00:00:00:36 – 00:00:27:18
Clint Loveall
Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Thanks for joining us on this early Wednesday. Yeah. Wednesday as we continue, here in the book of Ruth. we are in chapter three, verse six. Just to kind of reminder. brief reminder. Chapter three is a very interesting story. There’s kind of a story and a story within the story. Today we kind of, continue.

00:00:27:23 – 00:00:49:32
Clint Loveall
It’s a little bit of a restatement. Naomi yesterday has told Ruth what to do. And then in the initial part today, Ruth goes and does it. So we’re kind of we’re kind of, seeing something we already kind of looked at. But, let me read here from verse six through, a few verses and we’ll come back and we’ll talk, talk them through.

00:00:49:37 – 00:01:15:45
Clint Loveall
So Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did as her mother in law, Naomi, had instructed her when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood. He went down to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down at midnight. He was startled and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman.

00:01:15:50 – 00:01:40:30
Clint Loveall
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. He said, May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. This last instance of your loyalty is better than the first. You’ve not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not be afraid.

00:01:40:35 – 00:02:00:43
Clint Loveall
I will do for you all that you ask. For all the assembly of my people. Know that you are a worthy woman. But now, though it is true, I am a near kinsman. There is another kinsman more closely related than I remain this night. And in the morning, if you will act as next of kin for you. Good.

00:02:00:48 – 00:02:21:22
Clint Loveall
Let him do so. 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 morning. So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before one person could recognize another. For he said it must not be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.

00:02:21:27 – 00:02:44:28
Clint Loveall
I think let’s let’s stop there for a minute, Michael. So, here is the implementation of Naomi’s plans. Naomi’s instructions tells Ruth wait till he’s asleep. Go in the dark, kind of sneak up. Be careful. Be quiet. Lay at his feet. make sure he knows you’re available to him or you’re interested in him. And then this happens.

00:02:44:28 – 00:03:21:23
Clint Loveall
So Boaz wakes up. She’s there. Who are you? I’m Ruth, and then he says this very interesting thing. This last instance of your loyalty is better than the first. Now the first is her coming back to Bethlehem with Naomi, which is astounding. And so this idea that she has chosen not to chase after young men, whether poor or rich, but to, offer herself or to be available to Boaz, and that she has a certain loyalty to him, to Naomi, to the family connections, and praises her, you know.

00:03:21:23 – 00:03:47:26
Clint Loveall
He then goes on to say, you’re a worthy woman. And, so that this moment of the two of them, in the dark, having this conversation, probably in whispers, this is kind of the vibe you get of this text. It’s it’s very interesting. This is not scheming in any way. There’s nothing. there’s nothing nefarious. There’s nothing negative here.

00:03:47:31 – 00:04:13:10
Clint Loveall
But this is the kind of working out of this relationship. As these two individuals draw closer and closer together in now a variety of ways. I mean, certainly there there is this is suggestive. I mean, there is a kind of, romantic nature that is woven through this story. We talked about that a little bit yesterday and and we’re really, I think, getting deeper and deeper here.

00:04:13:10 – 00:04:13:48
Clint Loveall
Michael.

00:04:13:53 – 00:04:51:25
Michael Gewecke
Yeah. So actually I think that in some ways it goes deeper, both in the romantic nature, the potentially sensual nature of that text that we talked about yesterday. But I would also argue that it goes deeper in more of the character value. And let’s I’ll get to that one maybe here. Second. The first, let’s just pause to make reflection of the fact that not only does the text go out of its way to literally, as we have it translated here, say that she comes stealthily, that that sets the tone right?

00:04:51:25 – 00:05:17:25
Michael Gewecke
The idea that there is a there’s a quiet, there’s a the darkness is not just physical, it’s also symbolic. There’s a kind of thing being transacted here. And you gave voice to that. It does give us that. There’s almost whispers this idea that, in fact, we’re going to see towards the end of this text here, you know, don’t go out when everyone’s going to see that you were here.

00:05:17:40 – 00:05:38:15
Michael Gewecke
There’s a kind of you go out the side door here and we’re going to work this out. So there’s a, there’s a built into the text and the kind of awareness that these humans are working out this relationship and what it’s next step might mean for them. And they’re doing that at the very edge of what is allowable.

00:05:38:20 – 00:06:11:36
Michael Gewecke
Arguably, they’ve crossed that line at some point in this story. And and they’re doing that with the we have in front of us all the reason to believe the sincere belief and desire to do what’s best for one another. In some ways, Ruth is kicking that off with the way that she’s following Naomi’s advice. But when we see Boaz is response and this is where I want to go, that second point really quickly, his responses to Ruth, you are a worthy woman in verse 11.

00:06:11:36 – 00:06:54:10
Michael Gewecke
And if if this text was to be interpreted as something untoward or something that is to be morally questioned, you certainly would not expect the author to use language like this, that Boaz is praising Ruth as being a worthy woman. Yeah, and I think there’s this idea here that what the the fealty, the faithfulness, the connectedness that Ruth shows to Naomi we are now seeing is going to be equally shared in Boaz is actually beginning to now move forward in this social system, pursuing the right relationship with Ruth.

00:06:54:12 – 00:07:12:27
Michael Gewecke
He doesn’t just move forward and say, yeah, Ruth, let’s take this to the next step. No, he says, there is another and I’m going to go clear whatever boundaries we need to clear. I, I’m going to be faithful to you. And I’m going to pursue the right steps to make that happen. In other words, I think there’s actually a deepening here.

00:07:12:37 – 00:07:28:03
Michael Gewecke
Ruth has showed this faithfulness. Now Boaz is showing it in kind, in his own way. And I think that’s a beautiful reflection of both of these humans are doing this thing, and they’re giving us a beautiful image of how deep both of their characters go in the midst of it.

00:07:28:10 – 00:07:55:00
Clint Loveall
Yeah, I think it is clear in the story, Michael, that this is consensual and this is mutual. But Boaz and Ruth both have an interest. Now, to what extent is that practical? To what extent is it required by law? To what extent is it romantic or personal? You know, those things we could argue about percentages, but clearly they’re both.

00:07:55:04 – 00:08:22:39
Clint Loveall
They both see in one another a path forward. And and yet they still live under the requirements of doing what is right. And so we get this very interesting verse, you know, remain this night. Verse 13 here remain this night and in the morning, if he, the kinsman, will act as next of kin for you. Good. Let him do it.

00:08:22:39 – 00:08:48:14
Clint Loveall
If not, I, as the Lord lives, I will act as next of kin for you. So there’s still a hurdle that they have to get through, and that now it turns up relative tively late in the story, there is a there is a person down Naomi’s family line who has a better claim or a stronger obligation to Naomi and Ruth than Boaz does.

00:08:48:14 – 00:09:13:02
Clint Loveall
So there is a matter to be settled here. And rather than ignore that, Boaz, you know, again, as a mark, he’s respected. We’ve already been told that. We’ve been told that he does what is right. And now he knows that he has to do even this in the right way. So he says, stay here tonight, and then tomorrow we will get this sorted out.

00:09:13:02 – 00:09:39:36
Clint Loveall
And if that’s good for you, then great. But if not, I will act as next of kin. In other words, I will bring you into my house. I will, I will be responsible for you and for Naomi. And then, yeah, there is this idea, you know, again, there’s a sort of risk in this, because he said it must not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.

00:09:39:41 – 00:10:00:38
Clint Loveall
that could be the idea that she’s not Israelite. More likely. It’s probably the idea that she’s a woman. obviously, that doesn’t look good to have one person sneaking out early in the morning. Those are the kind of things that get rumors and all kinds of stuff started. And so they have to they have to manage that, too.

00:10:00:43 – 00:10:19:13
Clint Loveall
let me jump back in here, Michael. That’s all right. I’ll start at verse 15. We’ll just finish the chapter here quick. then Boaz said, bring the cloak you’re wearing and hold it out. So she held it and he measured out six measures of barley, and he put it on her back. Then he went into the city.

00:10:19:28 – 00:10:40:24
Clint Loveall
She came to her mother in law, who said, how did things go with you, my daughter. And she told her all the man had done for her, saying, he gave me six measures of barley, for he said, do not go back to your mother in law empty handed. She replied, wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for this man will not rest, but we’ll settle the matter today.

00:10:40:24 – 00:11:10:03
Clint Loveall
And I think that’s a very interesting way to end the chapter. Michael, you have Naomi, and she’s kind of the she’s kind of the wise older woman in this. This is like, oh, this this man, this bit. And he don’t worry, this is he’s not going to sit on this. This is going to get taken care of, Boaz, both by reputation and by this, this, interaction he’s had with Ruth, this kind of, connection that they’ve made.

00:11:10:08 – 00:11:42:48
Clint Loveall
Naomi now says, okay, yeah, don’t worry. He’s going to get this taken care of. And I think there’s a there’s a, not, not fable like, but there’s just that kind of old motherly figure, grandmotherly figure, speaking wisdom and calling for patience here that I think is it’s kind of a fun caricature. And I think, you know, Naomi plays a classic character in that in this part of the story.

00:11:42:54 – 00:12:09:32
Michael Gewecke
So there’s a question that I raise at this juncture of the story, Clint, directly connected to that, and that is that clearly the narrator wants us to know that Naomi knows what’s up. She’s she’s got some sense of how this goes. And we, the reader, are told here in verse 13, in Boaz his own words, there’s another next of kin, there’s another person.

00:12:09:32 – 00:12:37:53
Michael Gewecke
And, you know, it’s not unreasonable to think Naomi likely knows that too. Well. You know, there’s a sense in which there’s a lot of cunning and intelligence, there’s a lot of thinking about what is the best way forward and who’s the best person, not just in terms of relational connectedness, but even I think we’ve seen so much of this theme of being faithful to one another.

00:12:38:07 – 00:13:06:27
Michael Gewecke
The person who you can say with confidence, don’t worry, verse 18, he’s not going to rest. This is this is going to get done right. And I think that there’s an assessment of the character of the other people in this story that I find really compelling. I it just they trust one another, both explicitly and some of these key turns implicitly, and hope they trust the character of the other.

00:13:06:27 – 00:13:31:08
Michael Gewecke
And I think they find that confirmed over and over again. And there’s something deeply meaningful about that as people of faith, because we do we do show faithfulness to one another because of the one who’s shown faithfulness to us. We trust one another because we’re called to be people whose lives reflect trust in Jesus Christ. I think it’s a very contemporary story in that way.

00:13:31:08 – 00:13:36:18
Michael Gewecke
It’s a human story because it’s human. It connects with us in our own human experience.

00:13:36:23 – 00:14:04:41
Clint Loveall
It’s easy to read this story. I mean, in the very title of the book is Ruth. So it’s easy to read this story and think this is primarily about Ruth. It would you could also make a case that Boaz is prominent. We get told that he’s honorable. He acts honorably. He he has resources. But the Naomi character, I think, is in some ways, Michael, the more most interesting character in the story.

00:14:04:46 – 00:14:09:31
Clint Loveall
She goes through these tragedies. She calls herself bitter.

00:14:09:36 – 00:14:09:59
Michael Gewecke
Yeah.

00:14:10:06 – 00:14:26:49
Clint Loveall
She then sees a way forward. And in this pivotal chapter, chapter three, she has the opening words and the closing words. I mean, she is.

00:14:26:54 – 00:15:04:37
Clint Loveall
directing might be too strong a word helping navigate, pulling some strings. She she’s she’s involved in the story. And I think how you read it depends. How involved do you think she might be? But but we’ve said from the from the start that part of what the book of Ruth is, is a story of women who are vulnerable but very capable, finding their way forward in a world that is hospitable and has dealt them a bad hand.

00:15:04:37 – 00:15:38:09
Clint Loveall
And, I Naomi is I think she’s the primary example of that. She’s telling Ruth what to do. She’s instructing him, go, go here, talk to him. Say this to him now. Now just wait. There’s a time to act. There’s a time to wait. She seems to understand which time is which. And I think. There aren’t many places where the Scripture invests that kind of understanding and wisdom in a female character.

00:15:38:09 – 00:15:52:30
Clint Loveall
And I think Naomi stands out on that list. There are a few, but I think she’s prominent on that list, and I think that makes her a really fascinating character in the story in terms of how this is written, no doubt.

00:15:52:30 – 00:16:25:53
Michael Gewecke
And let’s let’s make sure we read this carefully here, following verse 16. How did things go with you? My daughter, she goes on to say, wait, my daughter in verse 18, remember when so often in this book we’ve had just stitched in there the Moabite, right? Ruth the Moabite here, there’s been a kind of transformation in the tone of the text, because Naomi and Ruth, they’re not just two people walking parallel paths.

00:16:26:06 – 00:16:57:15
Michael Gewecke
These are two women whose faithfulness to one of their commitments to one another, their oath, Ruth’s oath. You might even call it, to Naomi here has opened this new pathway in which now they are shoulder to shoulder, navigating this as family. And Naomi is going to lead her daughter full stop, regardless of where she came from, regardless of how she came into the family, regardless of all of Naomi’s loss, which is deep and great.

00:16:57:19 – 00:17:29:29
Michael Gewecke
Regardless of all of that, these two are now going. They are navigating this as one. And ultimately, what’s going to end up happening is this story progresses, is it’s only going to multiply as Boaz will become part of that number. And that’s that’s maybe some of the most subversive things happening here. Because on one hand, this could, like these ladies are courting Boaz is strength, but in some ways they already have the unity of this relationship, and they’re inviting Boaz into it.

00:17:29:29 – 00:17:55:42
Michael Gewecke
I there’s just a beautiful, unexpected turn happening in a story like this. And it’s delightful. I mean, if you’re willing to slow down and see it, there’s delightful irony. And to fight for delightful, unexpected turns. And it’s it’s just happening right in front of us. And it’s it’s deeply human and it’s deeply affective in a way that all Old Testament texts can speak with that same kind of familiarity or that same kind of clarity.

00:17:55:42 – 00:18:01:22
Michael Gewecke
And this one, I think it’s both complex and simple, and it is unashamed of either, I.

00:18:01:22 – 00:18:27:51
Clint Loveall
Suppose on one hand, Michael, it’s not surprising because we’re at the smallest circle. In chapter three, we have this intimate conversation between Ruth and Boaz, in between Ruth and Naomi. But it is, I think, important and telling that chapter three of the four chapters of the Book of Ruth, the only one that doesn’t use the word Moabite, that word is not in this chapter.

00:18:27:55 – 00:19:00:20
Clint Loveall
These are all people. Ruth is not in them all by. In fact, when when Boaz says, who are you? She says, I am Ruth, your servant. So she speaks as one inside the circle more exclusively only in this chapter. And I don’t know if that’s intentional, but I think it’s important. I really I think that matters. And I think it’s interesting that Ruth is now making that transition, even another step of outsider to insider.

00:19:00:25 – 00:19:23:21
Michael Gewecke
You know, one thing, and we need to be brief here as we come to the end of our time, is, one of the reasons this story doesn’t strike us as Americans, probably as a romantic story, is because of a very different cultural understanding of what binds relationships together. And I think that if you’re able to step back a little bit, try to look at this from a more ancient perspective.

00:19:23:25 – 00:19:49:24
Michael Gewecke
There’s a beautiful display of how, at our best, our interpersonal relationships, whether romantic or not, they are driven by deep and valued and upright character. I mean, there’s there’s a kind of at our best where people that strive to be the best kind of people that we can be for the people at the closest circle of our lives.

00:19:49:24 – 00:20:07:48
Michael Gewecke
And yes, it’s beautiful. If you have seasons of life where you feel emotionally connected or if you feel romantically involved, I mean that that’s a that’s not a bad thing. But at the end of the day, any couple that comes for a wedding, what you hope for them is not that the romance continues unendingly what you hope for them is.

00:20:07:57 – 00:20:32:17
Michael Gewecke
I hope that this part of this relationship helps you find and see and grow the parts of your character that you will become a more wise woman like Naomi. That she’ll become a more faithful woman like Ruth. That she will become a person who does the right thing. Like Boaz. All of that, I think, is this beautiful expression of of what maturing can do and what what healthy relationships can be.

00:20:32:22 – 00:20:42:01
Michael Gewecke
And I think maybe in some ways we overvalue in our culture some of those connection aspects, and we miss some of the deep character portrayals in the story, like Ruth.

00:20:42:12 – 00:21:04:55
Clint Loveall
Yeah. And I and I think the next chapter will continue that exploration of how it is that people have to navigate the moment that they’re in and the fences that are set by their culture and their patterns and their practices and and how it is that in particular in this story, these two women and now one man who joins them, figure that out for themselves.

00:21:05:00 – 00:21:06:16
Clint Loveall
Yeah, well good stuff.

00:21:06:27 – 00:21:19:13
Michael Gewecke
We’re glad to have you with us. Certainly. Like this video, if you found it interesting or engaging. Helps others find it in their own study. Subscribe if you want. follow along with us in this study through Ruth and the studies that will follow it. We are glad to have you with us today, and we’ll see you next time.

00:21:19:17 – 00:21:20:06
Clint Loveall
Thanks, everybody.