Ruth 3
Bible Passage: Ruth 3
Today’s sharing will be short and sweet. Basically it is all about individuals acting on behalf of others with no obligation to do so.
Chapter 3 of Ruth starts off with an opportunity that Naomi saw and seized. She found out that Boaz was a kinsman and now sought to ‘care’ for the needs and future of her daughter in law, Ruth. And in caring for the needs of others, she in turned began to see a change in her ‘fortunes’.
When Ruth returned to Naomi and quoted Boaz’s words exactly, Boaz said this: “Don’t go back to your mother in law empty handed”. We begin to see a reversal of Naomi’s “emptiness” expressed in Ruth 1:21.
We also see Boaz, when approached about this chance to marry Ruth, seriously gave it due consideration and actually started off immediately to address the situation. Now he did not really need to do it… but he wanted to do what was right, even though he was not 100% familiar with Ruth yet.
What about us today?
Whenever I read about how Naomi, Ruth and Boaz acted so honourably and with integrity, even in the midst of difficulties or tempting contexts – it is a deep contrast with our world today where integrity seems to be a forgotten character quality – intsead people are more afraid of liability than with doing the right thing.
Do we hesitate to help someone because we are afraid of legal repercussions?
Many people in the world believe in using every opportunity for personal gratification. But today’s chapter point to a higher standard…
Think about it…
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PS
Ruth 3:13 “Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you-good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until the morning.”
This is the integrity that i admire of Boaz: he did not take advantage of Ruth bec he knew that she did not belong to him yet and there was a possibility that she might become someone else’s wife. In other words, he preserved the “purity” of Ruth bec he was constantly aware that the LORD lives!
Marriage is performance of a duty. A bit hard to comprehend initially. Ponder. It becomes even more meaningful when this duty is performed for the sake of another.
Boaz was rich, kind, well respected, filial and more. In a worldly term, he was a diamond bachelor. Yet for the sake of the law of his God, he willingly and speedily married Ruth.
Boaz knew that he was a close relative of Ruth but there was one closer than him. May be he already conceived the intention to marry Ruth knowing that Ruth was a virtuous woman and he had a duty towards her. May be after the harvesting.
Naomi prompted Ruth into action bec she was really concerned for her “daughter”-in-law. Couldn’t Naomi wait? Yes, she could. May be after much prayer, she did the more beautiful work to act timely.
In John 19:27 Lord Jesus taught us how to treat our mother, “Behold your mother.”
In Ruth 3:17 Boaz (a prefiguration of Jesus in a specific aspect) taught us how to treat our mother-in-law, if we have any, “Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.”
Remember these 2 golden rules. All will be well.