Naomi and Ruth have been blessed
throughout the harvest time. Naomi’s response
to Ruth’s lovingkindness and hard work on her
behalf is in chapter three where she orchestrates the
performance of the duty of the kinsman-redeemer.
Ruth 3:1:
Then Naomi her mother in law said [amar]1st
unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee
[Remember 1:9?], that it may be well with thee?
Naomi wants the best for
Ruth so she wants to arrange a marriage for her. This
phrase “that it may be well with thee” occurs
five times in the King James Version.
Deuteronomy
6:1-3,17,18:
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the
judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach
you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go
to possess it:
That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all
his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee,
thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the
days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that
it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase
mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised
thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey….
Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD
your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which
he hath commanded thee.
And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the
sight of the LORD: that it may be well with
thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess
the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
Naomi expected the best
for Ruth because she knew her daughter-in-law was diligent
to observe and do the law. (Remember the blessing she
spoke in 1:8?) Naomi was aware of Ruth’s adherence
to one commandment in particular.
Deuteronomy
5:16:
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God
hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged,
and that it may go well with thee, in the land which
the LORD thy God giveth thee.
God gave us His Word so
things would go well for us in life. In His Word, He
declared His will, which is always good, acceptable,
and perfect. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light
unto our path. When we meditate upon it and order our
steps in it, we will have “good success.”
In chapter one God caused Naomi to return to
Bethlehem by getting His Word to her. In chapter two,
the Word provided the basis for Ruth to go into the
field of Boaz to glean. We will see as we get into chapter
three, that the Word will provide the basis for the
request Ruth will make of Boaz.
Naomi wants things to go well for Ruth so she
has devised a plan according to the law regarding the
kinsman-redeemer. She has seen things develop over the
course of time she has been in Bethlehem, and God is
working in her heart. She doesn’t simply wait
passively for things to happen, she seizes the opportunity
when it presents itself. When God opens doors for us
we must recognize them and be willing to walk through
them. God frequently carries out his work through believers
who take hold of unexpected opportunities.
Ruth 3:2:
And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens
thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley
to night in the threshingfloor.
Here is that figure of
speech, asterismos, again. It provides the foundation
upon which Naomi’s plan of verses 3 and 4 is based.
If he is not there, the plan will not work. This is
the occasion for which Naomi had been waiting. It has
arrived, and it is now time to act. Naomi now discloses
her plan to Ruth.
It was the custom in Bible times for parents
to arrange marriages for their children, and Naomi resolves
to seek rest and security for her daughter-in-law, Ruth,
in marriage. Boaz was near of kin and could perform
the responsibility of a kinsman-redeemer. He was a God-fearing
man who had shown great kindness to Ruth already.
Ruth 3:3,4:
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy
raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but
make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall
have done eating and drinking.
And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt
mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go
in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he
will tell thee what thou shalt do.
When winnowing barley
the grain was taken to the threshing floor, which was
usually the highest point on the property, where there
was a good, strong wind. By bringing the grain to the
high point for threshing, it allowed the wind to carry
the chaff away as the workers winnowed it. They would
end up with two piles. The closer one contains the grain,
and the one further downwind the chaff. The grain was
garnered, and the chaff was burned.
On the last night of the harvest, the owner would
throw a party for all the workers, to celebrate the
end of harvest. They would party and go home the next
morning. It would be a great time of rejoicing together,
with singing, dancing, and eating. When the night was
finished, some would lie beside the mounds of grain
in order to protect it from thieves. The owner himself,
would typically stay there all night, in order to protect
his investment.
Naomi, knowing the custom that Boaz would be
sleeping at the threshing floor to secure the harvest,
instructs Ruth to go to the threshing floor and keep
her presence hidden. Other female servants who had worked
the harvest may have been there, but remember, Ruth
was not a servant. She really had no right to be there.
Naomi wanted to seize this opportunity, while the heart
of Boaz was rejoicing because of the end of harvest.
Naomi instructed Ruth to wash, perfume, and dress
herself, and go to the celebration keeping herself hid
from Boaz until he slept. Then she was to go uncover
his feet and lay there. Naomi’s final instructions
were to do whatever Boaz asked her to do.
Ruth 3:5:
And she said [amar]2nd
unto her, All that thou sayest [amar]3rd
unto me I will do.
Ruth agreed to do all
that Naomi told her. That’s obedience out of love.
She then proceeds according to the plan and does as
Naomi has instructed.
Ruth 3:6,7:
And she went down unto the floor, and did according
to all that her mother in law bade her.
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was
merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of
corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and
laid her down. [Whatever it means “to uncover
the feet,” it happened while Boaz slept.]
Some teach that what Ruth
did was immoral and that she was offering herself to
Boaz sexually. That was not what she was doing. Why
did she have to watch and remember the place where he
laid down? Because there were other people there that
night too, and she had to make sure she laid at the
feet of the right one. Had Boaz not been a man of such
great integrity perhaps he would have taken advantage
of the situation. However, the covering of oneself with
the skirt or mantle was a ceremonial act that was completely
proper.
Ruth 3:8,9:
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid
[startled], and turned himself: and, behold, a woman
lay at his feet.
And he said [amar]4th
Who art thou? And she answered [amar]5th,
I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt
over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
Ruth completely followed
Naomi’s direction, and when Boaz awoke startled,
he asked who it was that was at his feet. Ruth responded
humbly and asked him to perform the responsibility of
a kinsman-redeemer. Ruth’s coming to him at night
under the cover of darkness was so that no one knew
of her petition of Boaz. This way, if Boaz was not interested
in performing the duty of the kinsman-redeemer, he could
decline without the whole town knowing about it.
Ruth requested that Boaz spread his skirt over
her. People frequently misunderstand Ruth’s actions
thinking that she is propositioning him. However, that
is not the case, Boaz understood what she was doing.
She was asking for his protection and covering in marriage.
The Hebrew words translated “to spread your covering
over your maid” are an idiom referring to marrying.
(TDOT p.231)
What is often missed is Ruth’s allusion
to Boaz’s blessing of 2:12. “Skirt”
is the Hebrew, kanaph, which is translated “wing”
in 2:12. Ruth was reminding him of his gracious words
of blessing, “The LORD recompense thy work, and
a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel,
under whose wings thou art come to trust.” He
was right; she had come to trust in Jehovah and His
righteous law. Now, she calls his attention to the responsibility
of the next of kin and requests that he do the part
of the kinsman-redeemer according to that law which
they both reverenced. The Lord’s provision not
only provided for gleaning, but for redemption for her
by a kinsman-redeemer. Ruth has done her part in making
the request, but how would Boaz respond?
We’ll see that in just a minute. But, first
I want to look at why she chose to sleep at his feet
and cover herself with the fringe of his garment.
The reason for choosing to sleep at his feet
was to cover herself with the extremity of the garment
which would be where the hem was. The hem of the garment
was very significant in the East. It was where things
were sown to identify the authority of the family. Perhaps
it’s a bit similar to the Scottish kilts which
identified the clan. However, it was also where insignias
of authority were worn. In our culture we do it on the
sleeve. Military men and police wear their rank on their
sleeves. When I was in high school the custom was for
athletes who lettered in a varsity sport to wear letter
sweaters. We added stripes on the sleeve for each year
we lettered and for all-conference, all-county, and
all-state honors.
Boaz was not embarrassed or offended by her request.
He recognized that she acted within her rights according
to the law and the custom of the law.
Ruth 3:10:
And he said [amar],6th
Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter (a reminder
of their age difference): for thou hast shewed more
kindness [chesed] (third occurrence
1:8; 2:20) in the latter end (right now by doing this)
than at the beginning (when I meet you in the field
and spoke the blessing you just alluded to), inasmuch
as thou followedst [yalak, go/went after] not
young men (he had thought that she perhaps could have
done better in getting a younger man), whether poor
or rich.
Every action Ruth took
was guided by the Word. She didn’t go after young
men, she went after God through His Word. Remember James
4:2? “Ye have not because ye ask not.” Ruth
asked for Boaz to do the part of the kinsman redeemer
according the law of Moses, the Word of God. What would
Boaz’s response be?
Ruth 3:11,12:
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all
that thou requirest [amar]7th
for all the city of my people doth know that thou art
a virtuous woman. (There is no indication that he took
advantage of the situation. Would she still be a virtuous
woman had he done as some suggested that he did?)
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit
there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Instead of taking advantage
of the situation as some may have done, he recognizes
her loyalty to Naomi and her kindness to act to care
for her elder mother-in-law. Not only was she willing
to work heartily in the fields gleaning, she was willing
to marry an older man, Boaz, in order to redeem Naomi’s
land and provide for her mother-in-law. Ruth’s
action to fulfill her responsibility to her first husband
Mahlon and keep the family name of Elimelech alive was
very honorable in the eyes of Boaz.
Boaz described her action as a kindness. Boaz
had no right to approach Ruth with the idea of redeeming
Elimelech’s land. The law stated that the only
way for the land to be redeemed was for Ruth, the wife
of the dead man, to ask him to do so. If Boaz had been
the nearest kinsman who was responsible to do so and
he forfeited the claim and refused her, the law required
that they both go to the gate and in front of witnesses,
Ruth would slap his face, spit on him and he would then
be required to take off his shoe, as a symbol of shame,
and to give it to the woman and he would have to walk
around for one week wearing only one shoe. Ruth wanted
to save Boaz this embarrassment and shame should he
want to decline. The sandal would become the title deed
for redeeming the land and the marriage license for
redeeming the widow of the dead.
However, Boaz receives her proposal with gladness,
and it is obvious that he had been thinking about Ruth’s
situation because he was aware of someone else who had
a closer claim than he. What a twist in the plot. Everything
had been going so well; we could see the love story
develop so beautifully. However, at the very point she
makes the request, she learns of a problem. Boaz pledges
to follow through and commits to bring the matter to
a resolve the next day.
Ruth 3:13a:
Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that
if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman,
well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he
will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will
I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth:
Put a period there. As
surely as the Lord was a living God, Boaz vowed to do
the part of the kinsman-redeemer if he was afforded
the opportunity. For Boaz not to follow through on his
commitment after invoking the Lord’s name would
have been a transgression of the third commandment (Exodus
20:7).
Ruth 3:13b,14:
…lie down until the morning.
And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose
up before one could know another. And he said
[amar],8th Let
it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
Boaz continued to act
responsibly. He did not send her home in the middle
of the night, but rather he had her wait until early
morning when it was safer. He did not and would not
touch her until she could be rightfully his. He recognized
and protected the right of her nearer kinsman to perform
after the custom of the law. However, it was important
to keep this secret so that no one would know that Boaz
was interested in performing as a kinsman-redeemer.
Although nothing improper had happened, the last thing
they needed was gossip. But, before she left, Boaz sent
a pledge to Naomi.
Ruth 3:15:
Also he said [amar],9th
Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it.
And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley,
and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
Boaz puts six measures
of barley into her vail and helps her place it on top
of her head. That’s how women carried their burdens
in those days. So, Ruth returns to her mother-in-law
to report back on the developments and to deliver the
barley. The barley was a pledge from Boaz to Naomi that
she would be provided for in the future, and that her
matchmaking efforts were appreciated.
Ruth 3:16,17:
And when she came to her mother in law, she said
[amar],10th Who
art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the
man had done to her.
And she said [amar],11th
These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said
[amar]12th to me,
Go not empty unto thy mother in law. (Boaz wanted her
to know how thankful he was for her efforts.)
Naomi knew Boaz was committed
and would not rest until the matter was resolved. Boaz
was a man of honor and would fulfill his promise. Naomi
and Ruth had done all that they could. They would rest
and wait patiently for the Lord.
Ruth 3:18:
Then said [amar]13th
she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the
matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until
he have finished the thing this day.
Naomi interprets for us
here what the six measures meant. She understood it
as a sign, a pledge, indicating a commitment on Boaz’s
part to resolve the situation. Boaz had given his word
to Ruth and now sent the grain as a pledge to Naomi.
Why six measures? What did God do after the six days
of creation? He rested from all His work. Naomi understood
the measures to signify rest. It was a token to the
women to rest in Boaz’s pledge to redeem them.
They should rest for Boaz acting in their place would
not rest until it would be resolved that day.
