Ruth 3:1-18 - The Threshing Floor
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1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?
2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
3 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.
4 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.”
5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 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 wings over 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.
12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.
13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.
16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her,
17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”
18 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.”
PRAY...
I’m from Oklahoma and my dad is from Burlington Oklahoma in Northwest Oklahoma (wheat country)…his dad was a farmer and he left the farm to go to college and would become an accountant.
The extent of my farming experience is sitting in a tractor while my dad or uncle drove during harvest time...
Growing up we made a number of trips to Burlington to take part in the harvest
I will always remember walking through the fields of cut wheat.
I will especially remember rolling around in a grain truck after it had been filled with grain
Modern wheat harvest utilizes a COMBINE…anyone know why a COMBINE is called a COMBINE?
It CUTS, THRESHES and WINNOWS the wheat so that only GRAIN is left which it then loads into a grain trailer in the field which then takes the grain to a grain truck at the edge of a field which then is weighed out and collected at a local grain elevator.
I’m sure that watching your kids and grandkids play in the back of a grain truck was a pretty satisfying moment for a farmer. After months of work preparing the soil and planting, then waiting on rain and hoping and praying for it to not hail or get to cold or get to hot
To finally fill a grain truck and complete another harvest…it must be a truly satisfying moment.
Well this is the scene of our text today…the wheat and barley harvest is at it’s completion. After years of famine in the land, they have grain!
Naomi’s Instructions (1-5)
Naomi’s Instructions (1-5)
1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?
2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
Ruth stayed working in the Boaz field through the whole harvest and now harvest has ended.
It sure seemed like Boaz had taken an interest in Ruth, but through the harvest time it apparently did not grow the way Naomi had hoped it might.
The question remains, why?
Naomi decides to put a little pressure on the matter...
1 - Naomi to Ruth: My daughter...
Should I not seek rest for you
2a - Is not Boaz our relative?
2b - See he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor
Winnowing is the process of separating the GRAIN from the CHAFF
If you don’t have a combine…you do something like this to winnow the grain from the chaff.
Ruth 3:3 (ESV)
3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak
3a - So...
-Wash yourself
-Anoint yourself
-put on your cloak
Ruth 3:3–4 (ESV)
3and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 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.”
3b - Go down to the threshing floor and wait to make yourself known until he is done eating/drinking
4 - Observe where he lies down
-Uncover his feet and lie down
-He will tell you what to do
5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
5 - Ruth: All that you say, I will do
Wow, so what is about to happen!? There are lots of irregularities in Naomi’s plan...
A younger person proposing marriage to an older person
A field worker proposing to the field owner
An alien to a native
And not the least of these irregularities a woman proposing to a man
On one hand, this is a risky plan that could go VERY poorly...
Boaz could accuse Ruth of trying to seduce him and cast her out
Boaz could take advantage of her and still cast her out
On the other hand, Boaz & Ruth have proven character and while it is a risk, it is a calculated risk…and perhaps the only option to fulfill Naomi’s desire to provide rest to Ruth.
The Threshing Floor (6-13)
The Threshing Floor (6-13)
6 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.
6-7 - Ruth did as Naomi said
When Boaz had eaten and drunk
His heart was merry
He laid down at the heap of grain
She came softly, uncovered his feet and lay down.
While certainly desiring to present herself attractively to Boaz, we should read the uncovering of his feet as simply as that…the purpose of which is to make Boaz uncomfortable enough to wake up...
8-13 - Boaz and Ruth Conversation at Midnight
8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!
8a - At midnight he was startled and turned over
8b - Behold a woman at his feet!
9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
9a - BOAZ: Who are you?
9b -RUTH: I am Ruth, your servant (ama)
Spread your wings over your servant (ama) > in contrast to siphot (which cannot become a wife)
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.
12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.
13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
10 - BOAZ: May you be blessed by the Lord my daughter
-You have made this last kindness greater than the first
-You have not gone after young men, rich or poor
11 - Do not fear,
I will do all that you ask for my townsmen know you are a worthy woman
12 - It is true I am a redeemer, yet there is another closer than I
13a - Remain tonight, in the morning…if he will redeem you, good, let him do it
13b - But if he is not willing to redeem you then
As the Lord lives, I will redeem you.
Lie down until morning
The Next Day (14-18)
The Next Day (14-18)
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
14 - She lay there until morning but arose before one could recognize another
14b - BOAZ: Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor
?? - Who is he saying this to? The wording seems weird for it to be to RUTH
15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.
15a - BOAZ: Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out
15b - She did and he measured out SIX measures of barley
15c - Then she went to the city
16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her,
17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”
16a - She came to Naomi:
16b - Naomi said: How did you fare my daughter?
16c - Ruth told her everything
17 - saying…these six measure of barley he gave me
We don’t know why the EMPHASIS on “six measures” or how even much grain that equates to, but I’m speculating the meaning to be connected with six days of work after which REST is received....this is connects the conclusion back to how Naomi began in Ruth 3:1 “1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?”
and he said: you must not go back empty handed to your mother-in-law
18 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.”
18 - Naomi said: Wait, my daughter…he will not rest today until the matter is settled!
GO WITH THIS...
The Threshing Floor…it’s a place to sort out what is valuable from that which is to be burnt up. Even the straw could used for animal bedding or as part of the feed for cattle. But any chaff that built up…is only good to be burnt.
As John the Baptist said of Jesus coming...
16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
I don’t know what you need to sort out today, but do the hard work of winnowing in your life
Separate that which is of highest value
And throw out the chaff in your life.
GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR GRAIN NOT CHAFF AND THE LORD WILL REJOICE OVER YOU LIKE A FARMER OVER HIS HARVEST.
The most valuable yield of the harvest in our text is Boaz been woken up to what the Lord was doing in his midst.
OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY AND LET THE LORD WRITE THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE
Boaz is a man of great character
He did not even consider that he had a shot to marry Ruth
And he treated her with compassion and kindness and purity
Then when Ruth sought refuge from him, his integrity remains and he knows he must go to the nearest kin first before acting on what is his clear desire now.
Boaz considered Ruth to be worthy
Culturally Ruth had nothing
She is foreigner
She is a widow
Boaz has heard of and seen her character and counts her worthy
IN THE SAME WAY, THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL IS THIS...
THOUGH THE WORLD MAY CONSIDER US WEAK
AND THOUGH IN FACT WE ARE UNRIGHTEOUS
YET EVEN STILL JESUS COUNTS US THOSE WHO BELIEVE ON HIM WORTHY OF HIS LIFE ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SIN
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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