kayte
Jun 7th 2004, 03:31 PM
Ruth part 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lie Down Until Morning
Ruth 3:12: Now it is true that I am your near kinsman; however, there is a kinsman nearer than I.
This is not what Ruth hoped to hear. Another kinsman? Nearer than Boaz? This can’t be happening! Was this all a dreadful mistake?
Verse 13: Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a near kinsman for you--good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.
Did Ruth rest well this night? Her life had just been tossed up into the air and how could she know where it would land?
Have you ever experienced a time when circumstances seemed to yank away your last shred of control?
When Ruth left Moab with Naomi and moved to Bethlehem, it was her choice. When Ruth set out to glean in strange fields, it was her choice. When Naomi sent her to the threshing floor to ask Boaz for redemption, it was ultimately her choice.
The only choice left open to Ruth now was to run away or see it through to the end. Boaz and another man would settle the matter! And the rest of her life hung in the balance of their decision.
My heart skips a beat for Ruth in verses twelve and thirteen. Ruth has made herself so vulnerable to Boaz. She’s come in humility and put her self on the line.
Boaz’s first words are so full of warmth and kindness, filled with encouragement and promise of protection.
Couldn’t we just go from there to the end of chapter four? Is there a reason we have to consider another kinsman? Is there any good that can come by putting Ruth through this?
Boaz beautifully affirms Ruth, assuring her in verse 11, “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request…”
But then he throws a however up in the air.
Verse 12, “... However, there is a kinsman nearer than I.”
Seems Boaz isn’t done winnowing for the day. Just as the heads of grain are beaten off the stalks, gathered onto mats, taken outside and tossed in the air where the breeze carries away the chaff, so has been done to Ruth.
Verse 13: Stay this night, and in the morning if he will perform the duty of a near kinsman for you-– good; let him do it.
Good? Good? (Are you having the same trouble with that word as I am?)
And, “let him do it”? But this is not what Ruth wanted!
“But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives!”
Hmmm… duty. The thought of someone doing something for me out of duty used to rankle me a bit. It does rather poke at a nerve ending of pride, doesn’t it?
Moments before my own wedding, my dear grandmother came to the room where I waited, sat me down and took my hand in hers. It was a solemn moment as I waited for her to share a bit of profound wisdom that I could carry with me from that day forward.
She looked me in the eye for a moment and then hastily told me that parts of marriage could be difficult but that I would do well if I would simply smile and perform my wifely duty.
At age seventeen, duty was far from being a top ten word on my list of favorites. It was a word I could apply to washing dishes, laundry, cleaning the toilet, but to the intimacy of marriage? To… um… s*x?
Yet isn’t this part of the duty that Boaz is speaking about? To give Mahlon an heir? To give Ruth a child? To marry her, protect and keep her? To fulfill all aspects of marriage?
At age 40 my perception of the word duty has changed. The Lord has given me the understanding that duty is a word of grace. The smile isn’t fake when the duty is borne of love and death to self. It’s no longer a distasteful chore but a gift of infinite worth. Whether it’s washing dishes, cleaning toilets or intimacy.
Boaz isn’t making a martyr of himself. His voice is not that of Eeyore, the plaintive donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh, and he isn’t injuring Ruth, letting her know that she’s nothing but a duty to him.
No, Boaz understands duty to be bound up in his love for God, and his love for Ruth. Duty suddenly takes on warmth when brought into the realm of God’s love and death to self.
At the end of verse thirteen Boaz tells Ruth, “Lie down until morning.”
Ruth has no solid answer to her request. She doesn’t know where this is going to lead.
Boaz has comforted her and let her know he will act on her behalf. He has assured her that he desires good for her. But she doesn’t know what that means. She doesn’t know how things will turn out.
“Lie down until morning.”
When we’ve been tossed in the air and we have no control over events in our lives we often exhaust ourselves trying to regain control. Or we run scared, back to familiar ground, firmly resolved not to move an inch till we get the answer we want.
Ruth could have responded any number of ways here.
She could have badgered Boaz to tell her what his plans were.
She could have worked to come up with a scheme to insure she got what she most wanted, don’t you think?
Dressing up for Boaz was a good idea, so how about doing the opposite for this other man? Black out a tooth or two, cover herself with dirt, mat her hair up a bit. Or she could really go for it and roll around in a horse stall, and then go stand in full view at the city gate when the proceedings begin! Okay, enough of my scheming.
Ruth could have gotten up and run back to Naomi in tears.
She could have lay there all night flipping Boaz’s garment back and forth over herself to show how much she needed him and to prove her perseverance.
But she didn’t. Verse 14, “So she lay at his feet until morning…”
Ruth put her trust in God and she found rest at His feet.
Matthew 11:28-30: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When we’re confused, God is not. When we don’t know what will happen next, God knows.
When crisis strikes and we’re unsure, it is time to go to the Lord, tell Him of our need and then stay at His feet and rest.
He will not turn you away. He knows your need. He desires good for you. Trust Him. Trust not that He will resolve things according to your will, but that He knows what is truly best for you.
If you want peace, don’t expend your energy badgering God for an answer. He will answer in His time.
Don’t spend yourself in schemes. Trust Him to lead you.
Don’t try to run away. (That never works anyway.) Rest in Him. He’ll go with you.
And don’t fall into the superstitious practices of repetitive prayer, ‘pleading the blood of the Lamb’ over yourself. (Are you not His? Have you not already been washed clean by His blood? Does the impact of His death and shed blood fade away over time?) If you have given your life to Him, He has set His Kingly seal upon you for all time. Fear not, He is with You and will never, no never leave you nor forsake you.
So rather, put your faith in Him alone and learn from Jesus’ prayer in the garden.
Matthew 26:39: He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
As Boaz told Ruth, “Lie down until morning.”
He knows the plans He has for you, for a hope and a future. He is faithful.
#
Lord, You are my shepherd; I shall not want.
Make me to lie down in green pastures. Lead me beside still waters. Restore my soul.
Lead me in paths of righteousness for Your names sake.
When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
#
Study questions
1) When you consider ‘duty’ what is the first attitude of your heart and mind?
2) Jesus spoke:
Matthew 25:34-40: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it unto Me.”
When you consider these verses do you see a list of things to do? Duties to perform? A job to accomplish? Or does your heart run out and overflow in compassion and joy at being able to so personally and practically minister to and bless Jesus?
3) When you have been involved in duty, have you grown weary? Do you need renewal? Where are you now?
4) When life takes a sudden spin out of your control, what is your first reaction? Second reaction? Third one, etc?
5) From the answers you gave above, which do you find brings real growth and lasting substance to your life? Which actually tears down your faith?
6) Are there times you remember when you truly rested and waited on the Lord? What was it like?
7) Do some of the things you see practiced by some Christians seem more like superstitions than actual Biblical precepts? Do you sometimes wonder if some of the things you do have solid, Biblical evidence behind them? If so, begin a Biblical search and find if they are things that Jesus did and taught the disciples to do, and if the disciples practiced them in the book of Acts and taught us to do them in the epistles.
(Keep in mind that there are things that Jesus did that He never instructed others to do.. He did them because He is God and was testifying to that fact.)
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lie Down Until Morning
Ruth 3:12: Now it is true that I am your near kinsman; however, there is a kinsman nearer than I.
This is not what Ruth hoped to hear. Another kinsman? Nearer than Boaz? This can’t be happening! Was this all a dreadful mistake?
Verse 13: Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a near kinsman for you--good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.
Did Ruth rest well this night? Her life had just been tossed up into the air and how could she know where it would land?
Have you ever experienced a time when circumstances seemed to yank away your last shred of control?
When Ruth left Moab with Naomi and moved to Bethlehem, it was her choice. When Ruth set out to glean in strange fields, it was her choice. When Naomi sent her to the threshing floor to ask Boaz for redemption, it was ultimately her choice.
The only choice left open to Ruth now was to run away or see it through to the end. Boaz and another man would settle the matter! And the rest of her life hung in the balance of their decision.
My heart skips a beat for Ruth in verses twelve and thirteen. Ruth has made herself so vulnerable to Boaz. She’s come in humility and put her self on the line.
Boaz’s first words are so full of warmth and kindness, filled with encouragement and promise of protection.
Couldn’t we just go from there to the end of chapter four? Is there a reason we have to consider another kinsman? Is there any good that can come by putting Ruth through this?
Boaz beautifully affirms Ruth, assuring her in verse 11, “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request…”
But then he throws a however up in the air.
Verse 12, “... However, there is a kinsman nearer than I.”
Seems Boaz isn’t done winnowing for the day. Just as the heads of grain are beaten off the stalks, gathered onto mats, taken outside and tossed in the air where the breeze carries away the chaff, so has been done to Ruth.
Verse 13: Stay this night, and in the morning if he will perform the duty of a near kinsman for you-– good; let him do it.
Good? Good? (Are you having the same trouble with that word as I am?)
And, “let him do it”? But this is not what Ruth wanted!
“But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives!”
Hmmm… duty. The thought of someone doing something for me out of duty used to rankle me a bit. It does rather poke at a nerve ending of pride, doesn’t it?
Moments before my own wedding, my dear grandmother came to the room where I waited, sat me down and took my hand in hers. It was a solemn moment as I waited for her to share a bit of profound wisdom that I could carry with me from that day forward.
She looked me in the eye for a moment and then hastily told me that parts of marriage could be difficult but that I would do well if I would simply smile and perform my wifely duty.
At age seventeen, duty was far from being a top ten word on my list of favorites. It was a word I could apply to washing dishes, laundry, cleaning the toilet, but to the intimacy of marriage? To… um… s*x?
Yet isn’t this part of the duty that Boaz is speaking about? To give Mahlon an heir? To give Ruth a child? To marry her, protect and keep her? To fulfill all aspects of marriage?
At age 40 my perception of the word duty has changed. The Lord has given me the understanding that duty is a word of grace. The smile isn’t fake when the duty is borne of love and death to self. It’s no longer a distasteful chore but a gift of infinite worth. Whether it’s washing dishes, cleaning toilets or intimacy.
Boaz isn’t making a martyr of himself. His voice is not that of Eeyore, the plaintive donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh, and he isn’t injuring Ruth, letting her know that she’s nothing but a duty to him.
No, Boaz understands duty to be bound up in his love for God, and his love for Ruth. Duty suddenly takes on warmth when brought into the realm of God’s love and death to self.
At the end of verse thirteen Boaz tells Ruth, “Lie down until morning.”
Ruth has no solid answer to her request. She doesn’t know where this is going to lead.
Boaz has comforted her and let her know he will act on her behalf. He has assured her that he desires good for her. But she doesn’t know what that means. She doesn’t know how things will turn out.
“Lie down until morning.”
When we’ve been tossed in the air and we have no control over events in our lives we often exhaust ourselves trying to regain control. Or we run scared, back to familiar ground, firmly resolved not to move an inch till we get the answer we want.
Ruth could have responded any number of ways here.
She could have badgered Boaz to tell her what his plans were.
She could have worked to come up with a scheme to insure she got what she most wanted, don’t you think?
Dressing up for Boaz was a good idea, so how about doing the opposite for this other man? Black out a tooth or two, cover herself with dirt, mat her hair up a bit. Or she could really go for it and roll around in a horse stall, and then go stand in full view at the city gate when the proceedings begin! Okay, enough of my scheming.
Ruth could have gotten up and run back to Naomi in tears.
She could have lay there all night flipping Boaz’s garment back and forth over herself to show how much she needed him and to prove her perseverance.
But she didn’t. Verse 14, “So she lay at his feet until morning…”
Ruth put her trust in God and she found rest at His feet.
Matthew 11:28-30: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When we’re confused, God is not. When we don’t know what will happen next, God knows.
When crisis strikes and we’re unsure, it is time to go to the Lord, tell Him of our need and then stay at His feet and rest.
He will not turn you away. He knows your need. He desires good for you. Trust Him. Trust not that He will resolve things according to your will, but that He knows what is truly best for you.
If you want peace, don’t expend your energy badgering God for an answer. He will answer in His time.
Don’t spend yourself in schemes. Trust Him to lead you.
Don’t try to run away. (That never works anyway.) Rest in Him. He’ll go with you.
And don’t fall into the superstitious practices of repetitive prayer, ‘pleading the blood of the Lamb’ over yourself. (Are you not His? Have you not already been washed clean by His blood? Does the impact of His death and shed blood fade away over time?) If you have given your life to Him, He has set His Kingly seal upon you for all time. Fear not, He is with You and will never, no never leave you nor forsake you.
So rather, put your faith in Him alone and learn from Jesus’ prayer in the garden.
Matthew 26:39: He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
As Boaz told Ruth, “Lie down until morning.”
He knows the plans He has for you, for a hope and a future. He is faithful.
#
Lord, You are my shepherd; I shall not want.
Make me to lie down in green pastures. Lead me beside still waters. Restore my soul.
Lead me in paths of righteousness for Your names sake.
When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
#
Study questions
1) When you consider ‘duty’ what is the first attitude of your heart and mind?
2) Jesus spoke:
Matthew 25:34-40: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it unto Me.”
When you consider these verses do you see a list of things to do? Duties to perform? A job to accomplish? Or does your heart run out and overflow in compassion and joy at being able to so personally and practically minister to and bless Jesus?
3) When you have been involved in duty, have you grown weary? Do you need renewal? Where are you now?
4) When life takes a sudden spin out of your control, what is your first reaction? Second reaction? Third one, etc?
5) From the answers you gave above, which do you find brings real growth and lasting substance to your life? Which actually tears down your faith?
6) Are there times you remember when you truly rested and waited on the Lord? What was it like?
7) Do some of the things you see practiced by some Christians seem more like superstitions than actual Biblical precepts? Do you sometimes wonder if some of the things you do have solid, Biblical evidence behind them? If so, begin a Biblical search and find if they are things that Jesus did and taught the disciples to do, and if the disciples practiced them in the book of Acts and taught us to do them in the epistles.
(Keep in mind that there are things that Jesus did that He never instructed others to do.. He did them because He is God and was testifying to that fact.)