Read Ruth 3:1–5
YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?
Time has passed since Ruth’s remarkable encounter in Boaz’s field (‘One day’,
v. 1). The fields are now empty and the harvest is over. Naomi knows she
must find a lasting solution to their predicament. So having seen Boaz’s
kindness and knowing he is a relative, Naomi boldly hatches a plan to bring
Ruth and Boaz together – and it’s one that raises the eyebrows!
Naomi instructs Ruth, ‘Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best
clothes’ (v. 3). Next, Naomi tells Ruth to approach Boaz whilst he is sleeping,
uncover his legs, lie down beside him – and then wait for Boaz’s instructions
(v. 4)!
This proposal seems more in keeping with a seductress in some steamy
Hollywood blockbuster than the actions of a woman of God! What exactly
does Naomi expect to happen when Boaz wakes up?
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT?
But if we’re surprised by Naomi’s scheming, then Ruth’s response is also
astonishing. Willingly and emphatically, she commits to the plan: ‘I will do
whatever you say’ (v. 5)! What on earth are we to make of this?
We’re certainly meant to feel the sexual tension in the air. The verb ‘to lie
down’ was associated with sexual activity and is used three times in quick
succession (v. 4). Because of this, some writers suggest that Boaz and Ruth
do ‘get it on’, a theory that casts a shadow on Naomi’s wisdom and integrity.
Certainly, such a reading wouldn’t seem out of place in both character’s
family trees. Boaz was a descendent of an unsavoury hook-up between an
unsuspecting Judah and his disguised daughter-in-law Tamar (Genesis 38).
As a Moabite, Ruth’s origins came from an unaware and drunken Lot getting
his own daughters pregnant (Genesis 19).
Yet what if that’s to miss the whole point? Their background is what makes
this chapter so stunning. Despite suggesting a charged atmosphere, our
narrator is actually very careful not to indicate any impropriety. Our
narrator can be crystal clear when we need to know sexual activity has
occurred (4:13). As Ruth’s actions tomorrow show, the power of this scene is
actually that Ruth and Boaz break with their past and nothing untoward
occurs. So if Naomi isn’t encouraging a sexual encounter, what is she doing?
TAKING RISKS?
Let’s remember Naomi’s story. Experiences had left her sceptical about God’s
goodness. Returning to Bethlehem, she felt ‘empty’ (1:13, 21). But through
Boaz’s actions, it’s as if she has begun to ‘warm up’ to the reality of God’s
love. Whereas previously she’d assumed ‘rest’ for Ruth would be found in
Moab (1:9), now Naomi is looking to God to provide a lasting ‘home’ (3:1;
literally, ‘rest’).
Here lies the motivation behind Naomi’s elaborate instructions to Ruth.
This isn’t a desperate attempt to seduce Boaz by getting Ruth ‘glammed up’.
Quite the opposite! Naomi is encouraging Ruth to dress up as a prospective
bride. Because Naomi has become utterly confident that God will provide a
redeemer, she is now eager to encourage Boaz to be that redeemer and take
Ruth as his wife. What might seem like a ‘risky’ move is actually an act of
faith flowing from a trust in God’s character.
It’s sometimes said that when we’re convinced that God’s love is for us,
then it’s like an acrobat’s harness. We’re liberated to take seemingly risky,
costly decisions for the sake of the gospel, knowing that God’s love is
steadfast. This was Naomi’s experience and it’s the same for us.
Audacious and expectant Christian faith grows when we bask in the
steadfast kindness of God. Such faith is demonstrated the day we first ‘count
the cost’ and turn to Christ, but it continues day-by-day, year-by-year. And
it’s a growing confidence in God’s love that makes such lifelong trust in
Christ a reality.
But will Ruth stick to the plan? And how will Boaz respond?
REFLECTION
What were the seeming ‘risks’ when you first become a Christian? As you face
up to the next few weeks – and even the year beyond – what ‘risks’ can you
take for the sake of the gospel? As you learn from Naomi to put on the sure
harness of God’s love, what would audacious faith in God’s gospel promises
look like in your decision-making and prioritising?
Listen to ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ by Johnnyswim.
Discipleship
Discipleship