Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."
"I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
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 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.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."
"The Lord bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."
So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?"
Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"
Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."
Ruth 3
This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we finished looking at the second chapter of this book, we saw Naomi and Ruth had been buoyed up in hope after discovering that a kinsman-redeemer named Boaz was in their midst in Bethlehem. We know Ruth ended up gleaning grain from a field that belonged to him and he had treated her kindly, ensuring that she and her mother-in-law had plenty to eat.
After these events, Naomi obviously began thinking about Ruth and her future and just as we had seen Ruth being loyal and devoted to Naomi in her time of need, now we see Naomi doing the same for her daughter-in-law. For despite knowing that life as a widow wouldn’t be easy, she couldn’t bear to see Ruth have her best years of life pass by…years that would allow her to marry again and possibly bear children.
And so we read where Naomi said to Ruth:
“My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."
Based on Boaz’s prior behavior towards Ruth, Naomi felt he had displayed a liking of her and so we read where she advises Ruth as to how she should present herself to him as a possible wife. If he accepted her, Boaz, as a kinsman redeemer, would be eligible to marry Ruth and fill the role of her deceased husband, rescuing her from a life of isolation and loneliness.
For her part in this, we find Ruth promising Naomi that she would do as she was asked and “went down to the threshing floor” where she waited for Boaz. The scriptures tell us that he was “in good spirits” after he had “finished eating and drinking”, lying down “at the far end of the grain pile” afterwards. And as he did, “Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down”, just as Naomi had told her to do. She remained there until Boaz became startled “in the middle of the night” and “discovered a woman lying at his feet”, quickly asking:
“Who are you?"
To which Ruth replied:
“I am your servant Ruth…Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."
We should take note of the humble way that Ruth comes to Boaz. She doesn’t force herself on him but rather respectfully requests that Boaz spread the corner of his garment over her because he was a kinsman-redeemer. Through this, Ruth acknowledged her reliance on Boaz for deliverance while at the same time, displaying a great deal of trust and faith in him. And as we see, her submissive, honorable attitude and actions were rewarded.
For we read where Boaz tells Ruth:
“The Lord bless you, my daughter…This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."
Here, we see it’s obvious that Boaz was as committed to Ruth as she was to him and was willing to assume the role of her kinsman-redeemer immediately but there was only one problem. There was another kinsman-redeemer in line before him…one who had first right to marry Ruth ahead of Boaz.
Now, I’m sure this had to cause Ruth’s spirit to sag a little but we see Boaz promising to stay the course with her, vowing to inquire of the other kinsman-redeemer in the morning. There would be one of two possible outcomes.
1. If he decided to take Ruth as his wife, then she would go with him.
2. If the other kinsman-redeemer passed, then Ruth would marry Boaz.
All this injects some tense drama into the Ruth story. In fact, we almost could insert the three words, “To be continued”, at the end of chapter 3, such was the cliffhanging nature of how it leaves off.
Well, the scriptures tell us that Ruth returned to Naomi before anyone could find out the events of the evening. And once again, Boaz made sure Ruth didn’t return empty-handed, filling her shawl with “six measures of barley”. As she goes to her mother-in-law, Ruth details all that happened and after hearing it, Naomi states the obvious. For now Ruth would have to wait and see what happened, knowing that Boaz would do all he could for her and wouldn’t rest “until the matter was settled.”
Indeed, this is what a true redeemer does. He or she doesn’t rest until redemption happens.
As Christian believers today, we know this to be true through what the Lord Jesus has done for us for our relationship with Him is, at its essence, redemptive in nature. Like Ruth, every single person is destined to a life of isolation and loneliness without redemption unless they place their belief in Christ and in Him alone. He breaks the bondage of sin and liberates us to live, love, and learn, all under His leading.
Ruth required rescue from her widowed status. We require rescue from our sinful status.
In Ruth’s case, she recognized her chance for deliverance in Boaz and submitted herself to him humbly with faith and trust that he would redeem her. And as we see, Boaz did not disappoint her. Rather, he honored and blessed her, placing his covering over her.
In the case of people today, they need to also recognize their sole chance for rescue…a rescue from sin and the eternal penalty of Hell that only comes through belief in Jesus as Savior, the one and only Son of God who was sent to save and redeem us from our sins.
It was His shed blood on the cross of Calvary that washed our sins away and left us white as snow, placing a covering over us…a covering that identifies Him as our Redeemer. Indeed, Jesus does not disappoint those who come to Him humbly, confessing their desperate need for His redemption. He honors and blesses all those He saves and then sends them out to help others find their own rescue.
In the end translation, let us never forget the ultimate good news that we have every day because of Jesus for He willingly chooses to enter into redemptive relationships with any sinner who repents and comes to Him for salvation.
Thanks be to God for His Son…today and forever more.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment