A Request for Redemption (Ruth 3:1–18) | Redeeming Love (Part 4)

Transcript

JROT 41
12/7/2025
Redeeming Love (Part 4) A Request For Redemption
Ruth 3:1-18
Jesse Randolph

Well, this morning we are back in our series in the Book of Ruth. I’d invite you to, in fact, to turn with me in your Bibles to Ruth 3. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth. So just find your way over there. And by way of reminder, we’re taking a break from our normal study. We’re usually in the Gospel of Luke on Sunday mornings here at Indian Hills to spend these few short weeks in this Old Testament Book of Ruth. Written about 1,000 years before the birth of Christ, that we’re celebrating this time of year. One of the reasons we’re going through this study, this series in Ruth, in these weeks leading up to Christmas, is the recognition of the fact that the Book of Ruth occupies an important spot on the historical timeline of events leading up to the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, which is what this whole season and time of year is really all about.

Now, so far in our study of Ruth, just by way of reviewing for you who have been with us; and by way of just catching up for you who haven’t been here. We’ve encountered many different moving pieces so far, in our study of this four-chapter book. We’ve encountered this account of Naomi, and her husband, Elimelech who, because of a famine in their hometown of Bethlehem, the name of that town ought to sound familiar they were forced to flee to the region of Moab. We’ve learned that while in Moab, Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died. Then after he died, his sons, who had since taken Moabite wives, those two sons died and they left behind these two young widows, one of whom was Ruth.

Then there was this turn in the narrative, where after losing both her husband and her two sons, Naomi learned that there was now food back in Bethlehem. The famine was now over. So, she, Naomi, departed back to her homeland. In doing so, she urged both of her daughters-in-law, Ruth and another woman named Orpah, to go back to Moab where they could find new husbands and start new lives in their native land. You’ll recall that Orpah followed Naomi’s counsel, she went back to Moab. But Ruth declined. In fact, Ruth pledged to stay by Naomi’s side, saying, in Ruth 1:16, “where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.” And then Ruth followed Naomi all the way back to Bethlehem.

All of that was in Ruth 1. Then, on Ruth 2, the narrator of this account recorded the events of a single day, in which Ruth went out to glean in these fields in Bethlehem. To glean grain, as a way to provide for herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Whose field did she find herself in? Well, a man named Boaz. A “mighty man of excellence” as he’s described in Ruth 2:1. Boaz, as we’ve seen in the last two messages in this series, he certainly lived up to that reputation of being this “mighty man of excellence.” But Boaz was not only this all-around great guy we also have seen that he was a kinsman, a close relative of Naomi, through marriage. He was this distant relative of her deceased husband, Elimelech. Meaning, as we saw last time, that he potentially could qualify to be what was known as a kinsman-redeemer to Naomi. Meaning, he could provide for her abundantly for all the remaining years of her life. That’s where we left off last time, as we considered whether Boaz would be, or could be, this potential kinsman-redeemer to Naomi. We left in that scene where Naomi and Ruth are in their home, their shared home in Bethlehem. These two ladies are awestruck at what’s happened to them so far and they’re sort of milling around, deciding what it is that they will do next.

The answer comes in our text for today, in chapter 3. We’re actually going to work through the entire chapter here this morning. But recall where we ended off last time. This would be in Ruth 2:23. We ended with these words:
“So, she [meaning, Ruth] stayed close by the young women of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest.”
As I mentioned at the end of the last sermon, the total length, a combined length of the barley and wheat harvest seasons, with one coming right after the other, would be about three to four months. So, for three to four months, Ruth would have been out there in Boaz’s fields, likely next to Boaz, working alongside Boaz. Look at the last few words here of verse 23, “And she lived with her mother-in-law.” Meaning, for these three to four months, she was becoming more and more acquainted with Boaz out in those fields. And then, every night, she would commute back to her mother-in-law’s house there in Bethlehem. Surely with much to talk about.

Well, it was during that time, and specifically, as harvest time was winding down, there in Bethlehem. As Ruth’s otherwise-seasonal job was about to come to an end that Naomi spoke up. Let’s go ahead and get into our text here in Ruth 3:1, it says:
“Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek a state of rest for you, that it may be well with you?”
Now, that first expression here from Naomi “shall I not seek a state of rest for you” might cause some confusion on first read. What form of rest is she referring to there? But the meaning would have been crystal clear, as those words left Naomi’s lips, as they were first heard by Ruth. When these two widows first came to Bethlehem, their plan was for Ruth to take care of Naomi. They were just going to sort of eke out an existence by gleaning and working, and Ruth, specifically. But now, Naomi had this new plan and this new plan involved Ruth marrying Boaz. In the NASB, if you have that as your translation, it comes out even more clearly, where it’s translated “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you?” But the same ideal is coming through here in our Legacy Standard translation, where Naomi is seeking “a state of rest’ for her daughter-in-law. What Naomi desired for Ruth, who she affectionately calls “My daughter” here was that she would appreciate and experience long-term stability through marriage. What Naomi here calls “a state of rest.” By the way, this is the very expression that Naomi used back in Ruth 1:9. This is where she was standing there with Ruth and Orpah at that fork in the road, urging those two young ladies to go back to Moab. And she says to them in Ruth 1:9 – “May Yahweh grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”

Well, here, Naomi is saying the same thing in Ruth 3:1. Ruth had been through a lot. She was this young widow. She had grieved much. She had shed many tears. And because she loved her. And because she wanted best for her. Naomi wanted Ruth to find safety and security in marriage. She wanted her to find tranquility and peace in the home of a loving husband. She wanted Ruth to be able to fold under the shelter and the protection and the leadership of a godly husband. Acting here with a heart full of love for Ruth. Even gratitude for Ruth now following her all the way from Moab to Bethlehem. Naomi wanted to see this daughter-in-law whom she loved, to be happily married. To enjoy yet again the blessings of a husband’s companionship and protection. She wished that Ruth would be afforded “a state of rest” through marriage.

What Naomi is saying here, I know it’s the feminist’s worst nightmare. But it is Biblical, it is Biblically prescribed, and it is Biblically foretold, as we go from Old Testament to New. That’s what Nomi wanted for Ruth, “a state of rest” through marriage, for her daughter-in-law. But even more broadly speaking here in verse 1, what Naomi wanted for Ruth, was that it would go well for her. Look at the second part of verse 1, it says:
“My daughter, shall I not seek a state of rest for you, that it may be well with you?”
That expression “be well with you”, or “go well with you”, traces all the way back to Deuteronomy. Where God, in giving His people in Israel His Law, promised them “well-being.” He promised them that it would “go well” for them, if they kept His Word. If they “adhered to”, if they “followed His Law.”

Consider these words and these are familiar to many of you, I’m sure, in Deuteronomy 6:1. This is God speaking to Israel, through Moses. He says:
“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do it in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you.”

As God wanted things to “go well” for Israel, by them following His Law; Naomi too wanted things to “go well” for Ruth. As part of that, she wanted Ruth to find a husband, under whose leadership she could bloom in fruitfulness and in faithfulness. Naomi had an idea about who that husband might be as we’re about to see. Naomi devised a plan here in our text, which, if it worked, would unite Ruth happily in marriage to a noble man. A “mighty man of excellence”, a man that we’ve already come across, Boaz.

Look at verse 2, this is still Naomi speaking, she says:
“And now, is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight.”
So, for this daughter-in-law that she loves so dearly, Naomi had her sights set on one man for her: Boaz. Boaz, as we’ve already seen, demonstrated these many kindnesses to Ruth. He had allowed her to glean in his fields, and to take for herself the choicest gleaning. He had pledged to protect her from wrongdoers. He had given her these certain privileges that were otherwise reserved for young Israelite men. He had prepared, as we saw last time, a special meal for her while she was out there working in his fields. He had even sent Ruth home with a sackful of grain to provide for her and for her mother-in-law.

So, for Naomi, then, Boaz was the obvious top choice. The A-1 option for her daughter-in-law to now get married. Boaz was a generous man. He was this principled man. A man of high character. But note specifically how Naomi identified him, as “our kinsman.” Not merely “a kinsman” or “my kinsman”, but “our kinsman.” Meaning, he was one who was qualified to marry not only Naomi, if that were the choice but he was one who was qualified to marry Ruth. See, Ruth was now family. So, Boaz was rightly called here “our kinsman”, a kinsman to this family, which includes you, Ruth, this young woman from Moab.

Then, having mentioned that detail, Naomi says this: “Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight.”
Now, in terms of timeline and chronology, this scene that we’re encountering in chapter 3, would have taken place sometime toward the end of harvest season, likely in the month of June. The harvest had been reaped. The sheaves had been bundled. The gleanings had been gleaned. The fields had been picked clean. Now the process of taking all that grain that had been gathered and separating the wheat from the chaff on the threshing floor had begun.

How this process worked, the bundles were all bundled and the gleanings were all gathered out in the field. Everything would be brought into this place called the threshing floor, this flat surface just outside the town of Bethlehem. It’d be brought in, either by hand or on a cart. It was brought into this floor, the threshing floor. It was it this covered area with this hard-packed earthen surface. There were window-like features to allow the breezes to circulate through the place. It was here where the grain had been gathered out in the fields and bundled out in the fields, would be brought in and beaten out with certain tools and maybe trampled under animal hooves. And maybe crushed under certain cartwheels, to separate the choice kernels of grain from the husks and the stalks, as those were cut down out in the fields. Then what would happen is a winnower would take his three-pronged fork and with that winnowing fork he would scoop the materials, all of it, the mixture of grains and husks and stalks. He would toss it all into the breeze and that late-afternoon Mediterranean breeze would start to separate the mixture. What the wind would do, is cause the lighter items, the “chaff” to be pushed out to the sides of this threshing floor. Blowing some distance away and the heavier kernels of grain, as he threw them up in the air, those would fall right at his feet, and they would start to form a pile. These kernels of grain would be in these forms of piles which would eventually be gathered and bagged themselves for sale or for consumption while the “chaff” that had blown to the corner would be used for fuel or perhaps animal feed.


Now, all of that sounds mundane and tedious and laborious to us. But the thing to keep in mind here in the context of this narrative is that the winnowing process took place at the end of the whole harvest process. People, at this point in the process, were celebrating. They were joyous about what had been brought in. This was the end of the harvest season. This was the time to celebrate. This was the time when, I know some of the farmers in our church will have like an end-of year dinner – supper, if you prefer. That’s what happened here. They would have an end-of-year harvest celebration at the end of the harvesting process, which would usually come after the threshing floor experience.

Well, that’s where Boaz was on this specific night. Look at the end of verse 2 again. Naomi says to Ruth here:
“Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight.”
He’s on the threshing floor, just outside of Bethlehem. He’s ready to celebrate, as are the other winnowers. That’s where he would be. Again, this would all happen late afternoon into the early evening, as they would bag the grain, and get ready to send it to market. But another thing to point out here is that though this was a time of celebration; this was also a time, as is true of our farmers, as they go to harvest, of incredibly hard work. These were still long, long days. Boaz would not be clocking out at 5:00 and calling it a day on this day. Rather, what he would be doing after harvesting, and after winnowing and threshing is he would likely be bagging deep into the night, with his workers. And then, probably sleeping next to his haul for this season, so that thieves couldn’t take it overnight.

All of that sets this stage for Ruth’s next interaction with Boaz. He would be there, at the threshing floor that night. Here’s one more thing to think about, as we know, harvesting is seasonal. Right? So, in Boaz’s case, what’s an undercurrent to this next narrative is that Naomi is impressing upon Ruth, that we don’t know where he’ll be when this is all done. It could be many months for all we know, before you see him again. Because you’ve had this intense time of three to four months with him out in the fields. Now, there’s the winnowing and the threshing process. But after that, who knows when you’ll see him next. Meaning, if there was ever a perfect time to approach Boaz. To have a serious conversation with Boaz about whatever, it would be tonight.

So, knowing that Boaz would be there that night, Naomi started giving her daughter-in-law, Ruth, some instructions. She was to go down to the floor that night. We’re going to see in just a moment, to propose marriage to Boaz. But not before she started taking care of some external matters, you could call it. Look at verse 3:
“So, you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and you shall go down to the threshing floor.”
So, first, Ruth was to “wash” herself, to bathe herself. In this part of the world, dust and dirt were regularly getting caked into frequently sweaty skin. In this part of the world, water wasn’t in abundance supply. It was rather in short supply. So, bathing was not the most common event. Unless there was a special occasion for doing so, as is the case here.

Not only that, but Ruth was to “anoint” herself. Specifically, with some sort of fragrant, sweet-smelling oil. Some sort of perfume. Now, we think of scents, perfumes, and we think that’s just something to kind of splash on to already clean skin, to make us smell nice. Right? Perfumes, in this time, were frequently used for a much different purpose to mask the scents of unwashed body parts. Which didn’t always smell so good. That’s the idea here. But the point here is Ruth was to present herself and present herself well to Boaz. To wash herself, to perfume herself. Not only that though, as another part of her preparation, she was to put on her best clothes. Verse 3 says:
“So, you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes.”

Now, some have said, and you’re going to hear me speak on this a few different times this morning. Those who have a motive to attack the scriptures or attack the motivations of the parties mentioned in the scriptures. Some have said that by giving Ruth these instructions here, Naomi was actually trying to get Ruth to go down to Boaz’s threshing floor to seduce him. That she was going down to the threshing floor to doll herself up, as a way to entice him. I don’t think that is a fair reading of this passage at all. I think it’s an over-reading of this passage. I think it’s a gross misinterpretation of this passage. We must remember over and over that we’ve seen already that Ruth was a virtuous woman, a “woman of excellence,” as she’s called in Ruth 3:11, as we’ll get to in just a moment. No doubt Naomi knew this about her daughter-in-law. What I find to be far more plausible explanation for this change of clothes that was happening here in verse 3, is that, up to this point, Ruth likely was wearing some sort of customary or ritual clothing. Some sort of customary mourning garb, as a widow. Boaz, up to this point, being the man of integrity and character he was, noticed her garb and realized, she is off limits for me. But now, by washing herself and perfuming herself and changing into her best clothes. Ruth here, is not dressing for seduction. She is rather, signaling to Boaz that her period of mourning is now over and that if he’s at all interested, she wants him to know that he need not keep himself a distance from her any longer.

Still in verse 3, Naomi gave Ruth this additional instruction, she says:
“. . . but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.”
Naomi was one smart cookie. She didn’t want Ruth to rush up to Boaz on the threshing floor, unannounced, and immediately overwhelm him, with the most prolific significant proposal that could ever be proposed. Basically, she didn’t want her to go up to him, cold. She wanted Ruth to play it cool. She wanted Ruth to be shrewd, timely, in terms of her arrival. She wanted Ruth to wait until the man had eaten his dinner, before she made such a major move.

Now, I don’t want to over-generalize here. But I think Naomi, having been married to Elimelech for all those years. Had picked up on some timeless and transcendent marital advice for women to give to other women. That she’s passing along to Ruth now. That advice being, before you make a request of your man, whether it be to take out the trash, or hanging the Christmas lights, or fix the doggy door, feed him! Naomi, in other words, didn’t want to leave anything to chance. She wanted to make sure that Boaz was in this happy state of mind. That he had a full belly. He was in good spirits. And then, Ruth could approach him. And then, they could talk. And then she could make her request for redemption.

Well, Naomi’s instructions continue in verse 4, she says:
“Let it be that when he lies down, you shall know the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”
So, after Boaz had finished eating and drinking for the evening. After he had taken one last glance at his large pile of grain for the season. After he dozed off with a full belly and a happy heart. After his eyelids finally closed, Ruth was to do something, it says here, very specific. After observing the place where Boaz had laid down to sleep, she was, under cover of darkness, to go where Boaz was sleeping, uncover his feet, and lie down next to him.

Now, again, there have been those who have argued that what Naomi was suggesting here to Ruth that she lay down, that she uncovers his feet and lay down next to him has to do with some sort of inappropriate suggestive propositional behavior. That she was basically making some sort of suggestion that Ruth make some sort of sexual advances toward Boaz. And they’ll make that argument by pointing to those words “uncover his feet”, and say, Aha! that must be some sort of euphemism for sexual activity or even a sexual organ. Well no. This is referring to Boaz’s feet. We already know that Boaz, as we take the context in as a whole, was this godly man. This virtuous man. This man of excellence. In fact, as we read on, we’re going to see that this godly man commends Ruth and is attracted to Ruth for being a godly woman herself. A woman of excellence. We’re even going to see, down in verse 14, that Boaz is going to ask Ruth to leave the threshing floor, eventually before the break of dawn, to avoid ruining either her’s or his reputation. The point is it would be highly out of character for any of the players in this account to act with any sort of impropriety here. These were godly individuals.

So, no, Naomi was not asking Ruth to go to the threshing floor and make some sort of lurid proposition to Boaz. She was telling her daughter-in-law exactly what the text says It is exactly what it sounds like. She was telling Ruth to go down to the threshing floor where Boaz was sleeping and uncover his feet. That’s it! There’s no secret meaning to that phrase. There’s no undergirding innuendo. Ruth was literally, and slowly, to take whatever piece of cloth or fabric or blanket was covering Boaz’s feet, in that moment and then as a way to wake him up, she was to slowly remove that cloth or fabric or blanket and that would do the trick.

I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and a wonderful marriage. But I will share with you that we have had our overnight tussles and tangles over who gets the blankets. It has happened from time to time. Every once in a while, especially in these colder months, there’s this overnight match between where the blanket is going to end up. I’m sure that’s never happened in your marriage. Right? Just mine? But, from time to time, one of us might end up with more blankets than the other one. What is the body part that the less-blanketed party first feels, once the blanket is off that body part? Their feet! Their toes! Right? That is what wakes you up.
That’s what’s going on here. Naomi was telling Ruth to uncover Boaz’s feet, ever so slowly and carefully and then to lay down nearby. Then, when Boaz woke up, as his toes became more and more uncomfortable and chilly in the midnight air. You see it there in verse 4, it says:
“. . . then he will tell you what you shall do.”
So, Naomi was telling Ruth here, that she should wait for further instructions from Boaz. Once he was awake, and then do whatever he requested. See, Boaz had integrity and Naomi knew that Boaz had integrity. She trusted Boaz to do the right thing with Ruth, whenever he eventually woke up. And so, she told Ruth – “. . . then he will tell you what you shall do.” Implication being, “When he tells you what to do, you do it.”

Well, in verse 5, we see Ruth’s response. She got the hint, “She said to her, ‘All that you say I will do.’”
That’s Ruth’s short, terse response. “All that you say I will do.” Ruth, again, shows herself to be this remarkable young woman of both faith and loyalty. You know, she’s following the directions and obeying her mother-in-law once again. She’s not questioning Naomi. She’s not challenging Naomi. She’s not taking Naomi’s words as this suggestion to be weighed. She’s taking her words, rather, as this command to be obeyed.

Her simple promise of compliance here, in verse 5, “All that you say I will do”, well, they demonstrate not only her loyalty to Naomi, but her loyalty and her faith in Yahweh. Ruth had already demonstrated this faith when she followed Naomi to Bethlehem in the first place. It just reminds me of Proverbs 3:5,
“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
Ruth had lived that. She trusted Yahweh. Remember her words back in Ruth 1:16, she said to Naomi, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Now, she was again, demonstrating her faith in that God as she followed her mother-in-law’s instructions, to seek Boaz out on the threshing floor.

Then, her statement, Ruth’s statement of resolve and faith, was immediately followed up by her actions in verse 6. It says:
“So, she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.”
Verse 6 here is a summary statement. It’s really foreshadowing the next, second scene which runs from verse 7 all the way to verse 15. The narrator is telling us here that Ruth went to the threshing floor, just as her matchmaking mother-in-law, Naomi, had told her to do. And she carried out all of the plans that Naomi had laid out for her, right down to the finest detail. Ruth, again, did all that Naomi had asked of her. In doing so, she really cast her fate not only into Naomi’s hands, but ultimately into the Lord’s hand as she followed and obeyed. Ruth was loyal. Ruth was faithful. As we read of her loyalty and her faithfulness here, we can’t help but feel the tension of the story ratchet up a few notches, as we know that worlds are about to collide, as Ruth is going to encounter Boaz on the threshing floor.

That’s exactly what we see in verse 7, where the scene here now shifts from the kitchen island in Naomi’s house, or the living room, or wherever they were talking, to Boaz now being on this threshing floor, just outside of Bethlehem. Look at verse 7, it says:
“And Boaz ate and drank and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain.”
Recall, this was this season of feasting and rejoicing. The famine that we saw back in chapter 1 of Ruth was over. Harvest season was now done. The winnowing process was now complete. The stacks of grain are all around the threshing floor. And there are these evident visual reminders of how God has provided for His people, yet again this year. And so, Boaz, as others did at this time, he feasted. It says verse 7, he “ate and drank and his heart was merry.”

Yet again, critics of the Bible are always looking for some sort of scandal in the scriptures. This is where they’ll try to pit the sin of drunkenness on Boaz. But they can’t. All we’re told here is that Boaz “ate.” How much, what it was, we don’t know. All we’re told is that he “drank.” What it was, how much, we don’t know. The real focus here, even in terms of the structure of this sentence, is that his “heart was merry.” That’s a Hebrew idiom to say that he was “in good spirits.” He was in a great mood is the idea here. The picture here is of Boaz and his men, sitting around the fire exhausted but excited about their bumper crop for that year. They’re eating and they’re drinking in celebration. And then, in that drowsy state of contentment, that sense that we all had last Thursday afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, as we got to football game number two or three and we’re just tired. Right?

Well, that’s him here. He’s laying down with these men. They’re laying down with these piles of grain stacked around them. They’re staring up at the stars. And are eventually dozing off. It’s a comfortable scene. That’s the picture that’s being painted here of Boaz being in this happy, content state, drifting off to sleep under the night sky. Look at this, still in verse 7, here’s the collision of worlds, it says:
“. . . and she came secretly and uncovered his feet and lay down.”
So just as Naomi had instructed her to do Ruth hung back, she lurked in the shadows. Recall the instructions we went through back in verse 4, where Naomi said to Ruth:
“Let it be that when he lies down, you shall know the place where he lies.”
Meaning, “sit back and wait and watch until he falls asleep.” And then, said Naomi, once he was asleep, you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down.”

Well, here in verse 7, that’s exactly what Ruth did, as she was following Naomi’s instructions down to the letter. Note again, what it says, verse 7:
“. . . and she came secretly and uncovered his feet and lay down.”
I have to say it again; there’s not even a hint here of scandal or immorality with these words. This is all in the context, as we take in the whole picture of this account, of a soon coming marriage proposal, that we’ll get to in just a moment. But here, the setting is in the dark of night, there’s likely nothing more than a flickering flame to illuminate a couple of faces. Ruth is creeping quietly to that place where Boaz is sleeping. And she slowly uncovers his feet, pulls the blanket or the cloth or the fabric back exposing those ten toes, all ten little piggies. And then, suddenly, they are getting cold.

So, this nighttime narrative moves forward in verse 8: “Then it happened that in the middle of the night . . .”
Now, the Hebrew text here says literally, “in the half of the night.” Meaning midnight. And look what happens, as the clock struck 12:00 – “Then it happened that in the middle of the night, that the man was startled and bent forward.”
The word “startled” there, can also be translated “shivered.” Which means that Boaz was awakened when his feet were exposed to the cold. And then he “bent forward” as any of us would do, when we wake up and pitch forward because suddenly our toes are exposed in the middle of the night. We bend forward and grab the blanket and put it back over those toes.
But as he did so, look at the end of verse 8: “. . . and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.”

Well, if Boaz was groggy up to that point, as he shifted his blanket around to cover each of those ten toes, he certainly was no longer groggy at this point. Now, he’s wide awake. Now, there’s a woman lying at his feet, at midnight. Now, in the blackness of midnight, with his eyes adjusting, and his brain processing, and his heart racing. Boaz could have been thinking all sorts of things. At this point in the story, his mind could have taken him anywhere. Was this some sort of, you know, female sidekick to somebody who had come to steal his grain? Was this a prostitute who was looking for a customer in the middle of the night? Who was this? Why had she approached him on this secluded corner of the threshing floor, while he was trying to get some sleep? It was perplexing, it was baffling, it was strange. Well, wasting no time to get to the bottom of the mystery, Boaz asked this dark silhouette of a female figure, who she was. Verse 9, “And he said, ‘Who are you?’” A question that really broke this eerie midnight silence. A question that was full of alarm and suspicion. Now, of course, we, as readers, reading this all these years later and we know who it is. But Boaz, legitimately, did not. He had no idea who was there.

She identifies herself, as we read on.
“And she answered, ‘I am Ruth your maidservant.’”
So, now the mask is coming off. Now the identity of this mystery woman is coming to light in the darkness. It’s Ruth! The one from the fields. The one who had come from Moab with Naomi after their husbands had died. The one whom Boaz had already pledged to protect. The one to whom he had already shown such great generosity. But that still didn’t answer the question, what in the world was she doing there? And why at midnight? And why is she lying at his feet, in the middle of this dusty threshing floor? Well, we’ll get there.

But first, I want to identify a few things here, about the unique way that Ruth identified herself, at midnight, to Boaz.
First, she didn’t add the tagline to her name, I’m Ruth of Moab. Or, Ruth, the Moabitess. You know, earlier in this book, she is identified, frequently as Ruth the Moabitess. I think even by saying I’m Ruth, I’m personal, I’m acquainted with you, she’s actually associating herself with him, and with his people, and specifically, as the people of Israel. But also, just those words are so plain in the sense that she’s says – I am Ruth, your maidservant. She’s coming to him with this evident posture of humility. It’s very similar to what she said to Boaz back in Ruth 2:13. We saw that last time where they’re out in the field, and she says:
“May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken to the heart of your servant-woman . . .”
But note here, back in our passage, as Ruth approached Boaz at midnight, on the threshing floor, she does still have that humble posture of servanthood that she had before. But now, she’s using an entirely new word to describe herself and that’s intentional. Back in the field, in Ruth 2:13, she called herself a shiphah, we went through that a couple of weeks ago. And the shiphah, was that category of Hebrew slave, that was the lowest of the low. So low, in fact, they were ineligible to be married. But now, she’s calling herself an amah. That’s the word for maidservant here in Ruth 3:9. A maiden, one who is, yes, a servant, but one who is eligible for marriage.

That’s what Ruth is communicating here. By shifting her vocabulary from shiphah to amah and no doubt Boaz is picking up on this. That she’s communicating to him, with this humble deferential posture before this excellent man, this “mighty man of excellence”, she’s saying to him, I have been a shiphah, but now, I’m an amah. I’m a marriage-ready maiden-in waiting.

That feeds right into the next part of the story. Where in verse 9, Ruth makes her ultimate request for redemption. She said,
“So spread your wing over your maidservant, [your amah] for you are a kinsman redeemer.”
Now, this is just such an amazing and tantalizing piece of Hebrew literature. I’m going to have to control myself, to get us out of here on time. But I want to at least highlight some things to point out how beautiful this is, and how beautifully this is worded. In the Legacy Standard Bible translation that I’m reading from, it has Ruth asking Boaz to “spread your wing over your maidservant.” But if you’re reading from the NASB, what does it say? To “spread your covering over your maid.”

Now, the word that one Bible translation renders as “wing” and another translates as “covering”. Is the same Hebrew word – kanaph. And this word has a wide enough range of meaning, that it can mean either of those things. Meaning, it can refer to a wing, a literal wing of an actual bird, flying to the sky. Or it can refer to a covering of some sort, like a blanket or a shawl. So, what we have here, then, is Ruth asking Boaz, on the threshing floor, at midnight, to cover her. To spread his wing over her. Which is a reference to – what? Marriage. Ruth here is not trying to seduce Boaz or entice Boaz. She’s not trying to snuggle up next to him under the blankets, so that her toes are warm. That’s not what she’s saying about covering. No. This is a proposition, a proposal of marriage.

Here’s where the beauty and the complexity of this text really shines through. Turn back with me to Ruth 2:11. We’re back in that scene where the two of them are out in the field, some months prior. And this is the scene in Ruth 2:11-
“Boaz replied to her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully told to me, [so he’s commending her] and how you forsook your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. [now note this, in verse 12] May Yahweh fully repay your work, and may your wages be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings [same word – kanaph] you have come to seek refuge.’”

Did you catch that last part? Boaz, as he’s praying for Ruth in that scene, in Ruth 2, is praying that God would continue to provide for Ruth, and protect Ruth under the shelter of His wings, under the Lord’s wings. It’s very reminiscent of the language of Psalm 91:1 –
That “He who abides in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Well, now. Ruth is asking Boaz, on the threshing floor, to become the answer to his own prayer for her! She’s asking Boaz to extend his covering – extend his wings over her the way that Boaz said he would pray that God would do the same for her. So, she’s effectively saying to Boaz . . . at midnight: “Boaz, do you remember that prayer that you prayed for me a few months ago, out in the field that same day that you made that meal for me? And then sent me home with all that grain?” “I’m asking you to please be the answer to that prayer, so that I might seek refuge under your wings.” Boiling it down even further; what Ruth is asking Boaz, is a word that many of us have heard asked, or maybe we’ve been the one who has asked that question before - “Boaz, will you marry me?” That’s what she’s saying. “Will you take me under your kanaph – your wing, your covering?” “Just as Yahweh has taken me under His?” What she’s asking him. Not another promise of more protection. She’s not asking for more grain. She’s asking Boaz to spread his wings and his covering over her, in the covenant of marriage.

Not the typical way we see marriage proposals happening today. Right? With a young gal asking the old guy, in this case. But the dynamics here are unique. In that there was a kinsman-redeemer, a go’el, Boaz. And, under the law, it was he who had to be appealed to. Or, to use our vernacular proposed to, to determine if he would be willing to fulfill his role, by standing in for his deceased relative, Elimelech.

So, Ruth here, is laying it all on the line. She’s putting herself out there, fully. She had said what she had to say. She’s being incredibly vulnerable in doing so and now, she must wait for Boaz’s reply. I can’t help but think of that jumbotron scene, where you see the proposals gone wrong. You know, and you’re just hoping that the young lady’s going to say yes to that guy, as he puts it all on the line, in front of 20,000 people. Well, think how much more is at stake here.
If this proposal is not accepted, as we keep reading through the story of Ruth, and not just Ruth, but the rest of the Old Testament, not just the Old Testament, but the rest of the New Testament. What happens if this proposal is not accepted? It impacts all of humanity, and all of salvation.
We’ll get there later. Point is, this whole account is hanging by a thread. Would Boaz, as Ruth put that out there, would he rebuke her? Would he scold her? Would he shame her? Would he send her away? Or would he even act out of his character, and perhaps even take physical advantage of her, and violate her? No. He did none of that. Instead, in verse 10, Boaz, this “mighty man of excellence”, replied, it says:
“Then he said, ‘May you be blessed of Yahweh.”

So, Boaz gave no hint of being embarrassed by Ruth, or by her forward nature, or her actions. He didn’t hint of the fact that she had done anything wrong, or inappropriate. Instead, he gives her this word of blessing and benediction. Where he invokes the very name of God. And then, he even refers to her as “my daughter.” Suggesting again, that there’s this significant age gap between the two.
And then, still in verse 10, he says:
“You have shown your last lovingkindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.”
Now, the “lovingkindness”, he’s referring to, there’s that Hebrew word hesed, which we have seen already, many times in the book of Ruth and we’ll see it many more. It is that faithful, covenant keeping form of love, that God shows His people, Israel in this context. And the type of love He expects His people to show one another.

What Boaz is communicating with this expression, in verse 10, is his appreciation for now, the two different ways that Ruth has shown hesed love. First, by following her mother-in-law from Moab to Bethlehem. That was an act of sacrificial, faithful love. But now, he’s expressing his appreciation of her hesed, in proposing marriage to him. She could have chosen some younger man. The kinsman redeemer relationship was available to her but she wasn’t required to avail herself of it. She could have picked some other young gentleman. But she chose not to. She chose to pursue Boaz, because of how that would benefit, not just Ruth, but ultimately Namoi, as her relative.

So, he’s receptive, Boaz is warmly receptive to Ruth’s proposal. He’s not offended. He’s flattered. He’s honored. In fact, look at verse 11, this is still Boaz talking, he says:
“So now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you say, I will do for you; for all my people within the gates of the city know that you are a woman of excellence.” Boaz, in other words, is expressing his willingness to accept Ruth’s proposal. He’s all for it, in concept. He’s for it, because of the kind of young woman that Ruth was. Though she was relatively new to this region. Though she was, by nationality, this lowly Moabite. She’d developed this glowing reputation. So much so that the people of Bethlehem, it says, were talking about her. “all [the] people within the gates of the city”, that is, the city of Bethlehem and they knew her to be this, verse 11, it says: “. . . woman of excellence.”

I can’t help but think of Proverbs 31, I’ve already pointed to the fact that in the Hebrew Old Testament, the Book of Ruth follows the Book of Proverbs. Because it’s often assumed in Hebrew custom and culture that Ruth is the embodiment of the Proverbs 31 woman.
Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above pearls.”
Proverbs 31:30 – “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.”
That was Ruth. A God-fearing, “woman of excellence.” A virtuous woman who would make a terrific wife one day and Boaz knew it. He saw it, he appreciated it.

But there’s a twist, there’s a wrinkle, it wouldn’t be so easy and the twist is found in verse 12. This is still Boaz speaking, he said:
“But now it is true I am a kinsman redeemer.”
In other words, you’re knocking on the right door. You’re barking up the right tree. You’ve uncovered the right set of toes this evening. A “mighty man of excellence” . . . of course he would want to be paired up with a “woman of excellence.” That would be a match made in heaven! But “However,” he says, verse 12: “. . . there is a kinsman redeemer closer than I.”

We’ve worked through this already, but according to the Law of Moses, specifically, in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. When a man died, leaving a widow, at this time and this culture and when that man died leaving no surviving sons, his close relative, a kinsman-redeemer, a go’el, was to step in and marry his brother’s widow. And then, have a son by her, as a way to carry on the family name, and as a way to keep the land within the family.

Well, Ruth had no son. Her husband had died, back in Moab. And he had died without leaving her a son. And because Ruth was tied in with Naomi, and because Boaz was a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. He was eligible to marry Ruth, as a kinsman-redeemer for the entire family. And not only is, as we’ve just seen, not only was Boaz eligible, he was very much willing.

But man of God that he was and man of character that he was and man of virtue that he was Boaz would only do so, he would only pursue that redemptive relationship, by doing it the right way. By refusing to skip ahead in line, if there was somebody with greater right to do so, than him. Boaz knew that there was somebody in line before him. How did he know that? We don’t know. Perhaps it was just that small-town dynamic where everybody knows everybody’s business. Perhaps, over those three to four months, Boaz had been so taken with Ruth and her character, and her virtue, that he started doing some of his own independent research, to see if there might be a closer relative than him, to redeem her. What we do know, is that Boaz, at this point, did know that there was a surviving male relative of Elimelech, who was closer in relationship to Elimelech than he was. The only way that he, Boaz, could marry Ruth now, was if that other unnamed relative passed on his right to marry her. Meaning, there were still some details to work out. Some red tape to get through, before he could accept the proposal and marry her. He wanted it to happen. He wanted it to work out. He wanted to make her his wife, but only if the guy in front of him in line, had a chance first.

Then, being a man of integrity, at the same time though, not wanting to discourage Ruth. Boaz said this to her, in verse 13:
“Stay this night, and it will be in the morning that, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you.”
Now, we might read those words in our hyper-romanticized generation, and think, how could he say it like that? He’s just expressed that he wants to marry Ruth. There’s underlying interest that he has. He clearly has some sort of affection, dare we say, love for her. But now, he’s just saying almost just cavalierly, if someone has a legal right to marry her, then, fine, he can take her. How do you square that?

Well, it’s actually a really an admirable set of traits for a potential spouse that are poking through this narrative. Someone who is willing to set aside personal feelings, in order to do what is right by the law and the will of God. Someone who strives to always do what honors the Lord, no matter how they feel about the situation. I mean, if you’re in a courtship phase of a relationship right now, I’m talking to you here this morning. As you’re considering whether the person you’re sitting next to, or walking around the halls with is if it’s Mr. Right or Mrs. Right. Think about this example of Boaz here. He was willing to miss out on Ruth so as to make sure that the Law of God, the Word of God, was not dishonored or disobeyed. That, young man and that, young women, is what is known as “marriage material.” But I digress.

Back to verse 13. Boaz said this:
“But if he does not desire to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as Yahweh lives.”
So, he’s offering here, his ironclad promise cemented in those words “as Yahweh lives.” That if a relative of Elimelech’s declines to marry Ruth, or to redeem Ruth by marrying her, he would, meaning Boaz would. So, he’s giving her assurance that she would find shelter under someone’s wing, someone’s covering and preferably, his.

And then, these words at the end of verse 13, Boaz said to Ruth: “Lie down until morning.”
This is another way of showing kindness to Ruth. This time by protecting her. He wasn’t going to send her out into the dead of night, at this time of night, that no young woman should be out on her own. So, he asked her to stay. And then, he would have that conversation with the other relative the next morning and Ruth obliged, verse 14:
“So, she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another.”
I mean, think about this, if Ruth had left at night, you know, this shadowy, grainy female figure, leaving this sleeping area of this shadowy, grainy male figure and if someone were to spot them, the rumor mill would start circulating. And so, he asked her to stay until morning, really to protect both of their reputations. And then, along the same lines, look at the end of verse 14, it says:
“And he said, ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
To avoid the rumor mill, to avoid the proverbial walls from talking. To avoid the town gossips from running their mouths. “Did you hear about that old man Boaz being seduced by that young woman from Moab at the threshing floor last night?” And really, most importantly, to avoid causing offense to that other near relative should he actually desire to marry and redeem Ruth. Boaz asked her to leave the next morning, in silence.

But not before he gave her another gift. Verse 15:
“And he said, ‘Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.’ So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and placed it on her. Then she went into the city.”
So, into Ruth’s shawl Boaz poured mor grain he shared with her, more of these harvest riches that he had enjoyed. He did so as a way to communicate to Ruth his commitment to her. Also, to communicate it back to Naomi, as she appreciated the gift.

We’re told here that he gave her “six measures of barley.” The likely unit of measurement there is what’s called this seah – which is ten pounds. So, this six seah would be about 60 pounds of grain. That would give, she and Naomi about two weeks’ worth to live on, at least while Boaz worked things out with the potentially closer kinsman.

Well, speaking of Naomi, in the final three verses here. The scene shifts back, in verses 16-18, back to where it began, in this shared home between Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem. Verse 16
“Then she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, ‘How did it go, my daughter?’ And she told her all that the man had done for her. She said, ‘These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, “Do not go to your mother-in-law empty.’” Then she said, ‘Sit, then, my daughter, until you know how the matter falls into place; for the man will not remain quiet until he has finished the matter today.’”

Now, a fascinating literary point. I think it’s fascinating, in verse 16, when Naomi asks Ruth:
“How did it go, my daughter?”
The literal Hebrew phrasing there is “Who are you?” Namoi is asking Ruth, as she comes in the door “Who are you?” Now, we hear that expression, and we think immediately in terms of familiarity. And we’re wondering whether Naomi, in these still dark early morning hours, and with some aging eyes, is maybe having a hard time recognizing her own daughter-in-law, as she comes into her house.

But I don’t think this is at all speaking to familiarity. Rather, it’s speaking to identity. Meaning, as Naomi asks this question here “Who are you?” She’s actually asking her something like “Who are you, now?” “Are you Boaz’s bride now?” “Are you Mrs. Boaz, now?” “How should I address you, now?” “Who are you?” is what she’s asking. I think both the LSB and the NASB have the right translation, because they’re picking up the sense here, for us to understand this. Because she’s really asking a question like “How did it go, my daughter?” “Who are you now?” is very similar to asking, “How did it go?” “Give me the update, did Boaz say yes?”

Well, Ruth told her, verse 16:
“And she told her all that the man had done for her.”
So, she gave her the summary of all that we have just gone through. Then, in verse 17, Ruth revealed to Naomi what Boaz had poured out to her, in her shawl:
“She said, ‘These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, “Do not go to your mother-in-law empty.’”

Now, we must recall Naomi’s words of lament, when she first returned to Bethlehem at the end of chapter 1. In Ruth 1:20-21, her own countrymen from Bethlehem greet her as she comes back, and they say, “Hi, Naomi!” And she says:
“Do not call me Naomi; call me [what? Mara, which means bitter] Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. [Then she goes on to accuse God, saying] I went out full, but Yahweh has caused me to return empty.”
So, she was accusing God of emptying her cup, back in Ruth 1. But, by now, surely Naomi understood, here in verse 17, of chapter 3, that she had no reason, and now grounds to say anymore empty words about being empty. She wasn’t “empty”, she was full of the goodness and the provision of God.

But Naomi did have a few more words to say here at the end of chapter 3. Look at verse 18:
“Then she said, ‘Sit then, my daughter, until you know how the matter falls into place; for the man will not remain quiet until he has finished the matter today.’”
So, Naomi here is saying to Ruth, on the verge of what was going to be the longest and most nerve-wracking day of Ruth’s life, as she was going to figure out which of these two men would ultimately redeem her and become her husband. “Sit.” “Stay put.” “Wait.” “We need to wait on Boaz, and his interaction with this other kinsman.” “And we need to wait on the Lord, and we’re going to see how this all plays out.”

I’m over time. And, so now, what we have to do is sit, and wait. And see how this whole thing plays out in chapter 4.

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank You for this morning, and this chance to get into a text that in some ways, I’m sure seeming so foreign to us. Customs are different. The traditions are different. The ways of people, at this point, in Israel’s history were different. But I pray that what we are hearing and seeing, is Your redemptive love on display. Here, it’s in the context of this marriage in the offing between Boaz and Ruth. But we also know that it’s through that line that David would come, and ultimately, the Son of David, the Son of Man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ would come. So, this is not just history, God. It is history, but its also history with theology baked in, and even has eternity in view, as we think about You, ultimately sending Your Son, through a line that would come from this union of Boaz and Ruth. God, I do pray, that we would go back this morning, encouraged by what we’ve heard. To see that You are a sovereign God. A God who deals providentially in all circumstances of every life, including ours. That includes Your plan of redemption and salvation, through Your Son. God, if there’s somebody here that has not yet put their faith in Jesus, the One who would be coming through this line, I do pray that You would help them talk to somebody, You would bring gospel truths into their mind. That those truths would sink into their heart. And that they would ultimately come to a place of being broken over their sin. Understanding their need for a Savior. And understanding that Savior is Jesus. May You be honored in our day, this day, and this week. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen