Ruth 3:1 – 7 “One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you? Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.”
“I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her. After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!”
Even though the Israelites had been ordered by God to care for widows, orphans, and strangers, Ruth was still very vulnerable. At any point some young man desiring her as a wife might corner her outside town, rape her, and then insist that the sex was consensual. Naomi wanted to find Ruth a good husband, someone who would really care for her, and Boaz as a relative was a natural choice.
Still, Ruth and Naomi were taking a huge risk, and it all depended on the character of Boaz. Naomi undoubtedly knew Boaz before she left Bethlehem, but that was years ago and sometimes people change. When Naomi first left Bethlehem, Boaz had a reputation in town for righteousness and excellent character. Once Naomi and Ruth returned, Naomi would naturally begin chatting with her friends and finding out what was going on. You can almost hear the conversation at the village well. “I remember my husband Elimelech had a cousin named Boaz. What’s he up to these days?” “Oh, Boaz. He’s a great guy and doing fine, but that’s a terrible tragedy. Boaz married this nice young lady, but she died delivering her first baby. Both Boaz’s wife and the child died. It was terrible. Since then, he hasn’t looked at any of the eligible maidens here in Bethlehem. Heaven knows, some of these pushy mothers have certainly tried hard enough!” It might have been after one such conversation that Naomi began making her plans.
Why did Naomi counsel Ruth to wait until Boaz was asleep and then uncover his feet and lie under that covering? Naomi knew that Boaz would be celebrating the end of the harvest with everyone else; this meant that several men might be drunk. By having Ruth wait until Boaz (and all the others) were asleep, Naomi was ensuring that Ruth wouldn’t be grabbed by one of the other men. And by Ruth lying at the feet of Boaz and covering herself with the cloth covering his feet, Ruth was symbolically requesting his protection in marriage.
There are those who have attempted to place sexual connotations on this passage and to indicate that Ruth must have seduced Boaz; however, that would be far contrary to the character of either Ruth or Naomi. I believe that Naomi had gotten sufficient information from her friends to know that Boaz faithfully worshiped God according to the laws of Moses. As a traditionalist, Boaz would appreciate the significance of Ruth uncovering his feet and then lying down and covering herself with that same cloth.
APPLICATION: At first glance, we might ask ourselves what this ancient story has to do with us? So Ruth eventually gets a husband, so what? But look at Ruth’s situation.
1. Ruth was an outsider, a stranger who had come to Bethlehem out of love for her mother – in – law. Perhaps Ruth’s own mother was dead and none of her aunts was kind. Perhaps Ruth’s mother had a toxic personality. Perhaps Ruth’s family had collected a big dowry from Elimelech and Naomi and having spent that dowry, they had no more use for Ruth. The Bible never mentions anything about Ruth’s family at all.
Even if we are living in our own country, many of us may feel estranged from our families. Perhaps we have come out of a loveless situation, one in which those caring for us did the bare minimum and then left us to our own devices. Perhaps we now find ourselves in toxic working situations in which those above us take credit for our work and those below us scheme to undermine us.
2. Ruth was in a very vulnerable position socially. With only Naomi at the house, Ruth had nobody to protect her physically. Again, many of us feel just as if we are walking around with targets on our backs, especially now that women and children are being snatched out of parking lots. We lived in midtown Manhattan for a year; for that year, I felt that anytime I went on the street, someone was sizing me up to mug me. (I always tried to appear as if attacking me would be a worthless exercise.)
3. Naomi was probably now in her forties in an age when many people died by age 35. Even if Naomi could have helped and protected Ruth, Naomi had no resources and no way of telling how much longer she might live. Ruth needed more security than Naomi could provide. For all these reasons, Ruth needed a husband and a protector, someone with enough social position that nobody could complain if he married a Moabite woman. Ruth needed someone with sufficient wealth to care for both Naomi and her.
We all need love and acceptance and protection. We too need families to which we can belong. If our original nuclear family fails us, we will seek out other families – church, school, or special interest groups. We all have an innate desire for connection. Even those of us who claim to have given up on people frequently cherish dogs or cats or even ferrets or mice – anything that might give us warmth and affection.
Ruth was blessed to have Boaz, who did come to her aid. But what of those of us who see no help in our situations? Deuteronomy 33:27 gives us the answer: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’”
For Ruth and Naomi, Boaz eventually became their protector. But for the rest of us, our Protector is the One True Living God. Isaiah 40:10 – 11 says, “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
Isaiah 40:28-31 says,” Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Boaz became the protector for Ruth and Naomi and a husband for Ruth. But we have a Protector who is far greater than Boaz. Our Protector knows each one of us individually, our hurts, our desires, our struggles, and our trials. Boaz died and was buried, but our Protector is eternal, immortal, all – powerful and all – knowing, all loving and all – wise.
PRAYER: Father God, many of us are afraid to call You “Father” or even hate the term because of the mean ways our earthly fathers have treated us. Many more refuse to own You as Lord because they have suffered at the hands of authority figures and shy away from trusting anybody. Please, Lord, let Your righteousness, Your peace, and Your truth soak into our hearts so that we begin to understand how much You love us. You never fail. You are Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. Help us to trust You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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