So, she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded 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 grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8
At midnight the man was startled and turned over,
and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wingsover your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10
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. 11
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.
Ruth is one of the most beautiful and instructive pictures of godly femininity in all of the Bible. She is humble, submissive as a servant but at the same time she
is fierce in her love and bold in commanding godliness.
As was pointed out yesterday, Ruth commended godliness in Boaz, that he would rise up and be who God had called him to be, namely, a redeemer. That is what godly women
do; they are an impetus for helping men stretch every nerve unto godliness and holiness. Her words to Boaz to spread his cloak over her and to redeem her are in the imperative, that is they are commands not suggestions.
However, Ruth’s boldness also makes her vulnerable, she has gone, “all in”, what if this back-fires? But Boaz relieves any anxiety or tension she might have, immediately.
Godly masculinity seeks to comfort and thinks of everyone in the room before self.
“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.”
The word kindness is actually the word, hesed, once again! This remember, is the word for love, the love that Yahweh has for His people. This love fills Ruth, she
had hesed for Naomi, and demonstrated it to the point that even Naomi knew this was not ordinary love. Ruth lives and breathes the love of God!
When Boaz says you have not gone after young men whether rich or poor, he is suggesting that Ruth has put love for Naomi ahead of pursuit of beauty, strength, status
or wealth. The indication seems to be, “Ruth, you could have had almost anyone, but because of your love for Naomi and your maturity I am to be blessed.”
Boaz continues to remove her fears, and notice, all the townsmen know Ruth is a ‘worthy woman’. She has gained for herself a glowing reputation.
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. People are talking about
Ruth and what they see is nothing but godliness! Reputations are about behavior, virtue and character. Everyone knows that Ruth is a catch because of the kind
of person she is.
Boaz, in essence, says to her, I am YOUR servant. Boaz is an important man, he has standing, wealth and reputation. But when it comes to the woman he loves, he is
her servant. With a beautiful twist we remember that Naomi had told Ruth to do all the Boaz would tell her, but here Boaz tells Ruth he will do all that she has asked!
Paul Miller conjectures regarding all the ‘comments’ about Ruth as she passes through the gate:
*Did you see how early she gets up in the morning?
*Did you see how late she works into the night?
*I still can’t believe she walked away from her country to live with Naomi.
*Have you seen the difference in Naomi these last couple of months, with Ruth helping her? She’s back to her old self. I saw her laughing.
*Ruth is attractive, but I have not seen her flirting with any of the guys. She stays really close to the women. Someone ought to fix her up.
*She’s a real catch.
Ruth did not get her reputation by trying to be somebody, or by trying to impress the women or the men. She was not seeking to associate with only the important people
or trying to be the center of attention. She was not thinking of doing some great thing! Just the opposite, it was her hesed love, her kindness and loyalty to Naomi that won the praise of the town.
Boaz, earlier in the narrative was called a worthy man, he now calls her a worthy woman. This phrase worthy woman appears only in one other place
in the Bible in the description of what a noble woman is like in Proverbs 31. However, Ruth and Ruth alone is the only specific woman in all of Holy Scripture to be identified as such.
In chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes the text begins by telling us that precious ointment is a good thing, but a good name is better, and if you are wise you will choose a
good name over the wealth of this world. Solomon says elsewhere: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold. The memory of the righteous is blessed but the name of the wicked will rot.” 22:1, 10:7
The Bible speaks about having a good reputation. Your name means something, it stands for something. People hear your name and they are going to think something, and
you want it to be for righteousness! So, is it a good thing to have a good name, a good reputation? Well of course it is! But aren’t we often taught that we ought not to care for our reputation in this world, but that we should be concerned for our heavenly
reputation? So, should we care for our reputation or not?
Perhaps another way of looking at it: Did Jesus have a good reputation? Did He have a good name among others? It would depend on who you talked to. Jesus would have
had a wonderful reputation with the disciples, with the everyday guy, and those He healed. But not so much if you would have asked the Pharisees, scribes and teachers of the law.
We could go down a long list of Biblical heroes who did not have good reputations with the people of their day. But in those cases, Jesus would say of them,
“Blessed are you when men persecute you and revile you and say all manner of evil against you BECAUSE OF ME, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.” If, for the name of Christ, your name is maligned and your reputation is blackened, then
that IS having a good name! If for obedience to the Lord and a humble seeking of holiness people soil your reputation, then you are called to rejoice!
On a related note I will say this should make us all the more careful not to steal away from others, their good name. This should slow us down greatly in speaking
gossip and the thievery for that is what it is, thievery; stealing the good name of others.
These are not easy waters to navigate. When your reputation gets soiled, your response has to be for the truth of your name, but never at the expense of repaying that
evil with evil. The world gets caught up in such a game, but we must not. Like Ruth our focus is not upon our reputation or what others may think of us, our focus is upon hesed; receiving and expressing the love of Yahweh. We are to be tenacious in our love,
bold in its expression, willing to take risks for Love’s sake because we know that we are the beloved of God!
Prayer: Father, we seek Your pleasure, please keep us from the fear of men and from the desire to be approved by and through cultural aspirations that eclipse our
sight and pleasure of the Christ. Forgive us for careless thoughts, words, actions and reactions. Give us the grace of the Holy Spirit that we might walk humbly with you and with one another. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Hymn: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
