Ruth chapter 3: “Preparation For Marriage: Imminent Return Of Christ”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at chapter 2 of the book and as we looked
at its prophetic significance we concentrated particularly upon the fact that
both the history of Israel as well as the church were foreordained by God
before even the creation of the world.
1.1.1. We concentrated upon the
fact that the proper understanding of the difference in the calling and nature
of
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 3 of the book and
we will see that now at the end of the harvest that Ruth, at the prompting of
her mother-in-law Naomi, comes to Boaz and asks him if he will fulfill the role
of the kinsman redeemer for her.
1.2.1. Elimelech and his wife
Naomi, along with their two sons once lived in
1.2.2. In the book of Ruth, we have
already seen that Naomi symbolizes Israel who was dispersed to all of the
nations in 70 AD because of her sins, yet who has returned to her land by the
hand of the Lord (Israel became a nation in 1948), and, that she will
eventually be restored to the Lord and His covenant promises to her
fulfilled. Ruth the Gentile Moabitess
symbolizes the church. Boaz, Ruth’s
kinsman redeemer, symbolizes Jesus Christ who is our kinsman redeemer having
died upon the cross of Calvary in order to purchase our very lives, as the
church. When Jesus returns He will take
us to be His bride.
1.2.3. We saw in our last study
that the returning of Naomi and Ruth to the
1.2.4. We saw also in our last
study that Ruth gleaned all during the harvest, however now that the harvest
was over the night of tribulation and threshing would occur where the wheat is
separated from the chaff. This symbolizes
the sifting of the nations that will occur during the 7 year tribulation. During this night of threshing (which
symbolizes the 7 year tribulation), Ruth is laying at the feet of Boaz,
symbolizing that during the 7 year tribulation that the church will be resting
in the very presence of Jesus, having escaped the 7 year tribulation when
Christ raptured her just prior to it.
Just as Naomi was during this night still waiting to receive back her
inheritance of land in the morning, Israel will likewise be restored to the Lord
at the conclusion of the 7 year tribulation, when the scripture is fulfilled
that all Israel shall be saved (Rom. 11:25-26).
1.2.5. Today, we are going to
continue to observe this beautiful love story which symbolizes the story of our
coming to be redeemed by Christ, our kinsman redeemer, who because of His great
love for us went to the cross of Calvary and paid the full price for the
atonement of our sins.
1.2.6. In our last study, we saw
that Boaz who immediately was smitten in love upon seeing Ruth, has been
initiating all contact with Ruth up to this point in time. He has gone out of his way to talk to her,
vowed to protect and provide for her, and he has even taken her to lunch. He has his heart set upon becoming her
kinsman redeemer from the get go.
1.2.7. In this study, we will see
that now it will be up to Ruth to make the proposal that Boaz become her
kinsman redeemer and take her as his bride.
1.2.8. We will concentrate in our
study upon the preparation that Ruth makes before coming before Boaz to propose
that he be her kinsman redeemer and take her as his bride. Ruth we will see is preparing herself to be
suitable to Boaz as His bride.
1.2.9. We will see that the very
things that Naomi tells Ruth to do in order to be prepared to propose marriage
and to marry Boaz are both the very things that we as Christians need to do:
1.2.9.1. In order to get close to the
Lord and be where He wants us to be in our lives.
1.2.9.2. Things we will do if we
truly believe in the imminent return of Christ.
1.2.10.
Commentators typically used to make the correlation in how Ruth
prepares herself in coming before Boaz as symbolizing the coming that we the
church make to Christ when we come to Him to be saved (our personal salvation
experience). However, seeing that this night
of threshing symbolizes to the church preparing for the rapture of the church
at the end of the “church age,” we can also recognize that these very
preparations are those that we ought to make in preparing our hearts for the
imminent return of Christ. He could
return for the church at any moment. The
Lord promises also that He will return at a time when we least expect it. Thus, we must always be ready for Him to
return.
2. VS 3:1-2 - “1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law
said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be
well with you? 2 “Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were?
Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.” - Naomi tells Ruth to consider having Boaz
become her kinsman redeemer
2.1.
Before Naomi and Ruth left
2.2.
Naomi may have been gleaning in the fields of Boaz now for up to 6
weeks.
2.3.
Naomi realizes however that she should really start thinking about
taking care of Ruth and making sure that the name and inheritance of her
deceased husband Elimelech is passed on.
2.4.
Naomi tells Ruth about the fact that now that the harvest has been
completed that the sheaves of barley that have been picked will need to be
threshed on this very evening.
2.5.
About threshing in Ruth’s day:
Threshing floors in Ruth’s day were typically round
in shape and placed at the top of a hill or someplace where there would be a maximum
amount of wind. Threshing is the process
of removing the wheat from the chaff.
The sheaves were first beaten breaking free the wheat. Then, they were thrown up in the air allowing
the winds to blow the chaff away and the wheat to fall to the floor. Threshing was usually completed in the
afternoon and evening when the winds would typically be the fiercest. The owner of the wheat would at the
completion of threshing sleep right there on the threshing floor with the wheat
so that thieves could not steal that which he had labored so hard for all
year.
2.6.
Naomi knew that after finishing their threshing that Boaz and his
workers would be sleeping this evening right on the threshing floor with their
heads laying on the wheat and their feet facing outwards.
2.7.
There was nothing unseemly about Ruth coming to where Boaz was sleeping
on this night, for it was a public place.
3. VS 3:3-5 - “3 “Wash yourself
therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down
to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until
he has finished eating and drinking. 4 “It shall be when he lies
down, that you shall notice 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.” 5
She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”” - Naomi tells Ruth to wash, dress up in
appearance, and go and lay at the feet of Baoz, then ask him to be take her as
his bride and be her kinsman redeemer
3.1.
Up until this point in time Ruth most likely wore widow’s reeds and
thus Naomi wants Ruth to upgrade her appearance appropriately to appeal to
Boaz. Also, if Boaz is willing to take
Naomi as his bride and be that kinsman redeemer, she shall immediately become
his wife.
3.2.
We saw in our last study that there were two laws of Moses being
implemented in our story regarding Naomi and Ruth.
3.2.1. First of all, Naomi’s
inheritance of land had been sold at some point in time to get out of debt and
thus Naomi had to either find a way to buy back her inheritance of land or wait
for the next year of Jubilee to get back her land, and that could take up to 50
years to occur. Naomi desired to find a
way to get the money to buy back her family’s land. She thought that perhaps a kinsman redeemer
could buy back the land for her.
3.2.2. Secondly, there was another
law described in Lev. 25:27-55 which stated that if a man who was married and
died without having a son to carry on his name, his brother was required by the
law to take his widow as his wife and raise up children to his brother. Boaz was most likely the brother of Naomi’s
husband Elimelech and thus he was able to raise up children to Machlon, Ruth’s
deceased husband, by taking Ruth as his wife.
Boaz then could buy Naomi’s land and raise up a family upon that very
land.
3.3.
You may wonder why it is in our story that Ruth comes to Boaz and asks
him to be her kinsman redeemer? The
reason is that in Israel the widow with no son was herself to go to her
deceased husband’s brothers to see if one would taker her as his wife and raise
up children to her deceased husband. We
see this being worked out in the law in Lev. 25:27-55 where it states that if a
brother refused to take his brother’s widow to be his wife in these situations,
the widow was to spit in the brother’s face publicly before the elders of
Israel. This public humiliation kept
most brothers from refusing to take their brother’s wife as their wife.
3.3.1. Boaz though also symbolizes
Jesus Christ, our kinsman redeemer.
Jesus, One of our own, is willing and able to save to the uttermost
whosoever shall upon the name of the Lord, however He will not force Himself
upon any man or woman. You have to call
upon the Name of the Lord in order to be saved! See Rom. 10:13.
3.4.
Notice here the meticulous instructions (or “commandments,” see verse
6) Naomi gives Ruth to follow to prepare her for coming to Boaz and requesting
that he act towards her as a kinsman redeemer.
Notice also how these symbolize what any Christian must do to draw near
to Christ as well as to prepare himself for the imminent return of Christ (and
the wedding feast of the Lamb):
3.4.1. Wash yourself.
3.4.1.1. As believers, each of us are
to pursue sanctification. We are to
continually seek the cleansing of the Lord in our lives of any sin and see that
all impurity of sin is removed from us.
We should do this as often as we are made aware of sin in our lives.
3.4.1.2. We must never expect the
Lord to do for us the things that He tells us that we are to do. The Lord tells us in His word that there is
regular house cleaning that is to be done in our lives. Sin must be confessed and repented of by us
as Christians.
3.4.1.3. 1 John 1:9 assures us that
as often as we confess and repent of our sins that the Lord will forgive us and
wash us clean of all unrighteousness, “9 If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
3.4.1.4. We as believers are to live
our lives as if the Lord could return at any moment, for the Lord’s return is
imminent.
3.4.1.4.1.
I guarantee you that if you knew that this evening the Lord was going
to return for the church that you might want to consider that there were some
things in your life that you should repent of and ask for the Lord’s
forgiveness.
3.4.2. Anoint yourself.
3.4.2.1. This is a reference to
perfume used here by Naomi. Perfume has
throughout the centuries been used by women to make their scent more appealing
to men.
3.4.2.2. Symbolically, the anointing
here refers to the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people.
3.4.2.3. When we Christians are
cleansed from our sins then we should also ask the Lord to anoint us with the
Holy Spirit. The two should always be
automatically connected in our minds as Christians, cleansing and anointing.
3.4.2.4. The Holy Spirit’s work in
the life of the Christian is manifold in producing in us:
3.4.2.4.1.
The fruit of the Spirit and character of Christ (Gal. 5:22-23).
3.4.2.4.2.
Empowerment for service through the use of spiritual gifts.
3.4.2.4.2.1.
1 Peter 4:10, “10 As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
3.4.2.4.2.2.
1 Tim. 4:14-15, “14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift
within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the
laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these
things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to
all.”
3.4.2.4.2.3.
The baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit are key to being fruitful
and used greatly by the Lord.
3.4.2.4.3.
The enlightenment of our minds to the truth.
3.4.2.4.3.1.
1 John 2:27 tells us of how the Holy Spirit’s anointing that we have
allows us to understand all of the truth that the Lord has given in His
revelation to us, the Bible, “27 As for you, the anointing which
you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach
you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not
a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”
3.4.3. Dress up in your best
clothes.
3.4.3.1. Ruth had at this point in
time most likely worn widow’s reeds for clothes, however these would not be
appropriate for a woman who is now planning on going on with her life, nor for
one who is about to become a bride.
3.4.3.2. Ruth dresses herself to be
wed. At Naomi’s prompting, Ruth puts on
her most presentable dress and we will see here that not only does she wear a dress,
but she also puts on a vail. We know
this because later in the chapter Boaz asks Ruth to take off her vail so that
he can load it up with a bunch of barley grain.
In our story here, if Boaz takes Ruth up on her offer to become her
kinsman redeemer and take her as his wife, she will now immediately become his
bride.
3.4.3.3. There is a symbolism for us
as Christians in Ruth’s clothing on this night.
We as Christians, as we are seeking to be the person that the Lord would
have us to be and be prepared in heart to meet Him should He return for us, are
not only to put off the sin that comes into our life, there are some things
that the scriptures tell us that we are to put on in our lives. The scriptures tell us that there are things
that we as Christians are to put on just as if we were putting on clothes:
3.4.3.3.1.
Rom. 13:14, “14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
3.4.3.3.2.
Rom. 13:12, “12 The night is almost gone, and the day is
near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of
light.”
3.4.3.3.3.
Col. 3:8-14, “8 But now you also, put them all aside:
anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9
Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil
practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed
to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11 a
renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but
Christ is all, and in all. 12 So, as those who have been chosen of
God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving
each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave
you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love,
which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule
in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
3.4.3.3.4.
Eph. 6:11, “11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you
will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
3.4.4. Lie at Boaz’s feet and allow
him to tell you what you shall do.
3.4.4.1. On this night of threshing, Ruth
has to come to Boaz “by faith” trusting Him with every aspect of her life, and
she must also trust that he will indeed be her kinsman redeemer and take her as
his bride. For his part, Boaz must go
and do whatever is necessary in order to procure Ruth as his bride. Ruth’s response to Boaz is to lay at his feet
and in humble submission wait upon him in order to see what it is that he tells
her that she is to do.
3.4.4.2. For us as Christians lying
at the feet of Jesus, whom Boaz symbolizes as our kinsman redeemer, He gives us
three types of rest:
3.4.4.2.1.
The rest in His power:
3.4.4.2.1.1.
Boaz must do whatever it takes to redeem Ruth, including deal with
other authorities and principalities.
Likewise, Jesus is the One who has done everything that is necessary to
procure our salvation. In going to the
cross of
3.4.4.2.1.2.
Living by faith as Christians we are to rest in the sufficiency of
Christ and know that He can and will meet all of the needs that we have in our
lives. We must not be self-sufficient
but instead draw completely upon the sufficiency of Christ.
3.4.4.2.2.
The rest that is of faith:
3.4.4.2.2.1.
We as Christians, come to salvation when we come to that place where we
by faith trust our salvation to Jesus and to Him alone. We cannot be saved as long as we keep a back
up plan or somehow trust in ourselves or any other means for our salvation
besides the Lord Jesus Himself and His work upon the cross for us.
3.4.4.2.2.2.
We Christians may talk about living by faith, but in reality how often
are we truly living by faith? What are
we relying upon and placing our faith in?
Is it the Lord and His resources alone?
3.4.4.2.3.
The rest of submission:
3.4.4.2.3.1.
We come to salvation through Christ and we also come to grow in our
faith when we as Christians submit ourselves completely to the Lord and are
will to do whatever things that He may tell us that we must do.
3.4.4.2.3.2.
There is such rest in submission.
We can rest knowing that the Lord has everything in control and that He
will tell us what He wants us to do. We
don’t have to have everything figured out nor know how God is going to work in
our lives, we just need to trust in Him.
4. VS 3:6-9 - “6 So she went down to
the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had
commanded her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry,
he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and
uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 It happened in the middle of the
night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying
at his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth
your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close
relative.””
- After Boaz lays down and falls asleep
on the threshing floor, Ruth comes and lays down at his feet
4.1.
Naomi gave very specific
instructions to Ruth as to what she was to do upon this night in requesting
Boaz to fulfill the role of her kinsman redeemer and take her as his
bride. We see here that these
instructions are called ‘commandments’ by Naomi, for Naomi expected Ruth to
carry these out to the letter.
4.2.
The time of harvest was a time of rejoicing because it signaled that
the fruit of one’s labors could be enjoyed.
Ruth waited for Boaz to have a good evening’s meal, a merry heart, and
even to have had some to drink. After he
had laid himself down and gone to sleep, Ruth sneaks in and lies at Boaz’s
feet. She also takes Boaz’ blanket off
of his feet and covers herself in it.
4.3.
In the middle of the night, Boaz probably got cold because of his
blanket having been removed from his feet by Ruth. However, when he goes to pull up his blanket
he is startled when he sees that there is a woman lying at his feet.
4.4.
When Ruth tells Boaz who she is, she then proposes that Boaz fulfill
his role as kinsman redeemer and marry her as she asks him to “spread out his
covering over her since he is her kinsman.”
4.4.1. Ruth refers to herself in an
interesting way in this proposal, for she calls herself “your maid.”
4.4.1.1. She didn’t refer to herself
as the Moabite woman because in making this proposal to Boaz she is avowing
herself to be an Israelite forever after, albeit a proselyte.
4.4.1.2. Furthermore, Ruth is
surrendering herself to him to be his wife in using this phrase.
4.4.2. The Enhanced Strong’s
Lexicon has the following entry for this word translated ‘covering’ in verse 9,
and this entry reveals that Ruth is asking Boaz to place her under the
authority and covering of his wings as her kinsman redeemer, “3671 כָּנָף [
kanaph / kaw· nawf /] n f . From 3670 ; TWOT 1003a ; GK 4053 ; 108 occurrences; AV
translates as “wing” 74 times, “skirt” 14 times, “borders” twice, “corners”
twice, “ends” twice, “feathered” twice, “sort” twice, “winged” twice, and
translated miscellaneously eight times. 1 wing, extremity, edge,
winged, border, corner, shirt. 1a wing. 1b extremity. 1b1 skirt, corner (of garment).”
4.4.3. The Enhanced Strong’s
Lexicon shows also that this word translated ‘close relative’ actually means
“kinsman.” Thus, we have demonstrated
that Ruth is asking Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer, taking her to be his bride
and also purchasing back from its current owner the inheritance of land
originally belonging to Naomi and Elimelech.
5. VS 3:10-13 - “10 Then he said, “May
you be blessed of the Lord, my
daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not
going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 “Now, my daughter,
do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city
know that you are a woman of excellence. 12 “Now it is true I am a
close relative; however, there is a relative closer than
5.1.
Boaz’ reaction to Ruth’s proposal reveals that he had been in love with
Ruth and hoping with all of his heart throughout the harvest that Ruth would
seek him out to redeem her.
5.2.
Boaz evidently thought that since he was an older man and Ruth a
younger woman, that she would be more interested in marrying one of the younger
men around
5.3.
Boaz tells Ruth that he will do for her whatever she asks of him, and
the reason for this is because he has heard that the whole city is aware that
Ruth is a woman of excellence.
5.3.1. In 1 John 3:22 we read a key
reason why the Lord Jesus answers our requests that we request of Him, “22
and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments
and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
5.4.
Boaz tells Ruth that there is a man who is actually a closer relative
to Elimelech than himself and that this man has a greater right to redeem
her. However, if this closer relative
chooses not to redeem Ruth, then Boaz tells her that he will redeem her.
5.4.1. Perhaps this other man is a
brother closer in age to Elimelech, or some have even conjectured that Baoz
could actually have been a cousin to Elimelech and not a brother.
5.5.
Boaz tells Ruth to just continue to lie at his feet until morning and
to leave everything in his hands to take care of.
6. VS 3:14-15 - “14 So she lay at his
feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said,
“Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Again
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 laid it on her. Then she went
into the city.” - Ruth slept at Boaz’ feet
until the sun was about to rise and then he gave her a bunch more barley grain
to take back home to Naomi and she leaves
6.1.
According to Strong’s Enhanced Greek Lexicon, this word translated
“cloak” here actually means “vail.”
Again, this shows that Ruth was actually dressed up like a bride to be
on this night.
6.2.
Boaz is so excited in the prospect of taking Ruth as His bride that he
is overflowing towards her in generosity.
In Ruth’s vail, Boaz places 6 measures of barley which is enough barley
grain now for two weeks or more of food for Ruth and Naomi.
6.2.1. Isn’t the Lord’s
graciousness and generosity beyond imagination in our lives as His
children.
6.2.1.1. The apostle John in his
gospel wrote John 1:16 describing in words how that Christ in His generosity
has filled each of us up as believers and that we have just received grace upon
grace from the Lord, “16 For of His fullness we have all
received, and grace upon grace.”
6.2.1.2. Likewise, in Eph. 1:7-8 we
read that the Lord has lavished His grace (the root word also for gifts) upon
us, “7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He
lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight.”
7. VS 3:16-18 - “16 When she came to
her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all
that the man had done for her. 17 She said, “These six measures of
barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law
empty-handed.’ ” 18 Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you
know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled
it today.””
- Ruth comes and tells Naomi how the
evening and her proposal to Boaz went
7.1.
The NASB translation does not bring out the true sense of what I
believe Naomi is saying to Ruth in verse 16.
She is asking Ruth, “Who are you?”
In saying this, she is not confused as to Ruth’s identity, she is asking
her if now after the threshing floor proposal she is “Mrs. Boaz?”
7.2.
When Naomi hears from Ruth how her night and proposal to Boaz went
Naomi is excited. She knows now that
Boaz will redeem Ruth since he has great resources at his command and he is
both willing and able to keep every word he has promised to Ruth. Naomi knows that Boaz won’t give himself rest
until he has kept every one of his promises to Ruth.
7.2.1. The Lord Jesus, our kinsman
redeemer, is faithful and true in our lives as well is He not? He always keeps every promise He makes to His
children and He also will not give Himself rest until He has fulfilled every
one of them to us.
8. CONCLUSIONS:
8.1.
We who are the bride of Christ need to follow the example of Ruth and
be prepared in our hearts to meet our Lord should He come early or late every
single day. We need to follow the
preparation of Ruth who prepared herself to be the bride of Boaz, for we are to
be the bride of Christ when He returns for us:
8.1.1. Wash yourselves from all sin
and defilement.
8.1.2. Anoint yourselves by asking
for the filling, gifts, and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
8.1.3. Put on your best clothes or
let the Lord conform you to the image of Jesus.
8.1.4. Lie at Jesus’ feet in humble
submission and rest in Him.