A Love Story for All Time    
A study in the book of Ruth
lesson #3: Ruth chapter three.

Scripture:

Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor, but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. It shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”

She said to her, “All that you say I will do.” She went down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law told her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came softly, uncovered his feet, and laid her down. It happened at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, “Who are you?”

She answered, “I am Ruth your handmaid. Therefore spread your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.”

He said, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you didn’t follow young men, whether poor or rich. Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman. Now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman nearer than I. Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for you, then will I do the part of a kinsman for you, as Yahweh lives. Lie down until the morning.”

She lay at his feet until the morning. She rose up before one could discern another. For he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” He said, “Bring the mantle that is on you, and hold it.” She held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.

When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?”

She told her all that the man had done to her. She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley; for he said, ‘Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law.’”

Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing this day.”

Ruth chapter Three       (World English Bible)

[.]

A Love Story for All Time    
A study in the book of Ruth
lesson #3: Ruth chapter three.

Bible Study:

Here in the third chapter of the book of Ruth, a picture of redemption begins to emerge. In the first chapter, we saw tragedy and bitterness. In the second chapter, God provided food and shelter for the day. 

Now God will begin to fashion a more complete redemption.

One quick caution. Here the story depends more and more on customs that we don’t know, or at least we don’t know them well. The simple story is clear enough. But the specifics of the language and traditions are not clear at all.

To make things easier, we’ll focus on the simple part of the story, primarily, and try to at least consider the customs along the way.

As the chapter begins, Naomi decides that it is time to take a more decisive step. Ruth needs a husband, and Boaz is the ideal candidate.

But courtship is not simple. So Naomi hatches a plan that turns out to be horribly complicated and slightly dangerous.

The fact that she is involved in this plot is not surprising. In a way, she is doing what a good mother would do. Many marriages in Ruth’s time were contracted or arranged.

In fact, the arranged marriage would have been the more normal way for a young couple to meet. There were no internet dating services or coffee shops or college campuses where young adults could mingle and talk.

Without those modern conveniences, a couple would need someone to go between the families and make a good match. A match-maker. A good mother might work very diligently to find just the right spouse for her son or daughter.

So Naomi couldn’t help thinking about Ruth’s welfare. Ruth has given Naomi so much support. Now Naomi can do something in return. She can help her daughter-in-law find a husband.

Naomi doesn’t seem to have the means to just walk into Boaz’ house and broker a contract. There is no dowry to make the arrangement attractive. She has nothing to trade. No cash to give the other family. No investments.

But Naomi has one thing in her favor. It’s an old custom that shows up from time to time in the Old Testament.

You could call it the Law of the Redeemer.

This is where things get a little confusing.

In a day when family line and inheritance were of primary importance, there were provisions to redeem a piece of land that had been sold or to redeem a person that had been reduced to poverty.

The responsibility would fall to a family member. They could step in and free the land or free the person from slavery. In fact, there is an expectation that family would do exactly that.

And if a husband died before he and his wife could have children, there was another custom. The brother would take the woman as his own wife, and the first son born to them would be the heir of the wife’s first husband.

The son would actually be called by the first husband’s name. Not the first name, necessarily. But the family name.

This is the son of Bartholomew.  

Wait a minute! Bartholomew died, and he didn’t have any children!

Well, yes, but this is the son of his wife, Ethel, and her new husband, Fred, who was Bartholomew’s brother, so technically, it’s the son of Fred, but legally it’s the son of Bartholomew, which is really confusing.

Well, anyway, that’s the way it worked.

When Ruth talks to Boaz, she calls him a kinsman-redeemer, or something like that. She is referring to this very provision in the law. The Law of the Redeemer. And that means that she is asking Boaz to raise up a son for the family of Elimilech.

In a way, this would be a son for Naomi. She would have family again, and an inheritance, and a future, and a reason to continue.

This would not be an easy decision for a potential kinsman-redeemer. In Genesis, there is a story of a woman named Tamar. She married a son of Judah, the dude who was the actual son of Jacob named Judah, whose descendants formed the tribe of Judah, who inhabit the area around Bethlehem in the days of Ruth.

A little trivia there.

Anyway, Tamar’s husband died. And they had no children.

Stop me if you’ve heard this.

The brother of Tamar’s husband was asked to step in and provide for Tamar. And that included this business of providing a son.

But he didn’t want the son to be the heir of his brother. So he arranged to keep Tamar childless. The arrangement had the appearance of redemption, but in his heart he hated the idea.

He died. In fact, the Bible says that God killed him for being unfaithful to his responsibility to raise up a son for his brother’s family.

In some ways, the story of Judah and Tamar is a startling parallel to the story of Ruth. It isn’t the same, by any means. But the theme of childlessness and redemption makes for an interesting comparison.

For now, let’s just notice that there is a provision for the wife, and there is a cost to the person who will serve as the redeemer.

Now back to the story.

The season of grain harvest must have been a time to celebrate, especially when the harvest was plentiful. The threshing floor was a wide area that could accommodate a number of farmers at one time. It might even be used as a dance floor, once all the farming equipment was pushed to the side.   

The work of harvesting grain was complicated. The stalks were gathered and bundled so they could be taken to the place where they would be threshed.

Threshing was simply beating the head of the grain to break the shell and let the actual grain spill out. Much like getting a peanut out of a shell, only the grain would be much, much smaller. 

Then there is another process, which is known as winnowing. The grain had to be separated from the chaff, which were the bits of empty shell that remained after the grain was threshed.

The easiest way to winnow the grain might be to toss it up in the air. The wind would blow away the lighter chaff, leaving the heavier grain to fall back to the ground. At that point, the farmer would be left with a pile of usable grain.

So that’s the situation.

Boaz will be winnowing grain, which apparently means that he will be spending the night at the threshing floor. Either the job is an all-night task or the harvest is an excuse for a late-night party. One way or the other, Boaz will be in a public place all night. 

Naomi sends Ruth on what seems to be a rather dangerous assignment. She can’t just call on her cell phone, so this may be the only way to contact Boaz privately.

It’s all very secret.

When Boaz finds a place to lie down for the night, Ruth is watching. She doesn’t talk to Boaz directly. She stays hidden away in the darkness, or in the crowd.

But when the man seems to be asleep, she creeps up to him and lies down near him. And she does something else, and—honestly—people have been totally confused about this for years.

She uncovers his feet.

That phrase must have meant something to the Hebrews that we have lost. The simplest definition is that she moved Boaz’s robe so that his feet would get cold and he would wake up at some point during the night.

And when he woke up, he would notice her, lying nearby, down by his feet.

But the phrase has a more romantic or sexual suggestion to it, as if Ruth was actually lying next to him, covered in his robe. One author suggests that the thing that woke Boaz was a sharp elbow in the ribs from Ruth.

However you read the story, the ending is the same. Ruth is asking for Boaz to take her as his wife, and she is claiming a legal right to do so. There is a responsibility here, if Boaz will accept it. It is his job to raise up a son for his relative and a family for Naomi.

Most men don’t wake up to an unsolicited marriage proposal in the middle of the night. But Boaz doesn’t seem very surprised. I wonder if he had the same idea, in his own mind.

He certainly doesn’t have any objection. Ruth has acquired a wonderful reputation.

In fact, Boaz credits Ruth with an unusual kindness. It was enough to stay by Naomi and help her, even though Ruth had to leave her own home to come to a strange land. But here in Judah, she could have married any young single dude and made a new home for herself.

But by waiting for a family member to redeem the family name, she has preserved Naomi’s honor and pride and position. She has made a home for both of them, Ruth and Naomi.

So yes, Boaz likes the plan.

There is just one problem.

There is another relative, also in a position to redeem Naomi’s family. In fact, he is in a much better position, according to the law of redemption, or according to custom. So he has the first choice.

If he will rescue Ruth and Naomi, then Boaz will step away. But if not, then Boaz will act. So either way, Ruth has her answer. Legally, she’s set.

But personally, aren’t we all cheering for Boaz right about now? We don’t know the other guy. But we know Boaz, and we know that there is something there between him and Ruth. A chemistry. A little heavenly match-making.

Boaz is the guy.

He sends Ruth away with a gift of barley to bring to Naomi. Maybe this is a wedding gift for the family of the bride, something to prove his intentions and seal the engagement. Maybe he’s just being nice.

Either way, you have to like this guy.

He sends her away secretly, but not in total darkness. Stay until the streets are safe, and then slip away in the mix of people that rise up early to move around the streets of Bethlehem.

Ruth returns to Naomi to tell her everything that happens. And there the chapter ends.

With a question.

Who will be the redeemer for Ruth and Naomi?

Okay, it isn’t much of a question, even if you haven’t read the next chapter. I think Naomi is certain that Boaz will make it happen. That promise to step away if the other guy wants to be the redeemer—I think he said that to be polite.

He will find a way to be Ruth’s answer to prayer. And we won’t have to wait long to find out how. 

And by the way, don’t lose track of the answer-to-prayer thing. God has been working behind the scenes to provide something for Ruth and Naomi. At first it was a provision for the day. Now it shapes up into an answer for a lifetime.

A home. A heritage. Hope.

And more.

This is not just a nice guy. This is a husband who will love Ruth. It’s a love story. And in a day when marriage did not necessarily include love, this is an amazing, wonderful, fun, grab-the-kleenex, cry-at-the-wedding story.

That’s what God provides. A grace that feels good. A love like no other.

And still more, besides. There is something here that goes far beyond even Ruth’s great need. The answer will supply a redeemer for all the ages.

One more chapter to come. Sit still and wait. The matter will be decided before the day is done.

[.]

A Love Story for All Time    
A study in the book of Ruth
lesson #3: Ruth chapter three.

Paraphrase:

Eventually, Naomi decided that it was time to find a husband for Ruth, to provide for Ruth. “Boaz would be a perfect husband for you,” she told Ruth. “He is family.”

Naomi knew that Boaz would be winnowing barley on the threshing floor that evening. So she told Ruth to wash and put on her best clothes, and then go to the threshing floor. But she wasn’t supposed to just walk up and talk to Boaz. She would wait until he lay down to sleep. Then she would lie down next to Boaz and wait until he noticed her.

Naomi was certain that Boaz would know what to do.

Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

The workers were celebrating the harvest, and Boaz had a lot to eat and drink. He lay down at the far end of the grain pile to sleep, and Ruth came up to him quietly and moved the edge of his robe so that his feet were uncovered. Then she lay down next to Boaz, at his feet. In the middle of the night, something startled Boaz, and he turned and noticed a woman lying next to him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I’m your servant, Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment to cover me, since you are able to redeem me and my family."

Boaz was impressed. "The Lord bless you, my daughter," he said. "You have been very kind to your mother-in-law, but this is an even greater kindness. You didn’t run after the first available young man to be your husband. You have chosen to redeem the name of your family.”

 “Don't be afraid,” he said. “I will do for you all you ask. Everyone in town knows that you are a woman of noble character. But there is one small problem. There is another man who is nearer to your family, and he would have the first responsibility to step in and act as a redeemer. But don’t worry. Stay here for the night, and in the morning we will ask him. If he wants to act as your redeemer, then that would be a good thing. Let him be the redeemer. But if he is not willing, I will do it, and the Lord will confirm my pledge. Lie here until morning."

So she lay beside him until morning, but she got up while it was still dark, before anyone could be recognized.

He told her not to let anyone see her leave. But before she left, he took her shawl and measured out handfuls of barley, enough for several meals. He put the shawl over her shoulders, and then he went to town.

Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, who was waiting to find out how things had gone. Ruth told the whole story, and she showed the barley that Boaz had given her.

“He didn’t want me to come back to you empty-handed,” she said.

“Now we have to wait,” Naomi said, “but not for long. This man will not rest until he settles the matter. It will all be decided today.”

Ruth chapter three    (paraphrased)

[.]

A Love Story for All Time    
A study in the book of Ruth
lesson #3: Ruth chapter three.

Story:

The Long Journey to Pleasant Valley

by Bob Freye

Chapter Three: Hope

The tiny boarding room was filled with dresses laid out on the bed and over the chair and across the top of the dresser. Beth had brought most anything she could get her hands on from her own closet, and she had borrowed a few more from friends, just to be certain.

Probably too much, she thought. They only needed one. But they had cooked up a plan, and an important plan needed just the right dress.

They chose something simple, because they didn’t want to attract too much attention, and with just a bit of ruffle at the neckline and a waist that they could pull in tight, because they wanted to attract a little attention, after all.

That was the whole idea.

Ruth stood fidgeting in the middle of the room while Beth added the final few stitches to a temporary hem and Naomi went over the last details of the plan for the hundredth time.  

“So you’ll talk only with him,” Naomi fretted. “Don’t dawdle along the way, and don’t stop to pass the time with anyone else.”

“And don’t let the dress collect too much dust from the road,” Beth added as she stitched. “Let him see how nice you clean up.”  

Naomi pushed herself off the bed and made her way over to Ruth. She licked a finger and rubbed at a faint spot on Ruth’s face, until Ruth brushed the hand away.

“He knows what I look like,” Ruth complained. “It’s too late to put any other picture in his mind.”

“The only time he sees you,” Beth warned, “you’re covered in stains or up to your elbows in dishwater. It wouldn’t hurt to show him what he’s missing.”  

So Ruth stood patiently while Naomi scrubbed away a layer of skin. Then when they had finished with all the emergency sewing, and the plan was sufficiently muddled by countless rehearsals, they sent Ruth off with a bundle in her arms, out of the café, across the dusty street, and down to the barn that stood nearly completed at the edge of town.

Most of the cowboys had cleared out by now. The rough work was done, and only a few finishing touches remained. Those required skilled carpenters.

Tag Bozeman was always at the barn to make the last-minute decisions that only the owner can make. An iron ring on the wall to tether a horse. A ramp for a delivery wagon. A board that should be trim-white instead of barn-red. How big to make the letters on the sign.

But there were only so many decisions that required a Bozeman. Soon even the finishing touches would be—well, finished. And Tag Bozeman would be off to who knows where.

If that happened, the plan probably wouldn’t work. It had to be today. It had to be now.

The men were discussing the direction that a gate would swing, either out to the right or out to the left. It didn’t seem to Ruth that there was much difference between right and left, but the question certainly seemed to keep the men huddled together for a good long time.

Ruth kept her distance while the group talked their way through every possible option for hanging every possible door, gate, or shutter. Then when the decision seemed to materialize, she stepped closer and positioned herself in the most likely path of Tag Bozeman.

It was a big barn. He could have gone in any direction. But he didn’t. As he turned away from the carpenters, who were now busy fitting the hinge, he nearly bumped directly into Ruth.

So far, the plan was working.

“Well, my!” he said in a rush of polite enthusiasm. His eyes took in the dress with obvious approval, but he said simply, “Nice to see you outside of the café.”

At this point, the plan called for a coy smile, but the best that Ruth could manage was a distinct reddening of her cheeks.

She held out the package. “Thought you might need some lunch.”

He took the package and unwrapped a rather thick sandwich with a slice of pickle on the side. “Beth made this for me?” he asked with a hint of suspicion.

“Beth didn’t make it. I made it.”

“You’re cooking now?”

Her answer tumbled out before she could stop it.

“I’ll have you know that I can find my way around a kitchen just fine!” She was steaming hot, and it surprised her. “And for your information, piling meat on two slices of bread is not considered cooking!”

There was more to say on the subject, but she finally got hold of the reins and brought the runaway to a halt. He didn’t mean any of that, of course. He was asking if she was cooking at the café, which would have been a promotion from her current duties.

He had intended it as a compliment, no doubt, but she had nearly taken his head off.

That was not like her. The plan was making her nervous. Everything depended on this moment, and she was making a mess of it.

But he was smiling.

“It’s about time she let you do more,” he said.

She could feel her face burn.

“You can’t fault Beth for anything. She’s been awfully good to us, more than we deserve. But thank you for saying.” 

“Not at all,” he said.

And they stood there for a moment, half in light, half in shadow, him holding a beef sandwich still wrapped in paper with a pickle on the side, her feeling very empty in a borrowed dress that would go back to its own closet before the day was done.

Finally he asked, “What do I owe you for the sandwich?” 

And she told him. “Five thousand two hundred and eight-six dollars and eleven cents.”

She had expected something. Some reaction.

Maybe it was the cowboy in him. He just looked thoughtful.

“Five thousand two hundred and eight-six dollars,” he repeated.

 Ruth added, “And eleven cents.”

It had to be exact.

“Ordinarily that’s a bit high for a sandwich,” Tag said, “but you did deliver it, and that’s worth something.”

This was the moment. The plan. The preparation. The dress. All the worry. It was all for this moment.

“I don’t carry that much cash,” he said calmly. “But if you can wait to settle up after lunch—“

“Aren’t you going to ask me?”

Now it was his face that reddened.

“Ask you what?” 

“Don’t you even want to know why?”

“Is it any of my business?”

“Tag Bozeman, you are the slowest man in the entire county!”

She was fuming again, but he just smiled.

“So I’m told,” he admitted.  

“Before she left town,” Ruth started to explain, “Naomi had a farm.”

“A small farm,” Tag added. “Not much of a place.”

“Well, we don’t have a lot of choices,” she fired back. “And we need the money—“

He completed the sentence for her. “For back taxes. And it’s ninety-six dollars. Not eighty-six.”

It always bothered her to get a number wrong, especially when she had rehearsed it. But at the moment, something else bothered her even more.

He knew.

He already knew the number.

“And if you get the farm back,” he asked, “who will run it?”

“I can work.”

“Everybody in town knows that. But a farm is hard enough work for two, and Naomi is not in any shape to do chores.”

“What’s your point?”

He took a deep breath.

“Every cowboy for miles around would like to make a home for you. I happen to know that, because cowboys talk.”

“They haven’t talked to me,” she said.

“Out of respect, I suppose.” He was working up to something, and it wasn’t easy. “Yes, I’d say it’s out of respect, not for you, so much as for me.”

“What are you saying?”

“I guess I’m saying that they all know,” he paused, “that I was going to get around to asking you myself.”

She drew in a deep breath.

“Ask me what?”

He gathered his courage.

“Ask you if every sandwich you make for me, after we’re married, will cost me over five thousand dollars.”

She smiled.

“Just this one.”

“I have a farm of my own, and it’s pretty big,” he said. “Room enough for Naomi, and you, and plenty of kids besides.”

“Think of Naomi,” Ruth told him. “She has lost everything. Shouldn’t she have something of her own back.”

He nodded.

“Fair enough. But there’s a problem. Someone else has an offer on that property.”

Her heart sank.

“The plan included the farm,” she said.

“What plan?”

Ruth shook head. “Nothing.” 

And she noticed that Tag had a very nice smile. She could get used to that.

“I’ll talk to the banker,” he told her, “just as soon as I take care of this.” He held up the sandwich.

She smiled. “Hope you like it,” she said.

He looked pained. “So do I! Cost me enough!”

He called for one of the hands to walk her back to the café. And he took a moment to write out an invoice that promised the full payment of five thousand two hundred ninety-six dollars and eleven cents for a sandwich. The pickle, he noted at the bottom of the paper, was free.

The cowboy delivered her safely to the wooden plank sidewalk in front of Beth’s, where the conspirators waited. The details of the story poured out, including the carefully written invoice, the problem with the taxes, and the free pickle.

When Ruth offered to return the dress right away, Beth shook her head.

“You’ll need that soon enough,” she said. “Things are just getting started, from the sound of it.”

“He’ll settle this matter right away,” Naomi added. “I imagine things will look quite different by supper.”

After all, the world around her had changed completely, and it was only lunch.

[.]