The Book of Ruth
Chapter Three
Today we will be studying Chapter 3 of the Book of Ruth.
RUTH RESTING AT THE FEET OF THE
KINSMAN - REDEEMER
Memory Verse: Ruth 3:1 " Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?"
Ruth Chapter 3
1 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
15 Also he said, Bring the vail 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.
16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
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.
Finding GRACE and seeking REST are two of the key expressions of the book of Ruth. These may only be found at the feet of Boaz (a type of Christ). The events of this chapter would lead to marriage, and we see the importance of parental guidance in choosing a mate. Even though she was a grown woman and a widow, she needed advice.
RUTH SEEKS REST
A. Ruth Instructed In Finding Rest. v. 1-4
1. Naomi is concerned about a Gentile (Ruth) finding rest.
Matt. 11:28, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
2. A proper marriage was a place of rest and protection for the woman.
I Tim. 5:14, I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
It was Ruth's duty to take the initiative. Just like it was our duty as lost sinners to take the initiative to trust God as our personal Saviour.
3. Boaz as a type of Christ is a separator.
Matt. 3:12, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The light chaff and all that is frivolous and empty is to be winnowed away in our lives. We are to turn away from the world and toward God if we are to see our sin and trust Christ.
4. Ruth as a type of the Church and individual Christian must be washed.
Eph. 5:25-27, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
A Christian must be washed in the precious blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus Christ shed his blood for us so that we might be cleansed from all unrighteousness.
5. Ruth as a type of the Church and of the believer, must be dressed in proper apparel (modest).
"Nudity is of the devil. Exposing of the body is wicked, sinful and devilish. Immodest dress or undress is to be condemned as Satanic and corrupting. We must dress right if we would please our Boaz (Christ). Dress is a sure index to the condition of the mind and the state of the heart."
6. Ruth as a type of the Church should be at the feet of Boaz (the Christ).
Luke 10:39-42, And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
We need to sit and learn at the feet of Jesus. Sitting at the feet of someone is an example of humbling ourselves before them. When we sit at the feet of Jesus to learn we need to have an humble heart. Ladies, let's humble ourselves and sit at Jesus' feet for a while!
8. Boaz the redeemer will tell her what to do
John 2:5, His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Jesus tells us many many times in the Bible what to do. He tells us how to be saved, he tells us how to serve him, and he tells us how to live for him! We must keep in the Word of God to know all of this.
B. Ruth At The Feet Of Boaz. v. 5-7
1. She promises to follow instructions. v. 5
We must follow God's instructions in order to be right with him.
2. She performed her promise. v. 6
When we promise God something we must do it. ou know many people say "I'm not one to break promises" but they go and make promises to God and then break them. Ladies, if we make a promise to God let's try our hardest to keep that promise just like we would to anyone else!
3. Ruth at his feet. v. 7b
Again Ruth was humbling herself before Boaz asking for grace ans seeking rest. That is what we need to do before God. Humble ourselves so that the Lord can give us rest!
NOTE: It cannot be stressed too strongly that nothing immoral or unscriptural took place that night. Boaz was an honorable man and Ruth was a virtuous woman (v. 11). There is not the faintest touch of impurity about it....There was no impropriety in them...Boaz probably slept upon a mat or skin; Ruth lay crosswise at his feet a position in which Eastern servants frequently sleep in the same chamber or tent with their master; and if they want a covering, custom allows them that benefit from part of the covering on their master's bed. Resting as the Orientals do at night, in the same clothes they wear during the day, there was no indelicacy in a stranger, or even a woman putting the extremity of this cover over her. All of this must be understood in the light of the customs of that day and the teaching of the O.T. Law.
RUTH FINDS REST
A. Boaz Providing Shelter. v. 8-13
1. The discovery made. v. 8
Boaz finds Ruth laying at his feet, he was frightened at first until he saw that it was Ruth.
2. A confession made. v. 9a.
She is not now Ruth the Moabitess, nor Ruth the Gentile stranger, nor Ruth the weeping widow, but "Ruth thine handmaid." Remember that Ruth means "satisfied," and so should we be satisfied at His feet.
Ezek. 16:8, Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
3. A request made. v. 9b
The skirt or covering is a picture of the robe of righteousness, which the Lord gives to the saved.
4. Ruth had eyes for Boaz alone. v. 10
She did not follow the young men, but the kinsman-redeemer alone. This may imply that Booz was not a young man, but he certainly was not an old and feeble man. Just as we are to have eyes for Christ alone. That he is the only one who can cleanse us and make us pure!
5. Boaz testifies to her being a virtuous woman. v. 11
He also makes note that everyone in the city knows that she is a virtuous woman.
6. There was a nearer kinsman. v. 12
There was another man who was a nearer kinsmen than Boaz so as law Boaz must go to him and make known to him his responsibilities.
7. If he will not, I will redeem thee. v. 13.
The nearest kinsman had the right to turn down the responsibility and then Boaz would be allowed to redeem her as his. No one would or could redeem us except Christ.
B . Boaz Providing Sustenance . v. 14-18
1. She lay at his feet until morning. v. 14a (The place of rest).
2. It was not yet time for her to be revealed. v. 14b.
Notice how careful he was to protect her reputation as well as his own.
3. Boaz as a type of Christ bestows gifts. v. 15
Boaz told her to bring her veil and hold it so that he could give her barley for her and her mother in law.
4. Naomi asks and Ruth tells all. v. 16-17
Just as we were excited and told all about what Christ has done for us. We need to do that every chance we get. That is one thing that helps us keep our joy in the Lord.
5. Ruth could only sit and wait. v. 18a
Patience is one thing a lot of us have little of but in order for God to work in our lives we have to wait on him sometimes to open the door!
6. The kinsman-redeemer will not rest until he is finished. v.18b.
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
I like the old children's song that goes like this:
"He's still workin' on me, To make me what I ought to be; It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars, The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be! He's still workin' on me!
There really ought to be a sign upon my heart: "Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part."
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan, Fashioned by the Master's loving hand. "
Amen Amen...He's still working on me. He won't stop until he's finished! Praise he Lord he's not going to give up on me yet!
Typically, the book of Ruth sets forth:
Ch. 1—Decision for Christ.
Ch. 2—Meeting with Christ.
Ch. 3 — Resting in Christ.
Study Questions:
1. Give two of the key expressions of the book of Ruth.
2. What did Ruth do when she went into Boaz?
3. Why was there nothing improper in what Ruth did, and explain why this would not be proper today?
4. What did Boaz say about her moral character?
5. What one thing stood in the way of Booz redeeming Ruth ?
6. What did Ruth have to do while Boaz went before the nearest kinsmen?
7. Why is that important to us today? (q. 6)
8. Quote the memory verse.
Discuss your thoughts
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