Snowblast #5

Ladies, Let me put it this way, it is the last day of summer camp and you and John Smith have been flirting all week and now it time to see if he will make the move or maybe you will have too.

Guys, its the summer loving, the sun is going down and you have been melted by this sweet gal and you have to decide what your next move is.

Here is the chance, throw a big party!

This party was to celebrate the end of harvest.

Let pick up the story here.

Ruth 3:1–7 ESV

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? 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.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 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.

Ruth 3:

Naomi, wants Ruth to be taken care of.

So she is going to give her some motherly advice.

Recall the gears have already been going in Naomi’s head as well.

Now it is time for the end of the year party and she tells Ruth, clean yourself, put on that black dress, and for goodness sake put on some perfume, and go get your man.

It is important to know what the threshing floor is.

In biblical days there was no machinery, so after the harvest, the grain was separated from the straw and husks by beating it manually.

First there had to be a flat surface that was smooth and hard, and this was known as the threshing floor.

The process of threshing was performed generally by spreading the sheaves on the threshing floor and causing oxen and cattle to tread repeatedly over them, loosening the edible part of cereal grain (or other crop) from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it (; ).

On occasion, flails or sticks were used for this purpose (; ).

Then winnowing forks were used to throw the mixture into the air so the wind could blow away the chaff, leaving only the good grain on the floor.

This is where Boaz was going to be.

It was a joyful time.

There would be celebrating.

Because of how Boaz taught Ruth— Naomi is saying look, he has dealt kindly with you, maybe there is something there, to pursue.

She did not make her self known to Boaz, she mixed in with all the other people.

She was patient and she saw that Boaz had drifted off to sleep so she goes to him and uncovers his feet.

What a saucy move!

What is significant about uncovering the feet?

Now in some context here is what it would mean.

That at the threshing floor were the field owners were sleeping with their crop.

Prostitutes would come here and entice the men to sleep with them.

By uncovering their lower parts or limbs that would actually be exposing the genital of the male.

This would show the men that she was interested and was willing.

Many scholars have a hard time saying that this is what was happening with Ruth.

It was not so Ruth could have sex with Boaz, but she was making this effort to show that she was available for more than just a one night stand, but she was willing to be his wife.

It is hard to believe that Boaz would call her character noble and then Ruth would pull a stunt like this.

Let’s read on.

Ruth 3:8–18 ESV

At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 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. 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. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 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.” 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.” 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. 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, 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.’ ” 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.”

Ruth 3:

The interaction here is reveling of Boaz’s heart.

Boaz woke up because his feet were exposed!

HE WAS STARTLED!

Ruth is all like no worries it is I, Ruth your servant.

Spread your wings over me!

Ruth is literally saying, if you recall in the last chapter, protect me as yours.

Spread your wings of your blanket and protect me.

She is telling Him that she is free to be married by Him.

She loves him!

AWWWWWWWWW, CREEPY WAY TO SAY IT BUT AWWWWW

Boaz is taken a back, he thought she would be going after the younger guys as He was older than her.

He tells her that yep I am very much interested but, and since I am your redeemer, I could marry you, but there is someone ahead of me that is closer in relation to you.

Boaz knows this because he most likely looked in to it.

Had there not be another person to go through he may have already married her.

He tells her to lay back down, nothing her would point to the fact that they had sex, because the next section Boaz tells Ruth to hurry up and leave, because he does not want either of their characters to be put into jeopardy.

She may not have crossed any laws but she crossed the taboo culture lines

Ruth was younger and Boaz was older

Servant to boss

Moabite to Isrealite

Poor to rich

Woman to Man

The fact that Boaz did not have sex with her, says a lot.

Even in this culture where it was not uncommon to just say, yep we are married lets do this.

Boaz was a man of high integrity and noble character.

A lot of times the question of what is too far in a relationship,

my answer don’t even look at each other.

I’m kidding, kinda...

But it is not a matter of the line but when is the time, the time for sex is marriage— not before.

While we may not have points in this message I do want to give you some things to write down.

So here are four things to learn for singles.

If you are not married you are single— that is all the students here.

Great:

Principally we learn four things for singles from this scene of the story:

1. Don’t overlook the person in front of you. Boaz was single, but somehow overlooked Ruth who God placed in front of him.

2. Feel free to get in someone’s way.

This is a bit away but you get the idea, sometimes you are going to have to put yourself out there and be vulnerable.

This is precisely what Ruth did, which allowed their relationship to move forward.

3. Every relationship has obstacles to overcome, which reveals how committed one person is to one another.

In this case, it was the legal and financial hurdle that blocked the path to marriage for Boaz with Ruth.

4. Every relationship has character tests that show us and the one we are with who we truly are. These tests, if passed, become part of our testimony, as was the case with Ruth and Boaz.

This is a truly wonderful love story.

That concludes chapter 3, but do not close those Bible because at this moment in the story Ruth is waiting on Boaz and Boaz is not married to Ruth Yet.

Lets pick up in chapter 4

Ruth 4:1–12 ESV

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

Ruth 4:

Remember when Ruth just so happened to find Boaz’s field.

In the first part of this chapter, we see Boaz wanting to talk with the other redeemer and it just so happened that he showed up that day.

Boaz is smooth guys!

He was not trying to be sneaky here but he was being wise.

Matthew 10:16 ESV

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Be crafty but innocent.

Boaz talks this man out of being the redeemer because he would not be able to afford it.

Boaz takes on Naomi and Ruth as his redeemer, redeeming the family and marring Ruth.

All is well as we pick back up in

Ruth 4:13–17 ESV

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:13-

Ruth and Boaz get married, and have sex Woot Woot!

Ruth gets pregnant, which remember she was not able to do for ten years.

She is now going to have a son.

Bitter Naomi was now a grandmother and she was being taken care of.

Ruth had a son and they called him Obed— this son would have a son named Jesse, who would have a son named David— who would be the King of Isreal.

This line would eventually lead to Christ.

The book end with this sentence of about the genealogy of Ruth.

This shows again the importance of God moving Ruth and Naomi back to continue the line to David, which would continue to Christ.

God has his hand all over this love story.

This story has taught us lot of things:

From Naomi who was bitter at God, she does not hide her pain but she gives it up to God.

When you are dealing with your own bitterness, stop being hostel and give it up to God.

And Ruth took steps of faith.

She never wavered.

She listened to wise counsel, and she trusted God to lead her.

Ruth is an example of a women that ladies I hope you strive to be.

And guys, I pray that image of Ruth is who you seek to find.

And that like Ruth she was not in a hurry and she was patient.

It was all in God’s time and we know that we cannot rush God’s timing.

And Boaz- On what we can learn from him.

Boaz is a man that all men can learn from.

We can learn to godly husbands, and fathers, and business leaders.

Boaz taught us how to protect, and to be willing to offer grace with the understanding that we get nothing in return.

Guys be safe like Boaz.

Be caring and loving.

Ladies- find a guys who is like Boaz

Guys become like Boaz.

In fact, there are numerous lessons to be learned from the life and love story of Ruth and Boaz, including:

1. God loves, saves, transforms, and blesses people from even the worst backgrounds and family histories.

2. Older, divorced, and widowed people can find love and godly spouses.

3. Character is what counts, especially when you think no one is watching.

4. Jesus’ family had some horrible people in it, which means there’s room for us horrible people, too!

5. Those without godly parents and/or the input of a godly family can have a God-honoring, romantic relationship with their spouse.

6. Work ethic, character, income, and holiness are what show that a man is ready for marriage.

7. Sometimes the family of God’s people is a stronger bond than even blood family.

The 3,000-year-old story of Ruth is incredibly timely.

Many, if not most, Christian singles like Ruth don’t come from a godly family but aspire to marry a godly person and have a godly family.

Subsequently, the 3,000-year-old story of Ruth is incredibly timely. Many, if not most, Christian singles like Ruth don’t come from a godly family but aspire to marry a godly person and have a godly family. In Ruth, we see that she seeks wise counsel from an older woman and in faith takes an enormous risk and “pulls a Ruth” to put herself in front of Boaz for marriage.

In Ruth, we see that she seeks wise counsel from an older woman and in faith takes an enormous risk and “pulls a Ruth” to put herself in front of Boaz for marriage.

Yet through it all Ruth follows God’s leading and direction.

I pray that this next year you choose to follow God first with all that you are.

And that you patiently wait for him or her.

When we take things in our own hands we will fail, God’s plan is far greater than ours.

It may have some twist and some bumps but trust in the Lord as you go from here in pursuit of Finding your Ruth and Finding your Boaz

Let’s Pray

Seniors please stay behind.

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