INTRO STORY
You know, I was a youth pastor for many years, and had a number of wonderful, memorable students over that time. For a season during seminary I ran both the senior (grade 8–12) and junior (grade 5–8) youth ministries. I had no adult leaders during this time. So the students in the senior group help to run their own program, and they were also my leadership team with the junior students. They played on the worship team, they created and executed games. They were small group leaders and mentors, they ran sound and tech and lighting. It was a wonderful time during which I made many enduring memories. And a time that I would not wish on my worst enemy. Anyway, I remember talking to one young woman in the senior group, maybe 14 or 15 years old, who thought she had nothing to offer. That she had nothing of value to bring to the table like the other students did. I sat with her after one of the programs on the sidewalk in front of the church and told her;
God created your exactly the way He needs you to be, in order to do what He needs you to do. All you have to do it follow His lead.
All you have to do is follow His lead.
RECAP
Ruth, recently widowed, follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem in Israel and she meets a man of Noble character named Boaz who let Ruth work in his fields through the harvest to provider for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. His generosity and Ruth’s hard work, bring her out of the depression she had been in.
PASSAGE
1 One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. 2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.” 5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied.
PRAYER
BREAKDOWN
Before we take a look at the details of Naomi’s plan, I think it’s worth drawing attention to the turnaround in her life. She is starting to see her way out of this depression that she had previously embraced.
No doubt her trauma was significant, losing your spouse and both of your children would be a devastating event for anyone. But grieving trauma doesn’t have to mean that you stop living life, or that life is no longer worth the living. Because – as we talked about last time – our hope is not in status, money, jobs, or even those most important to us. Our hope is in Jesus.
And here we’ve seen Ruth pouring into her mother-in-law, into her friend until Naomi can finally see her way out. We see that she has one kinsman redeemer in Boaz, but also a piece of land owned by her late husband, another kinsman redeer – who we have not yet met – and the unwavering love of her daughter-in-law.
And now Naomi has come back to life and has hatched… quite a plan…
Let’s break this down:
1 One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for.
In verse one, we see Naomi’s motherly instinct kicking back in. She is again aware that she is accountable for the welfare of Ruth. Ruth is now under the authority of Naomi the matriarch. And as we all know, Biblical authority does not mean POWER, it means responsibility. Again we see the change in Naomi from the woman who didn’t even acknowledge Ruth when the pair arrived in Bethlehem who suddenly is concerned with her security.
2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor.
Naomi first sets the scene, telling both us and Ruth what will be happening this evening, the final night of the harvest season.
Winnowing was – surprisingly enough – a geographical process. DESCRIBE WINNOWING. This was hard work that would cap two straight months of long days. But Conrad, you gifted theological expositor, I hear you say, why does any of this matter?
Great question!
Readers of Ruth back in the day would have heard Naomi discussing the threshing floor and their ears would have instantly perked up. And possibly even raised an eyebrow. But why? Because the threshing floor was associated with sexual debauchery. Promiscuity. And a total lack of sexual morality. At first I couldn’t understand why, but then I thought about it like this:
When a sports club wins a championship, very typically you’ll see a celebration like this one by the 2015 TORONTO BLUE JAYS. This is the conclusion of months of labour. Years, in the case of some players. And I have every confidence that this party extends well into the evening.
I suspect that something similar happened during the evening of the winnowing on the threshing floor. And what’s more, I suspect that this was either a well-known or long-standing event, because Naomi has only been back since the beginning of the harvest season, and before that, had missed a decade of harvest seasons in Bethelehem. So then, if you had not originally raised an eyebrow when Naomi set the scene for her plan, perhaps you are now?
Let’s read on…
3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
This is it. This is Naomi’s plan.
- Get cleaned up
- Put on perfume
- Dress real nice
- Go to party central
- Hide until the party’s over
- Go to his bedroom
- Uncover his lower extremities
- Lay with him
Umm… what?
Can I just say that if someone came to me with this plan, I would think it is a terrible idea! Would you present your daughter with this plan? Isn’t Naomi basically telling Ruth to sneak into a drunk man’s bedroom and seduce him? I mean, there is even a theory within ancient literature and Biblical scholarship that understands “feet” to be a euphamism for “genitals”. And also; why all the cloak-and-dagger black ops ninja spy stuff? This rather bizarre-seeming passage can leave you asking.
Alright, so, let’s go back to our LIST and decide what the best way to tackle this is…
Let’s start with 4. “Go to party central”
We know from our study in chapter 2 that Boaz is a man of noble character. So probably not a drunk, and probably not given to drunkenness and carousing about. But if that’s the case, why would he have been at party central at all? Because it was his grain. It was his investment and it was his jbo to make sure it was safe. The workers that partied all night probably wouldn’t have been much good if a thief had come. Boaz didn’t get to the position he had by being careless.
Let’s take a look at number 6 next. “Go to his bedroom”
Salacious, right? Not really. Where Boaz laid could hardly be described as a bedroom. The threshing floor would have been an open-air space, likely enclosed with a short stone fence and open to the wind. The breeze was critical to the threshing process. The area itself would not have easily lent itself to privacy… which brings us to…
Number 5. Hide until the party’s over.
Why wait until after the party? You’re probably guessing “privacy”. Which isn’t wrong, but it’s an incomplete answer. There’s a lot going on here, but it’s easily unpacked. Yes, Ruth does want privacy with Boaz… later. But she also doesn’t want to be seen as an option for a possible sexual encounter during the evening’s festivities. So it’s for her protection in a way. She also wants to protect Boaz’s reputation. And maybe even spare him the embarassment of being put on the spot if he chooses to turn her away.
But what about number 7? “Uncover his lower extremities”.
What sort of obscure ancient near eastern cultural practice was this? What Indiana Jones/National Treasure/DaVinci Code secrets need to be unlocked to dislodge the truth of this forgotten Hebrew custom? What sort of Stonecutters shenanigans are going on here?
Nothing. Honestly. There are a group of people who postulate that this was derivied from or was the deriviation ofthis or that custom, but the reality is far simpler. It’s basically just a silent alarm clock. Ever have your feet uncovered when you fall asleep? It wakes you up, right? Because when you sleep your body temperature will drop by a degree or two. Which is why sometimes you might fall asleep without a blanket, but then wake up cold later in the evening, even if the temperature hasn’t changed all that much. This was just a way of quietly waking Boaz after she was sure everyone else would be asleep. But how could she be sure he would see her? That he would address her? Well, that bring us to…
Number 8. Lay with him.
Where is she laying? At his side? Snuggled under his arm? Does she jump into the “big sponn” position? No, she is laying down by his uncovered feet. You ever get the blanket curled up on your legs? It’s nearly impossible to kick it back down and get a satisfactory covering. You’ve gotta turn over, sit up, and re-arrange the thing. And I suspect you might notice someone laying down there who wasn’t there when you fell asleep!
Naomi wanted to be sure that even if Ruth fell asleep waiting for Boaz to awaken, he would see her. She did not want to miss her opportunity. And moreover, this position also would have been one that demonstrated Ruth’s submission to Boaz’s authority. A big risk to be sure. She must surely have trusted that he was indeed a man of noble character. That just leaves…
1, 2, and 3. Get cleaned up, Put on perfume, Dress real nice.
While I’m sure that Ruth and Naomi valued being visually pleasing, as indeed most of us still do today. There’s aren’t many among us who intend to look bad. So I’m sure this was a consideration, but I think this is more than merely an attempt to increase physical attractiveness.
Remember, Naomi has been in mourning. Probably dressed like a widow who is in mourning. This is why – for the last 7–8 weeks of the harvest – Boaz has kept his distance from Ruth. She is now dressed and appears as a woman who is once again seeking betrothal. She is now ready for remarriage.
5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied.
Ruth agrees to follow through with Naomi’s plan. And Naomi’s plan is designed to get Ruth taken care of, and of course, along with that comes care for Naomi as well.
So what about the “Evil Naomi” theory? Where she is just trying to get Ruth into a situation where Boaz will be ensnared by the sexual act and forced to look after Ruth? It could be right? It’s possible, isn’t it?
Well… yes… it’s possible. In the same way that it’s possible the Moon Landing was faked. Or in the same way that it’s possible we all live in the Matrix and none of the material world is real. It’s possible… but it’s not probable.
Naomi and Ruth are leaning hard on Boaz’s good reputation. It is a big risk, and we don’t yet know how it will turn out. We are like Ruth, taking that leap of faith and hoping to come out the other side better for the experience. Better for the chance taken. Better for the risk.
Naomi’s plan is to put Ruth and Boaz in a place where they can be alone, and where Ruth can make her intentions and desires perfectly clear. And doing so in a way that gives Boaz the chance to back out and save face. There is nothing sinister or nefarious in Naomi’s plan. It is merely the orchestration of some quiet alone time between the two.
And Ruth, knowing the potential risks are great if Boaz is not the man of noble character she believes him to be… knowing that… goes along with it.
ALLEGORY EXPLAINED
I hear you saying, “Conrad. It is a beautiful story, but what does that have to do with me?”
If you’re getting ready to send your daughter out on a mission like the one Ruth underrook… go ahead and don’t. Ruth is a history book, not an instruction manual. So that’s not it.
Some people have taken away from this romantic book that you ladies need to wait for your Boaz, just like Ruth did. And when I hear that, I cannot help but scratch my head. Wait for your Boaz like Ruth did? Are we reading the same book of Ruth here?
Telling you that you gotta wait for your Boaz when RUTH didn’t even wait for her Boaz. Ruth was a widow… which means she was already married. What a wallflower. Ruth sneaks up to Boaz in his sleep to make her intentions of marriage known to him. Such an introvert.
No that’s no good either.
CALL TO ACTION
Just like that young woman about whom I shared at the beginning of the sermon today, God has also made you exactly as He needs you to be, in order to do what He needs you to do. All you have to do is follow His lead.
Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote a book that I haven’t read, so this isn’t an endorsement, but I love the title. You’re Not Enough (and That’s Ok). I think that’s a reflection on this verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me
But what does that look like?
See, God is shaping us and forming us. Through the way he speaks to us in prayer. Through the truth he speaks to us in the scriptures. Through the relationships we cultivate in the church. And through the experiences we have in our lives.
When I started at Metro Kids way back in the early aughts, my previous work experience was manual labour working for my father, and pizza delivery working for Little Caesars. Mike and I used to joke that my ability and willingness to DIY or find an obscure address in the dark might have been the best possible training I could have had for my internships with Metro Kids.
I don’t know where God’s path is taking you, but when it doesn’t seem to make any sense, you need to trust that God has something for you. You need to have a little faith in Him. I like to quote this song because I think it’s fun take on the idea that everything works together for God’s purposes.
I think about the years I spent just passin’ through
I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You’ve been there, you understand
It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true
There are two ways this can be misunderstood.
The first possible misunderstanding might lead you to say, “Conrad, you keep telling me that God has something for me. I assume it means riches and fame, but what else can I expect?”.
Well, God’s plan could be riches and fame. But it could be a life of poverty like Mother Teresa. It could be health and happiness, or it could be illness and suffering like Nabeel Qureshi. It could be a long, fruitful life surrounded by family and friends, or maybe we will die untimely deaths – as at least half of the disciples who lived and worked side-by-side with Jesus did.
But our hope is not here on this earth, amen? And we have no idea how our contributions will ripple through history, even if we don’t see earth shaking changes now. Our goal, our hope, our future is not in this life, but in the next one. Don’t misunderstand me; we should steward this life well, but it is only temporary.
And the second misunderstanding?
This second one has more recently gained prominance in the popular culture. This is manifested in the idea of “lived experience”. Now, I am not saying that lived experience is not a thing. Obviously we all have lived experiences. Indeed I am stating outright that lived experiences shape and mold us into who we become. But the idea that has become popular is that our individual “lived experiences” can lead us to truth. And this truth can be an objective “THE truth” or a subjective “MY truth”, depending on what the individual’s takeaway from the experience was. But we’ve got this all wrong. We cannot interpret these things ourselves. Those things that we experience will shape us in good and bad ways!
- GOOD – Mike taking the spit.
- BAD – Picked on by Muslim and Sikh kids.
There’s two problems with this approach. The first is that we cannot take our personal experiences and extrapolate them out and map them on a wider group. We don’t know that our experiences are universally – or even broadly – representative of the people that we are mapping them to. But more than that, how are we interpreting the data we recieve? And the second problem with this approach is; How are we filtering our lived experiences to glean that truth from them? The solution we employ most often is to interpret those lived experiences ourselves, using – I suppose – other lived experiences as the fitler. This is like trying to get an accurate view of ourselves using only funhouse mirrors. We are all tainted by sin, and so our interpretations will also be tainted and distorted in the same way.
Rather, as we read in 1 Thessalonians at the start of today’s service, “test everything and hold on to what is good”. And how do we “test” everything? Against the Bible, right? With prayer and the input from our church community, but always against the Bible.
Our natural tendancy is to hold on to power, to inflate the authority of our own opinions, to take pride in the assertion of our knowledgeability. But instead, like Ruth, we should we shoudl humble ourselves, and trust God to lead us. The oft-used phrase “let go and let God” comes into play here.
Friends; We need to believe. I mean we need to really believe. I mean we need to really really believe that what God has is more valuable than what we have. Because if we don’t believe that deep down in the core of our souls, we will never be able to fully let go and experience the true joy and freedom that comes from trusting Jesus. The freedom that releases us from fear, worry, and anxiety. The joy that passes all understanding and gives us hope even in the most dire circumstances.
Do you believe that what God has is more valuable than what you have?