Ruth 3, What Are You Waiting For?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

Ruth chapter 3 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 It's not Boaz our relative with whose well 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 at midnight The man was startled and turned over and behold a woman lay at his feet

And 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 and 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 that 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? And then she told 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 May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his

Holy Word Well, what are you waiting on Some of us are waiting for Christmas Maybe just a week and a half away when

I was a kid I was one of those who counted down the days to Christmas I couldn't wait and then when the day itself dawned to be one of those annoying kids and wake up with parents early

Let's go rush down open the presents One Christmas Eve. I thought I had for the morning after to cut down my waiting time

So I was so eager for what I had to wait for that. I slept on the stairs of our two -story house so that when

I Woke up. I'd already be halfway down the stairs Less waiting

It was as though I thought that something I had got that day would be the thing That would make my life

And so every year I was waiting for a Christmas break from school then closer and closer to the day

I'm waiting for that toy or that bicycle or whatever That would be it and toys

Came and went and weren't the thing So maybe I'll wait for next year

Is that what we teach our kids? Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow. We'll find it hard to sleep on The night before Christmas because they know that Santa's on his way

Loaded with lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh and we teaching them that that stuff

There's toys and goodies is what you should wait for What are you waiting for?

Maybe it's not Christmas. Maybe it's just lunch Or maybe you're waiting for something bigger Waiting to grow up Wait, you get married get a better job

Make more money retire Feel better for something to change for some things.

You just have to wait Now something that this time of the year what some call as many called it

Advent is all about waiting as if we're supposed to wait Again for Christ to be born one

Advent prayer puts it quote. We await the blessed hope and coming of our Savior Jesus Christ No, we don't and They meant the first coming like we're gonna recapture it or read participate in it

Portray it in our lives by waiting again as if he hasn't been born another blog said that this is a time of quote hopeful

Wait awaiting of the coming of our Savior But why are you awaiting something that has already happened?

Christmas is supposed to be about the incarnation God's coming in the flesh becoming one of us, but that's done

Once and for all there's no more waiting for it When you find it bizarre if I said, you know, our anniversary is coming in about three weeks that I'm awaiting to be married

The Advent of my bride all over again is if I'm not quite sure it's really happened yet Remembering something that has happened

Like a wedding that's fine Awaiting something That's already been done

That's just Strange You don't need to wait on things that have already been accomplished

I've already been fulfilled and you need to know what you have to wait for and What you don't?

Here in Ruth chapter 3 we see some things that we can put it end to waiting for and then how still sometimes

We have to wait we see that here in three parts The washing the wings and the waiting.

Well first Naomi is tired of waiting Ruth has gone out every day now for several weeks

Do what first the barley harvest and then there's the wheat harvest on but about immediately after that she's gone out there gleaning

What grain that's been left by the workers and Boaz's field and now the harvests are complete the long?

Wait for a bumper crop after years of famine is over Ruth will no longer have an opportunity to go out into the field to glean and she so she won't be encountering

Boaz there out in the fields anymore. Naomi is thinking of her daughter -in -law Ruth And she says if to Ruth in verse 1 should

I not seek rest? for you My daughter I'm thinking about you and this rest is the same term

She used in chapter 1 verse 9 when she tried to talk her two daughters -in -law to go back to Moab Go back to your home back to your parents home and seek a new husband there there

You will get rest that is security the protection the provision that a good husband could provide especially in that day

She blesses or play and Ruth saying in chapter 1 verse 8 may the Lord deal in steadfast love

With you to give you rest and there's that key word of the book of Ruth Steadfast love and Hebrew chesed in other words

May the Lord covenant with you commit himself to you to do good to you to treat you kindly by providing you with security provision rest

Now Ruth though in an act of great steadfast love of her own demonstrating what it looks like in practice pledges herself

To be loyal to her mother -in -law to Naomi where you go. I will go where you lodge

I will lodge your people will be my people and your God my God It's ironic that we

Commonly uses at weddings now Because there when Ruth originally said it she is willing to walk away from the opportunity to get married again

It's what Naomi was trying to tell her go back home You can get married again there and Ruth is saying no, I'm loyal to you to be you

I'll choose you Naomi over the possibility of getting married again But now in Bethlehem Naomi has a new plan for Ruth to get rest in chapter 2 on that first day of barley harvest when

Boaz first met Ruth He said to her that she'd come to seek refuge under the wings of the

Lord by making her famous commitment She was seeking her protection Her rest from the true

God and now a few weeks later after the harvest are all over Naomi gets the idea that seeking

God's rest Can't wait No longer go back to Moab now right here in Bethlehem Ruth you can find your rest.

Now's the time no more waiting. She's not gonna put out a desperate personal ad in Bethlehem Times single

Moabite woman widowed Childless with mother -in -law seeks well -to -do Bethlehem businessman with a view to marriage

Muscle of mother -in -law. No nothing like that No, she's not going that route

Boaz the one who mentioned the wings of the Lord He brought that up first is the one to give

Ruth and herself as part of the package deal. They come together rest security protection

So that's what Naomi thinks Naomi has a plan Which is a good sign for her this shows.

She's she's revived Remember, she came back to Bethlehem crying to the local ladies that the Lord had brought her back empty

Remember that the Lord's brought me back empties opposed me. I'm empty That was the beginning of the barley harvest now

It's after the barley harvest and then the wheat harvest and she's seen Ruth come back home

With a 30 -pound bag of grain that first day From Boaz and said in chapter 2 verse 20 that the

Lord has not forsaken His steadfast love is that word again for her?

Naomi and Ruth the living or For the dead for her husband and her sons

That has revived the depressed Naomi depressed people don't make plans

Depressed people just given up all hope they don't dream dreams. They don't care for the future. They don't think about the future now

Naomi has a dream Naomi has hope Naomi can see a future

She might wish that Boaz could see it too. And then he would take the initiative, but she's not gonna be discouraged

She's not gonna wait any longer for him. So she tells Ruth in verse 2

It's not Boaz our relative now in their culture. That meant that he had a family responsibility

He apparently wasn't a brother of Ellie Miller named his deceased husband And so he's not absolutely required by the law to be a

Redeemer It was not a duty that he has to obey but he can be one if he wants to Boaz has been letting

Ruth Do her gleaning that is her scrounging Among the women harvesters without being harassed now that's done

He'll be winnowing the grain at the threshing floor and now it comes the plan name is plan in verse 3

Step one Ruth is my plan. She says wash Okay, she's dirty

Ruth is dirty from all her gleaning out in the fields. So she needs to wash She needs to get herself looking as best you can and then anoint yourself

They name he says maybe with perfume maybe just with olive oil so she gots kind of a glow to her then put on your cloak be shrouded mysterious

Also warm because you're gonna be out there at night then go to the threshing floor watching and waiting

Notice he tells her don't let yourself be known to her. So she got to kind of be hiding She's stalking the heavy tells

Ruth to be a stalker whatever but until he's finished working Then eating and drinking and then when he lies down to sleep at verse 4 uncover his feet and lie down literally and symbolically

Extending his covering over you and then he will tell you what to do. She says do whatever he says What's going on here?

It sounds kind of Scandalous sounds like Naomi is telling her daughter -in -law to go and seduce the sort of rich guy

And not not quite But this is improper Improper this is not here as a model for young women to follow about how to find a godly man first Take a shower step one then go when he's sleeping after a hard day's work and lie down at his feet

No, that's not what this is about History narrative indicative in the

Bible is not always meant to be imperative I'm not always meant to be models and examples that we have to follow

Sometimes you're just simply telling us this is what they did. Does that mean well you have to do it, too Well, what's going on here?

Naomi is sending the message to Boaz. You know, what are you waiting for? Come on Boaz. She's single.

You're single You've seen how she's hard -working. She's faithful. She's worthy. In fact, the book of Ruth comes in the

Hebrew Old Testament immediately after the book of Proverbs So if you're reading the

Hebrew order, you'd read Proverbs get to the end of Proverbs Proverbs chapter 31 Which is about The excellent wife but the noble woman the excellent wife who can find she's more precious than jewels

Then you turn the page. Next thing is Ruth. There she is Where can you find the noble woman next page?

And so Naomi is saying come on Boaz You've handed her grain. You told her to stay in your fields.

It's been weeks now Now the harvest is over and you still haven't gotten together. What are you waiting for for her to come and lie at your feet?

Okay, she'll do it Some men take some provocation some movie now you can say here.

Well, this is improper. It's almost seductive. Yeah, it is It's giving

Boaz a little sample that Ruth isn't just a harvesting machine She's not just a worker out in the fields.

She could be a wife too, you know Boaz He'll wake up in the middle of the night Satisfied with a successful day's work a full stomach a nice aroma of ointment and coming from nearby and a warm female body at his feet

Well, some people think this is outrageous Because they think this would have to lead to sex and some think that is demanding that we read in between the lines here and see

That they must have had sex that Naomi sent her Moabite daughter -in -law there to purposely entrap him in sexual immorality

I think such people are revealing more about themselves than they are about the text of Scripture The Bible is elsewhere.

Very frank can be very direct About sex when it talks about sex doesn't leave it to your imagination, you know, when it's telling you it's telling you and So there's no reason to believe here

That the author of Ruth would be shy. It's just too shy to tell us and he's kind of being kind of implying it.

No Sure, this is improper That's why Boaz says later not to let anyone know that a woman was on the threshing floor

No, don't tell him when you were here Ruth because I'll think things But improper is not always immoral the only way this does not turn into immorality.

Is it Boaz really is the Worthy man that chapter 2 verse 1 says he was

So Naomi's risky plan totally depends on Boaz being a truly godly man with great self -control and she wasn't disappointed

Boaz is being pursued Because he's a redeemer and that's the key and what is he redeeming exactly?

You think well, is it Ruth but she could get married to other men.

It's more than just that Now keep in mind that Boaz isn't the only man in Bethlehem He acknowledged that there were plenty of young men around that she could have found more attractive

What Boaz offers is that he will carry on the family of Naomi's dead husband

Nellie Millick He will provide for Naomi too. So it's a package deal He redeems he buys back from being lost the property the lineage the future family

That before Boaz looked like it was wiped out Ella Millick and sons are dead.

There's no more hope for them. Remember and so Naomi is crying. I'm empty The Lord's against me.

He's taken everything from me and then Boaz comes along and he redeems the living family now Naomi and Ruth and his dead relatives

Ella Millick and the sons if he marries Ruth so there is a

Redeemer This is all about pursuing him You know the Redeemer is now pursue him

Well wash get perfumed get a cloak go to him when he's feeling good in a good mood relax satisfied

You could think that since Naomi believes God is almighty. Remember it. Shaddai Almighty, it's

God Almighty in chapter 1 that if you think that well, why just leave it up to him Everything that has happened to her is the

Lord's doing she believes that right remember everything that's happened Even her calamities are under the

God's control because she believes in the sovereignty of God. You could think that well Wouldn't she be passive?

He believes God's under control of the calamities God's in control of the blessings We'll just sit back and do nothing if God wants to bring

Ruth and Boaz together. He'll do it in his time. I'll just wait Naomi Naomi might think if she thought like a lot of people today

And that's exactly the advice of a lot of modern Christians would give her but that isn't the way Naomi thinks

She believes that the Lord is the Almighty God Who rules even over the calamities that she's experienced and she also believes that the 30 -pound bags of barley are proof that the

Lord has Not forsaken his steadfast love for her that God's hand and his plan

Determine what takes place? But then She is active

She plans she strategizes She acts boldly to pursue the

Redeemer Modern people often insist that but if you really believe in the sovereignty of God and however, you want to put it predestination

But you'll be passive That's not the way the Bible tells us to think at all

The Bible tells us that God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy says your salvation does not depend on your your will or your work and some people say well then if you believe that Then there's no reason to do anything

You really believe that your salvation is a plan on anything you do or anything you choose it You don't do anything but God wants to say that he then he'll do it himself

Some hyper Calvinists say some who scoff at that teaching say predestination this belief in the sovereignty of God in Salvation that it kills evangelism

But the Bible says both That God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy Salvation does not depend on our will or our work

That God seeks and he saves the loss. It depends on him and On the other hand it also says to us

Seek the Lord and you will find him if you search for him with all your heart and with all your soul

We sinners are called like Naomi here to seek God to pursue him chase after our

Redeemer go after him Seek him with a passion is if nothing else matters use everything you can to get your

Redeemer Because nothing else will matter If you don't find him you're seeking him is an instrument of God's finding you

Seek him with everything that is in you Even if you appear

Improper to others Don't wait for anything to happen Take what you think is

The initiative and go all out To get your Redeemer and if you get him you'll find out

Actually God moved me to do all that because he's the Almighty Ruth says in verse 5 all that you say

I will do So the plan is in motion. She washes she perfumes she prepares

She watches and then seeks the protection of the Redeemer's wings second wings

Ruth goes to the threshing floor where Boaz has been working. He's pleased with a great harvest. He's got a bumper crop

There's a heap of grain there. Imagine this big pile of grain from all the harvesting He's satisfied.

He's had a good dinner. Probably has a good wine and he's gonna sleep soundly there

You know guarding his his crops have not stolen. He's sleeping satisfied from all his income

Then Ruth softly creeps up on him uncovers his feet lies down there This is meant to be symbolic as she is seeking his protection.

She's seeking to be under his care his his wing And verse 8 at midnight he startled awake he turns over and to his surprise finds a woman

Lying at his feet verse 9 gets us into the mind of Boaz behold Other words

Wow. Look at this a woman and it's dark so he can't Recognize which woman it is.

And so he asked who are you? Oh, he's scooting back a little bit And she says I am Ruth And then she says something the text doesn't say

Naomi prepared her for Naomi told her just to do whatever he tells you That that this having

Ruth washed and perfumed light his feet that that should be enough get the message through Ruth decides to go even one step further make it absolutely clear what she's after Boaz, what are you waiting for?

She says to him spread your wings over your servant Remember what

Boaz? At first said to Ruth chapter 2 verse 12 May a full reward

Be given you by the Lord the God of Israel for a steadfast love for a mother -in -law under whose wings

Boaz thought of that idea Under his wing same word is here in verse 9

Under his wings you have come to seek refuge To Boaz himself sowed the seed of that idea of Ruth's proposal

He planted the idea of the wings of protection that the Lord would be to her like a mother bird to a hatchling and now

Ruth turns it around and asked Boaz to be the instrument to To fulfill his own blessing to answer his own prayer for Ruth that she would find rest under the wings of the

Lord in Bethlehem Through Boaz the Redeemer She gives the reason

Not because he's rich Cuz he's hot or cute or funny but You are a

Redeemer Spread your wings Boaz your protection your redemption

Now Boaz could respond in one of three ways first Obviously you take advantage of her He can respond with the flesh and use her for sex or a second

He can respond like a Pharisee and condemn her for her impropriety Get out of here. You slut

You're trying to tip me and is it that some people's idea of what it means to be proper or righteous?

And here we see though that the worthy man how he responds the third way we see that again later in The Bible when an engaged man was sure that his soon -to -be wife had committed adultery after all in all of history

No one had become pregnant without sex. This is not naturally possible So Joseph when he heard that Mary was pregnant

What did he do? Even before the angel appeared to him to tell them the pregnancy was from the Holy Spirit The Bible says being a just or righteous man.

He was unwilling to put her to shame Boaz here could have shamed

Ruth could have called her immoral told her to get out told everyone in the town about her advance but he too was a just man

Boaz's response Beginning verse 10. It's basically gracious. May the Lord may you be blessed by the

Lord my daughter Well for what? Be blessed for what?

She's being improper She deserves criticism scorn. Oh, please get over it be blessed

Ruth because you have made this last Kindness and there's that word again chesed this last

Steadfast love what you've just done By proposing that Boaz would be her

Redeemer spread his wings of her. That's her last Steadfast love kind of seemed like a poor translation here.

He's not just thanking her for the kindness of keeping his feet warm on a cool night He's saying this steadfast love that you just demonstrated

Ruth is greater than the first greater than that famous Commitment that she made in Moab when

Naomi tried to send her back home to find rest With another Moabite when she said where you die,

I will die and there I will be buried That great example of steadfast love that buds that are heard about earlier and Ruth is now famous for That is now exceeded

Boaz says by this Seeking him to redeem her and Naomi so that the family line will live

Understand Ruth isn't just going after a marriage like just for herself. So she's taken care of she could do that with other men

She's seeking that her dead husbands and her father -in -law's that it lined that is

Naomi's family Would be saved that they're not going to die off With them she could have he says gone after other men whether poor or rich, but she's here at his feet

Because she's seeking not just romance But a Redeemer not just for herself

But that her mother -in -law's and her dead husband's family would continue She's thinking not just of herself

But a still again like she was in chapter 1 of Naomi Boaz sees this

He doesn't see a sexual opportunity He doesn't see a desperate young woman stoking his ego by going after him.

He sees Ruth's steadfast love for Naomi and He loves that This is the good man

The one who does what the Lord wants in Micah chapter 6 verse 8 and here's another use of the word chesed

He has shown you. Oh man, what is good? And what does the

Lord require of you? but to love Mercy chesed steadfast covenant love

He's shown you what the Lord wants is for you to love

Steadfast love Boaz loves Steadfast love he loves it in Ruth.

And so he'll be glad to marry her Now to appeal to modern people the book of Ruth is often sold as a great love story

And it is one but it's very different than that of modern romance tales Ruth is pursuing

Boaz not because of romance but because he's a Redeemer and so no Naomi is taken care of too and the family line continues

Boaz for his part isn't swept away by Passion out of control just doing what he feels like doing

For his own self -satisfaction his own pleasure. He doesn't praise Ruth for her beauty man.

Oh, man. Are you look good? None of that we're told here are like great perfume.

There's some fine perfume there But he praises her for her steadfast love

For being in verse 11 a worthy woman Everybody is for everyone else here

Naomi is for Ruth should I next seat rest for you Ruth is for Naomi. She's doing this for her

Boaz is for Ruth because she's for Naomi. It's a circle of steadfast love a true biblical love story

Boaz doesn't take advantage of Ruth either physically or emotionally. She has made herself perfectly completely

Vulnerable, but he assures her in verse 11 now My daughter second time he's called her that You're not fear.

I Will do for you all that you ask He will spread his wings

He will be her Redeemer Then like all good dramas, there's an obstacle there's one last complication one last hurdle to clear

Yet there is a Redeemer nearer than I he says at the end of verse 12 Maybe that's the reason

Boaz hasn't been willing To pursue Ruth all this time. He can't be the

Redeemer He can't move on Ruth until this other man has had his opportunity and verse 13 if he will redeem you good

Now we don't know if Ruth really thought that was good whoever this other guy is but those are the rules

But Boaz promises if he is not willing as the Lord lives. I will

Redeem you he puts her at ease She does not have to wait for Redeemer She has one there is a

Redeemer she needs now only to wait a short while for her redemption third

Waiting what have you been waiting for? Christmas lunch

New career more money feeling better Something Maybe not a

Redeemer Some package Christmas Advent. They call it as a time of waiting for our

Redeemer But like Ruth here We're not waiting for a Redeemer anymore only for the completion of our redemption

When even our bodies are bought back from death in the resurrection. The incarnation is complete with the resurrection

Christmas is complete with Easter Well, they wait for the morning it's the first streaks of light start to dawn and Boaz sends

Ruth away with a promise and a pledge a Pledge like an engagement ring is a token of being serious

The pledge of six measures of the winnowed barley the harvested grain actual grain poured into her cloak

We don't know how much that is exactly six measures of what doesn't tell us exactly but it must be a lot because he had To put it on her it says

Like a load and she goes to Naomi. Naomi is eager for the news. How did it fare in verse 16?

She told her what Boaz had said and then points her to the cloak full of barley. There's the token

There's the the pledge and reports what we weren't told before Boaz had told her

You must not go back empty to your mother -in -law empty

Where have you heard that before Naomi? Oh Yeah, you said You said

Naomi that the Lord the Almighty the Shaddai had brought you back

Empty that he opposed to you even with Ruth right there beside you

Handing you a tissue at the beginning of barley harvest now at the end

How empty do you think you are? Naomi replies early morning in Bethlehem wait

My daughter wait just today The man will not rest until he will settle the matter today now somehow naming knows exactly how

Boaz will act she knew he was a worthy man who would wait for sex and for marriage that he would have the self -control to wait and She knows he will wait no longer

But will act as the Redeemer today There are sometimes we will still need to wait

Sex has to wait for marriage. Even if you find yourself on what seems the most perfect Maybe even romantic compromising situation wait

If it can't wait you should wonder if it's really Steadfast love but some things we don't need to wait on any longer some things are fulfilled

Already The way that advent that Christmas is celebrated even by some churches obscures the fact that we don't have to wait any longer for our

Redeemer We're not waiting again for him to be born in Bethlehem or in some metaphorical way in our own hearts and the incarnation when

God Became flesh and dwelt among us God became our kin The kinsman to all his people of whatever race or nation he became like us in every way except for sin

Incarnation day would be a better name for it than Christmas. We celebrate that That God became our relative and we shouldn't distract from that by teaching kids

It's all about the newest game or gadget that it's all about you and what you want what you can consume now

The sure to make you happy Tiny tots eyes all aglow with what they're gonna get well

It's supposed to be all about a God who loves us like Naomi and Ruth and Boaz Loved each other some things we don't have to wait for any longer

That God became a man to buy us back from sin and death is the most important of those things

Don't wait for it Remember it

Remember in the incarnation God became our kin in the cross

He became our Redeemer And yes We still have to wait for the redemption of our bodies for the resurrection and while we wait we will still feel the sting of death for those we love for ourselves but as we wait and We're still stung

Still Tempted to say from time to time That we're empty We can be sure of the

Lord's steadfast. Love we can be sure as we wait That there is a