from the Davidic line that the Lord Jesus Christ would come. As we've quoted before, John Gill, concerning the whole book, says, The principal design of the book of Ruth is to give the genealogy of David, whom Samuel had anointed to be king of Israel, and from whom the Messiah was to come, and who therefore may be said to be the aim and scope of it, as he is all of Scripture, and whereby it appears that he sprung from both Jews and Gentiles, and is the Savior of both. And there is a good foundation for both to hope in him. And the call and conversion of Ruth the Moabitess may be considered as a shadow, emblem, and pledge of Version of the Gentiles and of course as Ruth continues to work in Boaz's Field Boaz tells his servants to make sure that she goes unharmed this Will harassment laws were Learned that he wants to be very benevolent and very gracious to Ruth to make sure that she does in fact have abundance so the chapter ends chapter 2 ends with at least temporarily Ruth and Naomi's economic needs taken care of.
They now have food. They're back in their particular homeland. Chapter 3 is a more permanent and elastic solution to these two ladies. So we'll pick up reading in chapter 3 at verse 1.
Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, my daughter, shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore, wash yourself and anoint yourself.
Put on your garment and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies and you shall uncover his feet and lie down and he will tell you what you should do and all that you say to me I will do. So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
And after Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. And she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and turned himself, and there a woman was lying at his feet, and he said, who are you? So she answered, I am Ruth, your maidservant.
Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative. And he said, blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for
Ruth's Reputation for Virtue
all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. Now it is true that I am a close relative, however there is a relative closer than I. Stay this night and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you, good, let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives.
Lie down until morning." So she lay at his feet until morning and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. Also he said, bring the shawl that is on you and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley and laid it on her.
Then he went into the city. Your margin has the better reading. It's not she went into the city. This is a reference to Boaz.
Then he went into the city. Verse 16, when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, is that you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done for her. And she said, these six ephahs of barley he gave me.
For he said to me, do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law. And she said, sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out. For the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." Amen.
Introduction
Well, as I said, this provides a longer lasting fix for their particular situation. And specifically,
Naomi's Initiative (vv. 1–5)
this chapter breaks down into two broad sections. First, the initiative of Naomi, verses 1 to 5, And then secondly, the implementation of the plan in verses 6 to 18. Remember, it was Ruth's idea, it was Ruth's initiative in chapter 2 to go out and to glean in order to get food for her and Naomi. Well, here Naomi, now having learned that she gleaned in the field of Boaz, realizes that Boaz is a close relative, a go-el, or a kinsman-redeemer, and so she has this idea to make a lasting and a secure situation specifically for Naomi, or for Ruth, and then of course Naomi would benefit as a result of this.
So notice her desire in verse 1.
Naomi's Desire for Ruth's Security
Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, my daughter shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you." Now from chapter 1 we learn that in many ways Naomi was a very negative woman in terms of her theology. Not that she was wrong, she acknowledged the sovereignty of God, but she only ever saw the sovereignty of God in affliction. She didn't stop to consider the fact that she had godly Ruth as a companion. She didn't stop to praise the Lord for the fact that now, according to chapter 1, verse 6, there was bread in Judah to be had.
All she sees is the affliction that had been doled out to her. Of course, I pointed that out in chapter 1. I felt it was even a little bit hard on her. Well, from that point on, Naomi only comes across as an exemplary woman of faith throughout the book of Ruth.
She genuinely has her daughter-in-law's security in mind. Shall I not seek security for you? that it may be well with you." As Naomi exhorted Ruth in Chapter 1, security and stability would ultimately come through a husband. So Naomi's plan is precisely that. She knows that Boaz is a near relative.
She knows that in terms of the law, there is that law of the Leverite, which means that a nearest relative seeks to give progeny path of annihilation. So Naomi thinks she is not part of this particular plan. Notice her reason. Verse 1, she seeks security.
Verse 2, now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? Remember, a kinship, or as a kinship term, this idea of Goel. himself or herself out of the crisis. I mentioned that we have the same thing today. He's called father.
When your child or somebody is in trouble, who do they typically call? They call dad. Dad, I need money. Dad, I need a new car.
Dad, I'm in jail. Hopefully not the latter. But typically that's who they will call. Well, that's the whole idea of this kinsman-redeemer law.
Remember that in the Old Testament, the kinsman-redeemer could redeem land that was sold during a hardship. He could redeem a family member from slavery. Remember in Old Testament Israel, if you could not pay a debt and you could... back to debt, then you would become a slave to that... the Goel could come and redeem you from... according to numbers... As well, he could receive restitution money on behalf of a deceased victim of a crime.
It might be the case that somebody that was connected to you family-wise would die in a crime, and you might receive whatever property or whatever money that they had. Instead of it going to the state, instead of it going to some program, on that Goel, or that kinsman-redeemer, and they gave it to him. And as well, to ensure that justice was served in a lawsuit involving a relative. And then, as I said, the Deuteronomy 25 passage speaks specifically of what's called the Law of the Leverite.
If a man dies, his brother will go into his wife, not simply to keep the family property, there were a lot of legal issues involved in this whole transaction. And so Naomi has this idea that she ought to go and approach Boaz in order to propose marriage. Naomi is calculating a plan, but as well she is mindful of the sovereignty of God. I think the book of Ruth illustrates Providence.
Providence in the ordinary things of life. The book of Ruth isn't packed filled with miracles. It's not packed filled with healings. It's not packed filled with all the sorts of sensational things that we might oftentimes incline ourselves to in terms of study.
What we have is a simple family that leaves one geographical location to another. When they get to that place, there's death. And so the mother and her daughter-in-law go back to Judea. In ordinary day-in, day-out activities, we see that God is orchestrating this particular plan.
Remember, the focus of the book is that final few verses in chapter 4 in terms of the genealogy. The whole point of Ruth is Obed, Jesse, and David. So this shows us step by step how all of these She's a harlot. She hides spies.
She commits treason against the city of Jericho. She makes a deal with the particular spies that were there, that when Israel came in to decimate Jericho, would they make sure that she and her family were safe. You see Rahab there. Well, Rahab ultimately marries Amir, and she gave birth to Boaz. in raising this man because the book of Ruth is sort of like an appendix to the book of Judges.
We see that Judges, for the most part, describes dark days in the life of Judges, specifically 17 to 21. It's actually depressing. And yet what Ruth does is show us that even in the midst of that period, when the judges ruled, there were bright spots. There were Ruths.
There were Naomi's. There were Boaz's. There were men and women who lived in terms of the covenant that the Lord imposed upon them, and they did so in a way that was truly, truly admirable. situation. Naomi wants Ruth to go seek out Boaz in order to marry him.
Notice the instruction that she gives. She says, in fact, right in the middle of verse 2, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. That would be throwing it up in the air and then the wind would come and blow the chaff away from the actual be gentler. And at this time of harvest, we see that Boaz himself is there winnowing.
We see that Boaz himself sleeps out in the field to make sure that Thieves don't come along and as well to protect the barley or the grain from animals. So she tells her where to go.
The Instruction to Ruth
Notice the instruction in verses 3 and following. Therefore, wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
The Sexual Interpretation Examined
Now, as we proceed in the narrative, we see that she does something there that some have said was overtly sexual. And with reference to that interpretation, I mean, face it, she goes to a sleeping man, she uncovers his feet, and then she lays at the end of the bed. Now, there are a whole lot of people out there that have taken this and have put a sexual spin upon it. And certainly when you look at verse 3, and Naomi is essentially telling Ruth that she needs to doll herself up.
Basically, she says, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best garment, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Does this particular passage endorse that view that she did go and proffer sexual favors toward him? Well, let's just look at what's going on in verse 3.
Wash yourself and anoint yourself. Not necessarily for sexual intercourse, but you are going there with the expressed intention to try and get him to marry you. That much is absolutely correct. When Ruth goes to Boaz, the thing she's initiating is a proposal for marriage.
I mean, it's a little bit unconventional as far as we're concerned. We typically think of the young man who brings the flowers and he gets down on one knee and he puts the ring up and he says, will you marry me? Certainly we don't have a custom that looks like this. But she says, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best garment.
This doesn't need to be best garment. It could simply mean garment. Now that doesn't mean that Ruth was naked. It's the same term or the same word that refers to that outer garment that Israelites wore, especially poor Israelites, that would serve additionally as a blanket at night.
So when Ruth goes, she is going at night. She is going when the weather is going to cool down. The text could be interpreted sexually, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. In fact, there's a good analogy in another book that's not far from here.
You can go to 2 Samuel for just a moment. 2 Samuel chapter 12. just to show that there is an analogy between what Ruth is told to do and what David does in 2 Samuel 12. Remember that in David's instance, or in David's situation, it was a time of grief. David had been mourning over the death of his son. Well, when we look at Ruth, can't we suppose that the same conditions were true of her?
She just saw her husband die. Well, at least in the recent past. She just left her home country and has come to Israel. She has been grieving.
She has been mourning. Notice in 2 Samuel 12, 20. After the pronouncement that the baby is dead, verse 20 says, So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. and he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.
Then his servants said to him, What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food." So when David washed and changed his clothing, it marked a turn of events. It marked a pass from grief into that normal station in life once again. Probably that's what's going on when Naomi gives Ruth this particular instruction to wash herself, to anoint herself, and to put on her garment.
In other words, no longer wear your widow's mourning garments, no longer engage in that particular process of grief. Go to Boaz, and as he sees you, it will be obvious that you are no longer in that state of mourning and grief. I think Daniel Bloch explains it well. He says, it may well be that until this time Ruth had always worn the garments of widowhood.
John Gill alludes to this very same thing. He goes on to say, even when she was working out in the field, perhaps this was the reason for Boaz's inertia. Boaz didn't initiate anything with Ruth, obviously he cared for her, chapter 2, obviously he wanted her protected, obviously he wanted her well cared for, and a godly man would know that ultimately it would be a husband that would secure that. But there was something about the situation whereas Boaz did not initiate this particular sort of a relationship.
It could very well be the case that she was still wearing these garments of widowhood. Back to what Block says. As an upright man, Boaz would not violate a woman's right to grieve the loss of her husband, nor impose himself upon her until she was ready. We know too little about how long widows would customarily wear their morning clothes, but it may be that Naomi is now telling Ruth the time has come to doff her garments of widowhood and let Boaz know that she is ready to return to normal life, including marriage, if that should become possible.
So in many respects, what Naomi is doing here is a risky affair. And certainly when Ruth enters into it, it is a risky affair. Probably then, like it would be now, if a woman uncovered your feet and you woke up and found her laying on the end of your bed, you might have an inclination that there was something sexual involved. So Naomi, in many respects, is risking Ruth's dignity and honor and reputation.
And Ruth herself is doing that very same thing as well. But probably this is what is going on. And she tells him, or tells her in verse 4, then it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies. And you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down.
And he will tell you what you should do. Again. When we consider this interpretation that says she is proffering or offering sexual favors to him, the context does not legitimize that. The context does not indicate or evidence that whatsoever.
What she says in verse 9 is a specific idiom for marriage, how Boaz responds indicates that this is not a sexual situation. Again, Daniel Block says, how could Boaz, also a virtuous man, bless Ruth for her action, verse 10, and characterize her as a supremely noble woman, verse 11, if she was seeking sexual favors from him? Now, I spend time on this because this is the kind of stuff that we face as Bible students or as those who come to the Word of God in a perverse and debauched age. People are looking for sex on every page of the Scripture.
I'm not suggesting that there's not sex on some pages of the Scripture. The Bible doesn't, you know, whitewash those things. But we ought not to import meanings into passages where that meaning is devoid, where that meaning is absent. This is not what's happening in this particular situation.
Block continues, neither Naomi nor Ruth seems interested in sex or progeny at this point. Naomi is driven throughout by a concern to provide more security for Ruth than she, as mother-in-law, can provide. Ruth needs long-range protection and support, such as only a husband can provide. And I think that Naomi is operating here by faith.
Truly, this is an evidence of Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16 verse 9 says a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Naomi is, as I said, taking a bit of a risk in this situation, but it's under the auspices of God's sovereignty in Providence. Naomi understands they've gotten from this place to this place to this place by the hand of God.
The fact that Boaz is a near relative, a kinsman redeemer, it may be the case that he will take you on as his bride, and that will be the security and the stability that you need and want and have. So that's the backdrop. Now
Implementation of the Plan (vv. 6–18)
notice, secondly, the implementation of the plan, verses 6 to 18. What's Ruth do? Verse 5. She said to her, all that you say to me I will do.
I mean, is Ruth great or what? Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. They're champs in this book. I mean, if you want a great snapshot of covenant fidelity in Old Testament Israel, this is your book.
This is beautiful. All that you say to me I will do. Notice the specific risk, as I've already mentioned. The hopeful response is that she will be married to Boaz.
That's the idiom in verse 9. We'll see that in just a moment. But the potential response, what could happen? Now, as I read, at least Daniel Block, he indicated that at harvest time, When men were lying out in the fields, it was not uncommon for prostitutes to visit those particular men.
I mean, if ever you have a group of men that have worked hard and then end the day with a bit of food and a bit of drink, and I guess the prostitutes thought that might be a place for them to make their money. So that could have been one way that Boas looked at this particular situation. He wakes up. He sees a woman lying at the foot of his bed.
I mean, again, he doesn't know it's Ruth. He asks, who are you? So for a typical man, not a Boas, for instance, he could have thought she was a prostitute and willingly paid for her favors. That could have been a response.
And I believe that Ruth probably knew this, and Naomi as well. Not to say that Ruth would have done that, but these are some potentials. Ruth does not know how this is going to shake out. We always have the advantage over these biblical characters, don't we?
We have the divine author giving us a bird's eye view into the lives of these people. But we need to make sure that we never forget that every step of the way they don't know these things. They don't know what's going to happen. They didn't read John Gill on the passage.
They don't know what the central aim and focus is. of their life story is at this particular juncture. So Boaz could have thought she was a prostitute and willingly accepted her overtures. Secondly, Boaz could have thought she was a prostitute, but as a righteous Israelite, would have shoot her away. Could have said, wow, if you're a prostitute, I don't want you in my bed.
You need to leave. I'm not that sort of a man. I'm not going to engage in that type of activity. But thirdly, Boaz could wake up and correctly interpret Ruth's intention.
Isn't the Lord sovereign? I mean, something like this, which could have gone a few different ways. And I think as we read the narrative, we see something of that. In Naomi, go, put yourself at the end of his bed, and at the end of verse 4, and he will tell you what you should do.
She doesn't know for sure that Boaz is going to respond favorably. Naomi and Ruth enter into this trusting God. This is important.
Providence and Trusting God
We need to enter into things trusting God. We need to enter into things realizing that providence is a reality. It's not just a Calvinistic concept that we bat around in Sunday school, but providence is real. God overrules everything that happens in our lives.
There is not a hare that is not numbered or counted. There is not a bird that falls from the air. There is not an event that happens in our life, big or small, that is not under the providence and rule of God. We need to embrace that.
We need to take Romans 8.28 seriously and realize that God works all things for good. Have you ever considered that all things there doesn't just mean all good things? I mean, I think that's the common understanding of the passage. Of course God works good things out for our good.
I mean, that's a no-brainer. I think the context reveals even more so it's the bad things that God works out for our good. Do we really need to be told that God works out good things for our good? No, he works out all things for our good.
And if I haven't plugged it lately, I'll plug it now. Watson's little book, A Divine Cordial. It's printed now as All Things for Good. It's an exposition of Romans 8.28.
I highly recommend it if you struggle with this doctrine of God's providence and how even bad things could work for our good. So Naomi and Ruth step out in faith. Not blind faith, but a faith in the God of Israel who does all things well. Naomi had learned that there is affliction from the Lord, to be sure.
Chapter 1. Here, Naomi is trusting that there is, in fact, good from the Lord. And she sends out Ruth with this particular errand. Now notice, verses 6 and 7.
So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain." Now, some have tried to link Lot and his incestuous relationship with this particular situation. Now, certainly Ruth is an ancestress of Lot's daughter, but that's about where it ends. We don't need to interpret Boaz as being hammered here.
They are working hard. It's harvest time. working, laboring, they eat, they drink, they're not getting knocked out, hammered, when it says that his heart is cheerful or was cheerful, a full day of hard work, a bit of good food and refreshing drink, this is how we ought to understand it. He goes, he lies down at the end of the heap of grain, and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and turned himself, and there a woman was lying at his feet, and he said, who are you?
So she answered, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative." If you go back for just a moment, back for just a moment into chapter 2, Chapter 2 at verse 12, the Lord repay your work and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel under whose wings you have come for refuge. That same sort of a convention, that same sort of language is used here. But as I've said, this is an idiom for marriage.
And the word idiom simply means a figure of speech, a way of saying something. And when we look at this turn of a phrase, take your maidservant under your wing for you are a close relative, two passages really flesh out the marriage idea. Ezekiel chapter 16. You can turn there just so you can see what it is Ruth is after.
Ruth is proposing. I know that seems odd. It seems strange. Not necessarily telling you young girls to go out and find a fella and propose to him.
But that is what's going on. Ruth, I'm sorry, Ezekiel 16, specifically verse 8. Let me see. Yes, Ezekiel 16, 8.
When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love. This is God to Israel. So I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became mine, says the Lord God.
This pictures or represents God's marriage to Israel. Malachi, the prophet, dealing with divorce. In chapter 2, he uses the same idiom. Again, we need to be sure what Ruth is after in Ruth chapter 3.
She is seeking out this kinsman redeemer under the instruction of Naomi to be her husband. In 2.16, in the prophet Malachi, for the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce for it covers one's garment with violence. This garment that has been spread, this idea of covering another under their particular wing. So what she does is initiate this particular situation.
Again, Bloch makes this statement, and just consider it. I mean, Ruth had a bit of fear and trepidation in chapter 2 about the whole idea of gleaning, didn't she? She was a Moabitess in Judah. Now, as far as the Judahites or the Israelites as a whole were concerned, how well did they appreciate Moab?
I mean, Moab started off as a result of incest in Lot's family. Moab resisted Israel when they were journeying through the wilderness. It was the daughters of Moab that Israel played the harlot with, according to Numbers 25. and God sent wrath and destroyed a great bunch of them. Moab was excluded from entering into the assembly of the Lord.
Ruth knew that as a Moabitess, she was in hostile territory. But nevertheless, Ruth trusted God and went and gleaned. Now, it happened that she came to Boaz's field. It happened because of God's sovereign providence.
Well, here, look at what's going on. You have a woman initiating with a man. You have a servant initiating with the master. You have a foreigner initiating with an Israelite.
Locke says, here is a servant demanding that the boss marry her, a Moabite making the demand of an Israelite, a woman making the demand of a man, a poor person making the demand of a rich man. Now, if you don't see the hand of God involved in this, you're not reading it properly. I mean, this is absolutely amazing faith that she is engaged in at this particular time. Now, notice Boaz's response in verses 10 to 15.
First of all, he pronounces her blessed. Remember, Boaz is a godly, upright, righteous man. If Ruth had been offering favors of a sexual nature, this would not be his response. He would not say, blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter.
John Gill says, instead of calling her an immodest woman for laying herself down at his feet, And a bold, impudent woman, she being poor, to ask marriage of him, and instead of being angry with her and chiding and reproving her for disturbing and frightening him in the night, he blesses her and prays to God to bless her and prosper her in what she had engaged. Boaz then blesses her for showing more kindness at the end than at the beginning, specifically that she's not out to just bag some young man. Boaz knows the score as well. Boaz knows what's at stake as kinsman redeemer.
This isn't just about Ruth. Naomi's going to benefit. That's why when Boaz sends the gift of barley back, it's for Naomi. because ultimately he is the kinsman redeemer to Naomi because of Olimulet, not because of Melot. And so Boaz sees what Ruth is doing.
You're not just going out for some young man. It's not just about love, because if he was poor, why would a woman pursue a young man, right? It's probably because she loved him and was gaga over him. He realizes that this woman is acting in principle and with that hesed or that kindness that ought to be in play with every Israelite and he pronounces her blessed.
You have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. Now note the promise. He says, And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request.
For all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman." It's an amazing statement.
The Promise and the Problem
Verse 11, I'm sorry, verse 11, I'm sorry, verse 11, and now my daughter, do not fear, I will do for you all that you request. I will marry you. I will make you my bride. I will cover you under the shadow of my wing." And then look at what he says.
For all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. Remember when we introduced the book, we said that in the Hebrew canon, the book of Ruth follows the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs ends with a description of the virtuous woman. So if you were wondering what does a virtuous woman look like, here it is, right out before your eyes, in the book of Ruth.
Twice does the Old Testament use this convention outside of Ruth, and both times are in Proverbs. Proverbs 12, 4, and Proverbs 31, 10. But isn't it interesting to you that not just Boaz knew of her virtue, but the whole town knew? All those who gathered at the gates knew of this young woman's virtue.
Do you think it's because she walked around with a sign parading her virtue? Do you think it's because she Facebooked her status, I'm a virtuous woman? Do you think it's because she tweeted, I'm a virtuous woman? No, it's because she was a virtuous woman.
You cannot miss this. You cannot mistake this. You cannot go wrong when you see it with your very own eyes. Again, Block says she did not gain this reputation by trying to be somebody, by associating with the important people.
On the contrary, it was her self-effacing embodiment of Israel's lofty covenant standards. Her kindness, her kindness and loyalty to the family of her deceased husband, especially her mother-in-law, that has won her the praise of all. You see, ladies, if you want to pursue the path of virtue, it isn't by rallying the troops and saying, aren't I a virtuous person? It's by embodying that virtue, by displaying that kindness, by showing yourself faithful to the living and true God.
I find this intriguing. The whole town could see the virtue of Ruth. Ruth didn't stand by and campaign that she was the most virtuous. She just was virtuous.
It is impossible to miss godly character. And the people of Bethlehem, Ephrathah, when Ruth came on the scene, when they watched her day in and day out, walking to the fields, gleaning in the fields, conducting herself around the other women, conducting herself around the other men, The entirety of the town could say, this woman is a woman of virtue. That's beautiful. That's glorious.
That's what every woman should aspire to. And every man should aspire to something of a Boas character here.
The Closer Relative
Now he introduces a problem in this section. It says, verse 12, now it is true that I am a close relative, however. There is a relative closer than I. You see, there's a little bit of a wrench in the machine.
There's a little bit of a problem here. And this sets the stage for what follows in terms of that legal process in chapter 4. But notice what Boaz does. He promises that she will be taken care of.
He promises that she will get that security. Verse 13, he gives her a reassurance, stay this night and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you, good, let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you. As the Lord lives, there's that oath of affirmation again.
As the Lord lives, I'm not gonna renege. Boaz promises to Ruth that he is going to be that kinsman redeemer lie down until morning so verse fourteen she led his feet until morning she rose before one could recognize another he said do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor also he said bring the shawl it is on you and hold it and when she held it he measured sixty-five barley and laid it on and i'll keep as a supply we don't know exactly how much barley a shawl couldn't carry too much though so If we insert a different measure, you could get anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds, or even up to 100 pounds. It's probably not that. I don't know that Ruth, as sturdy as she may have been, could have taken a shawlful of 100 pounds and marched that back to Naomi.
It probably wasn't that much. But what it was was a reassuring token to her and to Naomi that Boaz was on the scene. Boaz knew the score, and Boaz was going to do his best to make sure that everything was looked after. It truly is kindness.
So when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley and laid it on her. Now we assume that he went, or that she went back. So the next statement, then he went into the city, means that Boaz got right on it. He spared no time.
He wanted to deal with this. He wanted to make sure that all of this was on the up and up. He was a man regulated by the law. He wanted to do things on a proper level, and so he goes to the city to effect a business at hand.
So Ruth then returns in summary to her mother. She says, is that you, my daughter? I don't think it's because she couldn't see. Probably it was more like a, what happened?
What's going on? Please tell me. It would be like your mom asking you if you went out on a date. How'd it go?
What was it like? Tell me the details. Then she told her all that the man had done for her, and she said, These six ephahs of barley he gave me, for he said to me, Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law." There's the evidence, there's the hint, there's the description, there's the reality. Boaz knows that Ruth is not just in it for Ruth.
Ruth wants to secure help for Naomi as well. And so this gift of barley made that well known to these two ladies. Verse 18, then she said, sit still my daughter until you know how the matter will turn out. What is she saying there?
Trust in God. Sit still, don't fret, don't chew your fingernails, don't let your knees clack, you just sit still until you know how the matter will turn out. And when the matter turns out, it'll be obvious and evident, and you proceed from there. So she says to trust in the sovereignty of God, and as well, she says to realize that Boaz is in fact a diligent man.
The end of verse 18, for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.
God in the Ordinary Details
So you see, ordinary people, ordinary events, and an extraordinary God. Because as we've seen, every step of the way, every small detail, God has overruled it to make sure that it falls out according to his plan. When we get to next week, specifically chapter 4, and we go through this legal process, the outcome shouldn't surprise us. We shouldn't say, wow, wasn't that lucky?
No, we know that God's hand is in it. He is bringing Boaz and Ruth together so that Boaz and Ruth can have Obed. So that Obed can have Jesse, so that Jesse can have David, and so that David can ultimately have the Lord Jesus Christ. God is in the details.
We see the righteousness of Naomi, her desire to provide security for her daughter-in-law in a way that she is unable to do. We see the blessed obedience of Ruth, which, incidentally, Ruth is no longer the main character. That's about it in terms of Ruth's prominence in the book. Really, the book, if it's an according to the most important character, would be the Book of Boaz, but it is called the Book of Ruth.
She's certainly named again in Chapter 4, but she has no place really of prominence. But we see in her blessed obedience to Naomi and faithful compliance with the will of God. And then the gracious response of Boaz. What a man for us as men to emulate.
And
Boaz as Type of Christ
Boaz certainly by way of conclusion typifies for us the Lord Jesus. He is the kinsman redeemer. He is the one that redeems us. He is the one that buys us out of the slave market of sin.
It's not because we're good, it's not because we keep the law, it's not because we clean up our acts that we'll ultimately go to heaven. It's because Jesus Christ, the kinsman redeemer, the blessed one of God, came and lived in obedience to the law, laid down his life as a sacrifice and a substitute, was buried, and on the third day rose again. And he sits enthroned at the right hand of God Most High. And the Bible says that everyone who looks to him will have everlasting life.
Christ is the Boaz to his church. He redeems us for himself. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word and we thank You that You are in the details and in the ordinary providence day by day. We thank You for this Book of Ruth and for what it teaches us concerning Your character, as well concerning the character of righteous men and women during the period of the judges. I pray that you would help us to see Christ as that blessed Redeemer, help us to see Him and to walk by faith in Him as that one who has saved us from our sins. We pray that this gospel would be preached throughout the earth and that your grace, or by your grace, many would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We thank you for this meeting. We thank you for this time together. We pray that you would go with us now, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.