Ruth 3:1-15
Our faith does not grow in a straight upward diagonal. I often wish it did. Most of the time, our faith grows more like the ups, downs, and spirals of a roller coaster. We think we have it figured out, but then that old fallen nature pokes up its head once again. We become like Naomi, seeing God’s plan, but wanting to run ahead of it, wanting to accomplish it in our own wisdom and power instead of God’s.
Naomi learned that the field her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth happened to glean in was one of the men who could redeem her family and her family’s land, through marriage to Ruth. She concocted a plan that even to today’s ears would seem to put Ruth at great risk. She said: “Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash 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.” (Ruth 3:2–4)
Naomi could have approached the situation directly and sought to arrange a marriage between Boaz and her daughter-in-law. Yet, whatever the reason, she did not want to take chances. She instructs Ruth to try to seduce the man.
Yet, in the field of temptation, Boaz shows himself to be the man he always has been. He does not take advantage of the young woman. Perhaps Boaz was familiar with the words repeated throughout the Song of Solomon, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love, until it pleases (Song of Solomon 8:4).” He is tender like our God, “…a bruised reed he will not break (Isaiah 4:3).” He also promises to redeem her, if the first-in-line redeemer declines to do so (Ruth 3:15). How grateful would Ruth be in later years that Boaz was a man of the Bible. The Lord used Boaz to redeem Naomi’s deception.
What if you messed up? What, if like Naomi, your fickle faith leads you to seemingly endanger God’s good plans? The good news is that God works out his perfect plan through imperfect people. He even redeems our blunders and waywardness as he teaches us to trust in him more and not run ahead of him or away from him. Maybe you have found yourself thinking, “if people knew how much I’ve blown it, I’d be done.” The Good News of God’s provision of a redeemer for us in Jesus Christ declares that no matter what you have done, God can still redeem you.