Last week we left off with Ruth’s fate hanging up in the air. We know the end of the story, because this is a much loved story that has been told over and over again, but Ruth did not know the end of the story, Boaz did not know the end of the story and Naomi did not know the end of the story at this point for they were still in it. They were still bugs in a cup, they couldn’t see past the high walls of circumstances that were closed in around them to see what laid beyond. But we see, and yet there is still much more for us to still see in their story and from their examples of what to do when everything, when our own fate seems to be left hanging in the air…and all we can do is sit still and wait for it to all fall down.

How good of a waiter are you when you are forced to wait in traffic, in lines, for news or for an answer when everything is up in the air? Do you have a tendency to grow impatient, frustrated, angry, anxious and restless? Or are you able to peacefully and quietly sit still in anticipation of your need being shortly fulfilled? The way we wait reveals a lot about our spiritual condition before God, our trust in him, our love for others and even our view of ourselves.

Let’s start with Ruth 3:14:

v.14 “So she lay at his feet until the morning,”

It would have been really dangerous to be a woman out walking alone, in the middle of the night, so Ruth remained under the safety of Boaz’s wing until morning.

v.14 “but arose before one could recognize another.”

This would mean while it was still dark, before the sun completely rose at twilight, while it was still difficult to see clearly and distinguish the shadows of a man from a woman, Ruth rose up to leave.

v.14 “And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

Boaz was concerned about Ruth’s reputation being honored. This was a situation that could have easily been misinterpreted, however, both Boaz and Ruth have continuously revealed themselves throughout this story to be a man and woman of virtue, which is the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong, they have shown merit and moral excellence throughout this story which included sexual morality.

Ruth 3:14 “all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy (virtuous) woman.”

I read one commentary that suggests Ruth and Boaz may have had sex that evening and in the morning he acted so quickly so as to make the situation right. That commentary angered me, because I see no such suggestion in the text except for the vain imagination of men to draw that conclusion.

The emphasis in this book has constantly been highlighting the strong godly characters of Boaz, Ruth and Naomi who consistently look to the benefit of others often at their own expense of their own. At the beginning of this book, we saw Ruth looking out for Naomi, laying down her own life to follow Naomi. We saw it again as she went out to work the fields to provide food for both of them. Last week we saw Naomi looking out for Ruth’s future and welfare by setting aside her own right to be redeemed so that Ruth would have an opportunity to find rest in a husband. And then we have repeatedly seen the generosity of Boaz as he shows so much favor to Ruth by allowing her to glean among the sheaves after his own reapers and even instructing them to drop some from their own bundles for her to pick up. Here in this text, we see more examples of Boaz looking out for Ruth and Naomi at his own expense as he agrees to be their kinsman redeemer if the relative that is nearer is not willing to take action. Boaz is willing to be righteous, to make this situation righteous by dealing with it in the morning, but he is only willing to go about and do it in a righteous way. He is not willing to skirt the law or ignore the law. He is not willing to follow his own will to get what he wants. Instead we see him set aside his own will for God as Boaz tells Ruth, “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”(Ruth 3:13)

All three characters in this story have repeatedly shown that they men and women of exemplarily character, worthy of our own imitation when tried and tested. They were not perfect by any means, for we know they are as human as we are. We’ve watched Naomi struggle with grief and the bitter circumstances in her life and yet still run to God and trust him. The bible never hides the character flaws of men and women in it. Instead it is often bluntly honest. If something needs to be exposed as part of the story, it exposes it. So if there were something in addition to this text that needed to be written, it would have been written, but we will not go beyond what is written and have no reason to believe based on context that the characters acted in any way out of their described character pattern that has been demonstrated to us.

This is a good reminder for us to take care of how our actions might be misinterpreted by others and harm our reputation for God’s glory. Too often we worry about what the world thinks of us, our own reputation without any thought of God’s own reputation being tied to us, as Christians, as Ambassador’s, as children of God, made in God’s image, the worlds image of Jesus. As far as it depends up on us, we should avoid suspicion in all areas of our life. When we examine our own lives, would others describe us as virtuous in our city gates? Being a sinner is no excuse. Boaz and Ruth were sinners like us and although they were not perfect, they were known for their virtuous lives they lived.

Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

Boaz, Ruth and Naomi all had good names. The uproar that stirred the whole town of Bethlehem when Naomi returned shows that she too was once a woman of great standing, that caused her own fallen condition to be so shocking and unrecognizable? Can this be Naomi?

Too often today, we see Christians who are lax about following God under the excuse of it’s ok because they are a sinner and they are covered by grace. While this rationalization may have a small element of truth to help disguise it and give it access into our minds to guide our heart, it is still a lie beneath and it’s intent is to destroy us. All sin small and great seeks to destroy us and others around us through us. We are sinners. This is true and should cause us to distrust ourselves, to walk carefully and cautiously in our daily activities and desires because we have a tendency to stray if left unchecked. We are under grace. This means when we do sin, and our conscience convicts us we can come back to God, we do not become spiritually dead in our relationship to God because of our one sin as Adam and Eve did. We have the peace of instead of hiding, we can run to our Father, when we fall, run behind him for protection so the enemy and our sins do not fully destroy us when we are being pursued. Run to him for healing and comfort, when we are hurt and broken by our fall instead of hiding alone in shame. A child of God when he or she sins is convicted and their heart becomes miserable because of their sin, the sin that was so natural before and caused no grief before, now causes them great anxiety, great disturbance in their heart like a thorn in their flesh, they can find no peace, no comfort until they come before God in Christ and seek forgiveness and the pain of the thorn to be removed.

The unbeliever on the other hand, finds false peace when they sin. They often experience no grief, no disturbance of mind because their actions and sinful activities are natural to them, being a sinner is their nature. They may have once felt the prick of conscience but through disregard, their consciences have now grown dull.  When they do experience some sort of disturbance, it is because something in the back of their mind knows its wrong no matter how much they justify and rationalize that it is good, their consciences continue to grow more and more dull, and their hearts more and more hard each time they ignore it and continue to practice their sin. The false prophesying Christians become better and better at lawlessness while the righteous, the true children of God become better and better at righteousness through the practice of righteousness which was at one time unnatural also to them until they were saved. They are slowing being transformed into the image of Christ, the image of their father through their walking after Christ, while the false Christians are beginning to look more and more like the image of their father, the devil, the beast who only seeks to follow the natural inclinations of their own flesh.

 The hypocrite gives to God what the flesh can spare…When you think you can divide half between God and the world, and secure both your fleshly interest in pleasure and prosperity, and your salvation, you are seeking to serve God and mammon. This is a true character of a self-deceived hypocrite. He will not lose his hold on present things, nor forsake his worldly interest for Christ as long as he can keep it. He will not be any further religious than may stand with his personal welfare…..He is resolved to be as godly as will stand with a worldly, fleshly life…..Jesus told you how necessary self-denial is for his disciples. You must take up his cross, and follow him in his sufferings to be indeed one of his disciples. – Richard Baxter, Voices from the Past

God the Father, calls his children to follow him in a discipleship lifestyle of self-control, self-denial as we pick up our cross and follow Christ in his sufferings, committing to love God, to love others by even if it kills us. We are no longer led by the flesh, but led by the Spirit of God, a spirit of love and truth that enables us to carry Christ’s cross in our own lives and follow his footsteps. Naomi, Ruth and Boaz modeled such a life as they looked out for the benefit of the other at the expense of their own benefit, laying down their own life so they other might find life.

V15. “And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.

Ruth would have been wearing an outer cloak or wrapper. Boaz had her hold it out and into it he poured six measures. It’s unclear what the measure actually was. The language here is basically six measured amounts. Some suppose it was six ephahs. This would have been twice as much as what she carried home to Naomi after her first days week, which was 3 ephahs at 20-25lbs ea for barley. That would have been this load of 6 ephahs at 120-150lbs of barley. This measurement may have been too much for her to carry as a woman, all the way across town back home and in her cloak at that. She could have very well been carrying her own weight!

Other commentators suppose it was six omers, it takes ten omers to make one ephah, so this would have still been generous, especially when you remember a days wage for the average reaper would have been around 1-2lbs, yet this would have been much more easier for her to carry, especially using her cloak. This would have been about a 7lbs or 4.5 gallons.

The measure Boaz used and how large a gift Boaz sent to Naomi isn’t the point here in this passage, if it was, we would have been told. The point of the passage is, is that Boaz sends Naomi a gift, once again he doesn’t let Ruth return home empty handed. He is continually giving generously to Ruth and Naomi out of his own abundance.

Boaz is a continually picture of God’s liberal generosity towards us.

Psalms 145:8 – ESV – The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (chesed – unfailing covenant love that is loyal and faithful).

James 4:6 – ESV – But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Luke 6:38 – Webster – Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye give to others, it shall be measured to you again.

It’s one thing to know that God is merciful, compassionate, loving, patient, it’s another thing to know that God is abounding in these attributes, that he is bursting and overflowing in mercy, compassion, patience and love for us.

1 John 3:1 – See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

God doesn’t just give us love and mercy as we need it in small doses, but he lavishes it upon us. He showers us with his love. He wastes it on us, in the sense that he pours it out upon us so extravagantly. It is because of his great love, that we can now boldly come before the throne of grace and ask for help in our time of need and it has nothing to do with our deserving it, because we don’t. It’s not about us. It’s about the generosity of God Himself. For his own namesake he hears us and responds to us.

Boaz has done a fine job in this story demonstrating the great generosity of God towards those who are his own children. If Boaz who is a near kinsman of Naomi and Ruth’s responds towards them with so much generosity and kindness, how much more so does God towards us when we come to and ask God to spread his wing over us and be our Redeemer as he has promised? Will God turn us away? Will he not also tell us to stay put, sit still and he will take care of the legalities that we have no part in?

v. 16 How did you fare my daughter? ESV

v. 16 “How did it go, my daughter? – NIV

v. 16 Who are thou, my daughter? KJV, ASV, YLT

Naomi was anxiously waiting at home to see how Ruth fared. When Ruth walks in the door, the first thing Naomi asks her is how it went. The newer bible versions translate this as Naomi asking Ruth, “How did you fare my daughter? or How did go, my daughter?” or some other similar format. Some of the older translations translate this same sentence as “Who are thou, my daughter? or “Who are you, my daughter?” I’m not sure why the translation difference. I couldn’t find a commentary to explain it and I’m not familiar enough with the Hebrew language to figure it out. Both questions are asking basically the same thing – How did it go? I like the KJV, ASV translation of Naomi asking Ruth, “Who are you, my daughter?” because it brings home the point of Naomi’s wondering if Ruth’s identity had changed in regards to the result of her proposal to Boaz. Is she betrothed?

v. 16 And she told her all that the man had done to her.

Here Ruth pours out all her heart to Naomi, her confident and friend about what had happened the past 12 hours or so. Aren’t you thankful for those who God has placed in our lives that we can pour out our hearts to unreservedly? Ruth told Naomi all Boaz had done to her. Ruth would have told Naomi that Boaz was amiable towards her request. He even considered her consideration of him as a great kindness towards him. She couldn’t have been more pleased, more relieved more excited at his response to her request. But there was one problem that seemed to have saddened Boaz and is causing her anxiety, Boaz had informed her that there was someone nearer in position then he to redeem, someone else who had first right, first opportunity.

This may have came as a surprise to Ruth, we don’t really know, but we can be sure that it probably was not a surprise to Naomi. Naomi would have been more familiar with her husband’s relatives. We really don’t know much about what relationship these men are to her Naomi’s husband. If they are Emilech’s brothers, cousins or uncles. All the information we are given in this story is that they are near and nearer of kin to them.

v.17 And she said, These six measures of barley he gave me; for he said to me, Go not empty to thy mother-in-law.

At this point in her explanation to her mother-in-law of last night’s events, Ruth hands over or points the six measures of barley that Boaz had given her to give to Ruth. This gift from Boaz must have made Naomi smile for receiving now at this moment was like receiving a smile from Boaz himself. It was a gift representing Boaz’s good will and warm regard towards Naomi. Receiving it she knew Boaz would act soon.

Isn’t it amazing that Boaz would never send Ruth home to Naomi empty handed? She always carried something to Naomi, Naomi who once described herself as being empty really couldn’t do so any more.

v.18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, ESV

v.18 Then she said, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: KJV

Now all Naomi and Ruth could do was wait, to see if he who was nearer of kin than Boaz would take Ruth as his wife or not. Naomi encourages Ruth to sit still. I imagine that was done with much difficultly. Sitting still , waiting before taking any further action would probably involve her not saying anything to anyone, but being quiet, staying at home and not taking any further action on the issue and letting the cards fall where they may. That’s difficult because it is tempting to try to do whatever is in our power to help the cards to fall where we want them to fall. But we don’t see that here.

We didn’t see that in Boaz’s response, when he replied in Ruth 3:13 “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” Boaz wasn’t going to try to manipulate circumstances. We see what his will is, but he has set it aside for God’s will. And it is this that Naomi is encouraging Ruth to do in this moment when her fate is on line, sitting still and not taking any further action but resting and trusting in God for the outcome of his will.

Waiting is often the hardest activity God calls us to for it often feels like no activity. The last thing we want to do is to sit still or stand still when everything in us seems to scream do something. Anxiety and panic make us restless, we may feel like we are drowning and will grab hold and cling to anything within our reach to keep us from sinking completely. I thank God for the times when he has moved everything away from my reach in such circumstances because it is my fleshly nature to panic. Struggling causes us to sink more. If a person is drowning and needs to be rescued often the rescuer must wait for the person to stop struggling, to stop fighting against them before they can be saved or they risk being drowned themselves. I think God often waits for us to stop fighting against him, to stand still before him and trust him, cling to him as our only option of salvation before he fully rescues us from our circumstances.

I wish he was my first resort, instead of my last. It’s hard to depend on God and to turn to God to be saved when we have the power and ability within our reach to save ourselves. This is why only the poor and needy can be saved. We don’t turn to God unless we see ourselves as both, until we have exhausted all our resources, all our strength and given up.

Neither Naomi or Ruth knew how this matter would fall out. Everything was up in the air, now they had only to wait and trust in God for his divine providence for all decrees come from heaven.

It’s the same thing we must do when everything is up in the air around us, knowing that it is in God we trust, He is sovereign and though it may look like chaos around us God is orchestrating every move. Every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs 16:33 – The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

It often feels as if we are victims of chance, luck, bad luck, karma, bad decisions, tragedy, consequences but that is not the case. Over and over and over again the bible emphasizes the Sovereignty of God, even over the actions and results of sin in our lives and from the lives of others that impact ours. It often feels like to us that sin thwarts the plans of God or our stupid decisions do. Our minds battle with us that it is not suppose to be this way, we messed up, they messed up and we are on the wrong path headed for destruction because of this bad decision. and something in us know it’s right, there is some truth in this thought, something is wrong, it wasn’t suppose to be this way, it may be a bit bumpy, but God will redeem this. Our God is still sovereign and in place when everything is out of place below him and above us.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We must remember that God often works out his plan through the fall of man, through our failures. This is very much what this story is about as we look at Naomi’s regrets and how God used this to save Ruth and to bring her into his fold, and into the lineage of Jesus.

Remember Joseph in Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Look at the cross, it is the ultimate example that God has made and has always made sin is slave, it works his purposes, no matter how it appears or attempts to thwart it. Sin does not and will not ever overcome the plans and purposes of God.

Psalm 33:11 – But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Isaiah 55:11 – so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God’s word cannot and does not fail. He will bring about his plans and purposes for us and this world. The problem is when his plans and purposes are not our own. Or when we mistrust him and his methods for bringing it about. The question we must ask ourselves is can God be trusted?

What are God’s plans and purposes?

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:29 – For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

1 Corinthians. 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.- Westminster Catechism

Psalms 37:5 – Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Psalms 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

God calls us to be still and to wait on Him, not to move. Wait on the Lord.

 What does waiting look like?

Waiting – Stay in one place and anticipate or expect something.

There is an element of hope in waiting. Hoping in God. We are to realize that God is in control, esp. when everything seems out of control.

I learned a bit of this myself recently with the acquisition of our company this past year.  I have worked there 13 years and my husband has been there 12 years. It has been difficult handling all the changes, watching roles change, positions being restructured and people we have worked beside for years leave.  As each time someone new would leave, I would look to the Lord praying about what I should do. I felt like everything was shifting around me, and I had no security to lean against for my own stability. Everything seemed chaotic and out of place.  As I prayed, I could hear God’s spirit telling me to “Wait. Be still and know that I am God.” – (Psa. 46:10)  In other words “Sit still, my daughter.” All the authorities above me had changed and I was watching everyone change places above me wondering what it all meant for me and how would it all effect me. But I would look up just a little further and see that God was still in place. He had not moved and I still had my security and I could go on working in peace, leaning against him.

“What the sun in the heavens is to the earth, that is the Father to us.”

Like the sun, we can depend on God to keep his position on the throne over us and over our lives even though he may hide his face for a time, and things may be clouded over or grow exceedingly dark. God is still there, as the sun is still there even when we cannot see it. We need not worry.

When we know who God is, the greatness of his character, trusting in his “chesed” towards us and understand even a tiny bit of his purposes and his love for us, we can learn to wait on him and hope in him, but if we don’t get this, we will never be able to trust in God, we will never be able to place our faith in God or hope in him and rest because we distrust him. We believe he is against us instead of for us. We falsely believe he is our enemy instead of our friend and our Avenger and Redeemer. This is what Satan would have us believe so that we would take matters into our own hands and become restless and move towards attempting to save ourselves instead of sitting still and waiting on our Savior, confidently trusting Him knowing that He sees us, He loves us and He is on his way and will redeem us and our circumstances according to his purposes and will.

I think Naomi learned this lesson and she is giving Ruth her own advice based on personal experience. When Naomi had experienced trying circumstances, they moved. They did not stand still, or sit still, they left for a foreign land. They acted on their own impulses and according to their own wisdom. Naomi says to Ruth, Don’t move, don’t act preemptively. “Sit still, my daughter .” Wait. Know that Yahweh is God.

 v. 18 for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” ESV

v.1 8for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day. KJV

Naomi knew that Boaz would not delay but he would act quickly. After finishing the winnowing of the barley, I don’t know what Boaz’s plans were for today, but they have all been set aside to see to this matter of Naomi’s estate and Ruth. Everything has been pushed aside and this has taken priority.

We can be confident that God will act quickly on our behalf. He will not delay although a few minutes may feel like a few hours to us, and a few days like a few years and a few years like decades.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” – (2 Peter 3:8-9)

“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (Luke 18:7)

We must remember God’s ways are not our ways:

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:7-9)

And that no good thing does he keep from us.

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psa. 84:11).

Satan would have us believe otherwise and to act on our own behalf instead of sitting still and knowing that God is God. He would have us believe that God’s way is not good. That God is withholding something good, something we need right now from us. Satan would say that our Master has been delayed in coming and that he is absent from our lives so we must take matters into our own hands if we wish to save our life. This is the excuse of every wicked servant that Jesus addresses:

“But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ – (Matthew 24:48)

Let us not follow in the wicked servants footsteps. But let us keep watch, sit still as we wait and pray with David as we look up and wait on our Lord:

“But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!” (Psalms 70:5)

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
– William Cowper (1731-1800)
Hymn, God Moves in a Mysterious Way