Monday, January 21, 2013

Putting Her Reputation On The Line

Ruth 3:1-18

“Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 

Wash thy self therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.  And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.” (Ruth 3:1-4)

Naomi had been concerned that Ruth was sacrificing her future by staying with her.  After seeing how hard Ruth had worked for almost three months, she was even more concerned.  During that time Boaz had gone to considerable expense to see that Naomi and Ruth were provided for, and as a relative, he had a moral obligation to them.  Deuteronomy 25:5 commands, “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.” 

That same obligation to care for the family in the New Testament.  I Timothy 5:4 commands, “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.”  Failure to take the responsibility effectively states that we don’t trust God to provide and don’t believe he has the authority to tell us what to do.  I Timothy 5: 8 warns, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”  Jesus warned, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven,” in Matthew 10:33.  It is a measure of ones commitment and faith.

Rather than returning to the city at night, Boaz was camping with his workers at the threshing floor, obviously enjoying their camaraderie.  Naomi instructed Ruth to put him in  somewhat compromising position, slipping into camp after they had gone to bed and crawling into Boaz’ blankets with him.  He would be forced to take some kind of action to preserve his reputation.

“And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.  And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade 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 corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 

And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.  And he said, Who art thou? 

And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.” (Ruth 3:5-9)

Waking in the middle of the night to find himself in bed with a woman scared Boaz.  It would be very hard to explain an if accusations were made of adultery, he would face the death penalty.  He asked who it was immediately.  Ruth then told him who she was and asked him to take the responsibility of a man to his relatives.

“And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.  And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.  And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.” (Ruth 3:10-13)

For almost three months, Boaz had observed how Ruth worked and how circumspectly she behaved around men much closer to her own age, both rich and poor.  It was obvious she was not just looking for a man.  That she had chosen to make herself available to him if he chose touched him.  Unfortunately, he was not the closest relative, and the other would have the final say as to how this would be settled.  Boaz was not free to act without his approval.

Boaz did not send her home in the middle of the night, but allowed her to stay, promising that he would confront the other relative in the morning.  If the other man wanted to take the responsibility, Boaz would walk away with a clear conscience, but if not, Boaz would make her his wife and fulfill the responsibility.

“And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. 

And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.  Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.” (Ruth 3:14-15)

To prevent any damage to her reputation, Boaz asked his men not to mention that a woman had come to the camp, and gave her six measures of Barley, about what she would get from a day’s gleaning to allay any questions from Naomi.  Though nothing had happened, people would talk if they suspected anything, and denials would only fuel rumors.

 “And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? 

And she told her all that the man had done to her.  And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. 

Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” (Ruth 3:16-18)

It had been Naomi’s idea for Ruth to get into bed with Boaz.  He could have just ordered her to leave to protect his reputation, and cut off any further help.  He also could have treated her as a prostitute and made her an outcast, or he could choose to make her his wife.  Since he hadn’t just sent her home she had to be either an outcast or his wife.

After Ruth explained what had happened,  Naomi knew Boaz would not waste any time settling things.  He had cared too much to make her leave in the middle of the night and had taken precautions to protect both his own and her reputations.  Delay would increase the likelihood of somebody talking.  The faster it was settled the better for everyone.  They could just wait and see what happened.

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