RUTH 3

1 ¶ Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

• The Hebrew word for rest in verse one is the same word for rest in Ruth 1:9, where Naomi hoped that her daughters-in-law would find rest and security in the home of a new husband. This Hebrew word (manowach) speaks of what a home should be – a place of rest and security.
• In fact, the NASB gives us the word security and the NIV reads find a home for you.
• Since Ruth had no mother (in Judah, at any rate), Naomi determined to take the initiative to arrange a marriage. Wycliff Commentary
• In that culture, young people do not normally decide whom they would marry. It was marriage first and love afterwards. Marriages were arranged by their parents, if possible, with members of one’s own kin. Abraham sent a servant to find a bride for Isaac from his own people (Genesis 24:3-4), and Jacob was sent to the same place to find a wife (Genesis 28:2; 29:19).—New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, The

 

2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.

 

• Naomi’s suggestion to Ruth to consider approaching Boaz was rooted in a peculiar custom recorded in Deut 25.5-10 known as the law of the kinsman-redeemer, which comes from the Hebrew word goel.

• To refresh our memories, there were 4 primary responsibilities of the kinsman redeemer.
• The kinsman-redeemer was responsible to buy a fellow Israelite out of slavery (Leviticus 25:48).
• He was responsible to be the “avenger of blood” to make sure the murderer of a family member answered to the crime (Numbers 35:19).
• He was responsible to buy back family land that had been forfeited (Leviticus 25:25).
• He was responsible to carry on the family name by marrying a childless widow (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
• Another far reaching purpose for this kinsman-redeemer law was for the passing on of the faith of the God of Israel to the next generation. Passing on the faith once delivered to the saints should be the primary responsibility of every parent and local church. That was part of the great expectation that God built into the law, and it’s still something we live out today.
• Since Boaz was a recognized goel for the family of Elimelech - the deceased husband of Naomi and father-in-law of Ruth - Ruth could appeal to him to safeguard the posterity of Elimelech’s family, and take her in marriage. It may seem a bit strange to us in the West, but it was regarded as proper in that day.
• Naomi knew that Ruth could best be taken care of if she was married, so she suggested that she appeal to Boaz for marriage.
• Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor. Boaz spent the night at the threshing floor to avail himself of the breeze that enabled him to winnow. The grain was thrown into the air, and the breeze carried away the chaff. Wycliff Commentary

 

3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

• Uncover his feet, and lay thee down. Some might think this was a provocative gesture, as if Ruth was told to dress provocatively and offer herself sexually to Boaz. This was not how this gesture was understood in that day. If the proposed measure had borne the appearance of evil, Naomi would not have advised it. —Matthew Henry Concise
• In the culture of that day, this was understood as an act of total submission.So, when Naomi told Ruth to lie down at Boaz’s feet, she was in actuality humbling herself before him.
• Don’t lose sight of the larger picture beloved: Ruth came to claim a right. Boaz was her goel, her kinsman-redeemer, and she had the right to expect him to marry her and raise up a family to perpetuate the name of Elimelech. But Naomi wisely counseled Ruth to not come as a victim demanding her rights, but as a humble servant, trusting in the goodness of her kinsman-redeemer.

 

5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.

• Another verse that reveals the character of Ruth, who is a picture of the bride of Christ. Absolute surrender to the will of God.

 

6 ¶ And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.

7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn:

• There was a good reason why Boaz slept at the threshing floor. These were the days of the Judges, when there was much political and social instability in Israel. It wasn’t unusual for gangs of thieves to come and steal all the hard-earned grain a farmer had grown. Boaz slept by the grain in order to protect it.

 

and she came softly (quietly), and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.

8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid (startled), and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

• Since Boaz had been there to protect against thieves, it must have given him quite a shock to wake up and know someone was there. But his shock quickly turned to wondering when he found out the visitor was a woman.

 

9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

• Spread your skirt (garment) over your handmaid. This expression is used of God's relation to Israel in Ezek 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Ruth requested Boaz to do this as a pledge that he would marry her.
• Ruth boldly asked Boaz to take her in marriage since he was in line of kinsman redeemer.
• Adam Clarke says this in his commentary, Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirt or end of his talith over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection.

 

10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter:

• As we have already stated previously, there was a considerable age difference between Ruth and Boaz of at least 15 years. It also seems that because of this, Boaz considered himself unattractive to Ruth and had therefore ruled out any idea of a romance between them.

for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

This beautiful exchange between Boaz and Ruth reveals biblical, godly advice for those who are unmarried.

• There was an age difference between Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was kind enough to Ruth not to exercise his right as kinsmen-redeemer unless Ruth desired that of him. This shows something wonderful about Boaz. He had the right to force himself upon Ruth as her goel, but he did not. He didn’t say, “There’s a gorgeous young woman that I want, and I have every right to have her.” He would not have presented himself as goel towards Ruth unless she desired it.
• It also shows something else wonderful about Ruth: She based her attraction to Boaz more on respect and character than on image or appearance. Tragically, many people fall in love with an image or an appearance, rather than with a person we can really respect.

 

11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

• Fear not- By telling Ruth to fear not, Boaz was assuring Ruth that she would be safe with him in every way. He would not manipulate her for sinful pleasures. Rather than sleeping with Ruth, Boaz prays for her and commends Ruth for being a virtuous woman, something that he would not have said if she had crept into his bedroom in the middle of the night, dressed like a harlot and made sexual advances towards him.
• Both Boaz and Ruth are demonstrating moral purity and a real love and fear of God.

·      Eccl. 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment Ruth’s character was revealed by the choices that she made that were based on God’s truth rather than her feelings or upbringing as a Moabite.

o   The first choice was in her devotion to Naomi, which meant that she chose to bless her mother in law, rather than return to Moab and live for herself. She was unselfish.

o   Secondly, by the grace of God, she chose to follow the God of Israel, which meant that she had to forsake all of her previous religious upbringing and walk in newness of life. She was holy.

o   Lastly, her character was culminated in her choosing to trust and love Boaz even though he was much older than she was. She put pleasing God above pleasing herself.

• It appears that Boaz was attracted to Ruth mainly because of her character. It is assumed that Ruth was a beautiful woman, but we do know that she was a woman of godly character.
• The basic meaning behind this Hebrew word for virtuous is “strength; moral strength, good quality, integrity, virtue.”
• This same word is used in a term for heroes in the Bible: A mighty man of valor, for it reveals the spiritual courage and strength that is required to make a man a hero, so too Ruth’s moral courage and strength, shown in her life of virtue - make her an example of the Proverbs 31 woman of virtue.
• Before we move on, please note that Ruth had the reputation of being a virtuous woman….one of the most important ingredients of a strong local church is a congregation of virtuous women, young and old, married and unmarried.

 

12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

• Even though Boaz was a recognized goel towards Ruth, there was another goel closer in relation to her deceased father-in-law Elimelech. So, Boaz could not exercise his right as kinsman-redeemer unless this closer kinsman-redeemer relinquished his rights towards Ruth.
• Boaz wasn’t going to force the hand of God, so to speak, or try to manipulate circumstances. He would do God’s will God’s way. He knew that if this relationship with Ruth was really of the Lord, then God would work it out and it all would be done orderly and in order.

 

13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.

• Not every man that was in line to be the kinsman redeemer would assume this role. If he didn’t want to assume the role, as we will see in chapter 4, he would take his shoe and hand it to her, and then she would spit in his face, and the man would be called, the man from whom the shoe was loosed in Israel.
• Boaz tells Ruth that if the nearer of kin refuses to redeem her, than he will accept the responsibility.

 

14 ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.

• This is not the "know" of sexual intercourse, but another verb meaning discern. The rsv reads, before one could recognize another. The Hebrew idiom says, "Before man could recognize his neighbor," i.e., before morning.—Wycliffe Bible Commentary, The
• Boaz was taking steps to guard Ruth’s reputation, not ruin it by taking advantage of her.

 

15 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

• This gracious gift from Boaz reflects that he was a generous soul. 
• A beautiful Jewish tradition says that the six measures of barley given as a gift to Ruth were a sign of six pious men who would descend from her, endowed with six spiritual gifts: David, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and the Messiah.

 

16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter (What hast thou done, my daughter?)? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.

18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

I want us to close our time together tonight with a word of encouragement from Naomi…sit still and rest in The Lord.

• When the nation of Israel was in trouble and was tempted to go to Egypt (a type of the world) for help instead of trusting in Jehovah, The prophet Isaiah told them that their strength is to sit still (Isa 30.7). Sit still did not mean do nothing, it meant to trust in The Lord in their situation.
• In verse 8 we saw Ruth resting at the feet of Boaz. Ruth's resting at his feet provides for us a beautiful picture that rest can be found only at the feet of our Redeemer, The Lord Jesus Christ.
• Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
• In the midst of all of your God given responsibilities, make sure that you make the time to get alone with The Lord for the one thing that is necessary….sit still at the feet of Jesus…no guilt, no condemnation….

 

In Hebrews 3 and 4, we find that the people of God are promised His rest when they reach out by faith and embrace the finished work of Jesus Christ. Belief in the Gospel and the God of the gospel provides a rest for our souls. 

• Mt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 

Beloved, unbelief in the promises of God is in reality unbelief in the character of God that will always result in us being robbed us of the blessing of resting in God.

In closing, shall we all stand and hear our Heavenly father whisper His precious word to our souls tonight and be inspired to be still and walk with a fresh faith in the character and promises of God.

• Psa 37:3-5 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…..remain standing for the closing song.
• If you would like prayer after the service or would like to talk to one someone about your walk with Jesus Christ, there will be people around you and men up front to pray with you after the song.