Village Schools of the Bible

THE ROMANCE OF REDEMPTION
A Devotional Study of Ruth
by Max Frazier, Jr.

AN UNSELFISH ACT
Ruth 3:1

The underlying theme of this third chapter in Ruth is that of marriage. It is not played out in the usual way both for our day or even for the day of Ruth and Boaz. But behind the scenes we see God bringing together a man and a woman of His choice who were to play an important role in the redemptive story of mankind.

This marital drama begins with an unselfish act on the part of Naomi. It begins with the question she addresses to Ruth there in verse one: My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Naomi realized that Ruth needed a husband and a provider. She realized that the life Ruth was now living was not the best one for a young woman. Now Naomi could have maintained an attitude of selfishness and could have insisted that Ruth remain with her and continue to provide for her needs. Ruth had done this since Elimelech had died and especially since they had returned to Bethlehem. And, Naomi was appreciative of all that Ruth had done, but she realized that this was not a healthy way of life for her young daughter-in-law.

Selfishness is the downfall of so many people. It was William Gladstone, the great British statesman, who said, Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.

Friends, God wants people who will share what they have with others. God wants us to share out of our abundance, just as Joseph shared his tomb with Jesus. God wants us to share out of lack of abundance following the example of the poor widow who gave all she had to Jesus. God wants us to share out of our material resources, even as the early church pooled their resources and the Bible says that no one lacked anything. Finally, God wants us to share our faith. Peter and John had no money to give to the paralytic man, but they could share their faith with him. How readily do we give of ourselves and what we have to help someone else?

I find it interesting that the King James Bible words Naomi's question this way: My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee...? This suggests the heart-cry of Christ for those who know the sting of sin and have borne the burden of life. He cries out, in Matthew 11:28, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

If sinners were honest with themselves, what is the greatest need in their lives? Is it not to find some kind of rest? They are searching for something that will give them some sense of completion, of satisfaction, of peace. Does the world offer any of these? They have found, as we did, that the answer is no. Jesus says that only He can give rest. Only He can give the quiet shelter from the storms of life. Only He can give the quiet shelter and tranquillity of heart that a person needs. Not that all of their problems will be solved when they find Jesus. Jesus never guarantees that. But He does guarantee that they will find rest. Our responsibility is to point people to that rest to be found in Jesus.

Father, What a great heart Naomi had. What an unselfish spirit. She could have looked out for only her own needs, yet she had a concern for the needs of that young lady whom she loved so dearly. She wanted a place of rest for Ruth. Lord, there are many people that we know who also need this place of rest. Help us to point them toward Jesus who is our rest. Then they will know of His peace and provision. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

NEW CLOTHES FOR A NEW YOU
Ruth 3:2-4

There is an old adage which states that "the clothes make the man." It means that what we wear had a great deal to say about who we really are. We are often judged by our appearance. Before I step out the door, my wife usually gives the okay on how I am dressed. She will straighten the tie. She might refold the collar. She knows that our personality is often judged by the way we are dressed.

So it was in Bible days. When a woman lost her husband, it was expected that she would wear the clothing identifying her as a widow. Up to this time, Ruth had been wearing such clothing. This was out of her respect for the dead. But time had healed those wounds and Boaz had filled that void in her heart. Naomi urged her to change her clothing from those dark mourning clothes to the brightly colored ones of beauty. This change broke the last thread of Ruth to the past of Moab. She was now completely free from that aspect of her life.

I am reminded of those words from the Apostle Paul, found in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17: Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. When we receive Christ, we receive a new nature. Our lives are transformed. To use that beautiful analogy, we change from an ugly caterpillar into that of a beautiful butterfly. As a result our links with our past life are broken and gone as long as we let His life flow in and through us.

Truly the Christian life is a life of freedom. It is a freedom we have in Christ. As a caterpillar is bound to the earth by crawling, so a butterfly is destined to soar into the heavens. As a sinner is bound by his sins, resulting in his death, so the believer is freed from the shackles of his sins and soars into the kingdom of light.

Friends, are you still wearing those garments from your past? Or are you wearing those brilliant garments given you by Christ? Paul reminded those believers in Ephesus that they were to put off the old garments and to put on Christ and those garments which He supplies. When we do so, God does turn our mourning into dancing, as the psalmist relates to us.

When Ruth changed her clothes, it was a turning point in her life. When we change our old life for the new life in Christ, that also is a turning point for us. I trust that you have made that change.

Father, I praise You for the change which comes into our lives when we acknowledge our need for You and accept You into our lives. You replace the old with the brand new. Yes, You turn our days of mourning into days of rejoicing. Thank You that You do accept us where we are, but that You don't leave us there. You change us! We thank You for this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

A VERY UNUSUAL WEDDING PROPOSAL
Ruth 3:6-15

I remember so very clearly that time when I asked a certain young lady whom I was deeply in love with to be my wife. We had been dating for two years and knew that God had brought us together. I remember taking her out to dinner and later that evening proposing to her. It was the evening of June 30, 1968. Of course, she said yes, which made me feel greatly relieved. We entered the home of her parents and told them. They rejoiced with us as did my family the next day when we shared with them.

Now I enjoy reading the stories of how others have done this proposal thing. And many are very creative. But this account in Ruth is among the most creative of all. And its roots lie deeply buried in an obscure passage in Deuteronomy 25, verses 5 through 10. There we read, If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me." Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

This passage is describing what is known as the levirate marriage. The concept was wrapped up in the land. Land, in Israel, belonged to the family. So, when a person died without heirs, the question remained concerning the land. The concept of the levirate was to raise up heirs for the purpose of receiving the land of the deceased.

Ruth was attempting to urge Boaz to fulfill his role as the levirate. By going and uncovering Boaz's feet and lying at his feet, Ruth was making a proposal to him for marriage. Boaz had been dragging his feet because of the closer relative to Ruth and did not want to interfere if they had a relationship established. Now Boaz could definitely see that Ruth was only interested in him.

Boaz responded by covering Ruth with his cloak. This was the Eastern way of saying, "Yes, I will marry you." Thus the wheels were set into motion for one of the most unusual wedding ceremonies in all of Scripture. But, before that could occur, another event needed to happen. That will be our study tomorrow.

Father, As we look back into this story, we observe how you acted to bring together Ruth and Boaz. And I want to thank You for the obedience of both Ruth and Boaz to Your will. And, Father, I want to thank You for that bride You brought into my life over thirty years ago. Thank You for the companionship and the friendship we can have with our spouses, and for those memories we can cherish when we are separated from them. How thankful we are to be a part of the bride of Christ. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.

Ruth 2 Return to Introduction Ruth 4