The Dangers of Rushing God – Ruth 3:1-18
June 1, 2013
When we try to rush God’s plan we rush into danger. I know that many of you here are single and are probably thinking about marrying someone sometime in your life. Take a look at these suggested Christian pick-up lines (show video). Now all of these examples were of a man making the approach to a woman. Let me address the women out there. If a guy came with any of those lines, how would you respond? Yeah, sorry guys, my advice to you is not try any of those lines. But why do people use pickup lines in the first place? They want to take a shortcut in getting to know someone in a genuine way. You can’t take shortcuts if you want to build a real loving relationship that is built on more than just physical attraction. That takes time and work. Whenever you try to take shortcuts or rush into things, you often get yourself into trouble.
We have been looking at a love story in the Bible, the story of Ruth and Boaz. Today we look at how the two end up getting together. But before we get into the story, let me give a short review of what has happened so far. During the time of the judges, when there was no king in Israel, an Israelite family composed of a husband, wife and two boys, decided to leave the land because of a drought. They travelled and settled in Moab. While there tragedy struck. The husband, Elimelech died. The two boys grew up and married Moabite women. But then after ten years, the two boys, Mahlon and Kilion also died. Naomi, the mother was left with nothing but her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi decided to go back to her home country since she heard the drought was over and food was available. At the first Orpah and Ruth accompanied her, but after Naomi urged them to return back to their parents’ homes, Orpah bides them goodbye. Ruth, however, refuses to leave and instead commits herself to follow her mother-in-law wherever she goes. Ruth says this in 1:16-17: “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.’”
Chapter two picks up the story of the two women trying to survive in Bethlehem, Naomi’s home town. Ruth decides to glean after the harvesters of the barley crop. She happens to pick the field of Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech. Ruth works hard all day, and when Boaz arrives in the fields he takes notice of her. He immediately asks about her and finds out who she is. Boaz talks to Ruth and blesses her for being faithful to her mother-in-law and choosing to trust in the God of Israel. He offers her protection and provision and tells her to stay in his fields. He even gives her extra roasted grain to bring home to Naomi.
Chapter three continues the plot and tells how the relationship between Ruth and Boaz develops. I want to look at three themes that come through in this chapter. The outline is in your bulletin and if you like taking notes you may want to write down some thoughts as you listen. The first theme from this chapter is this: How not to accomplish God’s will. Take a look at verse 1 (read verse).
Chapter two was an encouraging start to the relationship, but what will happen now? Who is going to move the plot forward and bring these two together? Well, Naomi takes this task on herself. It is natural for mothers to look out for their children and try to find good spouses for them. Let me show you a clip from the movie, “Fiddler on the Roof” where Golda meets with the matchmaker to find a husband for her oldest daughter (show video).
Naomi is much like Golda in the movie Fiddler on the Roof. She wants to help Ruth settle in a stable household with a good husband who will provide for her. Look at verse 1 (read verse). Naomi then outlines her plan to Ruth. Look at verse 2 to 4 (read verses). Now does this seem like a good plan to you? No it doesn't seem like a very good plan to me either. Naomi tells Ruth to put on perfume and dress in her best clothes. Then she is to go down to visit Boaz at night while he is at the threshing floor. Then she is to wait until Boaz has eaten and had as enough wine to make him happy. Then when he is sleeping to go to him, uncover his feet and lie down.
What do you think Naomi was thinking when she told Ruth to do this? What do you think she foresaw as an outcome from the night operation? It doesn't sound very pure does it? No, to put it bluntly, it sounds like Naomi sent Ruth to Boaz, during a time when he would be under the influence of alcohol to seduce him.
Now some commentators think that this was some sort of ancient marriage ritual that was absolutely appropriate for the situation. However, if this is a wedding ritual, it isn't mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. And the whole tenor of the story is that what Ruth is doing is unseemly. Look at verse 14 (read verse). Boaz tells Ruth to wait through the night, but to get up before it got light so that no one could see her. The unsaid assumption is that if people saw Ruth, then the gossip would start. Ruth's actions weren't what a good Jewish girl would do. And Boaz recognized that.
Now why would Naomi give Ruth these instructions? She wanted something good for Ruth, a husband and a home. But she wanted it on her own terms. She felt like she had to manipulate the circumstances so she could achieve her goals. She felt like she had to do it by herself, using her own wits and cunning. You see that in verse one where Naomi says, "should I not try to find a home for you". You see, Naomi was depending on herself. This wasn't the first time Naomi tried to look out for her own good and the good of her family. When there was a drought in Israel, the family decided to leave for Moab rather than wait for God's deliverance. As we saw in chapter one, this ended in tragedy with the death of her husband and two sons. It was God's desire to bless her family, but instead of waiting for God, she took matters into her own hands and it ended up in disaster. When we try to rush God's plan, we rush into disaster.
But it's not just Naomi. There are other stories in the Bible where people have tried to hurry God's plan. Do you remember Abraham and Sarah? They couldn't have children, even though God promised Abram that He would give him descendants as many as the sand on the seashore. So Sarai and Abram took matters into their own hands. Sarai gave Abram her servant girl to sleep with and bear him a child. But this wasn't God's plan, and that mother, Hagar and her son Ishmael, were sent away into the wilderness. The descendants of Ishmael are the Arab people and to this day they are in bitter conflict with the children of the Isaac.
But it's not just people in the Bible who rush ahead of God's plan. It happens all of the time. I remember meeting someone who I thought was the perfect girl for me in university. Her name was Glenda and we went to the same church in Kingston, and we also attended the same college and career group. It so happened that we were both taking introductory drama, so on our first date I invited her to a play. That date went so well that I invited her to another play. But things never seemed to work. At the end of my second year I found out Glenda was dating another guy. I tried again in my fourth year when I heard that she had broken up with the guy. I even invited her to the ballet, which is a real stretch for me since I hate the ballet. But then I found out that this other fellow in our college and career group had developed a huge crush on Glenda and he was stalking us the whole time. I thought Glenda could be the right woman for me, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. Instead He had the perfect person for me in teacher’s college. That’s where I met Ruth. I’m so glad for God’s choice. It was so better than mine.
And not only does this tendency to rush ahead of God happen only in our relationships, it happens in every area of life, even in church life. When I started working at my first church I had the position of associate pastor in charge of youth and outreach. To fulfill my responsibility for evangelism and outreach, I conducted surveys of the church neighbourhood to see who lived there and what the needs of the community were. I found out that there was a large percentage of new immigrants in our area and one of the felt needs was to learn how to speak English. So I decided to start an ESL program at the church. We started on Sundays and then I recruited people to start teaching during the week. I put up posters around the neighbourhood and put flyers in the community centre and library. But we struggled to get anyone to come. The attendance dropped to the point where we decided to cancel the classes. But several years later, the Roman Catholic Board of Education visited the church, looking for a place to hold classes. We decided to open up the church, seeing this as an opportunity to minister. Now the church was filled with people from the community. We started a language partner program where the ESL students could be paired up with people from the church to practice conversational English. This led to many opportunities for people from the church to share the gospel with people from the community.
God’s timing is always best. His plans are always better than ours. When we try to rush God’s plan, we rush into danger. The question you may ask is, “How do I know what God’s will is and how do I do it?” That’s a good question.
Has anyone ever done the Bible study book called “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby? When I read the book, it revolutionized my thinking about what it means to do God’s will. I really recommend the book to you. To summarize the message of the book, let me show you a diagram (show slide and explain the process).
The first theme from this passage is how not to do God's will. The second theme is how to respond to compromising situations. When Ruth proceeded to undertake Naomi’s sketchy plan, it put both her and Boaz in a compromising situation. Look at verses 5 to 15 (read verses). The first thing we observe is that Ruth trusted her mother-in-law, and like a good daughter-in-law she followed Naomi’s instructions. It could be argued that Ruth wasn’t a young naïve woman. She had already been married and she was familiar with an intimate relationship with a man. She must have been aware of what her mother-in-law was asking her to do and what the result would probably be. But in Ruth’s defense, she was a foreigner and was unfamiliar with Jewish customs. She trusted that Naomi would not tell her to do anything that was inappropriate.
The responsibility for a righteous response to this situation fell squarely on the shoulders of Boaz. And fortunately, Boaz comes through with flying colours. Boaz’s character shines through in these verses. Put yourself for a moment in Boaz’s sandals. After a day of hard work at the threshing floor, you enjoy a good meal with not a little amount of wine. You lie down beside your pile of threshed grain, to protect it from any would be robbers. Then in the middle of night you feel something at your feet. Startled, you wake up to see a woman lying at your feet. You find out that this woman is Ruth who basically offers herself to you. What do you think a typical man would do? What would you do in that situation? I’ll tell you what Boaz did.
First he put the best possible spin on the situation. He blessed Ruth for choosing him as a husband rather than a younger man. He thought Ruth was noble in character and treated her that way. Sometimes it’s easy to think the worst of people. Boaz thought the best. That’s one of the characteristics of love. 1 Cor. 13:7 says about love: “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Boaz had that kind of love when he looked at Ruth. I think of people who look at me that way. These people always think of me higher than I deserve. They always give me the benefit of the doubt and see the best in me. They are a joy to be around and call us to a higher life. Howard Hendricks tells the story of his sixth grade teacher:
By the fifth grade, I was bearing all the fruit of a kid who feels insecure, unloved, and pretty angry at life. In other words, I was tearing the place apart. However, my teacher Miss Simon apparently thought that I was blind to this problem, because she regularly reminded me, “Howard, you are the worst behaved child in this school!”
You can imagine what my expectations were upon entering the sixth grade. The first day of class, my teacher, Miss Noe, went down the roll call, and it wasn’t long before she came to my name. “Howard Hendricks,” she called out, glancing from her list to where I was sitting with my arms folded, just waiting to go into action. She looked me over for a moment and then said, “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Then she smiled and added, “But I don’t believe a word of it!”
I tell you, that moment was a fundamental turning point, not only in my education, but in my life. Suddenly, unexpectedly, someone believed in me. For the first time in my life, someone saw potential in me. Miss Noe put me on special assignments. She gave me little jobs to do. She invited me to come in after school to work on my reading and arithmetic. She challenged me with higher standards.
What made the difference between fifth grade and sixth? The fact that someone was willing to give me a chance. Someone was willing to believe in me while challenging me with higher expectations.
When we face compromising situations, follow the example of Miss Noe and Boaz, put the best possible spin on the situation.
Second he decided to act righteously. He decided to take the role of kinsmen redeemer. This is the role stipulated Lev. 25:25 that allows a relative to buy back the land of one who has sold it off to retain the family name in Israel. I’m sure ever since he saw her gleaning in the fields, Boaz was thinking about Ruth. How else could he have made such a life changing decision so quickly? He was eager to be married to her. He said that he would take action in the morning and we will see how quickly and decisively he acts in chapter 4. Boaz wanted Ruth as a wife. And in one sense he could have had intimate relationships with her that night and that would consummate their marriage. After all, Naomi was obviously in support of their union. But the timing was wrong. If Boaz had given in to his lust and had sex with Ruth, he would have forfeited his opportunity to take the role of the kinsman redeemer. You see there were clear regulations who could and could not take that role. And there was a relative who was closer in relation than Boaz. And that person had the right of first choice whether to redeem Naomi’s land and in the process take Ruth as a wife. In many ways what Boaz went through is not anything new. Many of you here are dating and you have been for a long time. Some of you engaged. If you haven’t been yet, you almost surely will be in situations where you will be alone with your boyfriend or girlfriend, and you will have opportunity to become intimate with each other. Let me tell you right now, the short term pleasure is never worth what you are giving up. If Boaz would have given in, he would have given up his right to marry Ruth. When you are tempted think about your wedding day. You both will be standing in front of all those you love and you will declare your commitment to each other. Think of the power of knowing that you have kept yourselves pure for this day. For those of you who are dating or are engaged, let me give you some practical words of advice.
1) Keep your focus on God. It is God who gave you your boyfriend or girlfriend or fiancé(e), and God who commanded you keep yourselves pure. It is also God who should be first and foremost in your life. And He should be the centre of your relationship. There are a few ways to do this: Start a Bible study together. Pray together. Attend church together.
2) Always be prepared to stop. If you start to feel like maybe you can't control yourself, or if you see signs your significant other is having trouble, stop. Pull back from whatever kissing or other activity you're doing, and clearly state that you think you need to stop before you go too far.
3) Lay down ground rules. Together work out things like what clothes you should wear, what types of physical touch you will allow and what activities you will do together and places where you will go. And once you set the rules, stick to them. Be very slow to modify them even when you think they are too restrictive.
4) Limit your own privacy. I know it's great to spend time together in private, but make sure there are people nearby. Spend time in the park, or at a restaurant, or in a coffee shop. If you're going to be in a bedroom, leave the door wide open, and make sure there are other people in the house.
The third thing Boaz did in this compromising situation was, he looked out for Ruth’s ultimate good. Boaz allowed Ruth to stay at his feet that night, because it would have been dangerous for her to travel home at night. Then he urged her to leave before it was too light to protect her reputation. And as she left, he gave her six measures of barley. Boaz thought of the needs of Ruth and protected and provided for her. In compromising situations we need to think of the good of the other, not just what we want. Boaz could have take advantage of Ruth to meet his own physical lusts, but he didn’t. Instead he looked out for her interests. Phil. 2:3, 4 says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” When we have that kind of attitude then we will not take advantage of others when we are in compromising situations.
The first theme from this passage is how not to do God’s will. The second is how to respond to compromising situations. And the third is how we need a redeemer. It’s obvious in the story how Naomi and Ruth needed help. They had fallen on bad times. They were widows with no one to help them. They needed a redeemer. The reason Naomi chose Boaz was because of his relation to Elimelech. He was a close relative and had the ability to redeem Naomi’s land and re-establish their family name in Israel. Boaz was well aware of this role and he committed himself to fulfill it.
In case you haven’t caught it yet, the Book of Ruth, foreshadows the great Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We are in the position of Naomi and Ruth. We are poor, beaten down and vulnerable. We need someone to help us in our need. Boaz is a picture of Jesus Christ. And as Boaz was to Ruth, so Christ is to us. He is the great redeemer. He is the One who has bought us back. I love the picture of redemption in the movie Les Miserables. Take a look at this clip where Jean Val Jean who has just been released from prison after long years of hard labour struggles to survive. No one wants to take in an ex convict. He makes his way to a church where he is welcomed in by the bishop and given food and a clean bed. This clip shows what happens next (show video).
We are just like Jean Val Jean. We have been sold into slavery through our sin. We are powerless to pay the price of our debt to God on our own. But the good news is there is a Redeemer. We have been bought back, not by the price of silver candlesticks, but by something infinitely more precious. We have been bought back by the blood of Jesus Christ. When Christ died on the cross, He paid the penalty that we deserved to pay. He died in our place. Have you experienced redemption? Don’t hesitate to respond today. Let me pray for you.
Communion
