Our scripture lesson this morning is Ruth chapter 3 verses 1 through 18, the chapter of Ruth. And as we read this chapter, we should know that there are three characters, three main human characters in this chapter. If you haven't been with us throughout this study, let me just introduce them briefly. Naomi is a widow. She had traveled away from Israel to Moab to escape a famine where her husband died. Her sons died and left her with two daughters-in-law, also widowed. One stayed home, but when Naomi came back to Israel, she took with her Ruth. So Ruth is the second character in the book. She's a faithful daughter-in-law striving to care for her mother-in-law. And the third character is Boaz. He's a landowner, a farmer. We've met him in earlier chapters, chapter two, because Ruth went out into his field to glean, to gather for herself some of the passed over grain. And he has shown special attention, special protection for her. And Naomi's gears are turning in terms of what that might mean for her future and for the future of Ruth. And that's where we pick up in chapter three. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash yourself, therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies, then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do." And she replied, "'All that you say I will do.'" So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight, the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask. For all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a Redeemer, yet there is a Redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good, let him do it. But if he's not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning." So she laid his feet until the morning, but it rose before one could recognize another. And he said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. And he said, bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out. So she held it out and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, how did you fare my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. She replied, Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. Amen. What do you do when you are desperate? What do you do when all of the options in front of you seem to be poor choices? None of them seems good. Does desperation draw you to God, or does it lead you further from Him? Does despondency prompt you to compromise your integrity or does it give you a sharper focus on the integrity of God and on your high calling to follow after Him? These are questions prompted by Ruth chapter three because Ruth three tells about a plan by two desperate women, concocted by Naomi, executed by her daughter-in-law Ruth, a plan for their survival in a desperate situation. And so we can, I think, interact with their choice in a desperate situation so that we can examine ourselves, see how we respond when we feel like our choices, none of our choices are great. But Ruth 3 is also an invitation for desperate people to cast themselves on the mercy of a faithful God. And so I want to see that theme come through as well as we study Ruth 3 together this morning. I want to again make sure that we understand the story before going on to a few applications. Naomi and Ruth, as we've seen over the last couple of chapters, they're both poor widows. They are facing grim futures with, in their minds, very inadequate options for them. But they have found a glimmer of hope in an affluent and godly man named Boaz. We remember from the previous chapter that the Bible says that Ruth happened to find herself gleaning in the field of Boaz. Of course, this is all under God's direction, but Are they starting to think this through? Boaz showed kindness to Ruth, extraordinary kindness. He is a close relative, and that has meaning, as we'll see in a moment. Boaz is not simply following the gleaning laws as we saw in chapter 2. He's exceeding the scriptures laws. He's becoming a protector. He's become a friend. And now Naomi realizes he's also a kinsman redeemer. Redeemers bore a responsibility to their relatives to prevent failure due to poverty or childlessness. A Redeemer could buy back a relative who sold him or herself into slavery for a debt that they owed. And the Redeemer could pay that debt and restore the freedom of that person, and also could purchase sort of the desperate situation of childlessness from a family as well. So if he would marry Ruth, not only would she be spared destitution along with her mother-in-law Naomi, but she might be able to bear a child who would carry on the family name of her deceased father-in-law. So that's why Naomi says, you know, Ruth, Boaz is a relative of ours. She's starting to think, how could this What could this mean for us? She knows what it could mean, but she asks this question. I think this is worth pondering on. She says, how can we make this happen? We know what could happen if you could just marry Boaz, but how can we make this happen? I think that's an important question for us to ponder. Children of God are right to try to accomplish goals that fit within God's will. So at a certain level, I think it's right that Naomi is sort of thinking through, what can we do? What can we do to be faithful in our situation so that we might be restored from our poverty and from our childlessness. It is clear from Scripture that inaction and passivity are signs of cowardice, not piety. So it's not godly to just sort of sit back and say, well, I think I know what we ought to do in this situation. I think I know what would bring glory to God, but I'm just gonna wait and see. Maybe God will do something and I won't have to do anything. So we can't be inactive, we can't be passive. I think Naomi is right in sort of thinking about a plan But the way we go about reaching our goals is important. Good goals, as in this case, the goal of being redeemed and being brought out of poverty, good goals don't allow us to take inappropriate paths to reach them. In this desperate situation, the women's plan is questionable at best. So again, not challenging. The idea of a plan is good to ask that question. What should we do now, right? What is our responsibility? But the actual plan is questionable at best. If we break it down this way, I think we'll agree. Naomi instructs Ruth to make herself as sensually attractive as possible and essentially offer herself to Boaz in order that he might redeem her. I don't know, does that sound like the kind of advice that you would give a young woman? Or young man? Even in a desperate situation? I mean, just think this through. Boaz has finished a hard day's work. He's enjoyed his meal. He's enjoyed some wine. He's settled down near a pile of grain to sleep in relative privacy from other workers. When he had fallen asleep, Ruth, who had been hiding out in the shadows, watching where he laid down so that she didn't walk up and approach the wrong person, she sneaks up to him and pulls the blanket or the shawl off his feet and nestles in next to his body. She could not have known what would happen next. Right? Anything was possible in this situation. Boaz wakes up, the Bible tells us. He's startled, of course, to find a woman lying with him. And Ruth invited him to enter into an intimate relationship with her. Now please understand what I mean by that. This is a marriage proposal from Ruth to Boaz, but it is an ambiguous proposal. It is laden with sexual nuance. The request that he spread his wings, his feathers over her could be read as an upright marriage proposal, but it could also be read or heard as a request for just a one-night stand. I'm not suggesting that that was in Naomi's mind or in Ruth's mind, but this is a very tricky situation. She offers herself to him and then awaits his response. Remember, Naomi said, Boaz will tell you what to do next. That could mean anything. So, questionable plan. Boaz's response is clearly the application of disciplined godliness. I mean, when you're presented with that kind of ambiguous invitation in which anything is possible, his response shines, doesn't it? He commends Ruth. The first thing he does is he commends Ruth for her continued kindness to Naomi. Here's a godly man. Ruth, this kindness that you've shown to Naomi is incredible. Ruth had already shown kindness. Boaz says your first kindness, you'd left your family and your country to care for Naomi. But now there's this second kindness. And it's not just a kindness to Boaz. What he says here is you have not just ran after a husband. I mean, Ruth could have probably found a husband. She could have gone back home and found a husband. She could have found a husband in Israel. But she didn't just find a husband. Instead, she is invoking the law of the Redeemer. That is a kindness not to Boaz, but a kindness to Naomi. She wants Boaz to marry her in order to redeem Naomi's land and family line. And that's a sacrifice even on Ruth's part. Because if, in her mind, if she's able to conceive and have a son, that son, in a sense, is Naomi's son. That's how the act of a kinsman redeemer works. This is a great kindness to Naomi. And so this is Ruth's proposal. Will you redeem me? And he accepts, doesn't he? He pledges right there on the spot. After all, as Proverbs 31 verse 10 says, an excellent wife, who can find? And Ruth is a worthy woman, as Boaz has heard from all of his townspeople. So he commits to marrying Ruth, but then introduces a potential problem. He says, it is true, I am a Redeemer, but there is a relative closer to you than me who has the potential to redeem you. So what Boaz is saying is, I will marry you if he declines, so you will be taken care of. I mean, isn't that something? Boaz probably could have just not mentioned this other Redeemer closer to Ruth. He probably could have just gone off and married Ruth. He's a man of integrity. And so he introduces the problem and says, you will be taken care of. I'd rather it be me, but it will be someone. And if possible, it will be me. So Ruth we marry, but to whom? That's the question that Ruth chapter three leaves us with. Before leaving us with that question, Boaz loads Ruth down with a massive amount of grain. There's some question exactly about how much, says six measures, but the only appropriate measure that makes sense means that she probably carried home between 60 and 100 pounds of grain, so she is an industrious, she's a Proverbs 31 woman, she's a hard worker, diligent woman. Boaz sends her back to Naomi before daylight to avoid the impression of scandal, and then he heads, as chapter 4 tells us, to the city gate to begin the legal proceeding of redeeming Ruth. And Ruth and Naomi are just gonna wait. In fact, Naomi's last words are these, wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. So she's waiting to find out who her husband will be. I think, friends, the narrator, the inspired storyteller of this book intends conscientious readers to question the risky plan that Naomi drafted and that Ruth executed and that Boaz responded to with godliness. We should ask the question, why did the women do what they did? As far as commentators can tell, this is not some well-accepted routine or protocol for requesting a marriage, right? Ruth isn't following the rules. She isn't just doing what all the women before her, this is the only example we know of where this sort of proposal happens. So why did the women do what they did? And how can the chapter's strange events shape our faith? The two main factors that prompted Naomi and Ruth's actions were their own desperation and their confidence in Boaz's character. If we can work with those two factors, we'll learn something about their situation, about ours as well. So Ruth and Naomi are desperate. And desperation can cloud our judgment. When money gets tight, we might be tempted to make unscrupulous financial decisions. We keep our financial integrity when things are going well, but when things get tight, we make maybe some questionable tax decisions or whatever it might be. When an opponent gets the best of us, we might resort to slandering his character. And as in this case, if a young lady wants to get noticed by a man, she might jeopardize her sexual integrity to gain his attention. What examples can you think of where desperation can cloud our judgment? Where despondency can tempt us to compromise our character in order to achieve what we think we need? If Naomi's plan isn't sinful, it is certainly unwise. It is certainly unwise. It is not to be imitated. This is not a how-to for getting a husband God's way. All right, listen to what the Bible tells us to establish what I've just said. Unwise, not to be imitated. Naomi herself had previously warned her daughter-in-law, Ruth, about being assaulted in broad daylight in the harvest field. In chapter two, verse 22, she says to her daughter-in-law, be careful out there. And she's just going out in the broad daylight in open air. Boaz in chapter 2 verse 9 had to charge his young men not to touch Ruth. And he had to tell her that as if she couldn't have expected it. And as if he's making a special case in this instance for her. And now, Naomi told Ruth to make herself attractive, lie down with a man at night, in secret, after he had made his heart merry with wine. This is truly unwise. Right? It is not exactly a sexual rendezvous. I mean, it wouldn't have to be read that way, as we mentioned before. And it seems clear from the text that nothing sexual happened. I mean, there are all kinds of markers that that's the case, but regardless, she is truly stepping in to sexually risky circumstances. She is casting herself at the mercy of Boaz. Naomi's last word of instruction, she told Ruth to uncover his feet, lie down, and wait for him to tell her what to do. They're desperate. You don't concoct and execute this kind of a plan as a godly person, unless you are desperate. So we need to understand, this is not a plan to be imitated. God isn't teaching us how to take extreme measures when we find ourselves in a pinch, but he's revealing to us what kind of choice we can make when we are desperate. So that, I think, is the first factor that answers the question, why did the women do what they did? They were desperate. That's not a defense, right? That's not a justification. But as we understand that, we can understand ourselves as well. Why do we do what we do sometimes? Well, we do so out of desperation, not trusting that the Lord will work out his will according to proper means. And so we cut ethical corners and say, well, this is all in a good cause. We tell the lie that the ends justify whatever means I have to employ to get there. So I think that's the first thing we need to take note of here. The women are desperate. But here's the second factor. They are, in their desperation, banking on Boaz's character as a worthy man. Again, that doesn't make, I think, their actions right, but it's telling. Whereas Naomi warns Ruth about the possibility of assault in the open field, I think she has a hunch that here is a godly man. As irregular and even inappropriate as her plan is, she's banking on his godly character, and brothers, You and I need to be this kind of worthy man. Men who people can trust no matter what kind of temptation is thrown at us. We need to be men who people have no reason to question our motives and have no grounds to deride our character. And ladies, as you seek a husband, this is the kind of man he must be. So if this chapter has anything to do in terms of courting and dating or whatever it is, it's not in terms of the procedure, but it is in terms of seeking out a worthy man as a worthy woman. This is the kind of man he must be. Boaz is a provider. He's a provider. From the moment he met Ruth, he began filling her empty hands. That's the kind of man that God intends to care for a godly woman. He's also a protector. He guarded her body. He guarded her morality. He guarded her reputation. In the chapter that we read, verse 14, he says, you mustn't, I mean, he didn't create this plan. He didn't invite her to come into, you know, into the threshing floor at night, but In that situation, he says, Ruth, you need to just stay here through the night. You know, there's no use sending you out in the middle of the night, but do leave before light. He's guarding her reputation. He didn't take advantage of her sexually despite her vulnerability. That's a godly man. So much today is made of consent when it comes to sexuality. As long as two people are consenting, as long as the woman says, you know, I'm willing to partner in this venture. That doesn't give a godly man a right to sin sexually. Consent is really a lie in giving supposed permission for two people to sin against each other. And Boaz refused. In a sense, he was given consent, although in an ambiguous way. And he said, no. I mean, he's acting here like Joseph, isn't he, when Potiphar's wife approached him to have sex with her, and he says, no, how could I do this thing against God? He sacrificed for her. Redeemers, as we'll learn in chapter four from the man who declines to redeem Ruth, Redeemers assume risk to their own inheritance. Because again, remember, they are potentially fathering a child for some other man. In this case, it would be for Ruth's father-in-law, right? And so with that son goes part of his own inheritance. And so there's a financial risk to being a kinsman redeemer. That's why the other man says, I cannot redeem her lest I jeopardize my own inheritance. Well, Boaz accepts that risk. He sacrifices for Ruth. And Boaz has a vibrant walk with the Lord. He sought God's blessing. He extended it to those around him. Isn't that something? We sort of passed over in chapter two, but when Boaz comes into the field from coming out of the city, he says to the reapers, the Lord be with you. And they answered, the Lord bless you. This is the kind of atmosphere that Boaz cultured in his workplace. to where he greets his reapers with a blessing, a benediction from the Lord, and they respond in kind, the Lord bless you also. Take note of this kind of man. Young ladies, take note of this kind of man and be willing to accept no one less than this. And fathers and mothers, you and I have a responsibility to direct young ladies to this kind of man. And young men, you have a calling to be this kind of man, older men as well. So there's a couple of different things at play here. There's the desperation of Naomi and Ruth, which lead them to take certain unscrupulous actions. But I think they could do so banking on the godly character of Boaz. And so Boaz's faith in action is highlighted in this chapter as well. But don't miss how this chapter paints a picture of the life of faith. Remember, this is not simply a romantic story between a desperate woman and a affluent godly man. Hear this, Christian faith operates on the same main factors that activated the events of Ruth 3. And that is our desperate condition and our confidence in God's character. In this story, we take the role of Naomi and Ruth. We're desperate. We're needy. We have a very unclear future without God. but we can bank on God's character. Do you know the desperate condition of being born in sin, being brought into this world under God's judgment, at best able to perform only occasional righteousness, as Romans 2 verse 15 says? Do you know the terrors of the hell that awaits the unredeemed? I think these are the kind of questions prompted by Ruth chapter three. Ruth and Naomi are looking at their prospects. They're thinking about growing old together without anyone to take care of them. And it sort of rattles them into action. Yeah, not the best action, but you sense they're driven by desperation. Like Ruth and Naomi, you and I need to be redeemed. We need to be redeemed, and Jesus is the redeemer greater than Boaz. We would abuse Ruth chapter three if all we saw in it was a godly man named Boaz. and said, you know, man, this is how you need to behave, which is true. Ladies, this is the kind of man you need to seek, which is true. But Boaz is a shadow of the greater man, Jesus Christ. cast yourself then on his mercy in your desperation as Ruth does to Boaz and do so certain of his character. Ruth could have cast herself on the mercy of no one it seems besides Boaz in the way that she did. Couldn't have been sure that she wouldn't have been taken advantage of by anyone else. But Jesus is like that. Jesus, we read throughout the Gospels, is gentle. He's lowly in heart, Matthew 11 verse 29 says. He will not break a bruised reed. He will not quench a smoldering wick. That's what Naomi and Ruth were like. They're like bruised reeds ready to snap. You know, that's what happens to the people at the bottom of the economic ladder. It doesn't take much. They're like bruised reeds and just a little turn of events can snap. And that's where Naomi and Ruth were. That's where we are. We're one heartbeat away from eternity. Jesus is a provider. Jesus is a protector. We can trust him because he sacrificed himself to redeem us. He truly puts others first. So the spiritually desperate, and I hope that that describes you and me, the spiritually desperate run into the strong tower of the name of the Lord, Proverbs 18 verse 10 says, and they are saved. That's what Ruth is doing here. She's running into the strong tower of Boaz and she's saved. The spiritually desperate run into the strong tower of the name of the Lord and are saved. As Psalm 91 verse 1 puts it, the spiritually desperate find safety in the shelter of the Most High and will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The way to make Ruth's story your story is to admit your desperation and entrust yourself to a faithful God. Let's pray together. Father, we are hungry and thirsty. We are needy. We, on our own, would have such a dark future that we could hardly dare to contemplate it. And so Lord, we take refuge in you, we run to you, we look to you, we cast ourselves at your mercy, knowing that we can trust you, that you never turn away anyone who comes to you in faith. And so we do come to you and believe that we find rescue in a faithful God in Jesus. Help us to live as redeemed people no longer terrified, no longer dreading the future, no longer using unscrupulous means to achieve the ends we desire, but faithful men and women, boys and girls of the Most High God. Help us, we pray in this in Jesus' name. Amen.