While Ruth went out to glean, Naomi stayed at home. Yet now she is starting to think of someone else’s needs rather than her own. What seems to have happened is that over the course of these chapters, as she experienced God’s goodness and continued faithfulness to her, her heart began to soften. Through the hard work of Ruth and the generosity of Boaz, she found new hope. Perhaps she even began to see that she had been too quick to blame God, and perhaps she began to recognize her failure to take responsibility and to repent of it. Repentance inevitably draws our attention away from ourselves and out toward others. Bitterness drives us inward in self-absorbed depression, while true repentance enables us and motivates us to start to serve other people’s needs.

Ruth needed a husband and a home of her own. This was not exactly a new observation: it was, after all, the reason why Naomi had told Ruth to go home in chapter 1, back to a place where she might be more likely to find such a place of rest with a husband of her own. She told Ruth that this was still what she wanted (v. 1). But who in Bethlehem would provide a place of rest for an outsider, especially a foreigner like Ruth? Taking a Moabite wife would probably have been at least socially awkward, if not worse. A man might end up as a social outcast, spurned by decent society. Who would be willing to undertake such a risk? Naomi thought she knew the answer (v. 2).

The reference to Boaz as “a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers” in the previous chapter (2:20) may already have started Naomi’s mind moving in the direction of Boaz’s marriage potential as a solution to all of their problems. It was now close to the end of the wheat harvest, six to eight weeks after the first encounter between Ruth and Boaz, and there seemed to be little progress in their relationship. However, Naomi had an idea how to jumpstart things (vv. 3:3-4). Ruth was ready to act (vv. 5-6), and later that night, she found herself alone watching events at the threshing floor (v. 7).

The party was over, and it had been a good evening. After a long day of work, and a long night of feasting, Boaz must have been feeling very good about life. So, he went and lay down at the end of the grain pile and fell fast asleep. In the middle of the night, though, something disturbed him – perhaps the cold air on his now exposed lower extremities. He rolled over, reaching for his blanket, and discovered to his amazement a woman there (v. 8). “Who are you?” was a natural question for Boaz to ask. Ruth responded, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (v. 9).

Here is where Ruth’s actions diverged from Naomi’s instructions. Instead of leaving the situation dangerously ambiguous, as a woman of character, Ruth wanted to make her intentions clear right from the outset. Her goal was a commitment to marriage, not a single night of passion. In the ancient world, such a commitment was symbolized by the gesture of covering someone with the corner of one’s robe, roughly equivalent to the giving of an engagement ring in our culture. Ruth wanted Boaz to marry her and thus to provide a refuge for her and Naomi, just as a kinsman redeemer would.

Ruth’s words left a great deal to be desired. Naomi’s more open-ended scheme had a variety of possible outcomes that might each have reached the same goal, through more or less morally acceptable pathways. But Ruth knew that her future didn’t ultimately depend on her ability to formulate a cunning plan and execute it. God was overruling all things for good and, amazingly enough, Boaz agreed to her audacious request. His first words to her – “my daughter” – show that he was aware of the situation. Boaz was willing to pay the social and financial costs of welcoming this despised outsider into his family. Indeed, Boaz complimented Ruth on having chosen him rather than going after a younger man (v. 10).

It is noteworthy that Proverbs 31, which in the ordering of the Hebrew Bible comes right before Ruth, describes a woman of character whose “works praise her in the gates” (Prov. 31:31). Using similar language, Boaz says, “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” (Ruth 3:11). More literally, Boaz says, “all the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of worth.” The idiom is usually lost in translation, but what we see in Ruth is precisely a “Proverbs 31” woman in the flesh: her deeds have indeed been praised in the city gates!

At this point in the story a complication arose. Although Boaz was a close relative of Naomi’s, apparently there was another redeemer who was even closer; as Boaz explained to Ruth (vv. 12-13). By rights, this other redeemer had a better claim to perform this service for Naomi and her family. This must have been a bitter blow to Ruth, who at this point was surely feeling that things had been progressing rather well. In the morning, Boaz would approach the man and sound him out. If the other man wanted to redeem her, then well and good. But if he were not absolutely delighted to undertake this service, then Boaz swore that he would do it himself. One way or another, Naomi and Ruth would certainly be taken care of.

In the morning, before it was light enough for her reputation to be unfairly tarnished, Boaz sent Ruth away, but not before giving her a gift of six measures of barley (which is 80 pounds of barley!). Chapter 3 ends much the way that chapter 2 ended, with Ruth returning home to share with Naomi news of her adventures (vv. 16-18). The growing realization of Ruth’s value is underlined by Boaz’s generous gift.

Boaz sends Ruth back with a large bundle of seed so that she will not go back to Naomi “empty,” the same word that Naomi used to describe herself back in chapter 1. She came back to Bethlehem “empty,” but the Lord is fulfilling all of her needs through Ruth and Boaz. The Lord provided for her hunger, and a place of rest for the weary. Would the Lord now withhold from her the one other thing she lacked, descendants? Certainly not! In light of that, Boaz’s earlier response (“There is a redeemer nearer than I”) takes on a whole new significance. All through the story there has been a Redeemer closer than Boaz, a Redeemer for Naomi and Ruth who has hovered in the shadows of the narrative, behind all the human agents, reaching out to His beloved but wandering sheep and showing them grace upon grace.

Ruth 3 compels each of us to ask this question: “What am I willing to risk, and for what?” People willingly face all kinds of perils in life, both small and great. For the sake of having fun, or receiving a promotion, or having a family, people are willing to put up with all kinds of discomforts and potential costs. What are we willing to risk, though, for the sake of the gospel?

For most of us, the true answer is probably, “Not very much.” We’re not willing to risk our lives or our health, our reputations or our comfort, our friends or our families for the sake of the gospel. The most obvious proof of our aversion to spiritual risk lies in our unwillingness to talk to others about God. Never mind putting our reputations at risk at midnight during the barley harvest, we wouldn’t even risk being thought odd by our friends over coffee because we talk to them about Jesus. We all have our excuses. What have they done for us, to deserve our taking that kind of risk for them?

Yet what if Ruth had said the same thing? Her actions certainly could have cost her reputation or much worse. Did Naomi deserve to have Ruth go out on this limb for her? Certainly not. But Ruth had made a commitment to Naomi in spite of her earlier coldness and her lack of responsiveness. Did Naomi deserve Boaz’s willingness to accept the social and financial cost of welcoming outsiders into his home? Certainly not. If there was any self-interest that made the deal attractive to Boaz, it was the character of Ruth, not that of Naomi. Naomi was among the undeserving, but because Ruth and Boaz treated her with grace, she came to know the joy of God’s salvation. Who are the people that we can reach for Christ, if only we will take a personal risk with the gospel?

Ruth 3:1-18 Study Questions:

What does Naomi hope will be the result of her plan and instructions for Ruth (vv. 1-5)? What is she counting on, with regard to the character and integrity of Boaz? What risks are involved for Ruth as she follows Naomi’s instructions?

What do you notice about Ruth’s statement to Boaz in verse 9? Had Naomi instructed her to be this direct? What might Ruth be seeking to avoid, in terms of Boaz’s understanding of her intentions?

How does Boaz’s response to Ruth continue to reveal to us his character (v. 10)? What kindness does Boaz refer to here? What does he promise to do for Ruth in response to her intentional appeal?

According to Boaz’s words, does he himself have any legal obligation to marry Ruth and become her kinsman-redeemer? Why does this make his kindness and generosity even more noteworthy? How does this again point to the Christlike qualities of Boaz and remind us of the generous grace of our Redeemer?

As the chapter concludes, Ruth returns to Naomi with a large bundle of barley as they wait together for Boaz to take action. Describe the transformation that has occurred in Naomi and Ruth’s situation. What has changed? How has God proved to be faithful?