Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.25 – July 1999

 

Faith at Work in Naomi, Ruth & Boaz

 

Sermon by Rev W J Bosker on Ruth 3:1-18

Scripture Readings: Genesis 19:30-38; Leviticus 25:25-28

Suggested Hymns: BoW 104a:1,2,5,6; 429; 432; 27:1,3,6,10; 218; 528

 

Dear Congregation, Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ

Last time we saw God’s providence at work in the lives of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz.  As we follow the life of Naomi, we can see the transformation from bitterness to hope, and even joy.  How does this change come about?  By looking to God in faith and trusting in His provision, rather than looking at ourselves and bemoaning our situation.

We can all learn from this.  It is also God’s advice.  Jesus said that anxiety and worry gets us nowhere.  God knows what we need.  Seek His kingdom as your first priority; live to please Him, and see how He supplies your needs.  He never short-changes anyone who trusts in Him!

That’s what Ruth and Naomi find out in our text.  After a day’s work in Boaz’s barley fields, Ruth had met Boaz and told Naomi all about it.  Naomi saw this as God’s hand at work and rejoiced at the LORD’s kindness to her (2:20).  What’s more, by God’s providence this man, Boaz, was a near relative of Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech.

The rest of the book of Ruth revolves around this point: Boaz as a near relative of Elimelech’s line.  Our text in Chapter 3 unfolds the story.

God’s providence works hand in hand with our activity.  Life is a partnership with God.  The Christian life is not fatalism, “what will be, will be”.  It is a trusting relationship and partnership with the Living God.

Naomi again shows her concern for her widowed daughter-in-law.  She wants Ruth to find rest, security, peace and safety with a God-fearing husband (3:2).  Isn’t that what every Christian parent wants for their children?  It doesn’t just happen.  By faith, we see that Naomi and Ruth were both active in this process.

In Eastern culture, parents often find husbands for their daughters and wives for their sons.  If sons and daughters found potential wives and husbands, they would usually seek their parents’ approval.

We have moved a long way from that position to one of almost total independence in finding a wife or husband.  Our society is paying the price.  Instead of bringing families together, marriage sometimes drives them apart so that in-laws become out-laws!

Young people, do yourselves and your parents a favour by having their approval when you seek your life’s partner.  Above all, make sure you have God’s approval by marrying someone who is a sincere and committed Christian.  From Scripture you could make a pretty strong case for arranged marriages.  Our text challenges us to think about that!

As people immersed in a Western, secular and deeply individualistic society, we might be puzzled by the plan hatched by Naomi and Ruth.  We might see it as manipulation by two women to get the better of a man.  But there is no such aggressive feminism in the text.  If we had the time we could go into a lot of biblical background.  A few comments will be helpful.

1.  In the book of Joshua we see the allocation of land to the various tribes of Israel.  The land is the LORD’s.  He gives it to Israel to care for and to earn their living from it.

2.  The land was to stay in the family so that each generation would know it was God’s possession and His gracious provision for their livelihood.

3.  God had given special instructions where land was sold because of poverty.  Every fifty years any land sold for whatever reason had to be returned to its original owners.  This would keep the land in family lines and provide them with security.  In between any 50 year period, land could be redeemed by an original owner on paying the appropriate amount.  If land was sold due to poverty, and the original owner died then a son, brother or near relative had an obligation to buy back the land to keep it in the family name.

We can identify with God’s wisdom.  As parents and grandparents we like to have an inheritance to pass on to our children.  We like to set them up with some security.  Even as a nation we are concerned when multinational companies start buying out Australian businesses and when our land is owned by foreign interests.

In the situation of Elimelech’s line, a father and his only children (two sons) have died.  All that’s left in Israel of this family is his widow and his son’s widow.  They were in poverty and Naomi was forced to sell her last and only asset – Elimelech’s land.  Once that was sold, that was the end.  No sons, no land, the end of Elimelech’s line.  What would a faithful woman of God do?

Naomi and Ruth have their backs to the wall.  But they still trust in God and have a good working knowledge of God’s Word and His laws that govern the land.  In God’s providence, they have been led to Boaz who is a near relative of the deceased Elimelech.  Boaz has already shown kindness to Ruth and Naomi.  Perhaps he will show them the ultimate kindness by buying the land to keep it in the family.  Naomi takes this step of faith even further!

There are no sons to carry on Elimelech’s line and to be the guardians of the land.  Could it be possible that Boaz might not only buy the land, but marry Ruth as well?  Then any sons they have will carry Elimelech’s line.

Can you see that this whole process is full of risk and uncertainty?  What if Ruth doesn’t want to cooperate?  What if Boaz won’t buy the land or marry Ruth?  The whole thing could come unstuck!

I’m sure that Naomi committed this plan to God in prayer.  With Ruth she would have looked at God’s providence so far.  What they were planning was not for selfish gain, but in obedience to God’s will as revealed in His Word.

This is a pattern for us to follow.  Be serious about God’s Word.  Know what it says and how it applies to your life.  Look for God’s hand of guidance and providence in your life.  Commit your plans to Him.  Take the steps of faith and obedience and then act, looking for God’s will and confirmation.  Then be prepared to accept the outcome as God’s will and be content with it.

How different this is from making up our mind to do something and only then ask for God’s approval.  No wonder we sometimes get ourselves into trouble and wonder why God isn’t blessing us.  We didn’t even consult Him.  We can only blame ourselves.

It’s a miracle of God’s grace that more doesn’t go wrong in our lives!  He still makes straight paths for us out of all the stumbling turns we make.  Thank God He is greater than your mistakes!  But don’t let it make you negligent or disobedient.

From one of our Bible readings we saw how one family dealt with a similar problem: the case of Lot and his two daughters.  Though Lot is described by Peter as “a righteous man” (2Peter 2:7), his example and actions are questionable.  Lot escaped from Sodorn and Gomorrah with his two daughters.  They were also faced with the problem of what would happen to their family line.  His two daughters chose a way which is in deep contrast to Naomi and Ruth.  Through an incestuous relationship with their drunken father, both daughters became pregnant.  The older daughter had a son whom she named Moab, meaning “from father”.

Isn’t it striking that in our text we see Ruth, a Moabitess, acting in a far more godly way than her original parents?  This would not have been lost on Ruth and Naomi, who knew their Scriptures well.  It’s also a testimony to God’s grace and how He can work powerfully in any family line.  Through Ruth there is even a faint line from Lot to Christ.

If you think you have come from a hopeless family background, just look at what God can do.  But remember that He wants to work with you and your faith and your obedience!

When you look at all the details in our text, any sense of impurity or impropriety is avoided by Naomi and Ruth.  They make wise preparations and walk with caution.  Ruth is acting out of obedience, faith and humility.  If her idea was to seduce and manipulate Boaz into fathering a child for her and so have access to his land, she could have had Boaz, an older bachelor eating out of her hand.

Ruth prepares herself to meet Boaz by looking and smelling her best.  There’s nothing wrong with a good perfume if you can wear it.  The “best clothes” of vs.3 is more literally an outer covering or wrap-around shawl that would hide Ruth’s identity as she went to Boaz.  Perhaps this is also the garment Boaz filled with barley (vs.15) when he confirmed he would do everything in his power to be a kinsman redeemer to Naomi’s family.

It was the barley and wheat harvest season.  Farmers would rejoice at a good harvest and after a day’s work they would enjoy a good meal and a well-deserved rest.  The cool evening breeze suited the winnowing of the grain’s outer shell.  A pile of grain was evidence of a good day’s work by the team of harvesters.  The farm owner would protect the pile from anyone who would come to steal grain by sleeping near it.

Naomi knew the procedure and advised Ruth what she should do.  Ruth followed her instructions exactly.  At night Ruth approached Boaz and uncovered his feet.  Summer nights can get pretty cold near Bethlehem, and I can imagine Boaz feeling the chill and lean forward to see what was wrong with his feet.  As he did so, he discovered a woman lying at his feet (vs.8)!  When Boaz asked, “Who’s there?”, Ruth reveals her identity and asks Boaz to spread the corner of his garment over her.  This request was not to share a blanket on a cold night, but a cultural expression asking for someone’s hand in marriage.

Imagine how Ruth must have felt.  How would Boaz react?  She was asking for his hand in marriage, when normally the man would ask for the woman’s hand.  Would Boaz be offended?  Ruth’s action was a step of faith, obedience and humility.  This could all go terribly wrong and her name could be disgraced.

She wasn’t even doing this for herself!  Elimelech’s line stood to benefit from a kinsman-redeemer’s action.  Any son born from their marriage would own the land.  And Boaz was quite some years older than Ruth.  She could have gone looking for a younger husband.

Boaz knows all this.  His heart is delighted.  He sees even more qualities of virtue in Ruth than he had seen out in the fields.  He overflows with generous joy.  “The covenant LORD bless you, my daughter” (vs.10).

But there’s a hitch.  Even though Boaz has responded graciously and is willing to act as a near relative and buy Naomi’s land, there is still a closer relative who has the first duty and first option to be the kinsman-redeemer.  Did Naomi or Ruth know about this closer relative?  We don’t know.  Most likely they didn’t.  If they did, they may have gone to Boaz because in their view he was more godly, gracious and kind.  We are not given these details.

Boaz gives Ruth his personal pledge and assurance that he will do whatever he can to be their kinsman-redeemer.  He asks Ruth to stay near him while it’s dark and dangerous for a woman to be out alone.  Then early in the morning Ruth can return to Naomi.  In all these actions we see Boaz as “a man of standing” and Ruth as “a woman of noble character”.  Their purity, faithfulness to God and personal integrity is preserved.  They are truly concerned for each other’s well-being and reputation.

I wonder how they slept that night?  Boaz can’t wait to see this closer relative.  Ruth marvels at God’s provision for her and Naomi.  Ruth and Boaz would have either slept well or were too excited to sleep.

As a token of his vow, Boaz poured out a generous portion of barley from his stockpile into Ruth’s shawl.  Meanwhile Naomi was waiting and praying that Ruth might have been successful.

As soon as Naomi heard Ruth’s report she must have jumped for joy.  She knew Boaz was a man of action.  His vow, confirmed by his gift, gave Naomi and Ruth great confidence.  But first there was this matter of the closer relative.

God has written a love story with action, drama and suspense.  We can read the conclusion in the next chapter.  We are looking at how godly people exercised faith in God, how they lived, recognising God’s providence and how they obeyed the revealed will of God.  All this was happening in days when much of society had turned away from God and people were doing what was good in their own eyes.

We can learn a lot from imitating this godly example,

But much more is happening.  God is being faithful to His covenant promises.  He is preserving a line from which the Lord Jesus Christ will come.  God has in mind a Redeemer who will truly rescue His people, preserve them and give them the ultimate Land of Promise.  The concept of a kinsman-redeemer to buy back the land and preserve a family line is a preview of what God’s Redeemer will do.

Praise God for His faithfulness!  Through the finished work of Jesus and in the power of His Holy Spirit, may we be faithful to Him.

Amen.