Waiting Well
Ruth 3
© 2007 Eric Bain
Note: This message is available in audio format at www.sanctuary-church.com
Four weeks ago we began a new series in the book of Ruth. We’re going to continue that today. So, grab a Bible – if you don’t have one – and open it to Ruth, Chapter 3.
In case you missed it, let me just fill you in on some important details. In Ruth, Chapter 1, we learned…
• That there was a famine in the land of Israel.
o And one of the things we talked about is how, in Old Testament, God would use things like famines to teach his people about himself.
A lot of people think that’s sort of mean… or weird
But God was communicating in a way that they would understand
In their culture… people associated weather with God’s blessing & judgment
o They would have understood the famine to be a consequence of their sins.
• Then we learned about a guy named Elimelech…
o When things got bad… Elimelech took matters into his own hands and tried to fix things.
o The only problem was… he didn’t fix things by turning to God… he ran from God!
o Elimelech understood the famine to be a consequence of sin… and rather than dealing with the problem, he thought, “That’s it… I’m out of here!” Then he took his family and moved to Moab.
o Moab was foreign land… it was a Godless place.
• A place where no-one knew of his sin.
• A place where there would seem to be no consequence to his sin.
o The only problem was… he died there… away from God.
o He left behind his wife (Naomi) and his two sons.
o His two sons got married… but they married Moabite women. Women that didn’t worship Yahweh.
o Nonetheless, they soon also died. Leaving behind, two daughters-in-law. One of which is named Ruth the Moabitess.
• Ruth
o In spite of growing up in what we would call a “non-Christian home”… she learned about God. She learned about God through her relationship with her mother-in-law… Naomi.
o And then when tragedy struck… cause her husband died.
o And it would be very easy for her to take matters into her own hands… to just go back to her old home… back to her old forms of religion… and to look for a new husband that could take care of her and give her children (that’s the way that women in that time and culture found their identity & worth)… So, it would be very easy for her to take matters into her own hands and turn back to her old ways of life… but rather…
• She becomes a follower of God
• And she abandons her faith in everything else… And she begins to pursue that voice that she heard calling in the distance (a voice calling her home)… But clearly it’s not her home in the physical sense… it’s a spiritual sense!
• So with what may seem like reckless abandon…
• She leaves her physical home
• She leaves her family
• Leaves her friends
• Everything that was familiar… and goes to Bethlehem. And Bethlehem is found in what was known as the Promised Land…. the Land of Yahweh… the land of God.
• And the plan is to start a new life.
But as we move into Chapter 2, we learn that that life isn’t so great!
• Ruth is a poor… she’s a foreigner… she’s a widow.
• Which means she’s basically at the lowest rung of society
• And we learn that in order to survive, she has to scrounge for food.
• So Ruth was enters into a season of suffering.
But we learned that this suffering is a gift from God!
• But character is built in the crucible of suffering… and we must persevere.
Rejoice in our suffering… because suffering produces perseverance…
and perseverance produces character… (Romans 5:3-4)
*** Note the process!
Character development doesn’t happen over night.
This suffering that Ruth perseveres through… I want you to note that it lasts more than a day. In fact, it’s lasts a season. And what that means, is that Ruth is going to have to wait. She is going to have to wait on God.
And so Chapter 2 has this theme of Character Development, but as we move into Chapter 3… the story sets up this new theme of Waiting on God… and how those two come together.
Let’s begin… Ruth, Chapter 3…
RU 3:1 One day Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."
RU 3:5 "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
RU 3:7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly… uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.
RU 3:9 "Who are you?" he asked.
"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."
Well there you have it ladies… Biblical proof that it is OK for a woman to instigate in a relationship!
On a serious note… the first thought I have as I read this passage is that it’s not for sissy Christians! And I realize that may sound offensive… but it’s true. This story – in all of it’s glory – is not for the weak of faith.
Paul teaches in the 14th Chapter of Romans that there are some things that some people just aren’t ready hear. They aren’t ready for it. Why? Because if their faith isn’t strong enough… and so hearing it leads them to sin.
But here’s the deal… as your pastor… I believe that you are ready to have me teach this story. In all of it’s glory. Are you OK with that? Do you want to hear the R-rated version… or would you like me to dumb it down a bit?
It’s interesting when you read the commentaries on this passage… you see how the theological giants sort of tip-toe through this passage. Cause, you know, it’s not proper… it’s not proper for good Christians to talk about the things of this story.
But for me… well… I’m not a very good Christian. (I’m not!)
I like to think I’m a good Christ follower… but oh, I’m a lousy “Christian.” You know, one of those…
• Bumper sticker
• Mini-van driving
• K-love listening… “Christians”
Maybe you’re one of them – and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it – I’m just saying… I’m not very good at that.
One of the reasons I think I frequently find myself rubbing up against the “Christian” establishment…
• is that I’m just a bit to edgy…
• A bit to un-censored…
• Maybe a bit too raw!
But like I’ve said before, that’s one of the reasons that I really like Old Testament Narratives. You see, they’re un-censored… and they’re more than a bit edgy… they’re about real life!
(pause)
And so I wonder… can I teach you this story in all of it’s glory? Is that OK with you… Are mature enough?
I think so.
(pause)
As we pick up the story, today… it’s harvest time – some 7-8 weeks later. Now, I’m no farmer, but I was born in Iowa, and so I know something about farming. And that’s this…
Harvest season… is an extremely busy season!
In fact, Mark Osterlee… are you here? (Or Ashlee)
• You’re a farmer…
• What’s your work load like during harvest season?
It’s really busy! You get up early in the morning… you work all day… and you work into the night… because you’ve got this limited window… to get the crop in.
So know, as this story picks up. It’s night! It’s the end of the day. But the work day’s not over for Boaz. Why? Because it’s harvest season! And so Boaz is on the threshing room floor…
• Which really, don’t think of it as a room… but think of it as a circular pit!
• And during the day the harvested grain is thrown down in this pit and animals walk around trodding out the grain. In other words, they step on it… separating the kernel (little bits of grain) from the husk.
• But then at the end of the day, what you have is a mess! You’ve got a large pile of grain mixed up with all the husks – so you’ve got to find some way to separate the grain from the garbage.
• So, thankfully, in that part of the world, it’s kind of like Sacramento. And by that, here’s what I mean… You know how often times at night we’ll get what the locals call a Delta-Breeze? When I first came here, I had no idea what they were talking about… but here’s what I’ve learned…
o It can be dead calm at 5:00 in the afternoon.
o You go out and light your tiki-torches… thinking your going to have a nice romantic tiki-torch dinner with your wife after the kids go to bed… What happens? The wind starts blowing and it blows them out!
o It’s the Delta-Breeze… it happens in the evening. As the sun goes down the wind picks up... and a similar type phenomena happens in Palestine.
• So back in the day… a farmer like Boaz would take advantage of that. You see, in the evening, he would head down to the threshing room floor – with something similar to a pitch fork - and start throwing big piles of this mixture up into the air… and then the wind would take away the husk, but the smaller kernel would simply fall back to the floor. After repeating this process a few hundred times… all that would be left is a pile of grain.
Now… knowing what you know. Boaz, has been out working all day. He then goes to the threshing room floor and works a few more hours – into the night. When he gets done, it’s relaxation time! He has a nice meal… throws back a few drinks. Note this….
• He’s now in “good spirits”
• He’s exhausted…
• He passes out to there on a grain pile.
• But he’s not just asleep. He’s asleep to the point where he doesn’t notice a woman – bathed and perfumed – cuddling up at his feet! (Deep breath… pause)
• What do you think he was drinking?
o I don’t think he’s a very “good” Christian!
o Now, I’m not insinuating that he was drunk…
But he’s had some drinks…
And he’s in good spirits…
o And get this… in the story (not to give too much away)… Boaz represents Jesus!
o It’s something to think about….
But for now, let’s turn our attention to that schemer… Ruth.
Following her mom’s advice…
• Bathes…
• Puts on some (Sniff) perfume…
• Get’s all dolled up…
• Sneaks down to the threshing room floor…
• And then secretly cuddles up, in the middle of the night… with Boaz!
Now if you weren’t a very “good” Christian… and you were reading this story… what would you think her intentions are?
They’re sexual (whisper)…
Now, if you’re thinking, Oh, now… come on… this is a Bible story! Think of this…
ILL – Suppose I told you this… and not in church… but maybe over a cup of coffee…
• I’ve got a friend. He’s an older, single guy…
• Worked hard his whole life… owns his own business… but never got married.
• Anyways… he was working one night, late at the office.
• He decided to crack open a bottle of wine…
• When he finally got done he thought…
o I’m in pretty good spirits!
o But, I probably shouldn’t drive home.
• So he fall asleep on the couch…
• The next thing he knew, he woke up… It’s the middle of the night – it’s dark… but there’s woman cuddling up at his feet!
o It turned out to be one of his secretaries…
o And she wasn’t dressed in her work clothes… she was dressed in her best going out clothes…
o And she was wearing some really nice perfume…
Now, if you heard that story... today… what do you think that woman’s intentions are? (pause)
Ruth’s intentions are sexual. (I know for some of you, it seems scary to go there… but just let yourself go there)
Cause Ruth’s intentions are sexual… In fact, they’re more than sexual….
She says…
"Spread the corner of your garment over me…"
This is a sexually charged statement. Listen to this quote… (and listen for those words)
You grew up… and developed… and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.
EZE 16:8 " `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 nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered… into a covenant with you… and you became mine.
You see, these are the words that the Bible uses to describe the coming together of a man and a woman… and they’re highly sexually charged. Because it is in the sexual union that a man and a woman enter into a covenant… and become one!
And that’s why the book of Genesis says…
GE 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife… and the two will become one flesh.
This isn’t just sex… this is marriage.
And it’s a physical… emotional… sexual … spiritual experience… Marriage
You see, in our society… when do we define marriage to take place? It’s when you get that document!
• It doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian
• It doesn’t matter if you get it from a church
• It doesn’t matter if you get it from a court house
• You’re married when you get that document!
But that’s not when marriage occurs… according to the Bible!
• Marriage occurs when a man and a woman join together… and become one flesh!
You see, from God’s perspective, there is no such thing as pre-marital sex!
• When you bring your body together with someone else… something supernatural occurs
• It’s marriage!
Jesus said…
MT 19:5 …the two will become one flesh. 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
- The intent is, when two people come together sexually… they are married… and they are never
to be separated!
Ruth isn’t just offering herself sexually to Boaz… she’s offering herself martially to Boaz.
She says…
"Spread the corner of your garment over me…"
She then continues…
…cause you are a kinsman-redeemer.
But what’s a kinsman-redeemer?
Well, it turns out that this very important to the story… and we’re going to talk about that in great detail next week.
But for now… I recognize that all of this talk about sex may bring up lots of questions/issues:
- What if I’ve had multiple partners?
- What if I’ve been divorced?
- What if I saved myself but my fiancé has been with other people?
o We will address those issues next week!
So, for now, let’s move on to…
Verse 10…
RU 3:10 Boaz replied, "The LORD bless you, my daughter. This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You haven’t run after the younger men, whether rich or poor… 11And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid... I will do for you… all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he’s not willing… as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."
RU 3:14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and Boaz said, "Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor."
RU 3:15 He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out..." When she did so, he poured into it --- six measures of barley --- and put it on her. Then he went back to town.
RU 3:16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi, she asked, "How did it go, my daughter?"
Then Ruth told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, `Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ "
RU 3:18 Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."
Wait…. Wait….
I mentioned that as we move from Chapter 2 into Chapter 3… the theme became this idea of waiting.
But, the simple truth is… We all hate waiting… Just ask any 6 year old kid at Christmas time!
But here’s the thing. For adults, nothing seems to bring this idea of waiting more to the forefront… more dramatically… than sex!
You see, if the idea isn’t really…
Wait for marriage to have sex.
But rather, it’s…
Wait for sex… because it is marriage!
Then the importance of waiting becomes all the more powerful…
• But we hate waiting!
• In fact, we’ve built a culture around the idea that waiting is bad!
(pause)
The theme is waiting… But the story wants us to know…
It’s not just enough to wait… you must wait well!
The idea of not just waiting - but waiting well – it’s all over this story! Let me give you some examples…
• I already mentioned how Ruth left everything she had, to follow God.
• But as soon as she start’s doing that… she’s reduced to a beggar… going through people’s trash… just to survive.
• And this goes on not for a day… or a week… but for months.
• And what about her mother-in-law? She’s just sitting around doing nothing!
• And what about Boaz?
o Here’s somebody that could make everything better and yet he seems to be more interested in winnowing barely!
o In the end, Ruth throws herself at him!
o If ever there was a guy that can’t seem to take advantage of a situation with the ladies… this guy seems to be “that guy.”
o What’s his response…. Let’s wait!
My POINT is – It would be very easy for Ruth to not just wait… but to become very bitter and cynical in her waiting.
And yet, as we read Chapter 3, we learn that this isn’t the case.
How do we know this? Well, we know this because Boaz says that all the guys in town are standing around talking about how Ruth is a woman of “noble character.” In other words, the process of Character Development has run its course!
• Proverb 31 – Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived – speaks of just such a woman..
o Rhetorically - Who can find one?
o If you do… She would be worth more than riches
o She would be fully trustworthy
o She would bring about good things
o She would get up early… eager to work… and work hard all day
Well, doesn’t that describe Ruth?
Solomon continues…
o She would be wise
o She would be insightful when it comes to business
o She would be supportive of her family
Again, this is Ruth…
o She would love the poor and give to the needy
o She would be light hearted in the face of adversity, and not easily stressed
o She would have a proper perspective on God and her relationship with him.
And finally, Solomon tells us…
o That as a result of all these things… when the guys get together… they talk about how lucky the man is who has a woman like that… A woman of Noble Character.
You see… the story tells us that Ruth is just such a woman: She’s not only waiting on God… But she was waiting well.
And the ability to wait well… is a sign of great character!
And remember…
Character matters to God!
I made light of Boaz… But let’s examine him for a minute.
• He’s a successful, single guy.
• Ruth – this woman that all the guys are talking about – is working in his field… and yet he doesn’t seem to do anything about it.
• We get the idea that maybe he’s socially inept…
• But maybe what he’s doing… is just taking some time to get to know her Character
• And that’s not something you can do overnight… or in a week… or even a month.
You see, if character matters to God… maybe it should matter more to us!
Did you know that two leading indicators of potential future divorce in a couple….
- Rushing the dating process…. – Not waiting well.
- A lack of character development in one or both of the individuals… -- Character Matters!
You see our culture today…
• doesn’t teach us that waiting is important…
• It doesn’t teach that character is important…
But each of these elements is crucial to our spiritual journey…
And I think that the story of Ruth is pointing out that Boaz has both of these traits.
• The ability to wait well…
• and great character…
I mean let’s be honest for just a moment… Let’s be absolutely honest… The scene on the threshing room floor is highly sexually charged.
• I mean there’s Boaz…
o He’s rich…
o he’s powerful…
o He’s had a little bit to drink…
o And he falls asleep to wake up in the middle of the night to Ruth….
• And she’s looking good…
o She’s got the perfume…
o Everyone’s talking about her… In fact, she’s the ultimate woman….
o And let’s not forget… she’s willing! In fact, she’s throwing herself at him.
o Do you get the picture?
It would just be so easy!
So romantic!
So amazing!
But what does Boaz do?
He says, Wait... Let me make things right.
You see, apparently there are some things that Ruth doesn’t know… but Boaz wants to make sure that everything is right.
This is so counter to our culture…
But
Character matters to God...
And…
It’s not enough to just wait… you must wait well!
Let me wrap up…
First of all… Lest you think this is just about sex, let me remind you that we wait on God in all sorts of areas of our lives.
What are you waiting for?
• Maybe it’s a spouse
• Maybe its an advance in your career
• Maybe it’s some kind of opportunity
• Or some big financial break…
• Perhaps it’s even and end to some kind of suffering
Whatever it is…
• God wants to build your character through waiting…
• But to have that happen, you must wait well
You see, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of this…
But often when we’re waiting, we think that what we’re missing… is the thing that we’re waiting for.
In other words…
If the waiting would just end… If we could just have that thing that we’re waiting for (whatever it is)… we tend to think we’d be satisfied… we’d be complete!
But the truth is… if we think that what we’re waiting for… is really what we need… then perhaps what we really, really need… is greater character.
Cause if we had great character… then we would probably already know… that what we’re really waiting for… is something entirely different.
A kinsman redeemer perhaps?
Explain this last bit again with examples:
• I might be waiting for a spouse
• If I think that a spouse is really what I need… what I really need is greater character
• Cause if I had greater character, I would begin to recognize that while I am waiting for a spouse… it would be nice to have a spouse… the need that I have and feel is really for something greater.
• This is why many mature Christians over the years have been able to forgo things that most of us think we “need” in order to pursue greater callings… such as missions.
• It’s not that greater character removes waiting… it just makes waiting more tolerable.
Let’s pray
© 2007 Eric Bain
