kayte
May 31st 2004, 04:13 PM
Ruth part 6
CHAPTER SIX
The Matchmaker
Ruth 3:1-9: Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our kinsman? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
“Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in,
uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
I've heard a lot of matchmaking schemes over the years but this one certainly takes the cake!
Put yourself in Ruth's place here for a minute... 'Mom' points out that you need security. (Okay, she has a point there.) And she has a plan. (Moms always have a plan.)
She tells you to gussy up… take a bath, put on some perfume and put on your snazziest outfit. (Can’t you hear Ruth thinking: But Boaz already knows what I really look like… he's seen me covered with dirt and my hair a mess. He even knows what I smell like after working in the field all day… okay Mom, I could use some gussyin’ up.)
"Go down to the threshing floor; but don't make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking." (All right, I guess that makes sense. Men have been known to be single minded when they're hungry and there's food in front of them. Best to wait till you can have his full attention.) (By the way.. I've heard it said that Boaz was drunk.. pointing out 'eating and drinking'. Personally, I find it insulting to Boaz' integrity and charactor and contradictory to everything else we read about Boaz.)
"Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies…" (“When he lies down? Wait a minute mom… if he lies down and goes to sleep, why bother with getting all dressed up? He'll never even know I was there.)
"And you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down..." (Do what? Mom! Have you lost your mind? I can't--he's a man--what if...? Mom, this is risky!)
"And he will tell you what you should do." (Yeah, he'll tell me all right. Wait--Boaz, it's Boaz we're talking about here. Boaz is safe, isn't he?)
"And she (Ruth) said to her, 'All that you say to me I will do.'"
Jeepers! Ruth is gutsy! And obedient.
Verse 6-7: So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet and lay down.
Being vulnerable is so hard. It's a position most of us fight against with a passion.
Is there a person alive that hasn't been wounded by someone else? Far too many of us have been grievously wounded. One of the side effects is that we staunchly refuse to be vulnerable again. No matter what! We seal ourselves off, build up our walls and post our signs. 'No Admittance--Private Property'.
Ruth's obedience wasn't based on knowing the outcome. She hoped it would go well. It was a somewhat educated hope. She had spent time among Boaz's servants. She knew Boaz had been kind to them and to herself. She had experienced acceptance here even though she was a foreigner.
But would it not nag the back of your mind that a man can be one thing in the public eye and entirely different in private?
Ruth's obedience could cost her everything! She could be rejected. She could be accused of being a harlot of Moab, of throwing her self at him--a righteous man, a wealthy man--for her own gain. She could be abused.
To do this thing gave Boaz total power over her.
Yet she went. She uncovered his feet and lay down.
Ruth 8: Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a near kinsman.”
Ruth knew how her actions could be misinterpreted. She quickly pleads her case. She pleads for mercy and his compassion. "Take me under you wing." Please don't hurt me--protect me--redeem me.
We must come to Jesus the same way Ruth came to Boaz.
We must abandon ourselves to full vulnerability and bow down at His feet.
There can be no holding back. If we desire to truly be His, to have Him work in and through our lives we have to 'lay down' self-preservation and be vulnerable to Him.
In Luke 8:43-48 we see a woman needing Jesus so badly. Instead of making herself vulnerable to Him she sneaks in the back door just to get relief for this one need.
Luke 8:43-48: Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng You and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'”
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
Jesus knew who had touched Him. He asked “who touched Me” for her benefit, "the woman saw that she was not hidden." He wanted her to make herself vulnerable to Him and “she came trembling; and falling down before Him.”
Why does God require us to be vulnerable? Why must we cast aside self preservation and reveal our weakness?
So He can bless us: “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Faith? Wasn't she just trembling? Yes, and so it is with vulnerability. We must be vulnerable so He can fill us.
II Corinthians 12:9-10: And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak then I am strong.
So we can become one with Him.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
The depth of any relationship can be measured by the amount of openness (vulnerability) found in it.
With whatever you face today, with all your need for security, help, strength, love, acceptance and mercy, are you willing to go to Jesus, to lay yourself at His feet and give Him complete power over you?
#
Father, You are the God who sees and knows all there is about us. You are the Lion of Judah, and we come trembling.
Take us under Your wing for You are our kinsman. You alone can bring life out of death.
You are the gentle Shepherd and You said that Your sheep know Your voice and follow You. Speak to our hearts Lord and show us those places that we persist in holding back from You. Help us to abandon ourselves so that we may abide in You… being filled and satisfied in knowing You.
Be glorified in us.
In Jesus we come.
Amen.
#
Study questions
#
1) What is the depth of your relationship with the Lord? Could it be deeper?
2) What terms would you use to best describe your relationship with Him?
(Example: Savior, Lord, husband, best friend, friend, distant relative, acquaintance, I do not know the Man... etc.)
3) To be vulnerable to God is one thing, but to 'men'? How far do we take this?
In 1 Corinthians 9:22 we read:
"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
4) When others look at you to determine the safety of making themselves vulnerable to Christ, what do they find? (Remember that they're making an educated decision, and that education is based on what they see in you.)
5) Have you struggled to become vulnerable to the Lord? Are you still struggling or have you made it past the crucible already? If you have, what was the response you received?
CHAPTER SIX
The Matchmaker
Ruth 3:1-9: Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our kinsman? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
“Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in,
uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
I've heard a lot of matchmaking schemes over the years but this one certainly takes the cake!
Put yourself in Ruth's place here for a minute... 'Mom' points out that you need security. (Okay, she has a point there.) And she has a plan. (Moms always have a plan.)
She tells you to gussy up… take a bath, put on some perfume and put on your snazziest outfit. (Can’t you hear Ruth thinking: But Boaz already knows what I really look like… he's seen me covered with dirt and my hair a mess. He even knows what I smell like after working in the field all day… okay Mom, I could use some gussyin’ up.)
"Go down to the threshing floor; but don't make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking." (All right, I guess that makes sense. Men have been known to be single minded when they're hungry and there's food in front of them. Best to wait till you can have his full attention.) (By the way.. I've heard it said that Boaz was drunk.. pointing out 'eating and drinking'. Personally, I find it insulting to Boaz' integrity and charactor and contradictory to everything else we read about Boaz.)
"Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies…" (“When he lies down? Wait a minute mom… if he lies down and goes to sleep, why bother with getting all dressed up? He'll never even know I was there.)
"And you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down..." (Do what? Mom! Have you lost your mind? I can't--he's a man--what if...? Mom, this is risky!)
"And he will tell you what you should do." (Yeah, he'll tell me all right. Wait--Boaz, it's Boaz we're talking about here. Boaz is safe, isn't he?)
"And she (Ruth) said to her, 'All that you say to me I will do.'"
Jeepers! Ruth is gutsy! And obedient.
Verse 6-7: So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet and lay down.
Being vulnerable is so hard. It's a position most of us fight against with a passion.
Is there a person alive that hasn't been wounded by someone else? Far too many of us have been grievously wounded. One of the side effects is that we staunchly refuse to be vulnerable again. No matter what! We seal ourselves off, build up our walls and post our signs. 'No Admittance--Private Property'.
Ruth's obedience wasn't based on knowing the outcome. She hoped it would go well. It was a somewhat educated hope. She had spent time among Boaz's servants. She knew Boaz had been kind to them and to herself. She had experienced acceptance here even though she was a foreigner.
But would it not nag the back of your mind that a man can be one thing in the public eye and entirely different in private?
Ruth's obedience could cost her everything! She could be rejected. She could be accused of being a harlot of Moab, of throwing her self at him--a righteous man, a wealthy man--for her own gain. She could be abused.
To do this thing gave Boaz total power over her.
Yet she went. She uncovered his feet and lay down.
Ruth 8: Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a near kinsman.”
Ruth knew how her actions could be misinterpreted. She quickly pleads her case. She pleads for mercy and his compassion. "Take me under you wing." Please don't hurt me--protect me--redeem me.
We must come to Jesus the same way Ruth came to Boaz.
We must abandon ourselves to full vulnerability and bow down at His feet.
There can be no holding back. If we desire to truly be His, to have Him work in and through our lives we have to 'lay down' self-preservation and be vulnerable to Him.
In Luke 8:43-48 we see a woman needing Jesus so badly. Instead of making herself vulnerable to Him she sneaks in the back door just to get relief for this one need.
Luke 8:43-48: Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng You and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'”
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
Jesus knew who had touched Him. He asked “who touched Me” for her benefit, "the woman saw that she was not hidden." He wanted her to make herself vulnerable to Him and “she came trembling; and falling down before Him.”
Why does God require us to be vulnerable? Why must we cast aside self preservation and reveal our weakness?
So He can bless us: “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Faith? Wasn't she just trembling? Yes, and so it is with vulnerability. We must be vulnerable so He can fill us.
II Corinthians 12:9-10: And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak then I am strong.
So we can become one with Him.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
The depth of any relationship can be measured by the amount of openness (vulnerability) found in it.
With whatever you face today, with all your need for security, help, strength, love, acceptance and mercy, are you willing to go to Jesus, to lay yourself at His feet and give Him complete power over you?
#
Father, You are the God who sees and knows all there is about us. You are the Lion of Judah, and we come trembling.
Take us under Your wing for You are our kinsman. You alone can bring life out of death.
You are the gentle Shepherd and You said that Your sheep know Your voice and follow You. Speak to our hearts Lord and show us those places that we persist in holding back from You. Help us to abandon ourselves so that we may abide in You… being filled and satisfied in knowing You.
Be glorified in us.
In Jesus we come.
Amen.
#
Study questions
#
1) What is the depth of your relationship with the Lord? Could it be deeper?
2) What terms would you use to best describe your relationship with Him?
(Example: Savior, Lord, husband, best friend, friend, distant relative, acquaintance, I do not know the Man... etc.)
3) To be vulnerable to God is one thing, but to 'men'? How far do we take this?
In 1 Corinthians 9:22 we read:
"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
4) When others look at you to determine the safety of making themselves vulnerable to Christ, what do they find? (Remember that they're making an educated decision, and that education is based on what they see in you.)
5) Have you struggled to become vulnerable to the Lord? Are you still struggling or have you made it past the crucible already? If you have, what was the response you received?