Ruth 3

          Verses 1-6: At the end of the harvest, when it’s time to thresh the grain, Naomi counsels Ruth on the best way to make her desire of marriage known to Boaz. It’s not clear from the text here or in chapter 2 whether or not Boaz knew ahead of time that Ruth was married to Elimelech’s son. It is clear from chapter 2 that Ruth had caught his eye, but from the scene that takes place here in chapter 3, it’s logical to conclude that Boaz was either not fully aware of his connection to Ruth or he was not certain of her desire for him. Either way, some guidance and encouragement from Naomi was needed to get the ball rolling.
            Naomi tells Ruth where to find Boaz (v.2) and instructs her to wash and anoint herself, and then put on her best clothes. (v.3) The word “anoint” here means to put on perfume. By doing all of this, Boaz will see right away Ruth’s desire and intentions, and he will tell her what she needs to do. (v.4) Because she recognizes God’s divine plan and His will for both her and Ruth (Ruth 2:20), Naomi’s counsel to Ruth is wise and proper. Ruth readily agrees and obeys all of Naomi’s instructions, demonstrating once again her godly character. (v.5-6)
 
            Verses 7-18: Ruth finds Boaz exactly where Naomi said he would be. She comes to him after dark, when he is alone, so as not to be seen by others and thus creating gossip and scandal in the community. After Boaz has fallen asleep, Ruth uncovers his feet, and this causes him to awaken in the middle of the night. (v.7-8) It was not uncommon in the ANE for the men threshing the grain to sleep on or near the threshing floor, which was often drafty and cold at night. It’s akin to someone today sleeping in a barn. Thus, uncovering Boaz’s feet would cause him to get a chill and this would wake him.
            Because it's dark, Boaz sees only the shadow of someone at his feet, and so he asks, “Who art thou?” (v.9) Ruth once again introduces herself, and then says to him exactly what Naomi instructed her: “…spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.” The phrasing of Ruth’s request reflects Boaz’s words to her at their first meeting: “…the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (Ruth 2:12) She is presenting herself to Boaz in a demonstration of humility and respect, thus giving him the opportunity to fulfill his role as her protector and provider. And, as predicted by Naomi, Boaz takes the lead, blessing Ruth once more. (v.10) The phrase “…thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich…” means that Boaz recognizes Ruth’s desire for not just any husband. She desires a godly one who will fulfill his God-given role as her protector and provider and love her as the Lord loves His chosen people.
            Boaz promises Ruth that he “…will do to thee all that thou requirest…”, while also acknowledging her reputation among his people in the short time that she’s been living in Bethlehem. “…thou art a virtuous woman…” (v.11) That, combined with the phrase at the end of verse 10, indicates once more the quality of Ruth’s character. Boaz recognizes this, and it makes her all the more desirable to him. Perhaps he has remained unmarried until now because of the lack within Israel at this time of genuine godly women like Ruth; women who recognize their God-given role as a help meet for their husbands and are willing to submit to his authority, protection, and love.
            Boaz then reveals that there is another man who is closer in relation to Ruth than he. (v.12) He tells Ruth to wait until the following day when Boaz can discuss this matter with that other kinsman. If he is willing to accept his role as her kinsman redeemer in accordance with the law of Moses, then so be it. (v.13) But if not, then Boaz will happily fulfill that role. This, too, demonstrates the quality of Boaz’s character. He recognizes the authority of God and the law, and he won’t sacrifice that obedience just to fulfill his own desire. This shows a man who exercises self control and has his priorities in proper order.
            At Boaz’s urging, Ruth sleeps at his feet for the rest of the night but awakes early enough so that she can slip out without being seen by anyone else so as not to create gossip and scandal in the community. (v.14) Before she goes, however, Boaz gives Ruth six measures of barley to take with her. (v.15) Ruth and Naomi already had plenty from Ruth’s gleaning of the harvest as well as the sheaves that Boaz had ordered his men to leave behind for her. This barley was a gift above and beyond that bounty, demonstrating to both women Boaz’s worth as a man of God and kinsman redeemer for Ruth!
            When Ruth tells Naomi of what happened and shows her the gift of the barley, Naomi gives another vital piece of godly wisdom: “…Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall…”. (v.18) She assures Ruth, who is probably anxious and a little worried about the news that Boaz is not the closest kin to her, that Boaz “…will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.”
 
            Waiting upon God and His timing is one of the hardest and most difficult things for a believer to do. Our natural inclination to act immediately, lest the opportunity pass and we forfeit what we believe is something for our benefit. Anytime there’s a crisis, or a problem, or a situation, our first desire is an immediate solution that will resolve that problem or issue and, thus, give us peace of mind. But so often in our lives, we are asked by God, “Sit still, my child, until you see how I will work this out for you.” And, also quite often, that period of sitting still and waiting can last for far longer than just a few days, or weeks, or months. Sometimes it is even years until we see the results of that situation that God led us through for our own good and blessing.
            For Ruth, it was only a day, but it’s easy to imagine how hard it was for her to sit for that day and wait for the news from Boaz. She desired him, not some other stranger, but what if that other kinsman chose to take her as his wife? What was he like? Was he a godly man? Would he love her Boaz did? Ruth had no doubt heard of the wicked men of Israel who did not love their wives as they should. After all, this was a period of Israel’s history that was rampant with all manner of sin, including sexual immorality and divorce. Women of this time were particularly vulnerable to all kinds of abuse and neglect, and Ruth would have naturally been terrified at the prospect of marrying a man she had most likely never met or knew anything about.
            Boaz, too, was waiting. Though the text never states how long, we can safely presume he had never married. It was custom for this period in the ANE for men to be married before the age of twenty, and it’s very likely Boaz was already in his mid or late twenties, or perhaps even early thirties! No doubt there had been whispers and gossip in the community about this fact, and Boaz was probably tempted many times to either commit adultery or just select one of the young women of Bethlehem for a wife just so that he wouldn’t be alone any longer. He was, after all, quite wealthy and, thus, a man of great power and influence in Bethlehem. He had his pick of any number of the eligible young ladies, and they, no doubt, desired him.
            But Boaz had faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even in a time of great apostasy and rampant sin among his fellow Israelites, Boaz chose to obey God and remain faithful to the Mosaic Law. His faith quietly told him to just wait. He had no real desire for any of the young women of Bethlehem, and there were probably many nights of great loneliness for him where he wondered what was wrong with him, or if God had forgotten him altogether? Yet still he waited. His faith was greater than his doubt, and then one day he saw a young maiden in his field, gleaning alongside the other maidens and workers.
            Ruth has the same faith as Boaz, faith in the God of Israel, and she heeds Naomi’s counsel. How different would this story have been if Ruth or Naomi had not obeyed God and patiently waited for Boaz? What if Boaz had settled for one of the women of Bethlehem, a maiden of his own people instead of a foreigner? How many of God’s blessings have we forfeited because we thought we knew better than God and needed to act immediately instead of waiting on Him? So often in our daily lives, the best exercise of faith is to “Be still, and know that I am God…”. (Psalm 46:10) Both Ruth and Boaz are still, but now Boaz realizes why he has been waiting for all these years. Like Naomi, he recognizes the hand of God at work, and that his time of waiting is over.