{"id":2407,"date":"2023-03-01T07:28:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T12:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=2407"},"modified":"2023-03-01T07:28:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T12:28:31","slug":"ruth-316","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/01\/ruth-316\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruth 3:16"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>.

Every day during this season of Lent we\u2019re looking at one of the \u201c3:16\u201d verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th<\/sup> verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books.\u00a0<\/em>

\u201cWhen Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, \u2018How did it go, my daughter?\u2019\u201d

Over the centuries, that line \u2013 or something very much like it \u2013 has been spoken countless times in countless families.

Somebody has been sitting at home, gripped by suspense, waiting for a relative\u2019s return.\u00a0 \u00a0

They only want to know one thing:\u00a0 How was the job interview?\u00a0 Did you win the big game?\u00a0 Do you think he might actually be The One?\u00a0 How did it go?<\/em>

In the case of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, the future is very much on the line.\u00a0 Everything has come down to a single all-or-nothing relational roll of the dice.\u00a0 As a pair of widows living in the ancient Near East, they have no income.\u00a0 No 401(k).\u00a0 No pension or Social Security.\u00a0 If Ruth can somehow end up with Mr. Right, they won\u2019t have to wonder where their next meal will come from.\u00a0 They can dream of a household with little children.\u00a0 God will finally remove their shame. \u00a0The future will be filled with hope.\u00a0

Ruth is a small Old Testament book with a huge message: God can be trusted<\/em>.\u00a0

But on the road to the future that God is providing, we will almost certainly need to take risks of faith that other people may find unacceptable.\u00a0 Unless we surrender our need to be in control every minute of every day, we will never find out if God is really God.\u00a0

During the time of the Judges, circumstances have left Naomi and Ruth, two generations in the same household, without husbands. \u00a0Now they are working and praying and hoping that God will address their urgent needs.\u00a0

Suddenly, out of the blue, an opportunity presents itself.\u00a0 \u201cIt just so happens\u201d (that\u2019s the Bible\u2019s subtle way of saying that God is working behind the scenes) Ruth finds herself gleaning in the fields of a man named Boaz.\u00a0 He\u2019s highly respected.\u00a0 And gracious.\u00a0 And compassionate.\u00a0 And, according to his Facebook page, single.\u00a0

It\u2019s barley harvest time, and Boaz is spending the whole night, alone, at the threshing floor watching over his grain.\u00a0 No one has posted a sign that says For Men Only, but in this culture it\u2019s abundantly clear that a young woman of good character would never dare to enter this scene unaccompanied.

But Ruth dares.\u00a0 \u00a0

With Naomi\u2019s encouragement, she decides to pursue an extraordinary, faith-based gamble. \u00a0She risks her reputation and her well-being by approaching Boaz in the middle of the night at the threshing floor.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.\u00a0 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cI am your servant Ruth,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \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.\u00a0 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. \u00a0A diamond lasts forever, right?\u201d\u00a0

Boaz immediately recognizes what\u2019s at stake here.\u00a0 He grasps the enormity of the risk Ruth is taking.\u00a0 Instead of blasting her, he honors her.\u00a0 He seems immediately won over by her sheer audacity:

\u201cThe Lord bless you, my daughter,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cThis kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier:\u00a0You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.\u00a0 And now, my daughter, don\u2019t be afraid.\u00a0 I will do for you all you ask.\u00a0 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.\u00a0

Different cultures cherish different euphemisms for human body parts.\u00a0 It\u2019s well known that one of the ancient Hebrew euphemisms for male genitalia was \u201cfeet.\u201d\u00a0 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?\u00a0 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\u00a0

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\u00a0 Ruth is regarded as a person of unimpeachable honor. \u00a0In verse 14 he urges her not to talk up the fact that she, a woman, actually visited the threshing floor.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a coverup of misbehavior, but a safeguarding of her reputation. \u00a0In an \u201chonor culture,\u201d even to this day, the value of one\u2019s reputation exceeds everything else.\u00a0 Once sullied, it is virtually impossible to restore.\u00a0

In Ruth chapter three, there are good reasons for believing that Boaz\u2019s feet are just Boaz\u2019s feet.\u00a0 \u00a0

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

Ruth literally<\/em> pulls back Boaz\u2019s garment, uncovering his feet, as a way to invite him figuratively<\/em> to spread that same cloak back over her.\u00a0 This acted-out parable reflects an idea that was deeply planted in biblical culture.\u00a0 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 while she was gleaning, that he hoped the God of Israel would cover her with his wings.\u00a0 Now Ruth is saying, \u201cBoaz, will you be the answer to your own prayer?\u00a0 Will you become God\u2019s means of taking care of me?\u201d\u00a0

He responds tenderly:

\u201cBring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.\u201d\u00a0 When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her\u2026\u00a0 [When Ruth returned home] she told [Naomi] 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).

\u201cEmpty\u201d is a key word in the book of Ruth.\u00a0 In chapter one, verse 21, Naomi moans as she trudges sadly back to her hometown of Bethlehem, \u201cI went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.\u201d\u00a0 Now God is addressing her deepest needs.\u00a0 She will not be empty-handed.\u00a0 He is re-filing her life with blessing.

So let\u2019s revisit our \u201c3.16\u201d verse.\u00a0 How did last night go?

It went very well.

Boaz has resolved to marry Ruth.\u00a0 Soon they will have a little boy named Obed.\u00a0 And he\u2019ll have a little boy named Jesse.\u00a0 And he\u2019ll have a son named David.\u00a0

And one day, in the distant future, a descendant of David will be born in Bethlehem so he can provide God\u2019s gifts of peace and joy to planet Earth.

Not bad at all for a first date.\u00a0 \u00a0
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here. Every day during this season of Lent we\u2019re looking at one of the \u201c3:16\u201d verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books.\u00a0 \u201cWhen Ruth came to her… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[571],"class_list":["post-2407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-316-verses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407","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=2407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2409,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407\/revisions\/2409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}