One day Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do." "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. (Ruth 3:1-6)
Now comes some daft, pragmatic moves. In chapter 1, Naomi had wished for the Lord to bless Ruth and Orpah with kindness, and the home of a new husband in which to find rest. Now, sensing that God, in his kindness, has indeed provided the opportunities and gifts favourable to such an outcome, Naomi acts.
God is hardly mentioned in this new chapter. Instead, the action focuses on human activity that brings the opportunities given and the prayers prayed together, into reality. We recognize that Noami's bitterness has indeed been cracked open, enabling her to take such steps forward in faith. Perhaps the God of Israel might just have more in store than she first imagined. Perhaps his kindness could also be shown to her.
In the opening chapter, it was Ruth who adopted Naomi. Now Naomi adopts Ruth by calling her "my daughter," and by taking on parental responsibility for her. "I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for," Noami says. This is a good step forward in the narrative. Naomi's cold bitterness has finally thawed sufficiently to allow her to return Ruth's embrace.
Naomi's aim in providing for Ruth is noble. Naomi's methods however—well, one wonders exactly what she is up to. The plan Naomi hatches is filled with sexual overtones. Just what exactly is she putting Ruth up to here with this midnight liaison with Boaz? If caught, or caught in the wrong light, surely Ruth would be called out for something scandalous. Nevertheless, Ruth responds in total submission to Naomi's plans.
Righteous Ruth, the foreigner, is willing to take on the spectre of unrighteousness for the sake of her mother-in-law and the hope of redemption. Having been transformed by the kindness of Ruth, Boaz, and even God himself, Naomi is willing to take on the risk of social scandal too. In this way, the two women remind me of Joseph and Mary, willing to righteously bear the threat of scandal in pursuit of God's redemption.
Two powerful forces come together in this chapter: hope in God's work of redemption and the embrace of committed friendship. It is this companionship and hope that enable Naomi to step forward in faith. We can often become discouraged—all the more so when we're lonely or feel that we've been abandoned: by others or by God. But the intervention of a committed friend can be a powerful thing, assuring us we are not alone and drawing our eyes back to God's faithfulness so that we can step forward again in faith ourselves.
Is there a friend that could use your embrace, or from whom you need one? Go to them today.
As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
