Ruth 3:1-18 HER CLEANSING

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1 Ruth 3:1-18 It s a strange part of the narrative surrounding the story of Ruth. I ve got to say, that if it were not in the Word of God I wouldn t be all that comfortable with it. On the face of it it is talking about an unmarried man and woman spending the night together. And of course, society today would have all types of thoughts on that subject. It is the end of a day s work. After gleaning in the fields Ruth has returned home to Naomi. Naomi tells her to go wash and get back to where Boaz was. She did so, and found Boaz after he had done eating and drinking (v.3). In fact, he had done so much eating and drinking that his heart was merry (v.7), and he had to go and lie down. Ruth found where he was, - he was sleeping, because of his eating and drinking. And she uncovered his feet, - what was she doing?? Well, there was nothing bad in uncovering his feet; it was merely a formal proposal of marriage couched in the picturesque language of the time. The Word tells us that she lay at his feet until the morning (v.14) and then returned home to Naomi. Aye, in today s society things wouldn t have looked too good! But let s go through this passage a little bit slower, and see what was actually happening here. I want to look at this passage from the point of view of the believer spending time with the Lord Jesus Christ. HER CLEANSING She was under instruction from her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth would have come in with all the dust of the field and the road on her face and in her hair. Naomi saw the need for Ruth to clean herself up! and Ruth goes and washes herself and puts on her clean clothes. If she is going into the presence of this important man of the region she is going to have to become appropriately dressed. She s got to make preparation for being in the company of Boaz,

2 D.G. 2 and it s good that the younger woman is willing to take the advice of the older woman. Ruth respects Naomi, and listens to her every word. It s a good thing to listen to our older brothers and sisters. They have been following the Saviour for many, many years. They have much to teach us, - we daren t cast them to the one side and write over them old-fashioned/out-of-date/no longer necessary/ bin! It s a poor church that is in such a hurry to take on the new that it completely casts off the old. For the wisdom and experience that Naomi was passing on to Ruth had been tried and tested down through the years and had been found to be successful. You see, this good-looking young girl could have gone to Boaz that evening and she could have had a different agenda altogether, She could have tried to seduce him, especially when his heart was merry with what he had eaten and drank. You remember one night Noah was drunk, and his son went in to his father and committed homosexual acts with him (Gen. 9:21,22) Shortly after leaving Sodom, Lot s two daughters got their father drunk, so drunk that they lay with him and nine months later babies were born to each of them. (Gen. 19:32-36). The same thing could have happened here with Ruth and Boaz. But Ruth listened to Naomi, and she washed herself, and made herself ready for presenting herself to Boaz. Her agenda was pure; she had it in her mind to continue the family line, and the most appropriate and proper means of doing that was through the kinsman-redeemer (2:20). It s important to make ourselves ready coming into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a way of doing it, and it takes a conscious effort. On a Sunday morning I m up and into the study,

3 D.G. 3 I don t take breakfast, watch the news, I go straight into the study, because my mind has to be focused on the day ahead. Indeed I don t even like being out on the Saturday evening, because my mind is focused on the next day. Before I come to a meeting I m in the study in preparation, not of my notes, but of me. Preparation for coming into the presence of God is a subject much neglected. You can t just turn off from what you were doing previously, You can t come in on a Sunday morning at totally unprepared and then click a switch at 11 a.m. that puts you automatically into worship mode. There is a definite preparation necessary for the believer in coming before God. We find Ruth made preparation when she washed herself and put on fresh raiment. That s the first thing, HER CLEANSING. Then there is also HER COMPANY She s choosy about her company. There was any amount of men oogling over the new girl, - and not all their intentions would have been commendable! But there was only one man for her, and that was Boaz. She knew who she wanted, she wasn t willing to spend time with anyone else. She had met Boaz out in the field as she was gleaning, and he drew near to her and spoke with her, - she loved his conversation. She was a foreigner from Moab, her husband had died, she was poor, she had no-one to look after her, and along came Boaz. She loved his conversation, and she loved his company because she dined at his table at mealtime. She had been sitting alongside the other reapers at the table, - just ordinary reapers, - and he leaned across and gave her food to eat (2:14).

4 D.G. 4 She loved his company, but how could she ever hope that a man like Boaz would love her company too? And yet, after she washed herself, she went to the place where she would find him and she lay at his feet. I ve already said she could have been away with some other man, but Boaz had captured her heart. Just think where you might have been today if the Lord Jesus had not captured your heart! He came to you personally, and spoke with you so intimately. You can remember the first time you recognised that He loved you as if there was only you to love. And, - as it were, - you lay at His feet, - that s the best place for the Christian to be, at the feet of Jesus. Do you love His company? Do you enjoy the prayer meetings? The Sunday Services when we gather round His feet? It is the most powerful place the Christian can find him/herself. You know, Boaz invited Ruth, Tarry this night (v.13), and if Ruth had not have tarried with him she may never have been privy to his plan whereby he would redeem her. You see, rightfully she belonged to another, but the plan of Boaz was that he would take her unto himself as his own wife. The similarity is there again, isn t it! You and I belonged to another but it was the plan of God that we should belong to Him. There is one final and beautiful little thought, and you will discover it in v.15, Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. HER CLEANSING, HER COMPANY, HER CONTENTMENT She didn t leave her master empty-handed.

5 D.G. 5 She came to him washed and cleaned, she lay at his feet, and then she returned home with a bounty she never would have thought of. That s precious! That was how good the master was to the servant. You never go away empty-handed when you come to the Master, I mean when you really come, not just coming out of a sense of duty or because it s expected of you. Ruth came with nothing in her hands and she left with her hands full. She returned home and told Naomi all that had happened, and look at Naomi s words, 18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus (Jn. 14) 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Boaz had to leave Ruth, for He had a job yet to do. Then, at the appropriate moment he would return and receive Ruth as his wife. CONCLUSION. I started off saying how I considered this a strange part of the narrative surrounding the story of Ruth. I said too that if it were not in the Word of God I wouldn t be all that comfortable with it, - an unmarried man and woman spending the night together. But it s different, isn t it? There s not even a hint of anything sordid or cheap. To many, - I suppose, - Jesus didn t measure up to their expectations, coming from Nazareth, living on the open road, dying as a sinner on a cross. But yet that was the means by which Almighty God desired to accomplish His plan of redemption. Ruth and Boaz are but a beautiful little picture of God s story of saving and redeeming grace.