(Ruth 3:1-18) Then her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may go well for you? 2 Now then, is Boaz not our relative, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not reveal yourself to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be when he lies down, that you shall take notice of the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you should do.” 5 And she said to her, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 And it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 So he said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your slave. Now spread your garment over your slave, for you are a redeemer.” 10 Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first, by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 So now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you say, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. 12 But now, although it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is also a redeemer more closely related than I. 13 Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and got up before one person could recognize another; and he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Again he said, “Give me the shawl that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 She also said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” 18 Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
By now, we see that Naomi started to call Ruth her "daughter". Although we have also seen that Naomi's approach to life was not necessarily according to God's will, so we don't know if what she advised Ruth to do was actually acceptable. Nowhere do we see this as an acceptable practice anywhere in the Bible. But since Ruth was new to this culture and faith, she would have trusted and honored her mother-in-law's advice. Although when Boaz found Ruth at his feet, she basically proposed the consummation of marriage, which was one thing Naomi had not told her to do.
Whether right or wrong, Boaz could have made her feel very stupid in that moment, but he didn't. He remained very gracious in his response. He even made sure to protect both his and Ruth's reputation by avoiding sin as well as the appearance of sin. Waiting until they were married, they both honored expected protocols, as well as followed God's will. Here is an excellent example in God's word for us to follow,
Also important is the fact that neither Boaz or Ruth judged the other based on outward appearances, but looked at the heart, as God does. After all, Ruth was not just a foreigner, but a Moabite! And Boaz was older than she was. We don't know by how much, but it was enough since Boaz made mention of it. But most importantly, they both were believers in the Lord. There is beautiful unity when we are all aligned with the Lord and His will and when we follow and live in His truth.
(2 Corinthians 6:14-16a) Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? 15 Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God
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