"1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.3 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. 4 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.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 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. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings[a] over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 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. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 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.”
Ruth 3:1-13
God knows how to fulfil His own good and perfect will; and He knows how to make love matches too, without our meddling in them! One has only to think of some of the divinely ordained matches one has known to realise that the hallmark in them has been an inevitability, a smoothness and an openness about them that put them beyond any doubt. That is how God works. He does not bungle things. In His arrangements there is no need for people or circumstances to be manipulated by meddling human hands.
Looking at it at its best, we may say this: perhaps Naomi was a misguided woman who unwittingly committed this foolish mistake. But it was a mistake; and we often make mistakes like this in all sorts of different circumstances, doing a right thing in a wrong way. We must learn better than to do right things in wrong ways; we must learn to trust God more deeply and fully otherwise trouble is going to follow.
All this having been said, the important point now, in 8ff, is to see how Ruth and Boaz react. Boaz's recognition of Ruth's quality and worth is very impressive (10). The implication of his words should be understood: Ruth had not followed young men, ei- ther poor or rich (to whom she must undoubtedly have been very attractive) but rather the older Boaz because of family loyalty. Indeed, she put this before any personal con- sideration. This is what impressed Boaz so much. Now, this was essentially a spiritual attitude, associated with her dedication and consecration to the God of Israel, which she allowed to override every human wish or desire, including the possibility of marrying well in Bethlehem. She died to natural advancement in favour of the higher reality. This had Naomi but realised, was more than sufficient to ensure God's best for her - and withal, to make her more attractive than any other girl in Bethlehem (11). Are there not great lessons for young people - and the not-so-young also - to learn here?