{"id":24936,"date":"2023-01-24T22:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T05:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ruth-2_14-23-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-01-17T14:11:31","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T21:11:31","slug":"ruth-3_1-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ruth-3_1-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Leave \u2018Em Hanging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ruth \u00a03:1-18 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage\u00a0is Ruth\u00a03:1-18.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Ruth 3:1-9 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When 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.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-9: \u00a0Here\u00a0the love story between Boaz and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0is about to go to another level quickly.\u00a0\u00a0Why would\u00a0Ruth, as per Naomi’s instructions, uncover Boaz’s feet?\u00a0 Some try to argue that\u00a0Ruth\u00a0was trying to seduce Boaz and offered herself sexually to him, and that “feet” is another term for Boaz’s private parts. \u00a0 But considering that the threshing floor was a public area where other people were present, it’s unlikely that\u00a0Ruth\u00a0was trying to do anything sexual with Boaz in the middle of the threshing floor.\u00a0 Moreover, if Boaz and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0were as noble and God fearing as they appear to be in the rest of the book of\u00a0Ruth, it is even more unlikely and inconsistent for either of them to try to have sex with one another before actually being legally married.<\/p>\n

So if\u00a0Ruth’s uncovering of Boaz’s feet was not sexual, what was she doing and what did it mean?\u00a0 Ruth\u00a0placing herself at the feet of Boaz was certainly an interesting way for Ruth to propose marriage, but at its heart it was an act of submission.\u00a0 It was\u00a0Ruth\u00a0saying to Boaz, “I am your servant, ready to serve you.” \u00a0And indeed that is what she says in verse 9: \u201cI am your servant Ruth\u201d.\u00a0 It’s similar to when King David sought the hand of Abigail in marriage, and Abigail bowed down with her face to the ground saying, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.” (1\u00a0Samuel 25:41)<\/p>\n

In other words,\u00a0Ruth\u00a0didn’t selfishly demand that Boaz marry her and redeem her as her kinsman redeemer.\u00a0 Instead,\u00a0Ruth\u00a0humbly came to Boaz as a servant, submitting herself totally to Boaz and trusting in the goodness of God and her kinsman redeemer to do what was best.<\/p>\n

Remember that Boaz is a picture for Jesus and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0is a picture for the church.\u00a0 So let me ask you: \u00a0When you approach Jesus our kinsman redeemer, do you come to Him with a selfish, impatient, self-entitled attitude and demand “Give me what I want”? Or do you come to Jesus with a humble, trusting attitude<\/strong>\u00a0and say, “Lord, I’m at your service, and I trust You.”<\/p>\n

Just as\u00a0Ruth\u00a0fell at Boaz’s feet and made herself available to him,\u00a0if you really want Jesus to do His redeeming work in your life, you need to fall at His feet, make yourself available to Him and ask Him to work in your life<\/strong>.\u00a0 Just knowing that He can is not enough.\u00a0 You need to ask Him.\u00a0 As James says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2), while Jesus says, “Ask and it shall be given.\u00a0 Seek and you shall find.\u00a0 Knock and the door shall be open.” (Luke 11:9)<\/p>\n

Ruth 3:10-14 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“The\u00a0LORD\u00a0bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the\u00a0LORD\u00a0lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-14: Ruth had approached Boaz, saying \u201cI am your servant Ruth\u201d (v9).\u00a0 But here Boaz in turn serves Ruth.\u00a0 He protects her during the night (v13-14).\u00a0 Later he will give her six measures of barley to take home to her mother-in-law (v15).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0What makes any relationship great is when both sides are committed to serving one another.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Think about your marriage or another important relationship in your life. Who is the one doing the serving?\u00a0 If both of you are committed to serving one another, that is a recipe for happiness and fruitfulness in your relationship.\u00a0 If, on the other hand, you are mainly focused on being served, you’re not only being unfair to the other person, but you and the other person will not have a happy or healthy relationship.\u00a0 Watching the way Boaz and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0are committed to serving one another is a great example of what a healthy, happy, God-glorifying looks like.<\/p>\n

Ruth 3:15-18 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'”
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-18:\u00a0 Why did Boaz give Ruth exactly six measures of barley?<\/strong>\u00a0 It was code for Naomi.\u00a0\u00a0Just as God finished creating the world in 6 days<\/strong>\u00a0and then rested on the 7th<\/sup>\u00a0day, Boaz was saying, \u201cI will not rest until I get this sorted out.\u00a0 I will let you know very soon if I can be your kinsman redeemer or not.\u201d\u00a0 When Naomi hears about the 6 measures of barley, Naomi gets it.\u00a0 That\u2019s why in verse 18 she says,\u00a0“Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens.\u00a0For the man will not rest<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0until the matter is settled today.”<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a lesson we can learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When someone approaches you about wanting to be in a relationship, don\u2019t delay too long in giving them an answer.<\/strong>\u00a0 Either say yes or no, but\u00a0don’t leave the other person hanging too long.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>When you know it\u2019s not right, end it.\u00a0 When you know it\u2019s right, go for it.<\/p>\n

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for all the powerful lessons about relationships from this passage.\u00a0 Like\u00a0Ruth\u00a0and Boaz, may I committed to serving those I love, and not just being served.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today’s passage\u00a0is Ruth\u00a03:1-18.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Ruth 3:1-9 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?
\n2\u00a0\u00a0Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
\n4\u00a0\u00a0When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”<\/p>\n

On verses 1-9: \u00a0Here\u00a0the love story between Boaz and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0is about to go to another level quickly.\u00a0\u00a0Why would\u00a0Ruth, as per Naomi’s instructions, uncover Boaz’s feet?\u00a0 Some try to argue that\u00a0Ruth\u00a0was trying to seduce Boaz and offered herself sexually to him, and that “feet” is another term for Boaz’s private parts. \u00a0 But considering that the threshing floor was a public area where other people were present, it’s unlikely that\u00a0Ruth\u00a0was trying to do anything sexual with Boaz in the middle of the threshing floor.\u00a0 Moreover, if Boaz and\u00a0Ruth\u00a0were as noble and God fearing as they appear to be in the rest of the book of\u00a0Ruth, it is even more unlikely and inconsistent for either of them to try to have sex with one another before actually being legally married.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24936"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24939,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24936\/revisions\/24939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}