Hello, I am Pastor Greg with Calvary Reformed Church and today we are going to continue our study on Ruth Chapter 3.
Before we do that, I would like to have a Prayer. Father God as we come before you, we ask for your wisdom and grace as we look at Ruth Chapter 3 to see how we are called to live our lives right with you O Lord. We ask this all in Your name, Amen.
Well you may wonder where we are today.
We are out at Maralyn and Mick Motycka's Farm.
Mick used to love to farm. I wanted to come here today, and you will see why. These are two combines and today
we use combines to harvest wheat, barley, corn, and soybeans. The combine does all the work of separating everything.
But within the Jewish time frame 3000 years ago they did not have the combines as they do today. What they had were threshing floors. The farmers would take their grain, their wheat, their barley, their corn, and they would bring it to the threshing floor. There would be a large stone that would go in a circle and there would be a few animals moving the stone around [or it could be some of the men would move the stone around] and it would separate what was good to eat versus what was not good.
We have been studying from the book of Ruth. We have looked already at Ruth Chapter 1 and Ruth Chapter 2. Ruth is the story of a young lady. The daughter-in-law to Naomi. Naomi and her husband lived in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem means house of bread. There was a famine, so they moved to Moab. The Moab people are distant relatives to the Jewish people. However, the Jewish people and the Moabites hated each other. They lived there for 10 years. Naomi’s husband dies and her two sons marry two Moabite women. Naomi hears there's food back in Bethlehem, so she goes back home. Her one daughter-in-law stays in Moab, but the other daughter-in-law, Ruth [which means friend] comes with Naomi to Bethlehem. They are destitute. They are two widows. They have no way of making an income, no way of providing for themselves.
So, Ruth ends up going out into the various fields and she does what God had set up in the Old Testament- how they were to provide for the widows and the poor. Ruth goes to work and gleans from the harvest and she ends up in the field of Boaz. Boaz ends up being a relative and in Chapter 2 of Ruth we see that Naomi, when they come back to Bethlehem, says to her friends, ‘Don't call me Naomi anymore, which means pleasant. Call me Mara, which means bitter. My life has become so bitter.’
When Ruth goes into the fields for the barley harvest to start, she goes into the field of a man named Boaz. Today we are going to see Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz in the story. When Ruth comes back home to Naomi, Naomi’s life perks up because she sees there is hope during the darkness. So, we are going to pick up the story here at the end of Chapter 2, Verse 23. Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley harvest and the wheat harvest were finished. She lived with her mother-in-law Naomi. Barley harvest started around May and went all the way up through around the August time frame of the wheat harvest.
Ruth 3, Verse 1. One day Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, should I not find a home for you where you will be well provided for?’ Does that sound like maybe what we think of when we think of the movie, Fiddler on the Roof? A Jewish mother saying
to her daughter-in-law, ‘I need to find a husband for you.’
Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been with a kinsman, a relative of ours? Next week we are going to be talking a bit more about this kinsman redeemer idea. But, he is a kinsman, a relative and tonight, he is going to be winnowing the barley on the threshing floor.
Ruth, go wash yourself, perfume yourself, put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor. But, don't let him know that you're there until he is finished eating and drinking. Then lie down and when he lies down note the place where he's lying. Go over and uncover his feet and lie down there and he will tell you what to do.
Okay, this sounds like a scheme does not it? And yet Naomi had a purpose in her plan. With Ruth, Jesus says to us, you do not build a tower without counting the cost. There is another phrase that says if we fail to plan, we plan to fail. I love that one: ‘If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.’ We are called to be people who plan within our lives and the 15 verses we are going to look at here just briefly in Ruth Chapter 3 there's planning that takes place. But, it's a godly planning. One author that I read talked that it’s a strategic righteousness within the planning.
Some will look at Naomi and say well Naomi you are trying to sort of trick Boaz. You are trying to set something up. But, Naomi we're going to see is actually using the Old Testament law of a kinsmen redeemer…a relative who is called to support a widow in the family and to raise up sons so that the family's property, the family's name, can continue.
It's also interesting here because as I already said, when they came back to Bethlehem Naomi wanted her name to be Mara, bitter. Bitter people tend to not to be able to plan well. A bitter church has no hope. A family with bitterness in it isn’t able to look forward to the future.
But Naomi has seen hope again. She is able to go back to what her name means…pleasant. She sees hope and she tells Ruth to wash herself and clean herself up. Ruth has probably just come from the field. She's smelly, has messy hair…Naomi says, ‘You know what honey, we need you to catch this man. We need you to be the bride for this man. We are going to talk about that next week…about Christ in the church and the bride of Christ.
But I need you to clean yourself up, I need you to smell good. I want you to go where they're threshing the grain and when you see where Boaz lays down at night, lay down there with him at his feet. Now some people have said there is a lot of sexual innuendo going on here. A lot of people say no that is not what's going on. Ruth is showing herself to Boaz…that she desires something from him for long term not just for the night. So, Naomi is using her righteousness and using what she knows of scripture to say, we must plan, and Ruth you need to clean yourself up.
Then what do we hear in Verse 5. We read that Ruth says, I will do whatever you say.’ So, she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do and 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 and quietly uncovered his feet and lay down
in the middle of the night. Something startled the man
and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.
Before we get there, I want us to just back up for a second. When we think about the fact that Naomi says to Ruth, ‘Ruth you need to change your clothes, you need to look good, you need to smell good.’
Friends we are called to change our clothes within our lives with Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul says out of Romans 13, ‘Clothe yourselves with Jesus Christ, do not think of how to gratify the desires of our flesh.’ Colossians 3 says ‘Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and loved, clothe yourself with compassion.’ Compassion comes alongside of somebody, kindness reaching out to that humility having a humble heart. Gentleness. Gentleness is that stallion under control. It is got a lot of strength but it's under control. Patience with one another forgiving each other. Put on love and let peace rule in your life and be thankful. Paul also says, ‘Then clothe yourselves and take off the sin within your lives.’
I love the fact here that Ruth does more than just change her clothes. Ruth does more than what Naomi tells her to do. She does more than lay at his feet. When Boaz says who are you in Verse 9, Ruth says, ‘I am your servant.’ I love this verse. This is a young woman who was a widow. We are not exactly for sure her age but possibly in her mid-20s or so. She is with an older gentleman. We are not exactly sure how old Boaz is. But everything is alluding to the fact that he is older.
Ruth says, I am your servant. Spread the corner of your garment over me since you are my kinsmen redeemer. What Ruth is saying to Boaz is, will you fulfill the law of the Hebrew people and will you buy back the land that was Naomi's, my mother-in-law's, and will you take me as your wife to raise up sons and daughters under the name of Naomi’s husband. Ruth is the one here saying Boaz, marry me.
This is beautiful because in Chapter 2, when Ruth and Boaz first meet, Boaz prays for Ruth and says you are underneath the wings of God's protection and that whole idea of the wings of God's protection is being used here by Ruth. When Ruth says to Boaz, spread the corner of your garment over me - some translations say spread your wing over me.
Two thoughts going on here, two ideas… the one is to spread your garment over me. This is the Jewish way within the wedding of the man in folding… bringing his bride into the marriage to gather for the two of them. But also, some translations use the word wing. God's wing under the protection. We talked last week how Boaz made sure that his men were protecting Ruth. Physically protecting her in the field, emotionally protecting her, spiritually protecting her. Ruth is saying, Boaz I want you to be my husband. I want you to redeem back the land. I want to come underneath your protection.
Isn't that a beautiful example of Jesus Christ in us? The bridegroom and the bride, the church as the bride, under the protection of Jesus Christ the bridegroom. There's an aspect here that we see Naomi setting up Ruth to be the best woman she can be. To be that woman that is untainted, that is radiant to be the bride of Boaz.
What does Boaz do? Boaz says the Lord bless you my daughter. I do not know if there was a time of silence right there after Ruth asked that question - spread your wings over me, marry me. Is Boaz like whoa, this younger woman just asked me to marry her. Whoa what is going on? Or was he ready right away but says the Lord blessed you my daughter. Kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier. In other words, you have been working for Naomi now, you want to marry me, an older man, and it will also bring protection to Naomi, your mother-in-law. You are kind, Ruth. You have not run after the younger men, whether they are rich or poor. Now my daughter, do not be afraid. I will do all that you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of
noble character. Although it is true that I am near, there is a kinsman redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night and in the morning if he wants to redeem [meaning redeem the land but also marry you] good. He will do it. But, if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it. Lie here until the morning time.
Some people take this as a time where Boaz and Ruth are actually together---I don't believe so. I think Ruth stayed at his feet. There is a strong sense of character and integrity within their life and integrity is what we do when other people are not watching.
Boaz and Ruth and Naomi had integrity and they all followed the plan that God had set up within His word of life.
Little side note, those of you who have children, those of you who have grandchildren, you yourself…if you are single, are you praying for yourself or your children or grandchildren? Are you earnestly asking God for a Christian spouse for your child or for yourself?
Are you planning on and are you going to places and saying, Lord I desire a man or a woman of God for my son or my daughter, for our grandsons or granddaughters? Naomi planned that question.
Friends, we are called not to do what our society says today. Our society today basically says if it feels good do it. Right? If it feels good do it. The mood of society is do whatever we want to do. It doesn't matter. We don't need to live with guilt. The reality is, friends we are called to walk the line of what scripture calls us to walk and as we walk that line there is more joy within our life than living a life of guilt, doing things that God does not want us to do.
Friends, Naomi planned, and she taught, and the Apostle Paul says in the New Testament, older women teach the younger women.
- Naomi taught Ruth how to be a godly woman.
- Ruth carries that out in her action with Boaz.
- Boaz is a godly man. He says, ‘Yes, I desire to marry you, yes I desire to redeem you, yes I will protect you. I will put you underneath my skirt. I will put you underneath my wings. I will be with you.’
Friends we are going to see next week how this totally is an example of Jesus Christ and the church, his bride.
- Friends we are called to be a Boaz to have strength in our faith
- we are called to be a Ruth. To be friends with others and draw others to Christ.
- We are called to be a Naomi -who was pleasant and plans in a Godly way.
In the name of the Father, name of the Son, name of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He lift up His grace upon you and grant you grace and strength.
