When God Makes a Way

The year was 2009, and I went on a short-term mission trip to Honduras. And many of you have heard parts of this story before.

While I was there, I visited a mountain community called Cangual in a department of Honduras called Intibucá. There I encountered three young girls who were living under some very difficult circumstances.

There was actually a house that had been built for them. However when I arrived, I discovered that the house was empty. Instead, these three girls were sleeping in a kitchen with an elderly couple. There was barely enough room for them.

And I remember asking, “Why aren’t the girls living in the house?” And the elderly woman explained to me, “Because we don’t have foster parents.”

There was a house.

There were children who needed a home.

But there was no one available to care for them.

And that stayed with me. That night, while I was staying at a hostel in San Juan, Intibucá, I began to pray.

I remember asking the Lord to provide someone who could care for these girls, someone who could give them a home. And as I was praying, my mind went to Isaiah chapter 6, where the Lord asks the prophet, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”

Now, I want to be careful here. I’m not saying that God spoke to me and told me, “You need to move to Honduras.” That’s not what happened. However earlier that day, I had encountered a real need. And I knew something about the heart of God because of what He has already revealed in His Word.

James 1:27 tells us:

James 1:27 NASB 2020

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

So I didn’t need to wonder whether caring for vulnerable children was something that pleased the Lord. Scripture had already answered that question.

What I needed to discern was whether God might be opening an opportunity for us to participate in meeting that need. And that required wisdom. So I called my wife, and we began talking and praying about it.

Now, this didn’t mean that we needed to immediately pack our bags and move to Honduras.

It meant that a process of seeking the Lord would begin, as we evaluated our circumstances, prepared, and considered what it would actually require for us to go. And about a year later, by God’s grace, we moved to Honduras.

Now, why am I telling you this?

Because I think there’s something important here about the way we understand God’s providence and the decisions we make in life. Sometimes we approach decisions as though we’re waiting for God to give us specific instructions about every detail of our lives.

Who should I marry?

Where should I live?

What should I study?

And certainly, we should pray about these things. However, God has not promised to reveal every specific decision we should make through a special message or an unmistakable sign. What He has given us is His Word.

And through His Word, He teaches us what is right, what is wise, what honors Him, and how we ought to live. Then, as we encounter different circumstances and opportunities, we are called to exercise wisdom in light of what He has revealed.

This means that:

1. God’s sovereignty does not eliminate our responsibility to make wise decisions.

And that brings us back to the story of Ruth. Last week, as we finished chapter 2, we saw Naomi beginning to recognize the providential care of God.

Ruth had gone into the fields looking for food. She wasn’t looking for a husband or trying to arrange her future. But through God’s providence, she found herself working in the field of Boaz.

And Boaz wasn’t simply a generous landowner. He was a relative of Naomi’s family, someone who could potentially serve as their redeemer.

So when Naomi heard his name, she began to recognize that God might be providing something far greater than food for the day. However:

2. Recognizing God’s provision and knowing how to respond to it are not always the same thing.

And that’s where chapter 3 takes us. Naomi and Ruth still have an unresolved need. Their immediate circumstances have improved, but their future remains uncertain.

Now Naomi begins to consider what she knows about Boaz and what that might mean for Ruth. And rather than simply waiting for something to happen, she begins to act.

So as we come to Ruth 3:1–9, we’re going to follow three movements in the story that take us from an unresolved need to the possibility of redemption. So let’s begin with our first movement:

I. A Need for Lasting Security

Ruth 3:1–2 NASB 2020

Then her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may go well for you? (V2) Now then, is Boaz not our relative, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight.

Now, before we unpack these verses, I want to address something that I believe is a common tendency in our culture, particularly within some of our Hispanic communities.

And I think it’s important because it can influence the way we understand what Naomi is saying here. In our culture we have a tendency to look at a single woman, or perhaps a single mother, and immediately assume that what she needs is a man.

As though her life is somehow incomplete because she’s not married.

And sometimes we can communicate that without realizing it. We see a woman raising her children on her own, or a woman who has never married, and we begin thinking about who we could introduce her to.

As though finding her a husband would solve the problems of her life.

And I want us to be careful not to bring that assumption into this passage. Because when we begin reading chapter 3, we might get the impression that this is exactly what Naomi is doing.

Let’s look again at verse 1:

Ruth 3:1 NASB 2020

Then her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may go well for you?

Now, what does Naomi mean by security? The Hebrew word translated security carries the idea of rest, a settled place, a condition of stability and well-being. And this isn’t the first time Naomi has expressed this concern.

Remember chapter 1. After losing her husband and two sons, Naomi encourages Ruth and Orpah to return to their families in Moab. In Ruth 1:9, she actually prays that the Lord would grant them security, each in the house of a husband.

It’s the same Hebrew word.

Then in verses 11 through 13, Naomi explained that she had no more sons to offer Ruth and Orpha. She was too old to remarry and begin another family. Naomi understood that remaining with her meant facing an uncertain future.

However we need to understand the historical setting. Ruth and Naomi were widows living in ancient Israel, where marriage, family inheritance, and economic protection were closely connected.

And Ruth wasn’t simply a widow. She was a Moabite widow living among the people of Israel. So Naomi’s concern wasn’t simply that Ruth was unmarried. She was concerned about her long-term well-being.

Who would care for her?

What would happen when the harvest ended?

What would become of her future?

Now, throughout chapter 2, God had already provided some of their immediate needs.

Ruth had found food.

Boaz had protected her in his fields

And he also treated her with extraordinary kindness.

But having enough food for today didn’t necessarily mean that their future was secure. The provision of chapter 2 had addressed their immediate needs, but their long-term vulnerability remained.

And that’s what Naomi is concerned about.

Now let’s look at verse 2:

Ruth 3:2 NASB 2020

Now then, is Boaz not our relative, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight.

In V2 notice who Naomi brings into the conversation. Boaz.

But more importantly, notice what she says about him: “Is Boaz not our relative?”

That’s significant because this shows that Naomi isn’t simply looking around Bethlehem for an available man. She has someone specific in mind.

Boaz is related to the family of her deceased husband, Elimelech. And as we saw a few weeks ago, in ancient Israel that relationship carried particular significance. Under the Law of Moses, God had established provisions to protect families who had fallen into poverty or lost their land.

Leviticus 25:25 explains that when an Israelite became poor and had to sell part of his property, a close relative could step in and redeem what had been sold. This relative was known as a go’el, a family redeemer.

His responsibility was to help preserve the family’s inheritance and protect its interests when hardship threatened its future.

Now, not every relative had the same responsibility or priority to redeem. The closeness of the family relationship mattered. But Naomi already knew that Boaz was one of their potential redeemers.

So when she brings him up in V2, she’s acting upon something she has already recognized.

3. Boaz belongs to the family, and because of that relationship, he may be able to do something far greater than provide food.

And there’s something else Naomi knows about him. Throughout chapter 2, Boaz demonstrated godly character. He protected Ruth from mistreatment, provided water and food, and instructed his servants to leave extra grain for her.

Then in chapter 2, verse 12, he acknowledged the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings Ruth had come to seek refuge. This showed that His actions reflected the kindness and generosity of the God he worshiped.

Church, I want us to understand the distinction here.

4. Boaz’s significance isn’t simply that he’s a man. He’s a potential family redeemer whose character has already demonstrated the covenant kindness of God.

And there’s an important application for us today.

Whether you’re a single man, a single woman, or a single parent raising your children, I want you to understand something. Marriage is not the solution to every problem in your life. And finding a husband or wife is not what makes your life complete.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. Marriage is a wonderful gift from God. Companionship is good, and there’s nothing wrong with desiring to be married.

However we need to consider what motivates us to pursue a relationship.

Are we looking for someone to make us feel complete?

Someone to take away our loneliness?

Someone to provide the security we think we’re missing?

Because when this is the case:

5. We can become so concerned with finding someone that we fail to consider who that person actually is.

And this is where Boaz’s character matters.

Beloved, if marriage is something you desire, don’t simply look for someone who is interested in you.

Look for someone who loves the Lord.

Someone who demonstrates integrity, kindness, humility, and faithfulness.

Someone who will encourage you to walk with Christ, not draw you away from Him.

Because:

6. The goal of a Christian marriage isn’t simply to have someone beside you. It’s to glorify God together and display the glorious gospel as you seek to follow Christ.

This means that:

If you’re single today, your life is not on hold until you get married.

You’re not waiting for another person to give your life purpose.

Your life already has purpose in Christ.

Whether God leads you into marriage or calls you to remain single, you can live a life that is fruitful, meaningful, and pleasing to Him. (If you don’t believe me ask the apostle Paul)

Psalm 68:5 describes God as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. God has always been the ultimate source of security for His people. And in His providence, He often cares for us through the relationships and responsibilities He has established among us.

That’s what Naomi is beginning to recognize.

She isn’t simply looking for a man to solve Ruth’s problems. She recognizes that God has brought into their lives a relative who may legitimately serve as their family redeemer according to the provisions of His Law.

Now, Naomi doesn’t know exactly how everything will unfold, and that doesn’t mean every decision she’s about to make will necessarily be wise.

But she recognizes a real need and sees a possibility before her. And that brings us to our second movement.

II. The Opportunity to Pursue Security

Ruth 3:3–7 NASB 2020

Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not reveal yourself to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. (V4) And it shall be when he lies down, that you shall take notice of the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you should do.” And she said to her, (V5-6) “All that you say I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. (V7) When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.

Now here in V3 Naomi begins to act upon the opportunity she has recognized. She knows Boaz will be at the threshing floor that night, and she gives Ruth specific instructions.

Look at verse 3:

Ruth 3:3 NASB 2020

Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not reveal yourself to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

Here in V3 Naomi is telling Ruth to prepare herself for this encounter. The anointing likely refers to applying scented oil, while her clothing may indicate that she’s presenting herself for a possible marriage proposal.

Now, where is Boaz going to be? At the threshing floor.

The threshing floor was the place where harvested grain was separated from the stalks and chaff. The grain would be tossed into the air so that the wind carried away the lighter chaff while the heavier grain fell to the ground. Because this depended on the wind, the work could take place in the evening.

And Boaz would remain near the grain after eating and drinking.

Now look at verse 4:

Ruth 3:4 NASB 2020

And it shall be when he lies down, that you shall take notice of the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you should do.”

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. What exactly is Naomi telling Ruth to do? Because from our perspective, this sounds like a rather unusual way to approach someone. And it is.

Naomi instructs Ruth to wait until Boaz is asleep, approach quietly, uncover his feet, and lie down. And we might tempted to assume that Naomi is encouraging Ruth to seduce Boaz or engage in a sexual relationship with him.

But I don’t believe that’s what the text is describing.

First - Remember, Boaz is a relative who may legitimately serve as their redeemer.

Secondly - his character gives Naomi good reason to believe he will treat Ruth honorably.

Now, does that mean the plan carries no risk? Of course not. Approaching a man privately in the middle of the night could create a compromising situation. But Naomi tells Ruth to uncover his feet.

However we shouldn’t automatically interpret the uncovering of his feet as a sexual act.

One possible explanation is that Ruth uncovered his feet so that the cool night air would eventually wake him, giving her an opportunity to speak with him privately.

And as the narrative unfolds, Ruth’s intentions become clear.

She’s not approaching Boaz to seduce him. She’s humbly approaching him to ask whether he would take her as his wife and fulfill the role of family redeemer.

And by approaching him privately, she can make that request without placing him under public pressure or exposing herself to public rejection.

Now, whether Naomi chose the wisest possible approach is something we can discuss. But her purpose is clear. She has recognized a legitimate possibility for Ruth’s future and encourages her to pursue it.

Notice Ruth’s response in verse 5: “All that you say I will do.” And then verses 6 and 7 tell us that she follows Naomi’s instructions.

She waits until Boaz is asleep, approaches quietly, uncovers his feet, and lies down. And at the end of V7 that’s where the author leaves us.

Boaz is asleep.

Ruth is lying at his feet.

And we don’t yet know how he will respond.

However notice the progression:

Naomi has identified a need

Recognized an opportunity

And now Ruth is taking action.

And there’s an important lesson here.

7. Sometimes, when we talk about trusting God’s providence, we begin to think that faith means doing nothing.

As though trusting God means waiting for Him to make every decision for us.

But:

8. Scripture calls us to exercise wisdom as we make decisions.

Proverbs 16:9 reminds us:

Proverbs 16:9 NASB 2020

The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

And Proverbs 3:5–6 calls us to trust in the Lord rather than lean on our own understanding.

Those truths belong together.

We make decisions.

We consider opportunities.

We seek wisdom.

We act according to what God has revealed.

But we recognize that the outcome ultimately belongs to Him.

9. Trusting God’s providence doesn’t mean refusing to act. It means acting wisely while entrusting the outcome to Him.

And that doesn’t mean every opportunity is necessarily one we should pursue or that every plan we make is wise simply because God is sovereign.

10. Our decisions must always be evaluated in light of His Word.

And now, in Ruth’s story, the question is whether Boaz will respond to this opportunity.

Which brings us to our third movement.

III. The Request for Redemption

Ruth 3:8–9 NASB 2020

And it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. (V9) So he said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your slave. Now spread your garment over your slave, for you are a redeemer.”

Now, what exactly is Ruth asking Boaz to do? When she says, “Spread your garment over your slave,” she’s using language associated with marriage, protection, and covenant commitment.

In other words: She’s essentially asking Boaz to take her as his wife and assume the responsibilities of a family redeemer.

Up to this point, Boaz has been generous toward Ruth. He's given her food, protection, and a place to work. But now Ruth is asking for something far greater.

She's essentially saying, "Boaz, I'm not simply asking you to help me through another harvest. I'm asking whether you're willing to take me under your care as my husband and family redeemer."

She's moving from receiving his generosity to asking for his covenant commitment.

And there’s something beautiful about the language she uses.

Remember Ruth 2:12:

Ruth 2:12 NASB 2020

May the Lord reward your work, and may your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

The Hebrew word translated “wings” in chapter 2 is the same word used for “garment” here in chapter 3.

This meant that Ruth had come to seek refuge under the wings of the Lord, and now she’s asking Boaz to extend his covering over her.

11. The man who had prayed for God to shelter Ruth is now being asked to become an instrument of that sheltering care.

(Back to the Honduras Intro)

Because

12. Sometimes, the very need we’re asking God to meet is an opportunity for us to become an instrument of His provision.

And now notice how Ruth ends her request: “For you are a redeemer.”

This meant that Ruth isn’t simply asking for companionship. She’s appealing to Boaz’s position as a family redeemer, as someone who may provide the protection and security her circumstances require.

Now, today we won’t look at how Boaz responds. We’ll end in verse 9. But as we come to the end of these nine verses, remember something. Ruth approaches Boaz because she recognizes that he may be able to provide the security she needs.

But Boaz is not the ultimate Redeemer. Even the best of men cannot redeem us from our greatest problem. And that reminds me of another woman we encounter in Scripture.

In John chapter 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman who has come to a well looking for water. During their conversation, Jesus reveals that He knows her circumstances.

She has had five husbands, and the man she’s presently with is not her husband. But notice what Jesus offers her. He doesn’t tell her that what she needs is another husband. He offers her living water.

In John 4:13–14, Jesus explains that everyone who drinks ordinary water will become thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water He gives will never be thirsty again.

He’s speaking about eternal life. And there’s a beautiful connection here.

13. Ruth went into the fields looking for food, and through God’s providence, she encountered a potential redeemer.

14. The Samaritan woman came to the well looking for water, and there she encountered the One who could give her eternal life.

Both accounts remind us that our greatest need goes beyond our immediate circumstances.

Marriage is a good gift.

Companionship is a good gift.

Financial security is a good gift.

But none of those things can redeem us from sin or reconcile us to God. Only Jesus Christ can do that.

Galatians 4:4–5 tells us that when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son to redeem those under the Law so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God has provided the Redeemer we could never provide for ourselves.

And unlike Ruth, who stands before Boaz not yet knowing how he will respond, we stand on this side of the cross knowing what our Redeemer has accomplished.

Jesus came.

He gave His life for our sins.

And He rose from the dead.

So whether you’re married or single, whether your circumstances are stable or uncertain, your ultimate security is not found in another person. Your ultimate security is found in Christ alone.

And that is where the story of Ruth is ultimately taking us.

Because the God who provides for His people is also the God who redeems them.