The Hook

High School english class.

Just the thought of it conjures up images of Ben Stein from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or The Wonder Years. But despite my general lack of interest in learning the nuances of the language I spoke every day, I still discovered some works that stick with me even now. From books like “The Cay” by Theodore Taylor and “1984” by George Orwell to incredible short stories like “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “August Heat” by W. F. Harvey to poems like “The Lady of Shallott” by Alfred Tennyson — which was set to beautiful, haunting music by Loreena McKennitt — and the tought-proviking “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. In fact, let’s read Shelly’s poem to set the tone for this morning’s study.

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert… . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

With that thought in mind, let’s take a look at our passage for this morning. Turn with me to Ruth chapter 3, starting in verse 6. I am reading from the New English Translation.

The Passage

So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do. When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap. Then Ruth crept up quietly, uncovered his legs, and lay down beside him. In the middle of the night he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman lying beside him! He said, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests.” He said, “May you be rewarded by the Lord, my dear! This act of devotion is greater than what you did before. For you have not sought to marry one of the young men, whether rich or poor. Now, my dear, don’t worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose, for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman.

The Prayer

The Study

Verse 6

So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do. 

This past week I heard an old song by Heart that totally reminded me of this section of Ruth. You might remember it, it goes like this:

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

And that really was the question behind Naomi’s plan; How do I get Ruth and Boaz alone, so they can talk discreetly about what the future may hold? And Ruth, being faithful and trustworthy, followed through with Naomi’s plan – of course. But I want to be clear, Ruth wasn’t just “following orders” in the Nuremberg sense of the word. She was an active participant. She saw the value in the plan. We talked about this last time, right? We need to believe in our heart of hearts that the plan God has for us is more valuable than the thing we have for ourselves. And Ruth did. She recognized that her vow to Naomi and to Naomi’s God — the God of Isreal — meant that she should follow the laws and customs prescribed by that God. And in this case it is the law of the Kinsman Redeemer… but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The important thing to remember right now is that Ruth is trying to do things the right way. The righteous way. The God-centered way. She isn’t looking for a plan “B”. She is fully trusting that the God of Israel will provide.

Verse 7:

When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap. Then Ruth crept up quietly, uncovered his legs, and lay down beside him. 

So far things are going to plan. So… that’s good. But I want to draw out some implications here. I know, I know, I talked about this last wtime, but better to make sure we understand exactly what’s happening.

First off, Boaz is “satisfied”. His heart is well. He is content with life as it is. We know this feeling, don’t we? For me, that feeling is when my kids just want to snuggle on the couch and watch cartoons. I love that, and I know I don’t have too many years of those moments left. But anyway, let’s not get too far off the rails there. Boaz — content — goes to lay down by his grain. Then Ruth crept up. The word “then” might seem to imply that Ruth sort of sprung into action like some sort of large cat or one of those old suction cup toys with the spring inside, you know what I’m talking about?

But that’s not it. “Then” happens after some time has passed. Once Ruth is reasonably certain everyone is asleep. Then she uncovers Boaz’s feet as a silent alarm clock. She knows that as the night settles in he’ll get cold and try to adjust his blanket, at which point he will see her at his feet. Because when we read that she laid down “beside” him, we understand that to mean that she laid down near his feet, where she would be sure Boaz couldn’t miss her.

Verse 8

In the middle of the night he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman lying beside him!

Now, I just want to take a second here and make a quick trip to Tangent Town.

There are a fair number of folks who put forward the interpretation that Ruth is making a sexual advance on Boaz here. The idea is borne from the fact that the word “feet” or “legs” has been used elsewhere in the Old Testament as a euphamism for “genitals”. There are two reasons I do not subscribe to this theory:

The first, and most obvious, is that this is totally antithetical to everything we have learned about Ruth’s character to this point in the story. It flies in the face of what Boaz says later in this passage about Ruth being a “worthy woman”. 

The second, supporting the first, is that it is totally unnecessary. There is a very commonsensical explanation for everything.

• “Ruth got bathed, doused herself in perfume, and dressed to the nines!” the proponents of the illicit proposition theory will say. To which I would reply that Ruth did, of course, want to present herself in her best light when she was about to push all her chips to the center of the table and call, but she was signalling to Boaz that her time of mourning was done!
• “Ruth snuck down to be alone in the middle of the night!” they argue. To which I would say that this was almost certainly the only way Ruth would have access to Boaz alone without anyone seeing them and asking questions or — worse — making assumptions.
• “What about this uncovering business!” they cry. Well, maybe not. But it’s all very dramatic in my mind. This is simply — as I’ve said before — a silent alarm clock. And I have more evidence of that right here in verse 8.

When we read that Boaz was “startled” in the middle of the night… what does that word mean? It means “trembled” or… don’t miss this… or shuddered. I honeslty believe that all this comes together to make the case that any sexual subtext was absent from the historical events.

But Conrad, you well-studied and insightful orator, I hear you say, if there is no truth to it, where did this idea come from. Firstly, let me just say… this is a wonderful question! And the reason people think this is because of the author — the one who recorded this wonderful story. This phrasing and the language was written in a way to pique the interest of the reader. To keep us on the edge of our seats. To wonder what will happen next. This is a clever and effective – perhaps too effective? – rhetorical device.

Alrighty, that was quite a diversion, but something that I think was worth addressing. Let’s keep on truckin’…

Verse 9

He said, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests.” 

This is the first time we see Ruth break from the script. Naomi told Ruth to listen to Boaz’s instructions and do what he said. Boaz, schocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of a woman at his feet asks a simple question: “Who are you?”

Ruth’s response is in no way simple. Like I said, she just goes all-in, pushes every chip into the middle of the table and throws down her cards. Like an absolute boss. And Ruth’s words here are very carefully chosen. This is the second time Ruth has referred to herself to Boaz, but a different Hebrew word is used this time. The first time we hear Ruth use the word “servant” it is in 2:13. And that word represents the absolute lowest level of female servant. No priviledges, no access to the house or amenities. She recognizes her place as a foreigner, a nobody, entitled to nothing. But now! My how the turn tables…

Ruth is now using a word that could be translated as maidservant. This is a woman who does have access to the house and certain amenities and priviledges, but more than that… this servant is a woman who is elligible for marriage and is able to produce a legal heir.

Then she hits him with the 1–2 punch. Marry me and fulfill your duty as kinsman redeemer. So… what of it? Was Boaz neglecting his duty? Was he some kind of derelect? I don’t want to get too deep into this right now, because that’s coming up next time, but suffice it to say, “no”. Boaz is not sherking his responsibility. In fact, he is going above and beyond his responsibility. But we’ll learn more about that next time. So stay tuned!

So then, what is Boaz’s response to Ruth’s atypical, counter-cultural, and very forward request? Let’s read on…

Verse 10–11

He said, “May you be rewarded by the Lord, my dear! This act of devotion is greater than what you did before. For you have not sought to marry one of the young men, whether rich or poor. Now, my dear, don’t worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose, for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman.

On its face this is a weird response, isn’t it? She asks Boaz to marry her and his response is “May the Lord bless you for this act of devotion!” I mean… what? Is Boaz that desperate? Does he need a wife that badly? I’m picturing pro-wrester Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, here. Ruth asks Boaz to marry her. Boaz pops an eyebrow and says… “FINALLY!”

So is that the story? Is that what happened here? No. Not quite.

As we will read in verse 11, “everyone” knows that Ruth is a “worthy woman”. So she is someone known to be of good character. We also know that in those days women would tend to already be married off by the age of 16. So it’s incredibly likely that Ruth would be in her mid–20s. The fact that Boaz believes Ruth could have married a young man says that she was probably also easy on the eyes. Boaz also felt that she could have married for love — a poor man — or money — a rich man. Basically; from Boaz’s perspective Ruth could have had her ‘pick of the litter’ as it were, yet she chose him.

But that still doesn’t answer why this is “an act of devotion greater than what [she] did before”. Let’s tackle that in reverse order.

What was Ruth’s previous act of devotion?

Only the inciting incident of the entire book. She vowed to stay with Ruth through thick and thin. She vowed to stay faithful to the God of Israel. And in do so, she gave up her home, her family, her god, and – quite possibly – her security.

And now, she has come to this new place, established herself as honest, trustworthy, and industrious. She has the world at her feet, but she chooses the only person she is aware of who – as a Kinsman Redeemer – can give Naomi a legitimate grandchild and carry on the line of her dead husband.

Ruth, to the surprise of no one, stays faithful to her word and to Naomi. A “worthy woman” indeed.

The Application

So then… what do I pull out of this that I can carry with me? In a word?

Priorities. 

You know, I had the opportunity to speak at ConnXion last week on Wednesday, and it was so fun. And it’s very encouraging to see a program that I had a part in helping to create still flourishing after all these years. Anyway, I talked with them about priorities. About pursuing things that last. About not looking for meaning and purpose and validation in these fads that come and go. I encouraged them to spend their lives chasing after God, and not to waste their lives chasing the wind. Which is a reference to the book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 2:10–11

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

Which brings us back around to that poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandius. See… the reason that this poem from 1818 still maintains its popularity over 200 years after it was penned is because it touches something deep inside us that recognizes the truth it speaks to. We see it all the time, people spend their lives, forsaking their friends, families, even children to try to become something or do something or leave something that will serve as some validator of their importance!

Maybe if I build this great company!

Maybe if I scale this giant mountain!

Maybe if I fly among the stars!

Maybe… maybe… maybe…

Maybe if you change history, then you will be remembered by a bunch of people who will themselves one day leave this flying rock we call earth. A rock which will also one day be destroyed and remade anew by the Lord of Lords and King of Kinds. 

“Wait a second there, cowboy!”, I hear you holler. “Are you saying that our lives on this earth and the legacy we leave doesn’t matter!?”

No. I am not saying that.

What I am saying is that we need to have our priorities straight. We need to keep the first things first. What’s the point in creating a legacy that — by the very nature of the earth — is temporary? Someone once described it to me as “being remembered by those who will be forgotten”. Like the once-great kingdom of the character of Ozymandias, one day it will be a scorching ocean of sand stretched out to meet the horizon.

Now, there is nothing wrong with leaving a legacy, but if God is our first priority, then the legacy we leave will be one not just of a tremorary, fleeting nature, but of eternal importance.

You would be hard-pressed to say that Ruth faithfulness to Naomi and to Naomi’s God did not leave a lasting legacy here on earth. She would become the great grandmother of King David. From her line would come Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord incarnate. Her exceptional faithfulness in raw definace of what most would call good common sense literally set the stage for the salvation of every person we will see in heaven.

The Call To Action

Friends, no matter if you are young or old. It’s not too late. This is the time to shift your priorities. Leave a legacy like Ruth did. 

Leave a legacy of faithfulness.
Leave a legacy of trustworthiness.
Leave a legacy of boldness.
Leave a legacy of forthrightness.
Leave a legacy of truthfulness.
Leave a legacy of trust.
Leave a legacy of holiness.
Leave a legacy of righteousness.
Leave a legacy of Godliness.

Don’t waste another minute of your life chasing the wind. Let’s focus on the kingdom of God first, everything else comes after that. Amen?