What I share here are my personal notes. I'm not an authority on the book and I'm sure there are more profound commentaries available. (I read this one as I was doing my own study, which gave me clarity on a few verses that I was having trouble with; this is another one which I'm reading now.) But if it can aid anyone, even one person, then here goes.
A Study On Ruth (Part 3)
Ruth 3:1-4
Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
What comes to mind when you read that? I thought of Hebrews 4, about the rest spoken of therein and how Christ is our rest. He is my "manowach," my quiet place, my home, my place of rest; He is what settles me. He is to be sought after. And it is well with me, with my soul, when I am found in Him.
Ruth 3:2-4
And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.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.
According to my research, the threshing floor was where the wheat was separated from the chaff. Jesus uses the parable of the "field" to describe the world in Matthew 13. We, the beloved, are the wheat; the unbelievers are the chaff.
In Matt. 3:12, John the Baptist prophesies about Jesus and how He will "purge" His floor. That's what the threshing floor is about. The separation from the world, the "purging" of our consciences.
There is MUCH significance to the instructions that Naomi gave Ruth:
- Wash Yourself
- Anointing
- Raiment
"Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." (Zed. 3:4)
From these three elements, we see more and more of what this book is really all about. We see redemption, we see adoption, we see transformation, we see purification, we see righteousness... I don't feel qualified at all to be offering my dim views of these profound scriptures but I would encourage you, reader, to dig into these verses yourself and let the Holy Spirit reveal the hidden truths that are found therein.
"...and lay thee down, and he shall tell thee what to do."
Ruth was given specific instructions. She was being asked to trust, to put everything on the line. To lay herself down and wait on the word of this man. It's such an example of humility, of obedience, of trust and faith, especially when we read her response:
Ruth 3:5-6
And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
"All that thou sayest unto me, I will do."
All.
Not some. Not a little bit. All.
And she does.
She goes "down" to the threshing floor. I read recently that the threshing floor is always "down." Down in humility, down on our knees before the only Man who can truly redeem us from our debt.
Ruth submits. She obeys. She humbles herself. She goes forward in faith, obeying down to the letter all that she's been told to do. It strikes me that she didn't offer her own opinion on how she should behave. She didn't question Naomi's method. I find myself guilty of doing this. I offer my own perspective on how things should happen; I offer a partial, or reluctant, obedience. Not Ruth.
Ruth 3:7-13
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.And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
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: lie down until the morning.
Boaz sees Ruth's humility in this display. She finds favor with him. He is pleased by her. He blesses her. She didn't go after the younger men - worldly pleasures, that which satisfies the eyes, the lusts of the flesh. She sought him out. She humbled herself to him, and this pleases, touches, gratifies him. Her virtuous behavior he acknowledges. He calls her his "daughter", one whom he will now care for.
In verse 9, when Boaz asks, "Who are you?" Ruth responds: "I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman."
She gives herself to him in this moment. She is saying, "I am yours. You are a redeemer - redeem me! Spread thy skirt over me - protect me, take me as your own; spread your wings over me. I offer myself to you."
Her words are so stunningly beautiful! What more - his response!
He tells her not to be afraid and that he will do for her all that she requires. He's going to take care of the matter of her redemption - he will do it the very next morning! He puts her needs first before all. He does not say, "I'll do the best I can." He doesn't say, "I'll try and see what I can do." He says, "I WILL do all that needs to be done for you." No if, and, or but. No hesitation, no reluctance. Just "I will" and it's to be done. He takes the matter of Ruth's redemption as a chief concern in his heart.
And the question of the nearer kinsman? This baffled me at first. I think there are probably many interpretations of what he represents, but I read in one commentary that this nearer kinsman could very well have represented the Law - an explanation that rings true in my heart. More on him later!
Ruth 3:14-18
And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.Also he said, 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.
And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
Then said 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.
I wonder what it was like that night for Ruth... to be at the feet of this man, totally at his mercy. I wonder, did she sleep at all? Did she worry, thinking about this nearer kinsman? Perhaps she already had feelings for Boaz. She'd worked for him an entire harvest season. To wonder and not know... perhaps that's why Boaz said twice, "lie down until morning." He'd already given her all she needed in order to be at peace in her heart through the night. He told her not to fear, that he would see to the matter of the nearer kinsman the very next day, and that if this other man refused to do his part, "as the Lord liveth," he would do it.
"Just rest," he was telling her. "I will see to everything; your fate is in my hands, and I will do right by you."
And so she does. She lays in this place of humility and submission as he instructed her to, trusting that he will protect her (she was the only woman there and she was surrounded by men) and she trusts him implicitly.
When she goes home, she tells all to Naomi. And Naomi says, "Sit still, my daughter." It sounds quite similar to the well-known scripture, "be still." So much in that word - "still." Ruth had to be still, knowing her fate rested in Boaz's hands and having to trust him with it. Naomi assures her that "the man will not rest until he has finished the thing this day."
And there is that word - finished! "It is finished," Jesus said, hanging on the cross. Amen! Do you not see how these pieces fit together in such a divine fashion as an illustration of our Redeemer who shouldered the matter of our redemption and did not neglect to perform it? And when He had done His awesome and majestic work He declared, "It is finished!" And so it is, always!
No comments:
Post a Comment