Below is the Bible Study written by Jim Rudiger for his Sunday School Class which meets at Third Presbyterian Church, Norfolk, Virginia. It's based on Ruth 2:8-18.
I remember it like it was yesterday. A shy young man meets an attractive girl and, after maneuvering her boy friend out of the picture, the shy young man occupies all of her free time. Her mother, seeing what a great catch this young man is, sets out to reel him in. She searched through her book of love potions and came up with a sure fire formula. A cake. But not an ordinary cake. This was an Inspiration Cake - the ingredients consisting of the melding together of rich creamy chocolate, chocolate chips, pecans and yellow cake guaranteed to melt down the resistance of any semi-bright young man. I’m not sure whose inspiration it was or how it was to inspire anyone, but, I do know that after one slice, I was hooked.
Jackie was pretty and nice and all of that, but, this cake was out of this world. I was addicted. First it was just one slice, but, then as my body built up a tolerance, I craved two slices, then three. By the time I popped the questions, I was munching away at whole cakes at a sitting. I knew that I could never get this cake any where else, so, marriage was inevitable. Such was my addiction. In an act of compassion, my future mother-in-law gave the secret formula for Inspiration Cake to Jackie.
This story of how my mother-in-law acted to secure me as a husband for her daughter is similar to what Naomi does in our study today. Now, where did we leave Ruth last week? Ah, I remember. Ruth worked in Boaz’ field until it got dark. She took what she gleaned and beat it out to get the grain. When she was finished she had a whole bushel of barley grain. She hurried back to Naomi to show her how much she had gotten. Naomi asked where Ruth had gleaned to have gotten so much grain. Ruth told her it was in a field owned by a guy named Boaz.
This bowled Naomi over. Boaz was kin folk. In fact very near kin folk. In those days there was a tradition known as the levirate marriage. How this worked was there were kin folk known as “redeemer kin.” In Jewish law a “redeemer kin” was a designated family member such as a brother, uncle or cousin who is expected to help a family member who, because of poverty, war or death is close to losing everything they have forcing them to be a drag on the family. This “redeemer kin” will do everything he can to rescue the victim even if it meant marrying her which would be a levirate marriage. The way Naomi see’s it, Boaz fits the profile of a “redeemer kin.” This idea was encouraged when Ruth told Naomi that Boaz told her to come back every day of the barley harvest and to stick around and be there when the wheat is harvested three months later. This meant that Boaz was offering to provide all of her meals for the year. Naomi’s mind started to turning. Now where was that formula for Inspiration Cake? And that’s where we pick up our story today.
Ruth 3: 1 Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. 2 Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 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 She said to her, "All that you tell me I will do."
What were Naomi’s instructions? Clean up. Get all the dirt of the fields off you. Then Ruth is to anoint herself. What is Naomi telling Ruth to do in anointing herself? To dab some perfume on your wrists and behind your now clean ears. The words used by Naomi was something like, “Use sweet delicate smelling stuff. Not the stuff that the bad girls use out in the street. And, put on your best clothes. Nothing suggestive, now." Why all of this perfume and snazzy clothes? She wants Ruth to shine in the best possible light when she meets Boaz. Naomi is gilding the lily. She knows there is a man to trap tonight, but everything has to click. It was like Scarlet O’Hara taking down the window drapes to make a new dress to impress Rhett Butler. With Ruth smelling so good and looking even better, she will drop by the threshing room on her way to Walmart's. She’s got to wait until it’s late and Boaz has eaten a big supper and has gotten a little tipsy on Golden Sherry wine. Now this is going to be a party with a lot of drinking going on. Is there some danger for Ruth being all made up like Catherine Zedda Jones and smelling like a bouquet of roses? It sure is. So, Ruth is to lay low until she can go see Boaz while he is alone. Naomi knows Boaz’s reputation as a good moral man, so Ruth looking real pretty and all will be safe with him.
At midnight, Boaz turns over, fluffs up the grain in his pillow and with bleary eyes looks around. And what does he see? Ruth laying at his feet. Surprise, surprise! Will Naomi’s plan work? Let's find out.
Ruth 3:9 He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin." 10 He said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not be afraid, I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman.
How does Boaz take to this invitation? He’s tickled pink. What he sees is Ruth again showing her love for Naomi by marrying and providing a home for her. This is working out better than he thought. Poor Boaz. He still thinks that he is in charge. Boaz is much older than Ruth and he is flattered that Ruth isn’t out chasing after younger guys. In fact, tradition had Boaz's age as being eighty at this time. I have to admit that I admire Boaz. The thought of me at 86 having to marry a twenty year old and supply her with kids is down right scary. Boaz recognizes that Ruth is some looker and could have easily hooked a young rich guy. But, she had chosen Boaz. I’ll bet this took ten years off his life. So, the big question is, will Boaz be the “redeemer kin”?
Ruth 3:12 But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I. 13 Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do it. If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then as the Lord lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning."
While he is willing to fill the position, there is one little obstacle. What is it? Boaz isn’t the closest of kin. There was another unnamed guy who was closer than he was. We aren’t told what constituted being the closest kin. Was there a rating system of potential kin folk going from first to tenth and Boaz came in second? We do know that Boaz was Elimelech’s nephew, but Boaz may have had an older brother who would out rank Boaz as closest kin. For what ever reason, Boaz was on the “B” team. What does Boaz agree to do? He would go to the other guy and get him to relinquish his claim as closest kin, so, Boaz can assume the role as “redeemer kin.” Boaz might make an offer too good to refuse.
Boaz invites Ruth to spend the night. For some people this might have been viewed as a compromising situation. Young attractive widow, weak and defenseless, and an older rich guy, spending the night together in a threshing room. Doesn’t that look just a tad improper to you? Boaz considered that as a possible problem, but, dismissed it because Ruth’s reputation was so good, nobody would ever belief that she had done anything wrong.
Now all the time Naomi has been waiting at home wondering what was going on. Don’t you imagine she sat there questioning if what she told Ruth to do was the right thing? Ruth hadn’t returned all night. Was she attacked by men seeing a beautiful woman walking alone through the alley’s of Bethlehem? Had Boaz been insulted by Ruth’s forwardness and sent her out of the threshing room and Ruth was too embarrassed to come home? Naomi hadn’t slept a wink all night and there was a new dawning and still Ruth wasn’t home. She hears movement outside and goes out and, standing there, was Ruth, the two bushels of barley at her feet. She sat down and wiped her brow.
Naomi almost ran over to Ruth and hugged her. “Tell me everything that happened and don’t leave out a thing.” Ruth told everything that had happened - Boaz had seen her at his feet and she had asked him to exercise his “redeemer kin” role. He had been very nice to her and agreed to being the “redeemer kin”, but, unfortunately, there was another kinsman who was closer kin and he would have to agree not to act as the “redeemer kin”. Boaz promised to look into the kinship problem this very day.
Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had given her six measures of barley and had told her, “Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty handed.” What is Boaz talking about? The first thing that would come to mind is that Boaz meant that she should bring home the bacon - something to eat. But, that isn’t what he was talking about. What Boaz was talking about was that he would resolve the kinship problem and Ruth will return to Naomi engaged to Boaz. Not coming home empty handed referred to Ruth shortly becoming a wife and mother and Naomi a grand mother. Naomi is overjoyed. She knows that Boaz is a man of action and also a man of his word. She tells Ruth to be patient and this day Boaz will come with the good news that they will wed.
Will Boaz be able to pull it off? Will Ruth get fitted for a wedding dress? Will Naomi have a grand daughter to spoil? All of those questions and more will be answered next week.
Inspiration Cake is no more - the formula long lost. But I’m glad that it was there when my mother-in-law needed it. I would have hated for Jackie to have laid on my feet in a threshing room. If that had have happened, I think her father would have changed it from a threshing room to a thrashing room.
Prayer: Help us, Father, to see the potential in those who the world shuts out. In Christ’s name, Amen.
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