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Welcome back! I can’t wait to share what I’ve discovered this week:

Last Week’s Work

MY PERSONAL TREASURE
In this chapter, I believe the Spirit is leading me to dig further into verses 10-13, and especially Boaz’s willingness to subordinate his claim on Ruth to the other redeemer. I believe the Spirit is drawing me to this because I am so not that way. My inclination is to cling tightly to anything I don’t want to lose. The very antithesis of trusting God, right? I’m looking forward to the Spirit’s help in overcoming that mindset!.

WHO (CHARACTERS)
Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are the main characters in chapter 3:

• Naomi appears at the beginning, instructing Ruth to seek out Boaz (verses 1-4). And she reappears at the end, expressing confidence that Boaz will handle the redemption business that same day (verses 16-17).
• Once again, Ruth is willing to follow Naomi (verses 5-9). I love her response to Boaz in 9,
  “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” Sounds a bit like what Boaz said to her in the field (2:12).
  Remembering that she was Moabite, I wonder how much of this redeemer concept she understood. I recall Naomi referenced the redemption provision in Jewish law back in 1:11-13 when she lamented not having other sons. Apparently, though, the obligation extended beyond just brothers to other male relatives (i.e., uncles? cousins?) of the deceased man. We know Boaz was a relative (Ruth 2:1, 3:2), and I wonder based on his statement about young men (3:10), if he might have been a lot older than Ruth. He called her daughter in 2:8.
• In 3:2, Naomi tells Ruth Boaz is winnowing barley at the threshing floor. I wanted to better picture this, so I looked up threshing and winnowing in the Bible Gateway Encyclopedia of the Bible. I learned threshing is the removal of grain from the stalk by pressing it out on the threshing floor. Once separated, the stalks were removed, and the grain was winnowed or tossed in the air in front of a fan or into the wind to separate the grain from the chaff. Winnowing usually took place toward the end of the day. I imagine after it was done there was a party to celebrate the end of the harvest season. That would explain Boaz’s drinking and having a “merry” heart.
  The encyclopedia also indicated family members would sleep near the grain after winnowing to ensure its safekeeping. Ruth 3:7 indicates Boaz did this.
  What happened next sounds a little scandalous to me: Ruth snuck in, uncovered his feet, and laid down near him. At midnight, he woke up, discovered her, and she suggested he redeem her. He says he’s willing, but there’s another guy with that right, also. He also told her to spend the night there, gave her more grain before she left, and promised he’d settle it that day (3:13, 15).

WHERE (LOCATIONS)

The locations for this chapter were the threshing floor where Boaz was winnowing barley (3:2) and the city (3:15), where Ruth lived with Naomi (2:23).

WHEN (TIMEFRAMES)
I noticed these timeframes:

• Tonight (3:2): when Naomi said Boaz was threshing barley; when Boaz instructed Ruth to remain with him (3:13).
• Midnight (3:8): when Boaz awoke and noticed Ruth lying at his feet.
• In the morning (3:13): when Boaz promises to let her be redeemed by the other relative or redeem her himself.
• Before one could recognize the other (3:14): when Ruth arose, Boaz gave her grain and sent her home to Naomi.
• Today (3:18): when Naomi says Boaz will settle the redemption matter.

Dig-In Challenges

I hope you’ve discovered some interesting facts this week, and it makes you want to work through more of this process. Here’s what I’ll be doing this week:

1. PRAY each time I start to study using my prayer from last week.
2. MINE: Look for repeated concepts in this passage and, if I find any, consider their relevance to Boaz’s decision to allow the other man first choice to redeem Ruth.
3. MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, and/or warnings) connected to Boaz’s conduct.
4. MINE: See if I can find any related lists (3 or more similar items mentioned in the text).

See you next week!

CONTINUE TO WEEK 4 >