God’s Grace In Our Risks. Redeeming Ruth Chapter 3

God shows us great love despite our failings, in the middle of our suffering, and in the times of blessing. God’s love is amazing and undeniable. The story of Ruth demonstrates the extent of God’s love and masterfully depicts the love of God in a human story. We see that there is one quality that is unfailing and unceasing: LOVE.
                1 Corinthians 13 explains how a relationship is made manifest in our lives.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.”

The love of God is the most powerful, most dynamic, and rewarding force known to mankind. Love is unfailing, undying, and unmistakable. God’s love is a divine invitation. God’s has extended an invitation to come and follow him to eternal life. From the wellspring of God’s love comes the question will you follow me. This is a question which demands an answer!

For us today God is asking us a question that demands an answer. He is calling us as a church to follow him to new territories. Sometimes faith is like scary uncharted waters. We are required to do and say things that make us uncomfortable. God stretches us outside our comfort zone.

It’s not enough to remain the way we started out. We have to take an uncomfortable step from time to time.  The Christian life requires us to abandon thinking about money from a business perspective, give up our selfish views of physical intimacy, and personal ambitions. We must walk by faith and not by sight! Why? Because on this earth we only see part of the picture. But one day our faith will be made sight. God’s love never fails:

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

God’s love demands an answer! It demands our devotion, faith and commitment. It requires us to step out in faith and take a risk. If you never take a chance, never take a risk how can you ever hope to find success. It is one thing to talk a good talk and carry on but there comes a time to take action.

In Ruth Chapter 3 That is exactly what Naomi instructs Ruth to do, take a risk and put her faith in God’s provision. Though her actions may seem provocative and not what I would suggest to someone as the best way to find a husband. This is one of those descriptive portions and is not a biblical mandate to how to find a spouse. What we see is that she was exposing herself and taking a major risk.

RUTH 3:8,9

"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."

Boaz was startled by something, so he turned, or bent over, and saw Ruth lying at his feet. In reply to Boaz' question, Ruth identifies herself as a maidservant, again taking a lowly position. She acts toward Boaz in humility. And she looks for Boaz to take action because of who she is.

Ruth uses a very expressive metaphor here in asking him to spread his skirt over her. The word "skirt" here is in the plural, and in such a case it more often means "wings" than part of a garment. It may be that Ruth was saying "spread thy wings over thy handmaid", a very beautiful and delicate way for Ruth to express her wish.

She calls Boaz GO-EL, "near kinsman". This makes her request a formal one, and she's looking to him to resolve the legal question of redemption. The word "skirt" refers to the corner of the counterpane, or blanket, which Boaz had over him. A man and wife sleeping together would share this blanket. Therefore, in those times, the act of covering Ruth with part of the blanket would have been symbolic of sealing the redemption and kinsman redemption.  Thus it’s not impure this was the ceremony, the ring, the whole deal.

There are some very interesting and difficult portions of this text. Naomi was giving Ruth some very risky counsel she was banking on the fact that Bo’az was a worthy man. It was a risk, the advice was

Get dressed up nice, bathe, and put her makeup on. Then go to the party where Bo’az is at. She was to stand where Bo’az could see here then go lay at his feet after he went to go lay down after drinking a fermented beverage. For those who grew up Baptist this means he was drinking wine or beer. YET he was a very upright man.

                Naomi was sending a young Moabite woman who grew up in a perverse immoral country, to go to a place that could be dangerous. Naomi told her to lay at his feet and do whatever he says. DANGEROUS??!!!!! Bo’az responds to her actions cautiously, boldly, and with a great question: Who are you? In those days prostitutes would hang out at the threshing floor at the time of harvest because the men were typically drunk, pockets full of cash, and alone.

                Bo’az is a picture of Christ. Although he had no legal obligation to marry Ruth yet he desired to marry her. He could have rejected her, taken advantage of her, or sent her away. Instead he prayed for her and proves his integrity. He is a man who did not go around the law or destroy her reputation. He wanted to marry Ruth not because he had to but because he loved her, just as Christ loves us not out of duty rather out of compassion and mercy.  For it’s by grace we have been saved. Bo’az was a man who fulfilled the law. Someone else had a legal claim to Ruth and her land. He redeems her and assumes the burden of Ruth

As we wrap this up consider this:

The sovereignty of God is working through all of these people: through the counsel of Naomi, though it is risky, to be sure; through the faithfulness of Ruth; and through the trustworthiness of Mr. Boaz. And what we see is that the flip side of the providence of God, which is the theme of the Book of Ruth, is that sometime we have to take calculated risks. I want to be very careful with this. I’m not saying you make foolish decisions. But Ruth and Naomi here take a calculated risk, and I – I agree, it is a big risk. But sometimes, when you’ve done all you can, you have to take a calculated risk, trusting that God is sovereign and good, and he will figure it out.

Ruth, like the church, which is the bride of Jesus, comes to Boaz as we come to Jesus, and what does she ask? “Will you redeem me?” And then who does all of the work?  Boaz, who is a picture of Jesus, who is our glorious Boaz. That as Boaz is like Jesus, so we are to be like Ruth, the church, the bride of Christ. And we come to the Lord Jesus and we ask him for redemption, and he redeems us at a great cost, more than just the money that Boaz spent, but Jesus gives his own blood. He lives, dies, rises, he gives us himself as a gift to redeem us, to enter into a relationship with us. You say, “Why would he do that? He’s not obligated. He doesn’t owe us anything.” That’s grace. That’s love. That’s mercy. Jesus treats us like Boaz treats Ruth.

And Ruth trusts Boaz and just sits there, in faith, that Boaz will redeem her in the same way that we do not participate in any way in our redemption. We simply acknowledge that it is the Lord Jesus, our glorious Boaz, who does all of the work – who has done all of the work of redemption. And we rest in that. We trust in that. And we live our lives under the security that the God, who is for us, is always for us and that enables us to live lives of humility, like Ruth, of boldness, like Ruth, and occasional risk, like Ruth, trusting him to work out the details, because we love him, and we’re not sinning, and we’re in the place that he can bless.

If you don’t know Jesus, you need to know Jesus. He is the God of Ruth and Boaz. Ultimately it is the Lord Jesus who is coming through this family line. It is Jesus who is like Boaz, and it is Jesus who asks us to come to him, like Ruth, simply asking to be redeemed, and then trusting his finished work of death, burial, resurrection, to redeem us. You need to become a Christian tonight, if you’re not. And you do it by confessing your sin to Jesus, and asking him to redeem you.

What risk is God calling you to take? Is it to step out and share your faith, join this body, confess some hidden sin, surrender to ministry service? What risk is God asking you to take? Do you need to feel that redemption of God today? Do you need to find rest under the refuge and comfort for your heartache?