{"id":1178,"date":"2021-11-18T09:20:23","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=1178"},"modified":"2021-11-18T09:20:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:20:23","slug":"sheltered-by-his-garment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/18\/sheltered-by-his-garment\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheltered by His Garment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Throughout November we\u2019re taking an in-depth look at Ruth, the little book that helped pave the way for God’s Messiah to come into the world.<\/em>


The greatest tragedy is not that life comes to an end.

It\u2019s that fear makes us wait so long to really live.

We may think that bad theology is what keeps people away from God.  Actually, it\u2019s more often the terror of letting go of \u201cmy real life\u201d \u2013 my everyday existence which is known and predictable and under my control.  But surrendering my need to be in control is the only way I will ever find out if God is really God.   

Ruth confronts her fears and decides to pursue an extraordinary, faith-based gamble.  She risks her reputation and her well-being by approaching Boaz in the middle of the night at the threshing floor.  Here\u2019s what happens next:

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile.  Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.  In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.  \u201cWho are you?\u201d he asked.  \u201cI am your servant Ruth,\u201d she said.  \u201cSpread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer\u201d <\/em>(Ruth 3:7-9).

This is the big moment.  In the pitch darkness of the threshing floor, her heart beating fast, she is symbolically asking Boaz, \u201cWill you marry me?\u201d It\u2019s not as if she can say, \u201cHey, I\u2019m heading down to the mall tomorrow and wondered if maybe you\u2019d like to go and check out some wedding bands.  Every kiss begins with Kay, right?\u201d 

Boaz immediately recognizes what\u2019s at stake here.  He grasps the enormity of the risk Ruth is taking.  Instead of blasting her, he honors her.  He seems immediately won over by her sheer chutzpah:

\u201cThe Lord bless you, my daughter,\u201d  he replied.  \u201cThis kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier:  You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.  And now, my daughter, don\u2019t be afraid.  I will do for you all you ask.  All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character\u201d <\/em>(Ruth 3:10-11).

Here we arrive at a famously awkward moment in the history of interpretation. 

Different cultures cherish different euphemisms for human body parts.  It\u2019s well known that one of the ancient Hebrew euphemisms for male genitalia was \u201cfeet.\u201d  When Naomi instructed Ruth to lie down and uncover Boaz\u2019s feet, was she advising her to throw caution to the wind in their relationship?  This is where beginning Bible students sometimes say, \u201cYou know, this book is turning out to be a lot more interesting than I thought.\u201d 

But there are compelling reasons for affirming that there\u2019s not a hint of impropriety in this scene.

Consider Boaz\u2019s last sentence: \u201cAll my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of character.\u201d  Ruth is regarded as a person of unimpeachable honor.  In verse 14 he urges her not to talk up the fact that she, a woman, actually visited the threshing floor.  That\u2019s not a coverup of misbehavior, but a safeguarding of her reputation.  In an \u201chonor culture,\u201d even to this day, the value of one\u2019s reputation exceeds everything else.  Once sullied, it is virtually impossible to restore. 

In a statement that is often mis-attributed to Sigmund Freud, \u201cSometimes a cigar is just a cigar.\u201d  In Ruth chapter three, there are good reasons for believing that Boaz\u2019s feet are just Boaz\u2019s feet.   

Commentators agree, however, that there is<\/u><\/em> a Hebrew euphemism at the center of this text.

Ruth literally pulls back Boaz\u2019s garment, uncovering his feet, as a way to invite him figuratively<\/em> to spread that same cloak back over her.  This acted-out parable reflects an idea that was deeply planted in biblical culture.  Ruth is saying, \u201cWill you cover me with the protection of your faithfulness and love?\u201d

Here we recall that Boaz had told Ruth, on the day they first met, that he hoped the God of Israel would cover her with his wings.  Now Ruth is saying, \u201cBoaz, will you be the answer to your own prayer?  Will you become God\u2019s means of taking care of me?\u201d 

He responds tenderly:

\u201cBring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.\u201d  When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her\u2026  When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, \u201cHow did it go, my daughter?\u201d  Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, \u201cHe gave me these six measures of barley, saying, \u2018Don\u2019t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed\u2019\u201d <\/em>(Ruth 3:15-17).

Where have we heard that word \u201cempty\u201d before?  Back in chapter one, verse 21, Naomi had moaned as she returned to Bethlehem, \u201cI went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.\u201d  Now God is addressing her deepest needs.  He is re-filing her life with blessing.

It seems that we\u2019re headed for one whale of a happy ending.

But as is so often true, a major obstacle still looms. 

The final challenge for Ruth and Naomi will come into view tomorrow. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout November we\u2019re taking an in-depth look at Ruth, the little book that helped pave the way for God’s Messiah to come into the world. The greatest tragedy is not that life comes to an end. It\u2019s that fear makes us wait so long to really live. We may think that bad theology is what keeps people away from God. … Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[94,353],"class_list":["post-1178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-courage","tag-ruth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1178"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1180,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178\/revisions\/1180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}