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Pray, Plan, Execute, Wait (Ruth 3)

Scott Kercheville
06/05/16 - Sun PM

Series: Ruth (Emptied and Filled)

Naomi had taken blow after blow to her faith. Her husband died and her two sons died childless. Naomi bitterly thought God had emptied her and left her with no hope for sweeter days. But Naomi soon discovered through Ruth’s loyalty and Boaz’s generosity that God had not forsaken her. However, life was still not restored where there was death. God blessed Naomi and Ruth in this harvest, but what about next year? Could Ruth glean forever? What will happen to Ruth when Naomi dies? The future is difficult for Christians to think about. We know the future is in God’s hands, but there are always uncertainties. How will God provide in the future? Where will we work and live? What will happen to our family when we die? God teaches us to work and prepare for the future, but he also teaches us to wait on him and to not trust in riches or our own strength. What do people of faith do when faced with an uncertain future? Pray? Wait? Plan? Work? The results God brings from Naomi and Ruth’s approach can help us find a godly balance. Notice what they do in Ruth 3.

 

Planning and Executing

Naomi rhetorically asks Ruth, “Should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?” Naomi’s hope has been renewed. Naomi had no plans for Ruth before, but Naomi now sees that the Lord “has not forsaken the living or the dead!” But this conviction does not blind Naomi to their uncertainty. Naomi is an old widow and Ruth is a widow in a foreign land. Therefore, Naomi devises a plan to encourage Boaz to marry Ruth. In the end, God is praised as the one who provided for these women (4:13-14). We can learn from God’s work through this risky plan.

 

1. Righteous plans are motivated by prayer/faith, not fear/anxiety. Initially, we may think Naomi and Ruth are relying on their own strength and wisdom just as Elimelech did. But these women are a contrast to Elimelech. The motivation behind Elimelech’s decision did not seem to be faith, but fear. Instead of repenting and trusting God to provide in the land he promised them, Elimelech concocted a plan to move due to his anxiety about the future. This is not the case with Naomi and Ruth. Naomi saw Ruth’s lack a couple months before in chapter 1 and she gave it to the Lord - she prayed that God would bless her daughters-in-law with husbands. Now, Ruth has “happened” into Boaz’s life and Naomi sees that this is from the Lord (2:20). Naomi’s plan and Ruth’s execution here is evidence of their hope that God could be fulfilling their prayer through Boaz. Like Elimelech, Naomi and Ruth see the uncertain future; however, these women are acting with faith and hope in the Lord.

 

The differences between faith-motivated plans and fear-motivated plans are often subtle and can seem insignificant, but the results are tremendously different. Elimelech’s way ended in the grave, but Naomi and Ruth’s way resulted in the restoration of life. Plans are not wrong. But when we are running about frantically planning for the future and solving problems, what is in our hearts? It is so important to maturely and honestly judge the motives behind the plans we make. When we are faced with life decisions and uncertainty, are we planning and acting because we have prayed and we trust the Lord, or because we are afraid and anxious?  

 

2. Faith carefully plans/executes, but is not immobilized by risk/fear. Naomi and Ruth did not know if Boaz was God’s answer to Naomi’s prayer, but it was up to them to find out. It is not surprising that Boaz had not tried to marry Ruth already. Boaz was young enough to winnow barley and sleep on the floor¹, but he was old enough to call Ruth his “daughter.” He did not expect her to marry an older man (3:10). Furthermore, Mahlon’s death was recent (1:4-6) and Ruth probably wore a widow’s garment (cf. Tamar in Genesis 38), so it would be inappropriate for Boaz to interrupt Ruth’s mourning. Therefore, Naomi tells Ruth to approach Boaz herself. This is bold and risky for a poor foreign widow. It is one thing to glean in Boaz’s fields, it is another to ask him to marry you! If others overheard Ruth’s request, she could embarrass Boaz. If Ruth goes to Boaz alone at night, he might think she is promiscuous. If the plan goes wrong, these women could potentially be disallowed from gleaning anywhere.

 

Boaz was winnowing barley that night, so Naomi tells Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor in a way that gives the best chance for success, but avoids sending the wrong message. If Ruth normally wore a widow’s garment, Naomi may be instructing Ruth to show Boaz that she is done mourning over Mahlon - wash up, anoint yourself, and put on normal clothes (cf. David in 2 Samuel 12:20). Once Boaz lies down, Ruth is to uncover his feet. “He will tell you what to do.” Imagine how unnerving it would be to actually do this. Ruth walked all the way out to Boaz’s threshing floor at night and then - with other men sleeping nearby - sneaked up to Boaz, uncovered his feet, and laid down. When Boaz woke up, it didn’t go quite as Naomi said. Boaz turned over, saw a woman laying at his feet, and said, “Who are you?” But Ruth dared to ask. “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

 

This is a big request. In chapter 2 Boaz said Ruth had taken refuge under the wings of the Lord. Now, Ruth asks Boaz to spread his wings over her. You may have a footnote or translation which says “spread the corner of your garment over your servant.” There is a double-meaning here. Young men, if the girl next to you at a football game asks for your coat, there is usually a double-meaning. God’s words to Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16:8 illustrate this. “You were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.” Ruth is taking a big risk with this request. “Boaz, will you marry and provide for me?”

 

Recognize that there is an easy way for Ruth to find a husband without risking humiliation and loss of provision. Much like Elimelech, going to Moab is easier. Ruth can tell Naomi she is crazy, pack her bags, return to Moab, and let a man approach her there. Or, Ruth can tell Naomi that they need to wait on the Lord, say another prayer, and go to bed. The carefully planned risk Naomi and Ruth take here should challenge us - do we have the faith of these women?² I am not saying we inherently have faith if we act and take risks. However, since when did “waiting on the Lord” mean that we pray in our closets and then crumble on the floor paralyzed by fear? Trusting in the Lord does not mean we refuse to take initiative, plan, and execute plans. Time and again Scripture shows us that the faithful bow in prayer and then rise to plan and execute because they are not too afraid to trust the Lord.

 

3. Righteous plans are motivated by selfless/loyal love, not selfish materialism. Lest we think all careful plans and risks are righteous, the text shows us how Naomi and Ruth did this because of their selfless, loyal love for each other. Notice who Naomi is focused on in verse 1. Naomi will benefit from her plan, but Naomi’s plan has little to do with herself. Naomi says nothing about Boaz redeeming her family’s land or about perpetuating the name of her dead son. Naomi is thinking about Ruth’s well-being, just as she has been doing since chapter 1.

 

Boaz’s response to Ruth in verse 10 reveals Ruth’s heart. Boaz asks God’s blessing upon Ruth for this kindness which is greater than her first kindness. Boaz is not praising Ruth for some kindness to him, but for her kindness toward Naomi. The NET, NLT, and NRSV all helpfully translate hesed as “devotion” or “loyalty” instead of as “kindness.” In 2:11-12, Boaz said Ruth’s first act of devotion was when she left her family and land for the sake of her mother-in-law. Naomi made this plan for Ruth’s benefit, but Ruth came to Boaz for Naomi’s benefit. Ruth could have gone after young men and married for love (poor) or for status (rich)³. Instead, Ruth came to the one who can redeem Naomi’s land, give Naomi grandchildren, and perpetuate her son’s name. This is not to say that Ruth would not love Boaz or benefit here, but this was not the reason she came to Boaz. She did it because she was loyal to Naomi.

 

God is showing us the heart of true Israel and the kind of plans and risks God blesses. The Book of Judges is filled with people planning and risking in selfishness. God is not teaching us to have faith to take risks to glorify our name, follow our passion, or get rich. God loves the one who chooses to look ahead to the future with faith in God and love for fellow man. God loves working through those who, despite all their fear over everything that can go wrong, carefully devise ways to love other people and trust God to overcome the risks. Many in Hebrews 11 prefigure the faith of Christ, and so does Ruth. Who left their father and home, and, despite the response they might receive, risked everything - giving their life away for another and saying, “I will be with you always”? Ruth and - more perfectly - Jesus. Let us look to Jesus and take bold risks because we trust God and love others.

 

Accept the Unexpected and Patiently Wait in Hope (3:12-18)

However, for Naomi and Ruth, there was an unexpected hiccup. There is a redeemer nearer than Boaz. Ruth may not have chosen Boaz for love, but she certainly would have preferred someone she knows! This serves as a good reminder that when we see uncertainty in the futures of others and we - trusting God - plan, sacrifice, and take risks, we will probably encounter obstacles. These obstacles could cause the outcome to be delayed or cause provision to come in a different way than we planned or wanted. However, obstacles can be a blessing because they show us whether we have been truly acting out of faith. Why would obstacles cause us to be overcome by doubt and fear if we are motivated by faith?

 

But Boaz gave Naomi and Ruth hope in this obstacle. For concern over what would happen, one can imagine nobody slept that night. But, before Ruth left in the morning, Boaz gave her six measures of barley so she did not go back to her mother-in-law empty-handed. When Naomi hears this, she says, “Wait… the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” Naomi and Ruth took a big risk by coming to Boaz and he knew “someone else has first dibs” was not what they wanted to hear. The barley was not simply a meal, it was a pledge of Boaz’s word: Boaz will go to the other man and, if he is not willing, Boaz will redeem Ruth. When obstacles outside our control come, persevere in faith. Give God the obstacles and wait on him in hope. We can wait in hope because he has pledged loyalty to us. The Father has created us, supplied our needs, sent his Son to die for us, and given us his Spirit - he will not abandon us now!

 

Conclusion

This account challenges us to trust God like Naomi and Ruth. Fear is easy. The applications are endless because opportunities to take risks to obey God, love others, and provide for the future are everywhere. We can pray, plan, strategize, and then trust God as we try to make disciples of friends and family when they might laugh, or bring the gospel to an unreached part of the world when they might kill us, or start a Bible study when nobody may come, or reconcile with an enemy who might reject us, or go to a health professional for help with an illness when it might not work, or take a difficult job to provide for the family when we might fail, or sacrifice financially for others in need when the economy could tank, or get married and have a bunch of babies when we aren’t sure how God will provide, or even leave your parents to care for your hurting mother-in-law in a foreign land where there may be no job or husband. It is easy to make our fear seem like faith when we say, “I must wait on the Lord.” It is easy to make a lack of love seem innocent when we say, “I must not test the Lord by risking so much.” But truly waiting on the Lord usually means we do more than pray and sit down. Christians who are afraid only look at the costs and the risks. Let’s pray about uncertainty and needs and then actually trust God. Plan, strategize, get up, and run into the danger relying on God to provide and bring success. Christ did it for us, let us do it for him and for his people.

 

¹Block, 693. ²Block, 688. ³Similar to Block, 693.