Today’s message comes out of Ruth 3. Let’s take a quick review of what has led us to this point…
Chapter 1: Naomi and her husband and sons move from Bethlehem to Moab because of a famine in the land. Yet Naomi’s husband dies. Her sons marry, but 10 years later, they too die. Naomi sets out to go back to Bethlehem, and one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth resolutely comes with her.
Lesson: We have to come to the end of ourselves, to find the beginning of God.
Chapter 2: Once back in Bethlehem, Ruth begins to glean grain to sustain them. It turns out that she gleans in Boaz’ field, who very kindly and generously obliges.
Lesson: We are invited to come and find blessing under the wings of God.
According to 2:23, Ruth continued to glean in Boaz’ field through both the barley and wheat harvests. During these couple of months, it was probably becoming more and more apparent that Boaz and Ruth liked each other.
And this brings us to chapter 3…
Scene 1: Naomi’s Hopeful Suggestion (vv. 1-5)
But the relationship wasn’t pursuing any further… So Naomi makes a hopeful and somewhat bold suggestion to Ruth:
“…shall I not seek security for you…” (“rest” – KVJ, “a home” – RSV, NIV) (v. 1)
The word means a ‘settled spot” or “a place of rest,” meaning, “marriage.” Naomi wanted Ruth to be settled and secure in a home with a husband.
So Naomi suggests Boaz to Ruth – after all, he is a kinsman…
You will remember that Naomi made mention of the fact that Boaz was a close relative to Ruth back in 2:20.
· What’s going on here? Why would she want to marry a relative?
1. Boaz could be her Kinsman-Redeemer (Lev 25:25-28; 47-55; Num 35:16-21)
The Hebrew word is “goel.” A “kinsman-redeemer” was a relative who functioned on behalf of another person and his property within the family circle in times of crisis:
· He redeems property by purchasing what has been lost and returning it to the one who was forced to sell.
· He redeems persons, that is, a relative who was forced to sell himself into slavery.
· He redeems blood, by avenging the death of a relative who has been murdered. (not applicable in Ruth’s case)
2. Boaz could fulfill a Levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-9)
This provided for a childless widow to marry an available brother of her deceased husband to raise up children in her deceased husband’s name. If a brother was not available, then the next eligible closest of kin could marry her.
(Naomi had once suggested how utterly impossible it would be for her daughters-in-law to wait around until she bore more sons to grow up and marry them in Chapter 1)
Boaz was eligible on both accounts. Not only to serve as a redeemer for his family, but also to marry Ruth and raise up children in her deceased family’s name, that the name would not be lost forever.
But Boaz’ hands were “tied” in the matter of marrying Ruth. It was not up to him. He could not claim her for his wife. It had to be Ruth’s move.
· Seeing that an interest was developing between Ruth and Boaz, Naomi took a bold move of hope to suggest to Ruth to go and claim Boaz as her redeemer and request a marriage.
· Basically she said, “Ruth – I want the best for you. Boaz is available… make a move!”
So Naomi instructs Ruth to fix herself up all beautiful and irresistible and go down to the threshing floor where he will be working tonight…
Important notes about the threshing floor:
We need to not think of the threshing floor as being inside a barn or anything as such.
Customarily, a threshing floor was located on top of a hill to catch any wind that was blowing. The clay soil was packed to a hard smooth surface, and ordinarily, it was circular with rocks placed around it. Sheaves of grain were spread on the floor and trampled by oxen drawing a sled. The people took a winnowing fork (a pitchfork) and threw the grain up into the air so that the chaff would be blown away and the good grain would come down on the threshing floor.
When the wind died down, they held a great religious feast. And at this season of the year all the families came up and camped around the threshing floor, which meant that there were many people present. After the feast was over, the men would sleep around the grain. Since the threshing floor was circular, it was very typical for them to put their heads toward the grain and their feet would stick out like spokes. They slept that way to protect the grain, from thieves who might break through and steal.
Scene 2: The Night at the Threshing Floor (vv. 6-13)
Ruth takes special notice of where Boaz is sleeping and comes and uncovers his feet and lays down.
In the middle of the night he wakes up to find a woman at his feet! Who are you???
v. 9 - …And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative."
What she says here is significant:
Do you remember Ruth 2:12? "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge." (Ruth 2:12)
In 3:9, when Ruth says to Boaz, ‘spread your covering over me” – the word for covering is the same word used in 2:12 speaking of the wings of God.
Notice what Ruth has recognized. She has recognized that Boaz is the agent of God’s providence. Boaz is God’s wing of protection. God will use Boaz to answer his own prayer in 2:12. Basically, Ruth said to Boaz, “spread your wings over me, as a husband would do for his wife. I want you to marry me…”
Ruth also tells Boaz that he is a kinsman-redeemer, and is able to legally provide this protection.
NOTE: There have been some who have suggested that Naomi was suggesting Ruth to go seduce Boaz and that there was some fooling around that went on here at the threshing floor. I strongly disagree! They are completely missing the beauty of this unfolding divine love story, which was orchestrated by God.
Boaz is absolutely overjoyed! (vv. 10-11)
(Remember, essentially, his hands were tied in the matter. It was not up to him to pursue this relationship any further. If she was interested in marriage, she needed to initiate.)
· She didn’t go after younger and wealthier men, but willingly chose an older Boaz. (v. 10)
· Boaz remarks of Ruth’s excellent moral character in v. 11. It turns out to be the same Hebrew word used of Boaz in 2:1 (“a man of great wealth”). They were a perfect match!
· Boaz had apparently done his homework in advance, because he was aware of another relative of Ruth’s who was in closer relation than he was.
He would have to settle the issue the right way – He was going to give the other man the opportunity to redeem Ruth before himself. Boaz wanted to do it the right way, and trust God for the conclusion of the matter. (vv. 12-13)
Scene 3: The Next Morning at Home (vv. 14-18)
Boaz didn’t want anyone to know that Ruth had been to the threshing floor. Nothing had happened that was improper but gossipers are not careful about facts. (v. 14)
Boaz gives Ruth six measures of grain for the road. We don’t know how much this is, but apparently it is quite a bit. He didn’t want Ruth to go home empty-handed to her ambitious and spiritually-sensitive mother-in-law. Lord knows he was certainly grateful for her good advice! (v. 15)
Lastly, Naomi encourages Ruth to wait patiently for Boaz to work things out. She felt confident that he wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled (v. 18).
The lessons we learn from this chapter…
1. God never inspires hope without also expecting action. (v. 1)
Verses 1-5 is actually the turning point of the whole book of Ruth. Some might argue that the pivotal point is at the threshing floor scene, but in actuality, it is here.
For Naomi, she had hopes that Boaz and Ruth would marry, so she prodded Ruth to move ahead and claim him. This was not just a selfish nosiness, but a God-given hope.
We cannot force the hand of God to do our bidding. God is not a Genie!
Rather, God causes things to happen in such a way so as to reveal where His hand is at work. Once we grasp that, we must act.
Examples:
· Have you ever had burden laid on your heart?
· Have you ever been moved to tears over the suffering of another?
· Have you ever had compassion on a needy person?
· Has the urge to make things right between you and another been haunting you?
· Have you ever had a conversation with someone who you knew didn’t have faith in God, and you wanted to talk to them about Jesus, but didn’t know how?
There is a solution to each of these – (and many more not mentioned.)
God may very well be inspiring hope in your heart… but His intention is never to impress your soul with hope, without also calling you to take action.
The reason we have the burden, the compassion, the tears, the desire for reconciliation, the urge to witness – yes, the desire for the well-being of a daughter-in-law…
…is because God is implanting a sense of hope within you that it is only by His grace can any of these matters truly be settled.
· What kind of actions should we take?
That may mean,
· Picking up the phone and making that phone call you’ve dreaded to make,
· Knocking on that family member’s door to ask for forgiveness for a past hurt,
· Repenting of our sins, and calling on God’s mercy to restore fellowship with Him,
· Writing a nice, long, thought-out letter to somebody who needs to hear that somebody cares for them,
· Opening your mouth even if it should seem foolish for doing so, so that they might hear of the wonderful forgiving grace of Jesus Christ,
· Have you ever had a God-given hope placed in your heart… but you didn’t act on it? (I know I have…)
“The more a man feels without acting, the less he’ll be able to act. And in the long run, the less he’ll be able to feel.” - C.S. Lewis
The Christian faith – was never intended to be a comfortable religion. It is a life of active holiness, intentional submission, willing sacrifice, and yes, even noble suffering.
When God puts hope in your heart, we must take action. And that would mean that we would always be busy… There is no retirement from the Christian life.
· How do we tell the difference between a hope that God has put into our hearts, and just down-right selfish ambition and wishful thinking that leads to impulsiveness?
(We can all probably think of a time when we’ve stepped out and did something we thought was of God, but was actually just impulsiveness.)
Suggestions on how to discern if a hope in our heart is of God:
1. Keep your eyes open – What is God doing around you?
Naomi witnessed a relationship develop between Boaz and Ruth through the course of the barley and wheat harvests (2:23).
We need to always be aware of the circumstances that are happening around us. If we watch carefully, we can often discern how God is bringing things together.
2. Keep your heart open – This is what I like to call “sanctified imagination.” We need to not be afraid to dream! (for your life, for others, for our church…)
Two destitute widows wandering into Bethlehem, depending on the goodness of a kind older man to let a foreigner pick up leftovers in the field.
Think of what Naomi might have been thinking all the while Ruth was away in the field working during the days… “Could this be for real, O God, that perhaps you would allow Boaz to marry my dearly devoted but sad, Ruth?”
That’s why I’m not afraid to let God know the hopes and dreams I have for our little church. We have a magnificent God who cares about the desires of our hearts.
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
3. Keep your spirit open – Keep the matters of concern before God in prayer. He will temper your ambitions to conform to His. And certainly always test it under the light of Scripture.
God will never inspire you to do something that contradicts the clear statements of the written word of God.
Example: To have an affair because, “well, he loves me…” Check with Heb 13:4.
Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Again, I want to emphasize that these first 5 verses of chapter three serve as the central pivot-point for the entire book of Ruth.
(Understanding that God’s will be done, of course…) But purely on a horizontal level, “IF” Naomi hadn’t acted on her God-given hope, Ruth and Boaz may never have gotten married. There would have been no further story in the romance. There would be no need for this book to be in the Bible…
Similarly,
· Consider what blessings you may forfeit, if you do not act when God inspires hope in your heart…
· Consider what our church may forfeit, if it doesn’t act on when God inspires hope in our hearts…
I believe that God is doing something special with us right now at GEFC. Does anyone agree? Now, the last thing we should do is become complacent. This is a time for action, not for passivity.
It’s time to hope again… It’s time to dream again… It’s time to serve again…
2. We must claim our Kinsman-Redeemer. (v. 9)
There is no way around it: Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer to Ruth is a beautiful illustration of how Jesus Christ is our kinsman-redeemer.
Jesus Christ fulfills all of the requirements to be our kinsman-redeemer. Yet, the debt He pays is not to buy us out of a physical slavery and restore property that was lost, but to redeem us out of the bondage of sin and to spiritually restore what was lost by Adam.
1. He was related to us by blood:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:5-8)
2. He was able to pay the price
…You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (I Pet 1:18-19)
3. He was be willing to redeem
…The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matt 20:28)
Illustration: J. Vernon McGee
J. Vernon McGee tells a story of one person whom he met while lecturing at a convention. The young man had attended all the lectures with some Christian friends who hoped he would accept Christ. They even persuaded him to talk to Dr. McGee after the event in a final hope that this young man who knew the Bible fairly well, would accept Christ.
Dr. McGee asked him several questions expecting an argument to ensue. Questions like; "Do you believe that the Bible is God revealed word to man? Do you believe Jesus Christ is God’s Son come in the flesh? Do you believe that Jesus came to save and redeem sinners? Each time the response was an affirmative, no arguments ensued. Finally Dr. McGee asked the young man, "Don’t you want to receive Christ as your savior?" And the young man blurted out right away, "Yes, I do".
Dr. McGee goes on to explain that the thing that had happened was that everybody, himself included, wanted to argue with the young man about the Bible, but nobody ever stopped and said to him, "Get down to the threshing floor and receive Christ as your Savior.”
· I ask you, have you been to the threshing floor and asked Christ to be your redeemer?
Nobody else can do that for you.
There are many people who reap many of the blessings from the fellowship of Christians in the church… and yet they have never actually been to the threshing floor themselves to claim their kinsman-redeemer...
Illustration: Birds in a Cage
S. D. Gordon, a Boston preacher, once told a story about a birdcage, which he brought with him one Sunday morning to church. First, he explained how he had come by the cage: When he first saw it, it contained several miserable small birds, and was carried by a boy of about 10. Curious, he asked the boy what he was going to do with the birds, which he had obviously trapped. “I’m going to play with them...have some fun with them,” the boy responded.
“But after that?…” the preacher persisted.
“Oh, I have some cats at home, and they like birds,” said the boy.
Compassion tugged at the minister’s heart, and he asked the boy what he would take for the birds. Surprised, the boy blurted, “Mister, you don’t want to buy these birds. They’re ugly... just field birds. They don’t even sing or anything.”
Nevertheless, Dr. Gordon persisted and soon struck a bargain with the boy for the birds and the cage. At the first opportunity, he released the poor creatures.
After explaining about the birdcage, Dr. Gordon then told another story, but one that is very similar…
“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked him.
“I’m going to play with them, tease them, make them marry and divorce, and fight and kill each other. I’ll teach them to throw bombs at each other,” Satan replied.
“And when you get tired of playing with them?” Jesus asked.
“Then I’ll condemn them,” Satan answered. “They’re no good anyway.”
Jesus then asked Satan what he would take for them. “You can’t be serious,” the devil responded. “They would just spit on You. They’d hit You and hammer nails into You. They’re no good.”
“How much?” the Lord asked him again.
“All Your tears and all Your blood; that’s the price,” Satan said gleefully.
Jesus paid the price, took the cage, and opened the door."
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Heb 2:14-15)
NOTE: I need to make it clear that Jesus did not owe Satan anything to set us free. So don’t be confused by the story. However, the people of this world are held captive to their sins and are caged by the wickedness of Satan. And the only thing that can set us free is a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. He is the only One that is able to pay the price for our freedom.
Boaz met the qualifications as a kinsman-redeemer for Ruth. But she needed to go to the threshing floor to claim him – that was her prerogative.
Similarly, Jesus meets all the qualifications to be your kinsman-redeemer. He paid the price of your redemption in full at the cross, but you must go and claim Him as your own redeemer.
For Christians:
Friends, I believe that even if we have already claimed Jesus as our Kinsman-Redeemer, we need to go revisit the threshing floor every now and then.
· I need to be reminded of Jesus’ love for me. I need to go to the threshing floor again. Does anyone want to come with me?
· I’m not talking about getting saved again – I’m talking about personal renewal, a fresh beginning with God. I’m talking about feeling the wing of God come over me again and rekindle that love and rest for my soul that only He can give me.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)
3. There comes a time when all we can do is wait on God. (v. 18)
When Ruth came back the next morning to tell Naomi about everything that happened, Naomi gave some advice that we as Christians hate to hear when we are anxious about something. Verse 18 says: “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.” (Ruth 3:18)
This is often the most difficult part of faith – when no more action can be taken and nothing remains but to wait patiently for God to work out His will. It is at this moment when doubts can arise and anxiety can creep in.
Such is life that all the details don’t fall just perfectly in place. How comforting it would have been for Boaz to be the very next of kin eligible to be Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. But it wasn’t to be.
Boaz would need to go and talk with this man to settle the matter. If he redeemed Ruth, fine… If not, GREAT!
But the important thing was that he was going to leave the results to God. And so Naomi was encouraging Ruth to do the same.
This should serve as a reminder to all of us. God may inspire hope in our hearts, and then expect us to act on it. But at the end of the day, after we’ve done all that we can, ultimately we MUST wait on God to accomplish what He has purposed to do.
God has a funny way of working things out… J
· Have you ever had to wait on God?
Illustration: Applying to MBI
I remember when I applied to MBI. I really wrestled with whether or not I felt I could handle it. For a long time, I had a very low, unhealthy view of myself. But the door cracked a little for the opportunity to go to Moody and I was strongly encouraged by others. The thought really excited me. In the midst of all my inner wrestlings, I ended up sending in my application very late. I didn’t realize that the deadline was over a month ago. I remember walking out to the mailbox and as I stood there in the summer heat I prayed, “God, if you want me there, I will be there.” And yes, I got in that fall.
The fact that I had no money to bring with me to start off right is another story, but worth making short mention of. Two days before I left, I received an unexpected check for $2600 from my church to take care of room and board expenses along with the other hidden costs for the first semester. God had provided abundantly far above anything I could have expected. “God, if you want me there, I will be there.”
Once that application was in the mail, there was nothing else I could do… “God, if you want me there, I will be there.”
Once I bought the bus ticket and was penniless, I had no other means of income…
“God, if you want me there, I will be there.”
Do you want our church to grow? Get busy in evangelism and inviting others to come visit, but then… Wait on God and leave the results to Him.
Do you want visitors to return? Shake their hand and get to know their name, wish them well, invite them back, but then… Wait on God and leave the results to Him.
Do you want your kids and grandkids to love Jesus? Love them with all your heart, pray for them, share the gospel as the opportunities arise, but then… Wait on God and leave the results to Him.
Are you anxious about a business deal at work? Do what you can, commit it to prayer, but then… Wait on God and leave the results to Him.
Waiting on God and leaving the results to Him:
1. Eases us from guilt. Ultimately, it’s not up to us.
2. Helps us to appreciate God’s answers. We recognize that His will has been done.
3. It teaches us to not be anxious for tomorrow.
4. It frees us to bless others, as we recognize God is leading them elsewhere.
· God never inspires hope without also expecting action.
· We must claim our Kinsman-Redeemer.
· There comes a time when all we can do is wait on God.
There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God’s own Son;
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.
Jesus, my Redeemer, name above all names;
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, O for sinners slain.
When I stand in Glory, I will see His face,
There I’ll serve my King forever In that holy place…
Is Jesus your Redeemer today?
