Day 17: God’s Providence: Our Action, Part 1 (Ruth 3:1-6)
Today’s Passage: Ruth 3:1-6
“Do what you’re told!” It is an emphatic plea many a parent has made to their young child.
Do you remember hearing this phrase? Do you remember saying this phrase?
From picking up your room, to following your parent’s directions when they are not around, part of growing up is learning “what to do when”. We learn much from the instruction of those who have charge over us. We also tend to fight against it, wanting to be “in-charge” of ourselves.
Today in the text, Ruth, a grown woman, is told to go lay at the feet of Boaz. Let’s just make sure we have the scene set in our minds.
Boaz will have, for most of the day, been tossing grain into the air using the wind to separate the wheat from the chaff. Farming is hard work, and this is one of the final steps in the process which will actually yield the product they have labored after for an entire agricultural season. It’s no wonder that at the end of the day, having had a good harvest, they would be in a celebratory mood.
Ruth is told to prepare herself. To wash and anoint herself. To be clear—she is dressing as a bride. She is then told to go, uncover Boaz’s feet, and lay at them.
Let’s pause for a minute and let me ask you, “What is your reaction to this scene?” Does it offend your sensibilities? Is your reaction more positive or more negative to this ancient manner?
What is going on here is that Naomi (not Ruth) is seeking to arrange a marriage. That is what parents did in those days. She is seeking to do this through the Jewish process of a Kinsman-Redeemer. Everything in this scene; the night-time visit, the place, the way she tells Ruth to dress and further, how to approach Boaz, make it clear that Ruth is asking Boaz to be her Kinsman-Redeemer.
Let me repeat, Naomi is seeking to arrange a marriage—and Ruth is being obedient.
Ruth, a grown woman, takes the action she is directed to take. Actions that make her quite vulnerable. Actions for which she does not know the outcome. Actions that require faith and trust in Naomi.
Let’s just ask ourselves the question. What situations would we be willing to take actions as directed? Actions that make us vulnerable. Actions for which we are unsure of the outcome. Actions that require faith and trust in…God.
We’ve already seen in the Book of Ruth that God works out his Providence through us, his children. In other words: God’s Providence is Our Actions!
I think I most “trust God” when my proverbial “back is against a wall”. In this scene you and I might conclude that Naomi and Ruth’s backs are against a wall. But I don’t think that is the point. The point is that Ruth is being obedient to a process and plan that God has established in Holy Scripture—the plan of the Kinsman-Redeemer. The plan requires Action on the part of Ruth.