Ruth – Part 5 – “Love Declared”

Posted: November 14, 2011

Pastor Bryan Guinness
Ruth 3:1-18
November 13, 2011

We’re studying the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite who converted from her paganism to follow the Lord. When her husband died, she came to live in Israel with her mother-in-law Naomi, who had also become a widow. Because they were poor and needy, Ruth decided to go and work in a field. It turns out to be one of the fields of a man called Boaz. Boaz is a single, wealthy, godly man. The day Ruth shows up to work in his field is the same day Boaz shows up to inspect his field. And he notices Ruth and takes an interest in her. When he learns who she is, he makes sure she is protected from people taking advantage of her. He makes sure she is provided for. He invites her to lunch. They have their first date. He is kind and thoughtful.

They have a great day, but then, the day ends and Ruth goes home to Naomi and there is silence. He doesn’t visit. He doesn’t call her. She goes to his field every day for the next six weeks (the remainder of the barley harvest) but there is no mention of a second date. There is no mention of any more conversations between them. She’s left wondering, “Are we friends? Or are we more than friends?” By now time is running out. The harvest is over and her temp job in Boaz’s field is finished. And so Naomi sits her down to talk women to women. We’re going to see Naomi advise Ruth to do something very risky.

Ruth 3:1–2 – 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.”

Translation: Ruth, you need to get married, and oh, you know what, there’s a big dinner party tonight, and I hear Boaz is going to be there.

Ruth 3:3 – “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.”

Translation: “Ruth, Boaz hasn’t seen you at your best. He only sees you in the field with your hair in a pony- tail, all sweaty and smelly and greasy. Go take shower and smell nice. Put on a new dress and look nice and put yourself in front of Boaz.”

Now maybe you single ladies are thinking, “But I don’t want to chase a guy.” You shouldn’t chase a guy. But, you should get in his way. If he’s in a certain bible study, just happen to show up at that bible study. If he’s in a ministry serving, get in that ministry and serve. If he’s going out for lunch with a certain group after church, invite yourself to go out with those same friends. If he has a dog that he walks in the park, then get a dog walk it in the same park! (just kidding on that last one) The point is, get in his way, not in obnoxious stalker way, but in a subtle way. That’s Naomi’s advice to Ruth. “Ruth, if you like him and want to marry him, get in his way so he notices you.” But Naomi says, “Don’t get in his way until he has finished eating and drinking.”

Now, some of you are wondering, “when it says let him eat and drink, is that talking about drinking alcohol.” Yes. The position in the Bible is this. We are not to get drunk on wine.

Ephesians 5:18 – “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead by filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Getting drunk is sinful and contrary to living a spirit-filled life. And if you’re in the habit of doing that regularly, you need to stop. But though the Bible says, “Don’t get drunk on wine,” it doesn’t say, “Don’t drink wine.” The Bible indicates that Jesus drank from time to time. Let me give you a verse: In Luke 7:33–35 Jesus is talking to the Pharisees about the difference between him and John the Baptist. If you know your Bible, you know that John the Baptist did not drink wine because his parents were commanded by the angel Gabriel for him to be set apart in the tradition of the Nazarite vow which included not drinking alcohol (Luke 1:15). But listen to what Jesus said about himself in comparison to John the Baptist:

Luke 7:33–35 – “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.’”

Whatever else Jesus is saying, he is acknowledging that he, unlike John the Baptist, drank wine. Of course, he drank it in moderation and never got drunk, which is what it should be like for the Christian. The legalistic Pharisees accused him of being a drunkard, but the truth of the matter was he never ever got drunk because the Bible (Hebrews 4:15) makes it abundantly clear that Jesus lived a perfect sinless life

Some people argue that the wine in Jesus’ day was not alcoholic—that it was more like our grape juice today. I’ve read articles by people who say that when Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11) it was a non-alcoholic type of wine. But here’s the thing. Why would Ephesians 5:18 warn, “Don’t get drunk on wine” if the wine in question was non-alcoholic? Now, I am willing to concede that the wine of Jesus’ day wasn’t as alcoholic as the wine of our day, but the point is, you could still get drunk if you consumed too much of it.

So, the position of the Bible is firstly that we are not to get drunk on wine. But secondly, the Bible does say that if we do drink wine, we are not to cause a brother or sister to stumble by our practice. This is an important part of the equation.

Romans 14:21 – “It is better not to…drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.”

What does this mean? It means that if you’re having a Christian friend over to your house for a meal, and you know that they are firmly against alcohol, then you shouldn’t serve it with the meal because it will distress them and alienate them, and that’s not loving.

So, here’s Boaz having a drink at a dinner party, and Naomi tells Ruth to wait until everyone has had their share of food and drink and gone to bed and then she adds:

Ruth 3:4–5 – “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.” ⁵ “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered.

This is a complicated text. Some think that Naomi is telling Ruth to cross a moral line. But you have to understand that there was nothing indecent going on here. We cannot interpret this through the lenses of our culture.

This wasn’t a hotel room somewhere! Boaz wasn’t alone in some room. This was a public area. It was the threshing floor—the area where they ground out the grain to loosen the edible part from the inedible part (the chaff) that surrounds it. In fact, there would have been several other people camping out there that night because Naomi tells Ruth in v.4 to carefully “note the place where he is lying”. It was a common practice for field owners and their workers to sleep near all the harvested grain in order to defend their harvest from robbers and thieves. That’s what is going on.

Ruth 3:6–9a – So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. ⁷ 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. ⁸ In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. ⁹ “Who are you?” he asked.

That was a good question. Picture the scene. It’s the middle of the night. It’s pitch black. And suddenly Boaz feels another person at his feet. We know from Hosea 9:1 that prostitutes were known to sometimes show up at the threshing floor to tempt men. So Boaz says, “Who are you?”

Ruth 3:9b – “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”

The expression “spread the corner of your garment over me” is used in Ezekiel 16:8 to indicate an intention to get married. The equivalent in our culture is to present an engagement ring. When a man did this, he was symbolically demonstrating that he would both lovingly cover a woman for her life and invite her into his bed when she became his wife.

Now, Ruth is not proposing to Boaz. But she is asking him to propose. She’s saying, “I would love for you to invite me into your life as your wife.”

I think you can see why Ruth is taking an enormous risk. She is bearing her feelings and risking rejection. Furthermore, she is breaking a number of taboos since she is younger and he is older. She is a servant, he is her boss. She is a Moabite, he is an Israelite. She is poor, he is rich. How will Boaz respond?

Ruth 3:10 – “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.”

What do Boaz’s comments reveal? He thinks of himself as older and Ruth younger, and though he has liked her and admired her, he has obviously thought that she was way out of his league. He thought for sure that she wouldn’t be interested in an older guy like him. But Ruth is finding out, much to her delight and relief, that Boaz has feelings for her too.

Ruth 3:11 – “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.”

Here’s Ruth: A Moabite by birth, who didn’t have a godly upbringing. She didn’t get a great start. But, here she is now a follower of the Lord. She has turned her life over to God. She has chosen to align herself with her second family, her spiritual family of believers. And now she has met and fallen in love with a godly man Boaz. And she is described as a women of character.

Ladies, it shows that no matter what your past. No matter how filled with sin and rebellion, ladies you can become a women of character. Men too, no matter what your past, no matter how many mistakes and sins, you can become a man who fears God.

So, here’s Boaz and Ruth. They’ve declared their love for one another. They can get married right? No. There’s an obstacle in their way—a legal one.

Ruth 3:12 – “Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I.”

You have to understand the law of Moses to appreciate what’s going on here. According to the law, Deuteronomy 25:5–10, if a man died, leaving his widow childless, his next of kin (a brother for example) would then marry the widow and the first son they had together would carry on the name of the deceased brother so that his name would be perpetuated. What Boaz is saying is that legally, there is someone nearer in kin to Ruth than he, and so this man would have first dibs on marrying Ruth according to the law.

Some have speculated that, based on the command in Deuteronomy 25, that Boaz was obligated to marry Ruth. And that Ruth was simply demanding her legal rights and that Boaz was just doing what he was legally obligated to do. But this isn’t true. The law said that the deceased “brother” was obligated to marry the widow. But Boaz wasn’t the brother of Ruth’s deceased husband Mahlon. Nor was he even the brother of Naomi’s deceased husband Elimelech. Therefore, he had no legal obligation to marry Ruth and redeem her families land. So why does he marry her? Because he loves her. I told you this is a love story.

And this love story is a picture of the greatest love story between God and us. In our sinful state, God had no obligation to redeem us from sin and send Jesus to die on the cross for us. It was his love and grace that motivated him to do what he did.

Ruth 3:13 – “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.”

What Boaz is saying to Ruth is this: “I am not legally obligated to marry you. Some other guy is. But I know that he doesn’t love you like I love you. Nevertheless, I can’t break the law. I have to legally allow him to choose if he wants to marry you.”

Notice that Boaz tells Ruth to stay until morning. Why does he tell her this? Again, it wasn’t because there was something impure taking place between them. It’s that Boaz knew that a young attractive women walking home in the middle of the night could be in danger from other men, especially men who had had a few too many drinks. Boaz doesn’t want her in that kind of situation because he loves her and wants to protect her.

Ruth 3:14 – “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.”

Boaz says, “I know and you know that we didn’t do anything inappropriate. But, I don’t want anyone to think we did.” So, you’d better leave before sunrise.

The behavior of Ruth and Boaz remind me of what the Bible says:

Ephesians 5:3 – “But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality.”

God isn’t just concerned that we practice purity outwardly, he is also concerned that our lives don’t give a hint of anything immoral. That’s why I believe it’s inappropriate for a couple who isn’t married to go off on trips together or spend the night alone together. That’s why I believe it’s inappropriate for a married man or married women to get together for coffee or hang out alone with someone of the opposite sex that they’re not married to. Don’t let there be a hint of immorality.

Ruth 3:15–17 – 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. ¹⁶ 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 ¹⁷ and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.”

Who was the gift for? Naomi. Gentlemen, when you court the girl, honor her mother. You might think, “Yes, but I can get the girl without the mother.” Yes that’s true, but if you don’t have the mother on your side you can’t live happily ever after. You want your future mother-in-law to love you.

Ruth 3:18 – “Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

When is he going to settle the issue? Today. Singles take notice. If a woman comes to you and shares her heart with you saying that she thinks you are the guy for her. Don’t say, “I think we need to date about another two years.” No. If a lady shows you her heart, you’d better be careful with it and you better not wait on it too long. Boaz is going to act quickly. And ladies. Notice what Naomi tells Ruth, “Relax, wait, trust God.” At some point if you’re single, you have to trust God that he will work in the person you love and have feelings for. Once you’ve shared your heart with them, you need to trust that God will work in them. You can’t manipulate and try and control the outcome. Pray and trust God to work in their heart if it’s his will that you be together. This is such a beautiful story.

Do you know something? Ruth is like us. We come to Jesus and what does he do? He treats us like Boaz treats Ruth. He gives us grace. He does all the work of redemption and pays a great cost for it—he shed his blood. And yet he did it because he loves us and he wants us to be part of his bride—his church.

Tags: Alcohol, dating & singles, RUTH SERIES, sex & purity