so so 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? And now is not Boaz one of our kindred, and with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he went with barley to-night in the threshing-floor. Watch 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. 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. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. And of course, that is one of the most famous opening lines in English literature. That is the opening line of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. And if you are familiar with that story, you are familiar with the woman, Mrs. Bennett. She's a woman that has five daughters and she has no sons. And her days in that book are spent in a frenzy of activity, all designed in order to find rich husbands for her daughters. So, on the surface, It might seem here that Naomi is somewhat like this Mrs. Bennett character, that she's simply trying to find a rich husband for her daughter-in-law, Ruth. However, I believe there's more to the story when we look at it closely. This third scene in the story in the book of Ruth It ended at chapter 2, verses 18 to 23. That's what we looked at the last time. The scene there had key revelations that move the story forward. And by revelations, I'm referring to story revelations. These are things that are previously unknown information that is revealed to the people that affect their decisions and their actions. And so we saw that short scene have some key revelations in it. Naomi there learns that Ruth had done very well on her first day of gleaning. And she was obviously shown great kindness from someone. And then she also learns that that someone was one of her kinsmen, a man named Boaz. Ruth then learns that Boaz, the man she had met in the field, the one who had showed such an exceptional kindness and grace to her, is in fact one of their kinsmen and that means that he could potentially do more for them than just show them kindness and help them be fed for a little while. So this scene at the end of chapter 2 marks the first change for the better in Naomi. She was awakened to the good providence in her life as she returned to Bethlehem. She could only speak of things that were bitter and the hand of the Almighty being against her. But by the end of chapter two, we begin to see this first turn toward the good as she begins to see the good providence in her life. She's surprised by the grace that has been shown to her, and she obviously had not expected it. And that scene ends with Ruth staying by the maidservants of Boaz through the end of the harvest, so probably a couple of months' time. And she likely collected enough in that time that they would be fed and they could probably even maybe sell or trade some for other things that they might need. So in some ways, by the time you get to the end of chapter two, a lot of things have changed for Naomi and Ruth. But by the close of the chapter, we're also reminded that there are things that have not changed. Ruth continued to dwell with her mother-in-law, and so they still had not found that rest that they really need and are in search of. Now scene 4 of this story takes all of chapter 3 and verses 1 to 5 give us the opening of the scene and give us the action that gets things going. Naomi's awakening at the end of chapter 2 is further established in the first part of chapter 3 as she takes action in these first few verses. She recognized the potential for redemption, the potential for finding rest through their kinsmen. And she suggests a course of action that essentially amounts to a proposal of marriage to Boaz. And it might be easy to read these verses as a scheme, you might say, trying to get Ruth a husband. But we are here at the midpoint of this book. And we find here at the midpoint of this book, the controlling unifying theme of this whole book, and that is the theme of finding rest. We also find the theme of covenant faithfulness being highlighted in just this brief opening part here in chapter 3. When we read Naomi's actions in context, we see that there's much more going on here than just trying to find a husband for Ruth. Naomi takes some actions that are, in fact, a little bit risky. And we should understand them, though, as actions of faith. And hopefully we will by the time that we've looked at these verses. So we will look at this in two parts, verses one and two, where Naomi recognizes their state. She recognizes the condition that she and Ruth are in. And in verses three to five, Naomi lays out a plan. So beginning with verse one, When Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? Now, we immediately notice that this is a reference to Ruth. In other words, it's sort of spoken of with her in the focus. Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, Naomi addresses Ruth in this verse. But Ruth was also the focus of the previous statement, and that's verse 23 of chapter number two, that she had kept fast by the maidens of Boaz. She gleaned into the end of the barley and wheat harvest, and she had dwelt with her mother-in-law. So Naomi here is identified as Ruth's mother-in-law. And she goes on in this verse to call Ruth her daughter. Now, Ruth is not referred to as a Moabitess in chapter 3. In fact, when we had talked about looking at chapter 2 as a whole, we saw how there were several references to Ruth being from Moab, to her status as a foreigner, but we don't find those references in chapter number 3. And in fact, we only find two more references to Ruth being a Moabitess in the rest of the book. Now, one of the things that this speaks of is that this fixes for us, her inclusion in the community of Israel. And that is reinforced throughout to the end of this story, to where she even becomes the ancestor of David and ultimately Jesus Christ. So again, as we saw her take on a new identity in chapter number one, when she left from Moab with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and we're seeing that identity more and more being established and being fixed. And here in chapter 3 especially, we see her being referred to and dealt with and talked to and talked about in such a way that fixes her place in the community of Israel within the family of Naomi. Now, Naomi says to her in verse number 1, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee? Naomi says that she should seek rest for Ruth. Naomi recognizes that despite the fact they have received a gracious provision, which they have, everything that Boaz did in chapter 2 for Ruth, and apparently did that all the way until the end of the harvest. Everything that he did there was an exceptional kindness that he showed to her. And she was obviously, we've already been shown, a very diligent worker, and she made the most of the opportunity that she had. And so, no doubt, there was a gracious provision that they had received. But Naomi recognizes that even despite that, They are still without rest. They are still two widow women. She is dependent upon Ruth's labors. What will become of Ruth after that? She is gone. There's still a lot of problems for them lacking rest. The word for rest means a resting place. or a settled place. Typically, this indicates a home with family and peace and safety and provision and security. And particularly in the case of covenantal Israel, that of an heir, that of a lineage, that of a continued family line. Naomi recognizes the need for more than just merely food on the table, and the need that they have for more than just for a season. She wants rest for Ruth, that it might be well with her. Notice she says that. Shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? That it may be well with her. The word here for well is a word that means doing good. It includes the ideas of happy and being prosperous. But the word is typically used with covenant implications in the Old Testament. In fact, when Jacob returned to the land of covenant promise by God's direction, He was afraid of his brother Esau and he prayed to God in Genesis chapter 32 and verses 9 to 12. He prayed to God for God to keep his covenant promises to Jacob. You'll recall that God had in fact directed Jacob that it was time to return to the land. And here's the words of Jacob's prayer, beginning with verse 9 of Genesis 32. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me, return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude." Now those words are the prayer of Jacob to God before he's going to enter back into that land and encounter Esau, and you will notice in verse number nine, as well as in verse number 12, he used that same word where he says, you have promised I will deal well with thee. Now, not only does he use that word twice in what God has promised to do, But he also uses various words associated with God's covenant promises. In verse nine, he uses God's name Yahweh, which is a covenant name with Israel. He speaks of God's mercy, his hesed. which is God's steadfast love, God's covenant love for his people, sometimes loving kindness, that word is translated. He uses the word truth and he uses the word servant for himself to describe his relationship to God. In other words, he says, you have made these promises and he's praying to God for those promises to be fulfilled. And he mentions twice that God had promised. that he would do good or that he would deal well with Jacob. This word is, in fact, used eight times in the book of Deuteronomy. And every single time it is used in the book of Deuteronomy, it is used as a statement to the effect that it will go well with Israel If they are faithful to the covenant God has made with them, if they keep God's Word, if they follow His Word, it will go well with them. Naomi wants rest for Ruth, but she wants it through covenant faithfulness. And that, of course, is highlighted in the next verse, verse number two. And now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou was behold, he went with barley tonight in the threshing floor. So the mention of Boaz and his relation to them as one of their kinsmen shows that Naomi is not merely thinking of finding a husband for Ruth. If that was all that was involved, no doubt it could have been done. It could have been accomplished. Ruth was still a young woman. She was a widow. She didn't have any children. Certainly she could have been remarried if that was the extent of what it was that Naomi was talking about. But she clarifies, is not Boaz of our kindred? So in other words, according to covenant law, Boaz was a clan relative, though not by blood to either woman. You realize that he's a relative to Elimelech. Naomi had married Elimelech and Ruth was not even an Israelite. She was born in Moab and she had married Elimelech's son Malone. So neither women were a blood relation to Boaz, but it was established as a covenant relation that he was one of their kindred, not just sort of close or what have you, but actually under some obligation. He was a clan relative to Naomi and to Ruth. Family law, such as what is found in Leviticus chapter 25 and Deuteronomy chapter number 25. Leviticus 25, in particular, is all about redemption, the year of Jubilee, the release from bondage, the release of debts, and the redemption of property, all those kind of things. Deuteronomy 25 has a number of things there, including the labyrinth marriage and what have you. But these places in the law highlight the responsibility of clan relatives to redeem their poor relatives in a variety of circumstances. Sometimes the case may be someone had become poor and had to sell their land, or maybe even sell themselves into slavery. In some cases, such as the case of a widow, where there were no more males in a family that were left, and that inheritance was in danger of being lost, then the Leverite Marriage could be had that an heir would be raised up and reestablished that that family name not die from among Israel and that inheritance, that possession not go out. So in other words, when Naomi is talking about Boaz, she's talking about him in terms of the covenant, that he is a covenant relation to them, a clan relative. And there is certain responsibilities for those relatives to help those of their family. So again, Ruth could have no doubt married again. She probably easily could have found a husband. And that may very well be the meaning of Boaz's words in chapter 3 and verse number 10. We'll not get to those today. But he speaks of that later, that she had not gone after others. Obviously, Naomi's intention for Ruth then is to find a husband, to find rest and to do so in terms of covenant faithfulness. Now, remember, this is a stark contrast. This is happening during the times of the judges, a time that was marked and indicated as a time when men did what was right in their own eyes. In other words, it was a time of covenant disobedience. It was a time of disregard and despising of God's law. It was a time of going after other gods and going after other idols and worship and other laws and there being no king in Israel. That is the time period of the judges. That's what it's characterized by. In fact, that's why the judges were necessary. Because people would go into bondage. They would come under oppression because they were breaking God's covenant and not keeping it. They were unfaithful. So this is a contrast in the time of the judges. This is a bright spot in a time of Israel's history that is very, very dark. Covenant faithfulness. Their current state also included an opportunity. Notice the last part of verse two. Behold, he went with barley tonight in the threshing floor. So Naomi includes that Boaz is at the threshing floor that day. The harvest had ended. So that means that the stalks would have to be threshed and the grain would have to be winnowed to prepare for storage and for sale and for distribution or whatever it was that would happen with it according to the landowner's plans. So now we come to the next part of this opening image, verse 3, where Naomi now lays out a plan of action. Verse three, 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. So she instructs Ruth to get herself ready and to go to the threshing floor where Boaz is. Now, at best, Naomi's plan is a little unusual, and it does, as you read it, it's a little unusual to us. At worst, some think that it was some sort of a scheme of seduction, that there's almost something sinister involved in Naomi's suggestion. Now, certainly it does seem odd to us, but we do need to be careful not to read our modern norms into it. And to read this in the context that it is given. This is given to us as God's Word. This is not a story that is being adapted for film or television. No, this is God's Word. If this were a plan for Ruth to seduce Boaz, this would make Ruth in this case, to be acting like the strange and adulterous woman in Proverbs chapter seven, verses 10 to 21. And there you can read about how that she would dress up in the clothes of a harlot and would go into the street looking to seduce a naive young man. Now, we've already noted how that the author of the book of Ruth has paralleled Ruth with the wise and the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. And again, it is too blatant to be dismissed that that is done in this book. And in Proverbs 31, as well as other parts of Proverbs, there is a contrast that is made with this strange and adulterous woman. In fact, she's the opposite of the wise and virtuous woman. And there in Proverbs 31, we see how that she is even contrasted with that strange woman. In verses 22 and 25, we read about her clothing. She's clothed with dignity. She's clothed with dignity. Not the attire of a harlot. So there's no question here. That Ruth cleaned herself up, no question about that or that that's Naomi's direction to her. But I want you to notice that it's not the way that the strange woman did it in Proverbs chapter number seven. If you go and look at all of that context and all that's involved there. Now, the word that's used. Excuse me, the word that is used for raiment here in verse number three, put thy raiment upon thee. It's a very common word for a cloak or an outer garment. In other words, it does not indicate anything that we would consider fancy or expensive or what we might even call nice. It doesn't indicate anything of the sort. It's a very common garment. In fact, it's the same word that is referred to in the law in Exodus chapter 22, verses 26 and 27. And there is a prohibition pertaining to lending and usury. But not only that, that if a pledge is taken of a poor person, a pledge of their cloak, It's not to be kept overnight. It has to be returned to them at sundown, according to the law. Why? Because that was their blanket and their only means of keeping warm at night. It's the same garment that's being referred to. So as Ruth is to go to the threshing floor at night, she's going to need this garment for one to keep warm. So it's utility, as much as anything else, washing and anointing herself and putting on a cloak. These are all things that are spoken of of David in 2 Samuel chapter number 12. In fact, if you read 2 Samuel chapter 12 in verse number 20, you will see all three of those things mentioned. It is the same word for cloak that is used there that's used here. Now, what had happened in 2 Samuel chapter 12 is that David's child, the child he had conceived with Bathsheba, was stricken sick and then ultimately died. So when he found out that the child was sick, David had laid on the earth for seven days without eating, And his in verse 20, he gets up and cleans up, he washes, anoints himself, puts on his cloak and then goes to the temple. In other words, David getting up and cleaning up and getting dressed is in the way that he did signaled the end of his mourning. In fact, if you remember, according to the account, his men were very confused by David's actions. Because they thought he has laid on the earth for seven days, praying, fasting, refusing food. He won't be comforted. They tried to get him up. He wouldn't get up. And then when the child had died, they began talking to themselves. You know what? They were worried. What's he going to do if this has been his response to the child being sick? Well, David had already been told through prophecy that this child was going to die. David was mourning this child's death. He knew that it was because of his sin. He was mourning this child's death. But once that child had died, what David said later about it was was there's nothing there's nothing that I can do. There's nothing more that can be done. So, in other words, his mourning period had come to an end. So he got up. washed himself, anointed himself and put his cloak on. The anointing actually was was that's referred to was more of a more of an act of hygiene than it was anything else. We might today say, you know, take a shower and put some deodorant on something like that. It's just more of what was being spoken of. Now, we also read. In Genesis, chapter number 38, about Tamar, And you know that Tamar had married the oldest son of Judah, and he died because of his wickedness. The second son was given to her, and he died because of his wickedness. And Judah had a third son remaining. But when he was grown, he hadn't given him to Tamar. Judah had told Tamar to live in his house as a widow. And when you look in Genesis chapter 38, you will find her setting aside her widow's garments to put on the attire of a harlot because of what happened there. Then she comes back and puts her widow's garments back on. Now, it doesn't seem that there was any strictly defined period of mourning for widows. In other words, it doesn't seem historically, and there's certainly not anything specified in the Bible that says a widow has to mourn the death of her husband for so many days or what have you. There's just no set period of time for that to happen. But there was a time of mourning. And there was particular clothing that marked mourning widows. Tamar wore the widow's clothing and she put that off for a time. So what I'm saying is, David's actions when he got up, washed, anointed himself, put his cloak on, which again, it just refers to a common cloak, not any sort of a word for a kingly robe or anything lavish or anything like that, just a common garment. When David did that, it signaled an end of his mourning period. So, most likely, Naomi is telling Ruth here to put off her widow's garments and to return to normal life and to openness to marriage in this sense. And in fact, that also would help us understand why that Ruth had worked in the fields for two months, no doubt had had encounters with Boaz, and yet there had seemed to be no development of any kind between them. And that could very well be explained if she was indeed still in her widow's garments, marked as a widow, and she had not returned, you might say, to society, so to speak. So it seems most likely that this is what Naomi's directions are about here. She's not telling her to get all fancied up. She doesn't say anything about any sort of ornamentation. There's nothing of extravagance here. There's nothing like that at all. But what she's telling her to do is very common. So put off your garments of widowhood. Remember also that Naomi told her In this verse, at the end of the verse, but make not myself known unto the man until he shall done eating and drinking. In other words, she was to stay hidden and wait until after he had eaten, after he had drank, he had worked all day. And so once he had eaten and once he had drank something, it would be late. He would likely go to sleep very quickly. Verse four. And it shall be when he layeth 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. So Ruth is to observe. She's to be hidden and she's to observe where he finally lays down when he's going to go to sleep. She's to go then and to pull back the cloak, uncovering his feet and his legs, his lower legs. That would be the word that is used there for feet consistently in that passage would indicate that. She's to pull the cloak off his feet and legs. And once that she has done this, she's to lay down and she is to wait. Verse number five. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. Now the author does not report any questions from Ruth. Again, this seems to be a pretty odd procedure. She didn't ask any questions that were told of. Rather, she simply responds that she will do what Naomi has said, indicating at least her agreement. So Naomi is not presented to us as a schemer. This passage at the beginning of chapter three immediately follows Naomi's recognition of a remarkable providence and the Lord's hand at work in their relief. In other words, at the end of chapter two, when she learns that it is Boaz that has showed this exceptional generosity and grace to Ruth and to her as well, she she praises the Lord because he has not left off his kindness to the living or to the dead. Naomi's plan is a little unusual. I mean, even in scripture, it's a little unusual. But its intention is in keeping with covenant faithfulness. Naomi and Ruth and Boaz are all presented to us in this book as ideal wisdom characters. and their actions can be seen consistent with that. Again, that doesn't mean that they were perfect and without sin and without any sort of flaw, but that the author has presented this in a way that presents them in ideal character. They all are representing covenant faithfulness. Now, there's one other way that we must account for Naomi's actions. By the end of chapter 1, She is essentially in despair. She returns to Bethlehem and she speaks of the bitterness of her experience and she seems just resigned to a hopeless fate. In other words, in Naomi's mind, all that she can see is that she's going to continue in something of a living death. She prayed for Ruth and Orpah when they first went out with her because she truly felt that there was nothing whatever that she would ever be able to do for them. She truly prayed that the Lord would give them rest. The start of this chapter is at the middle of the book, and it marks the return to hope. for Naomi. Her plan has risks. It does. There's no telling how Boaz might react. There's just a number of things that could certainly go wrong with this plan. It's somewhat risky. But I do believe when we read it in the context of this book and what this book is teaching us, her plan, though it is risky, It's not an act of desperation. In other words, it's not a sort of all hope is lost. Act of desperation. You know how sometimes the football games end, what they call the Hail Mary play. And essentially it's just a play of desperation. The clock is going to run out and they're going to throw the ball as far as they can, the big crowd in the end zone, and they're going to bat it around and try to come down with it. Maybe, maybe they'll come away with it and score and win the game or tie the game or whatever it is that needs to be done. But it's pretty much all hope is lost. When you call that play, you've got nothing else in the playbook and you don't really have a lot of hope that it's going to work out. But when we see what Naomi is planning, again, though unusual to us, it's not that sort of an act of desperation. It's not an all is lost act of desperation. In fact, what we see is that faith and hope have united in Naomi and she is stepping out in faith and hope. Yes, there are some risks involved in this plane. But she is acting in faith. The truth is. As we lose hope in life. We tend to withdraw. We tend to play it safe. We tend to just try to maintain. We're not really trying to make progress. We're not really trying to go forward. We're just trying not to lose what we already have. We don't want to take risks. We don't want to dare to dream of God doing anything great in our midst. You know, honestly, this is one of the applications that I hadn't quite expected when starting the book of Ruth. And yet, seeing it before me, it hits pretty hard. The Bible tells us God delights in showing mercy. He loves to glorify His Son, Jesus Christ. And in fact, Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 15 and verse number 10, that when one poor, lost sinner repents on this earth, that there's joy and rejoicing in heaven. The angels of heaven. No doubt, the souls of those that have gone on before, rejoicing all over heaven before the throne of God at just the repentance of one poor sinner that probably means nothing in the world at large. So I asked, why can't God do a great work, even with Harmony Baptist Church? Why can't Harmony Baptist Church be a burning and a shining light for Jesus in Godfrey and in Alton and even to the farthest reaches of the earth? Why can't that happen? Why is that not possible? Have we lost hope? Are we seeking to just merely maintain Are we just trying to sort of stay by the stuff or are we daring to risk? Have faith and hope united that we will believe and trust and act for God to do great and wondrous things that his name be glorified here, even among us. Do we want to maintain and coast? Who do we want to plan and risk for God's glory in faith and in hope? Naomi and Ruth were probably about as weak and vulnerable as you could get. And yet, God did great things through and with them, even at such a time of darkness and desperation in Israel's history.