Another interlude is required at this point to discuss the topic of sexual purity. Many would like to read into this passage in Ruth 3 some promiscuous behavior to try to justify their own lust. However, as we have seen, Ruth and Boaz truly conducted themselves with purity and propriety.
In our culture, sexual promiscuity has become so common that most people don’t even blush at the mention of someone living with their significant other (see Jer. 6:15 and 8:12). Christians are accused of being prudish, intolerant, and bigoted because of their views on sexuality. However, what we recognize from God’s word is that people are naturally enslaved by their passions, perverting what is intended to be a wonderful gift from the Lord. In Christ, we find all of the fulfillment we need, all of the acceptance, belonging, and security, and therefore we can experience the beauty of a life of purity as God intended. Purity isn’t about living a dull existence but about living the abundant life Christ described, a fulfilled life. The deep longings of your heart can only be satisfied by total faithfulness within marriage and total abstinence outside of it, because your Creator designed you that way. To quote Elizabeth Elliot, “I am convinced that the human heart hungers for constancy. In forfeiting the sanctity of sex by casual, nondiscriminatory ‘making out’ and ‘sleeping around,’ we forfeit something we cannot well do without. There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized. By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere… Purity, I fear, has gotten mixed up in people’s minds with the caricature of Puritanism, which, in the popular imagination, is a dour, brittle revolt against all the pleasures of the flesh…Neither the concept of purity nor the doctrines of the Puritans deny life. Rather they refer back to the very Giver of Life Himself. Purity means freedom from contamination, from anything that would spoil the taste or the pleasure, reduce the power, or in any way adulterate what the thing was meant to be. It means cleanness, clearness – no additives, nothing artificial – in other words, “all natural,” in the sense in which the Original Designer designed it to be.” (Excerpt from Passion & Purity) The Bible teaches us that God created sex for marriage, as a unifying and procreating act to express the intimacy within the marriage covenant (Matt. 19:4-6). Since marriage is intended to depict the relationship between Christ and the church through love and respect (Eph. 5:22-33), sex is described within that context as an act of service from one spouse towards the other (1 Cor. 7:3-4). The Biblical description of agape love portrays a love that is vulnerable and self-giving, a love that seeks to serve rather than be served (1 Cor. 13:4-8). Since every act in the life of a believer is to be done in love, their sexuality should also exhibit this kind of love. While sex within the context of marriage is pure (Heb. 13:4), any sexual conduct outside marriage is by default impure. Outside of marriage, sex can never be a loving act. The Bible teaches that it is stealing from someone something that doesn’t belong to you and taking advantage of them (see 1 Thess. 4:3-8). It is selfish, fulfilling your own lusts. Sex outside marriage is destructive to relational intimacy. Designed as an emotionally bonding act, sex with multiple partners reduces the ‘emotional glue’ effect that sex was intended to create. Not only is sex reduced in ‘power’ but also in ‘pleasure’. Elizabeth E. describes ‘mystery’ as the most attractive female quality to a man, but if all mystery is removed, all wonder is also removed. The whole experience is dramatically diminished from how wonderful and pleasurable it could have been by each breach of physical barrier that occurs outside marriage. Outside of marriage, sex is reduced to an animalistic physical act, but within marriage, it expresses the relational, physical, emotional, and spiritual unity and commitment between husband and wife. Walking in purity is a matter of spiritual warfare. It’s a matter of putting off the old man and putting on Christ (Col. 3:1-17, Rom. 13:11-14). You must settle in your heart that you will not yield to the lusts of the flesh but will instead yield to Christ (Rom. 6:11-14). You must make a choice to walk in the Spirit, and if you do, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16-26). Comparing Eph. 5:18-19 and Col. 3:16, we find that being filled with the Spirit is equated to letting the word of Christ dwell in you. So you must be in the Word, and more importantly, you must let God’s Word get in you and have its way (Prov. 7:1-27, think ‘immoral man’). We need to hide God’s Word in our hearts, so that we won’t fall into sin (Ps. 119:11). Sexual immorality is more than physical actions; it’s a matter of the heart and mind (Matt. 5:28). Consider the types of thoughts you entertain and the types of inputs you allow into you mind. When inappropriate thoughts creep into your mind, you need to take those thoughts captive and set your mind on things above (2 Cor. 10:3-5, Phil. 4:8). If you allow the Lord to work in you, He will give you a clean heart (Ps. 51:10). While purity is primarily a battle of the heart and mind, the Bible also provides practical advice on dealing with sexual temptation: RUN. We are promised in Scripture that the Lord will not allow any tempting situation to enter our lives without also providing us with a means to escape it (1 Cor. 10:13). That way of escape for sexual temptation is laid out clearly (see Gen. 39:7-12, 2 Tim. 2:22) – namely, to flee it. I think we can take this advice very literally. If a situation is becoming overheated between you and your boyfriend, walk away. Say ‘no’ with both your voice and your body language. Run away from sexual temptation and towards God. Sexual attraction is extremely powerful, and we should never take the attitude of thinking we are mature enough and therefore won’t be tempted. We are warned to take heed lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12). We pray that the Lord would lead us not into temptation, but then we walk ourselves boldly into places of temptation. We are grateful that we have a high priest who can sympathize with our weakness, but then we act as if we have no weakness. Don’t put yourself into compromising situations. Some situations that could be compromising include: being alone in a building, in a room, or in a car and being out late together. One of the admirable qualities that we learned from this passage about Ruth and Boaz was their desire to conduct their relationship in a way that was above reproach. That means, not only did they conduct themselves in purity, but they also made sure that they never put themselves in a situation where someone might suspect them of impurity. Maybe you can be alone for a long time and have the strength to walk in purity – but what message does that send to others? What example does that set? Discussion of how you and your boyfriend will maintain sexually purity must happen early and often. I personally believe that if you are not mature enough to have an open and honest conversation about physical boundaries on your first date that you are not ready to date. These discussions must happen frequently as new temptations or weaknesses present themselves in the course of your relationship. Set your boundaries high. Don’t take the attitude of seeing how close you can get to the line without crossing it, which is characteristic of a life under the law. Instead, under grace, pursue God’s heart. Rather than seeking to meet some minimal standard, ask ‘how much do I want to save for later’. The more you save, the more precious it will be. A kiss saved for engagement or marriage will have that much more meaning behind it and be that much sweeter. Modesty should be approached in the same way. You could ask yourself ‘how much of my body do I want to save specially for my husband’. Once you and your boyfriend agree on boundaries (deferring to whoever has the higher boundary), you will have to work together on maintaining them. Typically, this tends to be an area of weakness for men, and you may have to play a larger part in enforcing boundaries. Remember that it is a kindness to your brother to say ‘no’, and don’t grow weary in doing good. If a boundary is breached, there is grace and forgiveness for every failure. Simply repent. Confess it to God, turn around, and keep walking in purity. Remember that God loves you and has a glorious purpose and plan in all this. He does not condemn you but sympathizes with you. This is not about establishing a new law for yourself but about walking in God’s grace and living out your faith in Him.
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Ruth obediently followed all of Naomi’s instructions about how to approach Boaz to claim him as her kinsman-redeemer. She comes to Boaz at the time that Naomi prescribed, waiting till after he had eaten and was resting. Then she approached him as a servant would: uncovering the master’s feet and lying at his feet ready for any command. Ruth’s deeds would be seen as an act of humility and total submission. Again we are reminded by her actions of the importance of seeking and following advice (Prov. 11:14). How do you know if advice you have received is wise? (See 1 Thess. 5:21.) What is an area of life in which you currently need advice?
In the middle of the night, Boaz is startled awake and finds Ruth lying there. When he asks who she is, Ruth responds calling herself his maidservant. Again, this illustrates her humility. In addition, the term she uses implies someone eligible for marriage. She then asks that he would take her under his wing, just as she had taken shelter under God’s wing (see Ruth 2:12, Ps. 91:4). She wants a spouse who will treat her like God treats His bride; someone who will protect her, make her secure, love her, and care for her (Eph. 5:25). She then calls him her goel. The redeemer had to meet 3 requirements: 1) he had to be a near kinsman, 2) wealthy enough to afford it, and 3) willing to perform this duty. Boaz met the first two requirements. The question was if he was willing. In v. 10, we see Boaz was willing, eagerly accepting the responsibility, even though she had a nearer kinsmen (v.12). Boaz clearly loved Ruth. He appreciated her for choosing him over all other men. Marriage entails choosing one person and forsaking all others. She could have pursued other men, but she didn’t. She didn’t chase after men as it would seem Boaz expected a young women to, and she didn’t settle for the superficially attractive. Instead she followed God’s guidance and would be able to both fulfill her duty to carry on the family name and find love and rest in marriage to Boaz. He blessed her for choosing him, which he calls kindness, and then describes Ruth as a virtuous woman. This word means strong in morality, character, and virtue (see Prov. 31). What are the qualities of a virtuous woman? Boaz wanted to make Ruth his bride, but he knew that someone else had a claim on both the land and Ruth’s hand. The closer kinsman would have to relinquish this right before he could make her his bride. Boaz doesn’t try to cut corners but conducts himself with decency and order in their relationship. He knows if it is God’s will, He’ll bring it to pass. He shows a desire for their relationship to be “above reproach” (Titus 1:6), and he takes time to do things properly. There isn’t reason for having a sense of rush in a relationship. Boaz could’ve taken the attitude of “let’s hurry up and get married before the nearer kinsman finds out.” Instead, his course of action shows greater faith. In v. 13, he promises to take care of this matter first thing the next morning. There is a secular love song that says “I will love with urgency but not with haste,” and I think this is the type of posture Boaz takes. He won’t rush the matter, but he will treat it as his highest priority. By not taking any shortcuts or procrastinating, Boaz proves that he is a person of integrity. How does someone build a reputation of integrity? What are ways that people today are pressured to take shortcuts and sacrifice their integrity? Boaz then invites Ruth to remain the rest of the night. There is nothing inappropriate going on here. It was already the middle of the night when he noticed she was there. He couldn’t just send her home alone, but he also couldn’t leave to take her home, since he was guarding the grain. Even if he had taken her home, this could’ve subjected them to gossip; people might be suspicious seeing Boaz leave alone with Ruth in the middle of the night. Instead as a kindness, he invites her to sleep where she is, in this public place, for her own safety. They then both rise early so that she can leave before it’s too light. Otherwise people may see her leaving the field and think something inappropriate happened. He doesn’t want to subject her to gossip. He also instructs the other workers not to mention it to anyone else, so they don’t start any rumors. Again we see his desire to protect Ruth’s reputation and to conduct their relationship in a way that others wouldn’t even suspect them of indecency. What does it mean to be “above reproach”? How does this apply to the context of relationships? Before leaving, Boaz places six measures of grain into her shawl for her to take home to Naomi. In v. 16 and 17, Ruth tells Naomi everything that happened at the threshing floor. She was not embarrassed or ashamed but instead was totally free to share all that happened, because they walked uprightly. At this point Naomi tells Ruth that all she can do is rest and trust Boaz. The matter is in his hands now. It may be that Naomi interpreted the six measures of barley as a sign that he wouldn’t rest till the matter was resolved, since the Lord did not rest until the 7th day. Consider this story from an analogical perspective. We, like Ruth, need a kinsman redeemer to bring us into the family of God. For this purpose, Christ came. He took on flesh to become a man, our kin, so that He could redeem us (Rom. 3:24). He is ready, willing and eager to fulfill that role in your life, but you must claim Him as your Redeemer. We too can approach God by washing in Christ’s blood (Titus 3:5), being anointed by the Spirit (1 John 2:20), and putting on the righteousness of Christ (Gal. 3:27). We should approach humbly as a servant and submit to His will, resting in Him and leaving the matter in His hands (Ps. 46:10). We trust Him with the outcome. We, like Ruth, were once outcasts, but by the love and grace of our Brother and Redeemer, we are brought near. Now we find rest in Christ (Matt. 11:28). Looking back at Galatians 3:
We saw previously that the promises of the Lord had never been obtained by the Law. Historically speaking, it was evident that the law only succeeded in bringing people under a curse. Christ became that curse for us and therefore redeemed us from being under the law, and now just as Abraham received the promises of God in faith, so we to receive the Spirit in faith. But then why was the law given in the first place? Why not just provide the Spirit by faith from the beginning? Looking at verse 19: The law is given because of transgression. This is corroborated in Romans 4:15 and 1 Timothy 1:8-9. The law is given to bring us to a conscious awareness of our sin and to an understanding of the severity of our sin. By the law comes the awareness of sin. Paul again says this in Romans when he states that he would not have known covetousness had the law not said "do not covet." Notice here that the law did not produce the sin. It simply brought the awareness of the sin and brought to light the necessary payment for sin. In this sense, the law is an informant. It does not produce life. It does not produce death. It merely brings awareness of already pre-existing sin and states the consequences of existing in that sinful state. As a side note, the law is so powerless that it even becomes subject to our sin nature. In Romans 7, Paul points out how the law is good, but our sin nature takes what it is in the law, and uses it to enflame all manner of evil desire within our hearts. The natural response we have to the Law (and indeed to any law) is to rebel. We were not made to be confined, but to live freely. Unfortunately, we do not even realize that we are enslaved already. When the law comes to our already enslaved selves, it incites a rebellious nature within us that wants nothing to do with the law. Think about it? Who enjoys being told that they are condemned to death? Every natural inclination will turn towards self preservation in opposition to that declaration. The pronouncement of death brings about the fear of death, and drives us to do all kinds of unspeakable evils in the name of self preservation. The law is weak to our sin nature. Looking at verse 21: Does this mean that the law undoes the promises of God? If God made a promise to Israel, is it then undone because the law has come into play? Paul says that that is certainly not the case. If the law had an ability to bring life, then it would have done so, and Christ would have been unnecessary. But as we previously saw, the law has no power in of itself to do that. In fact it is taken advantage of by sin nature. So then, the law has an altogether different purpose than simply informing us that we are in a condemned sinful state. It has the purpose of entirely trapping us in a curse, so that when the promise of Jesus is made, it is ready to be accepted in humble faith and belief and not grasped at as a reward or merit for good deeds done. The law is a teacher. It teaches us not just that we need Christ, but also to desire Him and to long for His coming and the revelation of His promise. By being dead in sin, we find that life in Christ looks all the more beautiful. It is against the backdrop of death and condemnation that life and grace appear so irresistibly beautiful. It is in freeing us from the obligation of the law that we see that Christ accomplished something extremely valuable. He freed us from the slavery of sin and death. Once this is recognized, there is no need for the law. There is only faith in Christ. What this means for us today is that the law is not relevant to our justification with God. It never was intended to be. Now that we see Christ, and understand that He is the payment for our sin, we do not need to live condemned under the law. It is satisfied. Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus! But there is still something the law can do for you. All the areas where your faith is lacking can be built up. How? By looking to the word of the Lord. Looking at His law, you can see where you are not Christ-like. You don't do this to condemn yourself, but rather to bring yourself to a place of faith in Christ to complete the work He started in you. If you are not yet Christ-like, ask God to make you more like Him. Ask Him to show you where you are not like Jesus, and ask for His Spirit to make you like Jesus. Questions to think on: 1. Which of God's commands do you find yourself struggling with? How can you move from a place of condemnation to a place of trusting Jesus in that situation? 2. How does it make you feel knowing that you are not condemned in Christ? Looking at verse 6:
This reference Paul makes about Abraham comes from Genesis 15:6, where Abraham was questioning God's initial promise given in Genesis 12. Abraham could not understand how he would be the father of many nations if he did not even yet have a single heir in his household. But the Lord told him that His descendants would be as numerous as the stars, and Abraham believed God. It was this belief that was credited to Abraham as righteousness, not the keeping of some set of laws. Similarly, it is not the keeping of laws that makes us justified before the Lord. Rather, justification and righteousness are obtained by believing God at His word. Looking at verse 7: This reference Paul makes is taken from the initial calling of Abraham given in Genesis 12. It is also mentioned in Genesis 18:18, when the Lord is discussing the destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah with two angels, and again after Abraham demonstrates his faith in the Lord by his willingness to sacrifice Isaac (this is mentioned in Genesis 22). What this passage reveals is that the blessings that were given to Abraham were always intended to be extended to other nations through Abraham's lineage. Blessings given by God to Abraham were not made to stop at Abraham. Justification, as it were, is not something that is exclusive to those who belong to the blood lineage of Abraham. Looking at verse 10: This reference made by Paul comes from Deuteronomy 27:26, after a series of declarations of the curses found in the law. These were consequences that the people of Israel willingly and freely accepted as part of the covenant that they made with the Lord. For each curse, the people were instructed to say "Amen," meaning, "let it be so." So the law is something then that binds people to a curse. Recall that to be under a curse is to be mandated to keep a sacrificial vow. The vow stated here is that if everything is not kept in the law, then a curse rests upon the people. A payment must be made. A judgment must be had. A debt must be accounted for. The law then has nothing to do with promises, and everything to do with wages and debts and payments. Looking at verse 11: This passage comes from Habakkuk 2:4. Habakkuk is interesting book alternating between the prophet questioning the Lord and the Lord giving a response. In chapter 1, Habakkuk laments the injustice of Israel and questions why the Lord has not responded. The Lord answers by informing Habakkuk that He is sending the Chaldeans to judge the nations. Habakkuk responds to this by pointing out the Chaldeans will simply become prideful in their wickedness and think that it is their own might that delivered the Israelites into their hands. He considers this an injustice as well. The Lord responds to this in chapter 2, with an interesting statement saying that the prideful lift themselves up (as Habakkuk says the Chaldeans will do), but the just will live by faith. This statement means that those who are justified are those who live by faith. Before the law, with Abraham, justification was by faith in God's promises. After the law, in Habakkuk's day, justification is still by faith in God's promises. Looking at verse 12: This reference comes from Leviticus 18:5, when the Lord instructs the Israelites to not follow the former gods of Egypt, nor the later Gods of Canaan, but to follow Him. The covenant they enter into with Him is such that life is found in obeying the law is given. Life in this sense comes by obedience to the law. It is given as a trade. Disobedience results in death. Paul emphasizes this to help the Galatian believers see that the law is in opposition to faith. The promises of God either come by the law or by faith, but not by a mixing of the two. Looking at verse.13: In this passage Paul references Deuteronomy 21:23, where it states that those executed by being hung on a tree are to be taken down because they are cursed. He does this to show that Christ did indeed take on the curse of the law that was previously mentioned. He became the curse that the people of Israel had sworn to be upon them. In doing so Paul points out that Christ redeemed us. Redemption is a purchasing term. Christ bought us back from the slavery block to which we were chained by becoming the curse mandated by the law. By doing so, Christ opened up the availability to the blessing of the Spirit to be received by faith. Having been freed from the obligation because Christ took on the obligation Himself, the Spirit can now be received by faith. Looking at verse 16: This passage is interesting, because it is translated in the references as descendants in many places. However, Paul makes it clear here in Galatians that the proper understanding of the term used in Genesis 12 is not descendants, but rather a singular descendant. A single Seed. The promises of God to Abraham are fulfilled in the singular Person of Jesus Christ. What Christ has accomplished is something that was promised all the way back with Abraham, and the law could not undo this promise. The law could not change this promise. The covenant with Abraham is confirmed by Christ. It has always and will always ever be all about Christ. In conclusion then, God has always been working through faith. The promise of the Spirit is not something that is given by the law. The law never provided any of the promises of God. It only brought curses. But Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by making Himself a curse on our behalf. In doing so, He has freed us from the obligation of the law, fulfilled God's promises to Abraham, and made access to the Spirit available by the simplicity of faith. Questions to think on: 1. What are some promises that God has made that you are having a hard time believing? 2. How does knowing God keeps His promises help you live you life today? Before we move on in Ruth, there needs to be some discussion of how this applies to modern day relationships. Ruth and Boaz have presumably spent a significant amount of time getting to know one another over the past three or so months of harvest, but they didn’t have a formal courtship phase between friendship and the coming betrothal/engagement. In their culture, the primary responsibility for choosing the appropriate spouse wasn’t on the individual, but we have an ill-defined system leading from friendship to engagement that places a lot of pressure and decision making on the two involved. At the end of chapter 2, we drew from their example a few principles for how to conduct relationships as they progress from friends to lovers, but what about after this point?
Presumably at this stage a godly man has expressed his interest in you and you are likewise attracted, you have taken time to develop a good friendship and to test your heart, and your parents approve. It should go without saying that a time of prayer should also have taken place, preferably before either of you express your feelings, which can help avoid a lot of heartache. However, if the Lord frees you to do so and you’ve decided in your heart that this is a person you could marry, then go ahead and begin a courtship/date. (I typically avoid the word “dating” just because of all it implies in our culture.) If marriage isn’t even up for discussion and if prayerfully searching the Scriptures and seeking advice haven’t come first, there is no point in dating. The purpose of courtship is to confirm that this is the person God has for you to marry. Since marriage is the most exclusive relationship, the most vulnerable/intimate relationship, and the most committed covenant-based relationship two humans can share (Gen. 2:24, Mark 10:9), then courtship represents a gradual progression towards this end goal. Exclusive: this man’s thoughts, opinions, and time gradual become the most important to you, more important than that of your parents (certainly more than other friends), and you begin to establish a new life together (different from your life as a single woman or a daughter). Intimate: you and this man grow to have more and more open communication, talking about difficult topics (theology, marriage-roles, politics, purity, etc.), breaking down emotional barriers (but not physical!), and learning to cherish one another. Committed: while you begin your relationship with some level of commitment already, you continually return to the Lord in prayer to seek His desire about whether you should make a covenant-promise to this person for life (a vow made before God is not something to treat lightly). Building this foundation for a strong marriage takes time and effort. You will learn things about this person that you didn’t know and things about yourself (thing you may not like). It is a humbling process and requires graciousness and forgiveness. You should be seeking through this time ways to prepare as a wife. You are called to be woman and all that entails. You will be called to submit to this man (See 1 Pet. 3:1. Do you trust him? Do you trust God to lead him and work in him and to protect you when this man doesn’t listen? What can you do to cultivate a gentle/quiet/submissive attitude? Are you respectful and submissive to your parents/authorities now? Note: submission is not required in dating), to help and support him (See Gen. 2:18. What is his God-given life mission? Can you partner with him in that? How can you be better at building him up to the man God wants him to be? Hint: it doesn’t involve criticizing or nagging, see 1 Pet. 3:1-6), to respect this man (See Eph. 5:33. What do you respect and admire about this man? How can you be better at expressing your respect? Do you communicate disrespect?), to be affectionate/friendly to this man (See Titus 2:4. Are you a good friend to him? As his sister-in-Christ first, do you pray for him and encourage him with Scripture? Do you act with agape love? How do you resolve conflict when you disagree?), to be this man’s lover (See Song of Sol. 1:16. Are you attracted to him? How can you learn to express your romantic love? Note: romance isn’t all the man’s job, and don’t get physical!), to be a home-maker (See Titus 2:5. Have you learned the basics of caring for a home? Do you contribute now to creating a homey atmosphere or are you contentious?), and to mother his children (See Titus 2:4. How are you with kids?). While you want to be gracious in your evaluation of this man as a prospective spouse, it’s also right to “be picky” (you’re not married yet!). You need to also consider his role in marriage and how he will fulfill that. He is called to be man and all that entails. He will be called to lead you and your family (Eph. 5:23), to father your children (Eph. 6:4), to provide for and to protect your family (Gen. 2:15, 1 Tim. 5:8, Eph. 5:25), to spiritually lead (Eph. 5:26), to be understanding towards you and to honor you as both a woman and a co-heir in Christ (1 Pet. 3:7), and to love you (Eph. 5:33). Consider what he would be like as a leader (How does he make difficult decisions?), as a father (How is he around children?), as a provider (How is he with finances? Does he have a means of financial independence from his parents? Is he a hard worker?), as a protector (Does he seek to protect you now, your reputation and your character?), as a spiritual leader (Does he challenge and encourage you in your faith?), as a joint-heir and brother in Christ (Does he seek to understand you with patience or grow frustrated with your differences? Does he treat you with chivalry? Is he considerate, and does he value your opinion? Can he receive spiritual things from you?), as a co-habitant (how does he care for his surroundings?), and as a lover (Does he treat you as special and seek better ways to communicate his love?). If at any point a red-flag goes up and a certain area becomes an issue that can’t be resolved and the Lord leads you to end this relationship, then it is best to follow the Lord’s leading and to end the courtship, no matter how strong your feelings may still be. Things that may be a “red-flag” really depend on your individual personalities and situation and what flaws you are willing or not willing to put up with. (Ask yourself if you would be okay with his flaws if he never changed. Listen if other people express concern about your relationship. Obviously abusive behavior is a red flag and should not be tolerated.) Generally though, it is cause for concern if you are not seeing any signs of growth either in his relationship with the Lord or progress in his relationship with you, towards more exclusive/ intimate/ committed (and vice versa). However if you treat one another throughout the relationship with kindness and respect, there is no reason it should end in a fiery storm. You should still show one another agape love and brotherly-kindness. Nonetheless, you will now need to work towards putting distance and barriers back between yourselves that had been removed. Also remember that there is no shame for a believer if you never date or marry (see 1 Cor. 7:25-26, 34); you’re not somehow less whole. It also doesn’t make you any less feminine. You can still adorn yourself with a gentle and quiet spirit and be an encouraging spiritual sister/ daughter/ mother to the people in your life. If on the other hand you love each other even more and the relationship is progressing and you’re both growing in the Lord, great! Deciding if you will marry this person is just that: a decision. You will at some point have to make a choice. Making that choice can be difficult if you tend to over-analyze and over-think, and your emotions just make things more confusing and complicated. However, taking your eyes off yourself and recognizing that marriage is a call to serve another person can really simplify that choice. There is a call from God for someone, perhaps it’s you, to come alongside this man and serve him, to partner with him in the process of sanctification, to serve with him in ministry, to be his sister-in-Christ and his bride, to respect him, and to unconditionally love him. Do you want to answer that call? Naomi wants security for Ruth. The word for security could also be translated rest, and it’s the same word she used in Ruth 1:9. In other words, she wants to find Ruth a husband. Recall that up to this point in time, Naomi had been discouraged and bitter. However, now she’s turned her eyes off of herself and onto others, and we see a corresponding change in her demeanor. She’s concerned about Ruth’s well-being and wants to help her, and she’s hopeful about the prospective of securing a marriage for her with Boaz. In their culture, marriage was the place of greatest security and rest for a woman. Today, a home should still be a place of rest and security. To this end, Naomi gives Ruth advice on what she should do. Why would the words “rest” and “security” be used to describe biblical marriage? By analogy, what does this mean for our relationship with Christ as His bride, the church?
The crux of Naomi’s instructions rests on the concept of a kinsman-redeemer from the Leverite law, first mentioned by Naomi in chapter 1. The Leverite Law is described in Deut. 25:5, which explains that a brother or near-kinsman had a responsibility to marry his widowed sister-in-law and raise up a firstborn to carry on the name of the deceased. Boaz was a goel or kinsman-redeemer for the family of Elimelech. Other responsibilities of a goel include buying back land forfeited by a relative (Lev. 25:25), securing justice for the murder of a family member (Num. 35:19), and buying a kinsman out of slavery (Lev. 25:48). The most relevant of these responsibilities to Ruth are of course marriage and purchase of land. In their culture, Ruth had a responsibility to claim her right to a kinsman-redeemer. Therefore Naomi is going to instruct her about the manner in which she should make this claim. First, Naomi instructs Ruth to do 3 things in preparation: 1) wash herself, 2) anoint herself, and 3) dress up. Essentially she is telling Ruth to put her best foot forward. There is nothing wrong with taking care of your appearance; women are simply warned not to make that our only means of adornment. First, we should “dress-up” our hidden-person with a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:3-4). From her conduct throughout this book, it is clear that Ruth has already adorned herself with inner beauty. However, if she is going to approach Boaz about marriage, she also has a responsibility to take care of her appearance for her husband-to-be. What does Peter mean when he speaks of a gentle and quiet spirits? How can you “adorn” yourself with this? Next, Naomi instructs Ruth to go down to the threshing floor where Boaz would be found. Threshing was the process by which farmers would separate the grain from the chaff (or husks). At the threshing floor, first workers would beat the sheaves with sticks to separate grain from chaff, then they would toss the grain in the air and allow the wind to blow away the chaff, a process called winnowing. Because of its culture significance, a threshing floor is frequently used in Scripture as a metaphor. In Matt. 3:12, John the Baptist describes Jesus Christ as the One who would come with a winnowing fan to separate the wheat from the chaff, gathering the wheat into the barn and burning the chaff. This was a picture of the coming judgment and the outcome for the righteous (grain) and unrighteous (chaff). As it marked the end of a harvest, this was typically a time of celebration and feasting. In the evenings, the workers would lie around the piles of wheat with their heads towards the pile and feet outwards, like the spokes on a wheel. Naomi instructs Ruth to wait until Boaz has finished eating and is resting, when he would be at ease. (There is wisdom in waiting till the right time to approach someone about a topic.) Then Ruth was to remove his shoes and lie at his feet. This sounds odd to us, since we don’t have any custom like this. What Naomi is describing was typical behavior for a servant in those days. A servant would remove their master’s shoes and lie at their feet to signify that they awaited the master’s instructions. In other words, Naomi is asking Ruth to approach Boaz as a humble servant, not to march in demanding her rights. Repeatedly, we have seen evidence of a humble spirit in Ruth, and again we see her act in submission here by agreeing to follow all of Naomi’s advice and to go to Boaz in humility. How is humility related to submissiveness? What are some ways that Christ modeled humility for us? In the remainder of this chapter, Boaz pursues Ruth and tries to win her over. Boaz and Ruth stand out in Scripture as a beautiful example of godly relationship. If you recall, some of the qualities that initially attracted Boaz to Ruth include her selflessness, humility, trust in God, and diligence. In addition, their relationship naturally arose when God brought them together in His timing as they each obediently, patiently followed the Lord. In v. 14, Boaz invites Ruth to sit beside him as they eat and to share his bread and dipping sauce. It says at the end of v. 14 that Ruth saved her leftovers, and we know from v. 18 that she’s still thinking of Naomi and saving them for her.
When they return to work in v. 15, Boaz continues to find ways to help her, without making her feel like a helpless charity cause. We are told that he privately tells his men to drop additional grain for her and to allow her to glean among the sheaves. Perhaps Ruth would just think they were sloppy harvesters, or maybe she would see the generous intent. Whatever the case, she would be able to gather more grain and do it more easily. By the end of the day, v. 17 records that she had gathered an ephah of barley, which means she has collected 30-50 lbs. of grain. Ruth didn’t know she would find such favor and blessing in those fields, but God was working behind the scenes. She put her trust in the Lord and threw herself upon the mercy of God and was not ashamed. She found refuge under His wings (Ps. 63:7). How is Christ’s love for you demonstrated by the love of Boaz for Ruth? Within this story, there is a picture of our relationship with Christ. Ruth represents the church, and Boaz represents Christ. Similar to Boaz, Christ is Lord of the Harvest. He receives the stranger, and we find grace in His eyes though we don’t deserve it. In His presence can be found companionship, protection, and refreshment. He desires to sit with us and eat with us and help us as we labor. He doesn’t give us crumbs from His table but rather loads us up with blessings (Ps. 68:19). When Ruth returns home, Naomi sees the meal saved for her and the large amount of barley gathered by Ruth in v. 18, and she is curious where Ruth has been that she was able to have such a successful day (v. 19). Of course, Ruth is eager to tell Naomi about Boaz, the one who “took notice” of her. Immediately, Naomi acknowledges the Lord’s providence and expresses joy over the man through whom they have been blessed, Boaz (v. 20). She recognized him as a conduit of God’s kindness and tells Ruth that he is a close relative. Ruth then explains further Boaz’ invitation to continue working in his field for the remainder of harvest (v. 21). Naomi, seeing God’s hand moving in this situation, advises Ruth (v. 22) to accept the invitation and not to visit any other fields. What’s the importance of seeking and receiving the advice of your elders when it comes to your relationships? Ruth accepts Naomi’s advice and continues to gather in the field of Boaz until the end of the harvest. They arrived at the beginning of barley harvest, which is the time of the Passover (14th of the 1st month, Nissan: March/April), the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (15th – 21st of Nissan) and the Feast of First fruits (16th of Nissan) (see Lev. 23:5-14). Seven weeks, or 50 days, later (in the third month, Sivan: May/June) is the Feast of Weeks (see Lev. 23:15-22) or Pentecost, which is the beginning of the wheat harvest. Thus for about three months, Ruth goes week after week to the field of Boaz to work alongside his young woman gathering grain at the direction of Naomi. Perhaps he often invited her to sit beside him and share his food and continued to show her special attention and affection. In the company of friends, their own relationship blossomed into that of lover and beloved. A few practical points that we can draw from their relationship: 1) seek God first, obeying Him and growing in godly character, 2) wait for the Lord to bring you to your spouse, 3) wait for the man to “take notice” of you and initiate the relationship, 4) be sure that God is first in this man’s life which will be evident by his conduct towards others and towards you, 5) seek advice from godly parents and elders in your life, 6) spend time with this person to build a friendship first by working/serving together and fellowshipping with friends, and 7) treat one another as brother and sister in Christ, with love, kindness, graciousness, and forgiveness. As a final word of caution, guard your heart (Prov. 4:23). It is easy to become infatuated with someone that you know little about, and if you are driven by these emotions, your life will resemble a roller coaster with frequent highs and lows instead of the steadfast, anchored life that comes from being led by the Spirit. Rather than being led by your heart, let the peace of God rule in your heart (Col. 3:15) and allow the peace of God to guard your heart (Phil. 4:7). This does not mean to suppress all emotion or that developing a crush is a sin. It simply means be led by God, not your emotions. Know that it is easy to misinterpret a guy’s intentions and for him to misinterpret your intentions, so be careful how you conduct yourself around your brothers. However, if a guy clearly shows interest in you and you like him, there is nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with him, but do so with moderation and self-control. Be careful not to bare your heart until he has made his intentions clear and you have taken time to test your heart. You may find as you build a friendship that your attraction was based on pure fantasy or perhaps his was. On the other hand while the infatuation fades, you may find in its place an enduring affection based in reality that has grown more durable through time and restraint. Don’t rush into a dating-relationship. Learn first to be a good sister in Christ and a good friend. How is the kind of generosity displayed by the first believers maintained?
The uncommon generosity that was displayed by the believers was born from the unified mind that they had (see previous post for the discussion of this type of mindset) and a commitment to valuing others above themselves. Often, this passage is associated as a model for socialism. The only thing that can be said about that is that generically, most socialist movements are born out of envy and a sense of class warfare. Socialism is hardly born out of generosity. What is displayed here is not an economic system, but a willingness from people to treat others with a value that is above even themselves. This is something only born by the Spirit of God. It cannot be legislated, coerced, or even pretended. It only survives so long as a group of believers is yielded to the gracious Spirit of God. In what way should you give? How much? Giving must never be done for a show. As an extreme example, it resulted in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. This warns us that giving is not something to be taken lightly, and not something done for personal gain or recognition. Jesus told us that our charity should be done in secret and the Father who sees in secret will Himself reward us openly. If we give unto others for the notoriety, then we have all the reward we will ever get from that. Similarly, our giving is not something that should be done with an expectation of receiving something in return. If our giving is done with expectation, it is not giving, it is trading. It is not love, it is contractual obligation. It is not a service, it is a job for which a wage must be paid. True giving is done as a gift free of charge, and free of obligations and expectations. How can you give now? While you may not have money to give, there is so much more to giving than simply giving money. You can give of your time, your talents, and your efforts. Service for another human being is the mark of Christ-likeness. As a side point, if you have nothing that is yours, then you have nothing to give. It is important as young men to develop skills and grow in maturity in the Lord so that you can have something to offer others. Never so you could hoard your blessings in storehouses. Instead, receive God's blessings so that you can be poured out as a blessing. What is the one heart and soul that the believers possessed in Acts 4:32?
We find a good description of the unified mind of the believers in Ephesians 4:4. It is the recognition of these fundamental truths about the body of Christ that we must keep in the forefront of our minds in order to maintain unity. 1. One body: Christ has established one body, not many bodies. There are many members, but there is one body through which He is interacting with the world. Where Christ was once confined to a singular body when He was on the earth, now having poured out His Spirit, He has a new means of accomplishing the will of the Father. The church. There is one body. Anyone who is seeking to be the hands and feet of the Lord in submission to the headship of Christ is a part of the body. Our acceptance of them into the body is an acceptance of Christ's choice is including them in His body. 2. One Spirit: There is one Spirit who works to empower the body of Christ to accomplish the will of the Father. There is not a spirit for one task and a spirit for another, but one Spirit given to all. This means that all the members of the body have access to this Spirit, and some gift provided for by this Spirit. In this sense, every part of the body is essential and important. Every part is a part that glorifies Jesus. There is no caste system in the body. There is Christ. And then there are all of His followers empowered by His Spirit. If any person has received this Spirit, they are Christ's. 3. One hope: There is one hope that all believers cling to. This is a distinguishing feature of the followers of Christ. We are a people who have the hope that Christ will return, completely deliver us from sin and death and give us an inheritance which we cannot begin to imagine. These things we hope for are not vain hopes dreamt up by naive children, but rather, these are promises found in the word of the Lord. We are a people who place our hope in the promises of God as revealed and confirmed by Jesus Christ. Anyone who has this hope is unified with us. 4. One Lord: There is one person who is in charge. There is one master. There is one Lord. There is no governing structure where certain men are placed over others. There is the Lord Jesus Christ, and His bride, the church. He owns every believer. He purchased every believer with the most costly of items: His blood. No priest is ultimately in charge of the church. No politician. If there is authority over the people of God, it is set by God, and given as a stewardship by Him. Ultimately, He is the Lord. All those who confess the Lordship of Jesus are unified with every other believer. 5. One faith: There is only one Person for whom our trust can placed in that it will never be let down or betrayed. That is Jesus Christ Himself. All other people, programs, or ideologies are prone to failure and destined for destruction. If anyone confesses that their trust is in the Person of Jesus Christ Himself, then they are unified with the body. 6. One baptism: Baptism is a public declaration that an old life is being put to death, and a new one is being brought to life by faith in Christ. It is this public confession that marks the Christian life. It is this public confession that takes a person from simply wanting to follow Christ to actively pursuing that effort. If any person lives a life committing their members to the Lord in the hope of having Christ's resurrection life manifested in them, then they are unified with the body. 7. One God and Father: There is only one creator and there is only one Father. This inevitably means that there are no step-children in the family of God. Every person, no matter how annoying, different, or naturally unlikable... every person... is a family member. Therefore every person is valuable. Every person receives all of the same familial benefits. Every person is loved equally by the Father. In light of this, every believer should also be treated as equally valuable by every other believer. The Sadducees rejected the idea of the supernatural, and therefore rejected the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How does this ideology compare to today? How has materialism and naturalism influenced culture, the church, and your personal thinking?
Everything seems to be driven by materialist and naturalist thinking these days. The prevailing thought is that if something is demonstrable by scientific means, then it holds a status of absolute truth. The only things that are worthwhile are the things which we can physically interact with. All value is placed on experience and observation. This kind of thinking is in opposition to the truths of the Scriptures. Hebrews 11:2 makes it clear that by faith we understand that the things which we see were made by things that are unseen. All of our hope rests in the unseen. We trust the word of the Lord above our senses, and our reasoning, and our experience. Drifting away from this hold only results in the tragedy of a weakened faith. We should not outright reject scientific and experiential claims, but we should hold them all under the authority of God's word. What does being filled with Spirit motivate us to do? When a person is truly is filled with the Spirit, they will do as Peter did when questioned about the healing of the paralytic. They will glorify Jesus Christ, and diminish their status for the sake of bringing Jesus' name to fame. The Spirit is primarily concerned with glorifying Jesus. All efforts accomplished in the power of the Spirit result in His glorification and not the glorification of the person. We must remain on guard, maintaining a focus on Christ always, as Paul said to the church in Corinth, that "he determined not to know anything amongst them except Christ and Him crucified." What things should people marvel at in our lives? The Sadducees marveled that Peter and John spoke boldly of Jesus, even though they were uneducated people. Our lives should be those that people immediately recognize that there is a uniqueness to us because of the person of Jesus. It should not be that we are so smart, or that we have such likable personalities. But rather, it should be that we have boldness and confidence in Christ, that our love and sacrifice is reminiscent of Him, that our peace is enduring. It should be that the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5 are clearly evident even in the midst of troubling circumstances. These fruits will bear witness to the goodness of Christ. When confronted with persecution and opposition, what should we do? We should pray for the boldness to remain faithful to the Lord and the sharing of His word in the midst of the persecution. Persecution is promised by Jesus. Can it be removed? Certainly, but we should also recognize that there is a glory in suffering for the Lord and that 1 Peter 4 reminds us that while God is blasphemed by those doing the persecuting, He is glorified by the way we faithfully serve Him in the midst of persecution. It is good to be relieved of persecution. It is better to stand strong in the Lord through it. |
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