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Book of Ruth - On the Threshing floor of Boaz, Chapter 3 a. We are on the Threshing floor of Boaz b. Ruth is not claiming any special treatment from Boaz – Yet, Naomi begins to take charge – She is matchmaking c. Let’s review the last three verses of chapter 2 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” 21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law. d. Ruth stands in a most unusual position – that is the threshing floor e. To understand Chapter 3, it’s necessary to understand the Significance of the Threshing Floor – this is essential. Deuteronomy 25:5-9 5“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, ‘I do not want to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ See Genesis 38:1-10

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a. Very unusual law – yet, we would guess it must have been enforced many times because it was put into force (Mosaic Law) when a man died childless. Illus – You’re a family of brothers – you notice that one of your brothers are heading off each night and then coming home late. This makes you curious and you ask “where are you going each night?” This brother says, “I’ve been visiting this family down the road and trying to be a good neighbor.” And you ask “Do they have a daughter?” And this brother admits they do. And you ask “Do you like her?” This brother admits he does. “Are you getting serious with this girl?” This brother admits they are. “Are you thinking about marrying this girl?” This brother admits they’re seriously considering it. You tell your brother who’s interested in this girl … “we need to have a family huddle because if anything happens to you (if you die), it means one of us will have to marry this girl.” According to the Mosaic Law … this girl could claim one of the brothers because she has no children, You see, the other brothers could oppose this union … they may not want to marry her if this one brother dies. If the one brother dies and she takes another brother, and he refuses to take her as his wife, she could take him to court. She could step up to him, take off his shoe, and spit in his face! This meant … he was disgraced.

b. You can see, this unusual Mosaic Law puts a childless widow in a most unique position. It changes her position all together. c. She can claim one of the brothers. In fact, it’s her duty to her dead husband d. Interesting family relationships and we can see how important family involvement and decision-making played when a man married a woman. e. This was God’s provision – two objectives: 1. Protect the womanhood – if the husband died and she was left with a farm, a vineyard, a flock of sheep, she would have difficulty. She would need care and assistance. She could claim immediately a brother or nearest kinsmans – and he would have to make that decision. The law helped to protect the woman. 2. Protect the Land Rights – God not only gave to the nation Israel the land of Palestine, He not only gave to each tribe a particular section of that land, but He also gave to each individual family a particular parcel of land.

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Each family had their own land. As we have seen, a family could lose their land. But in the Year of Jubilee it would automatically return to the original owner. However, a widow might go out and marry some stranger who would gain ownership of the property. So you can see that God protected that property. Another words, the nearest kin had to be the one to marry her in order to make it possible to retain the title of the property in the nation and in the tribe and in the family. Very strange law. f. In the case of Ruth, she’s a widow without any children, and the property which belonged to her husband has been lost because she and Naomi are poverty-stricken. g. She has a perfect right to claim Boaz since he is a near kinsman – Of course, Naomi confirms he is a kinsman-redeemer. h. Here’s the deal – Boaz cannot claim her … Ruth must claim him as her husband. i. A little later on we’ll find out that there happens to be another kinsman who is actually nearer than Boaz, and Ruth could claim him if she wanted to. j. Boaz doesn’t know which guy she’ll claim – It’s Ruth’s move k. Remember – at this point – because Ruth has not made a move – Naomi takes charge and tells Ruth, “You’ve got to let this man know that you want him as a kinsman-redeemer.” Understanding the Threshing Floor of that day a. God made a wonderful provision for these people. Since they were agriculture based … many of the laws pertain to agriculture. b. The Mosaic system was not only for the people of Israel, but also it was for that land – that land was Palestine. c. Threshingfloor was located on top of a hill to catch any wind that was blowing in order to blow away the chaff. Chaff is the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw e. Threshingfloor was in the opposite position from a winepress which was located at the bottom of the hill, because it was easier to carry the grapes downhill than to lug them uphill. g. The winepress was the place where Gideon was threshing grain.

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1. Reason he was down there was because he was hiding from the Midianities 2. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and addressed him, “Thou mighty man of valour.” (Judges 6:12) 3. Gideon is down by the winepress, scared to death, when he should be up on top of the hill. 4. Image his frustration as he pitches that grain into the air, and no wind is blowing at the bottom of the hill. 5. Gideon, “I’m one of the biggest cowards you’ve ever seen.” 6. Good news – thank God, He can use a coward who is dedicated to Him. h. The story of Ruth takes place at the time of the Judges, when Israel had returned to the Lord. i. Naomi was in Moab when she heard that the famine (God’s judgment on Israel) was over. j. By this point – Israel most likely returned to a time of tranquility and the threshingfloor was in its proper place at the top of a hill. Threshingfloor Description

Outdoor threshing floors are usually located near a farm house or accessible from growing areas. They are usually paved with material that may be of various kinds, for example round stone cobbles about the size of a fist; slate; tile; or sometimes the underlying bedrock itself is exposed. Unpaved earthen threshing floors are also sometimes found. The floors usually have a slight slope, to avoid water standing on them after rain; and the paving may be divided by rays traced from a central focus to facilitate the pavement.

To overcome possible unevenness, and isolate them from water running off after rain so helping to preserve them, threshing floors are often surrounded by a stout low wall. The construction was often in a high place, to take advantage of soft and steady winds to facilitate the work of winnowing, separating the grain from the chaff, once the threshing had been completed.

k. Many families would be near this threshing floor during the harvest season, and would even camp overnight to protect the grain. l. It was a time of feasting and thanking God for an abundant harvest. m. Idea of the Threshingfloor and the Kinsman-reedmer in mind, let’s move into chapter 3:

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1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? a. For six weeks, between the Barely Harvest and the Wheat Harvest, Naomi has watched the development of this relationship between Boaz and Ruth. b. Ruth being very modest – has not made any claim upon Boaz c. Naomi notices that Boaz has fallen head-over-heals, in love, with Ruth. d. So, Naomi asks, “shall I not seek security for you?” e. Remember, at the beginning, she urges each of her daughter-in-laws to stay in the land of Moab. Now, she says she will seek security for Ruth. 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.

a. “This man is your kinsman-redeemer. You have a right to claim him.” b. In fact, “he’s up winnowing barely tonight,” “you need to go!” 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. a. Naomi tells Ruth to wait until the evening activities are completed and then make your intentions known. b. Remember, Ruth has been doing nothing in the way of claiming him, so Naomi is giving Ruth some very definite instructions. c. Naomi tells Ruth four things (good picture of a sinner who comes to Jesus) – Four steps that are essential: 1st – Wash Yourself a. When we come to Christ – we’re told

5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)

b. That’s the reason Jesus said what He did to Nicodemus “You may think you’re a fine, religious man, and you are, but you need a bath-a spiritual bath. You need the washing of regeneration.” And Jesus said to Nicodemus,” … You must be born again” (John 3:7)

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c. To be fit for heaven, a person must be born again – New Birth, regenerated by the Holy Spirit d. So Naomi tells Ruth “therefore wash yourself” – that’s the first step 2nd – Naomi said, “Anoint Yourself”

Anointing,

1. Ordinary . Anointing the body or head with oil was a common practice with the Jews, as with other Oriental nations. ( 28:40 ; Ruth 3:3 ; Micah 6:15 ) Anointing the head with oil or ointment seems also to have been a mark of respect sometimes paid by a host to his guests. ( Luke 7:46 ) and Psal 23:5

2. Official . It was a rite of inauguration into each of the three typical offices of the Jewish commonwealth. a. Prophets were occasionally anointed to their office, ( 1 Kings 19:16 ) and were called messiahs, or anointed. ( 1 Chronicles 16:22 ; Psalms 105:15 ) b. Priests, at the first institution of the Levitical priesthood, were all anointed to their offices, ( Exodus 40:15 ; Numbers 3:3 ) but afterwards anointing seems to have been specially reserved for the high priest, ( Exodus 29:29 ; Leviticus 16:32 ) so that "the priest that is anointed," ( Leviticus 4:3 ) is generally thought to mean the high priest. c. Kings. Anointing was the principal and divinely-appointed ceremony in the inauguration of the Jewish Kings. ( 1 Samuel 9:16 ; 10:1 ; 1 Kings 1:34 1 Kings 1:39 ) The rite was sometimes performed more than once. David was thrice anointed. d. Inanimate objects also were anointed with oil, in token of their being set apart for religious service. Thus Jacob anointed a pillar at Bethel. ( ( Genesis 31:13 ; Exodus 30:26-28 )

3. Ecclesiastical . Anointing with oil is prescribed by St. James to be used for the recovery of the sick. ( James 5:14 ) Analogous to this is the anointing with oil practiced by the twelve. ( Mark 6:13 ) II. SPIRITUAL.--

4. In the Old Testament a Deliverer is promised under the title of Messiah, or Anointed, ( Psalms 2:2 ; Daniel 9:25 Daniel 9:26 ) and the nature of his anointing is described to be spiritual, with the Holy Spirit. ( Isaiah 61:1 ) see Luke 4:18 In the New Testament Jesus of Nazareth is shown to be the Messiah, or Christ or Anointed, of the Old Testament, ( John 1:41 ; Acts 9:22 ; Acts 17:2 Acts 17:3 ; Acts 18:4 Acts 18:28 ) and the historical fact of his being anointed with the Holy Ghost is asserted and recorded. ( John 1:32 John 1:33 ; Acts 4:27 ; 10:38 ) Christ was anointed as prophet priest and king.

5. Spiritual anointing with the Holy Spirit is conferred also upon Christians by God. ( 2 Corinthians 1:21 ) " Anointing "expresses the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit upon Christians who are priests and kings unto God.

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Jesus said, 13"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14"He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.… (John 16:13-14)

b. The only way the World will ever understand the Word of God and the only way we can grow up in all things is with the Holy Spirit’s help. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered

into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who

love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the

Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

c. The Holy Spirit teaches us, leads us, guides us – this is important!

1 John 2:27

27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and

you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches

you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has

taught you, you will abide in Him.

d. This Scripture does not mean we do not need people to teach us.

In fact, the opposite is true. The Bible confirms the church needs teachers.

11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists,

and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of

service, to the building up of the body of Christ;… (Ephesians 4:11)

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed

these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles,

then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles?

Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of

healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best[d]

gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)

e. If you have been a Christian for a short time or long time, we have all benefitted from the teaching of other godly saints … yet, unless the Holy Spirit teaches us to understand … no human intellect can

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produce the change that’s in line with the Word of God – only the Holy Spirit can empower us to do this. f. So Ruth’s second step was important – wash herself & anoint herself.

3rd - Put on your best garment

a. Remember, Ruth is a widow. At this point … she may still be wearing the clothes a widow wears. b. Naomi reminds her – put on your best garment. c. When people come to Christ and accept Him as Savior, we are told that He becomes our righteousness. d. Our sin is covered, we are regenerated and become a child of God – our unrighteousness for His righteousness. e. The Scriptures speaks of it as a robe of righteousness. …9Then their offspring will be known among the nations, And their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed. 10I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:9-11

In Romans 3:22 it is described in a very wonderful way: 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; f. Paul speaks of it as a garment that comes down over the sinner, covering him, so that God sees us in Christ, and His righteousness becomes our righteousness. g. We stand complete in Him “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6). This is the robe of righteousness which Christ puts over the person who will trust Him.

h. You and I do not stand sufficient in ourselves – yet, we stand sufficient before God because of His righteousness.

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Romans 4:25 - Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 4th – Let Boaz Know Your Claim him – Kinsman-Redeemer Ruth 3:3b – 3:4 but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” Q: Are we a stand-by-the-side of the road Christian (non-active faith), or have we truly claimed Jesus Christ as a Savior? (active-faith) Is He Your Savior? Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. a. Under Mosaic Law, Ruth is entitled to claim Boaz as her kinsman- redeemer, but she must claim him. b. Here is the deal – Boaz wants to be Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. c. Remember, this event is taking place in Bethlehem – Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. d. Ruth is going to listen to her mother-in-law and there is nothing wrong with the instructions she is being given. Ruth needs to claim Boaz. e. A lot of people believe in the facts concerning Christ coming into the world, but they’ve never accepted Christ. f. Many people want to argue the facts – and there’s a place to provide a dense for why you believe what you believe. 1 Peter 3:15 g. Instead of arguing – perhaps we need to say, “Get down to the threshingfloor and accept Christ as your Savior!” – it will change everything.

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h. A lot of people today have never gotten down on the threshingfloor and personally, privately accepted Christ, claim Him as your Savior from sin? i. When you trust Him, you will know what it is to pass from darkness to light.

4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” 5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. a. Bible commentary has several views of this part of the story. b. Most will agree that Naomi doesn’t ask Ruth to do anything that is improper or questionable. c. Our culture has it all messed up – some sexual thing – and it is not! d. The threshingfloor was a very public place. e. The harvesters were there with their families f. Naomi is saying … “once threshing is completed for the day…the people have had food and drink and celebrated … then …go to where Boaz lies down and uncover his feet and lie down .. he will know what to say.” g. All of this will be open to the public – to think it is anything else (immoral) … do not realize this is the threshingfloor during the harvest season. h. Famous statement we might apply here – “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”

a. Beautiful picture – She is saying, “I want you (Boaz) to be my kinsman- redeemer, and I want to tell you so.” b. Don’t know what he has been fully thinking – we certainly know he likes her. And then,

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10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. a. Boaz is saying, “When you came here – you’re not looking around for a husband. You remained quiet and diligent and about your business.” b. But now, Ruth is claiming him and it’s a wonderful picture for us. c. She doesn’t take him to court to get her way, but very quietly, and in a modest way lets him know she wants him as her kinsman-redeemer. d. Boaz has been waiting for this moment to claim her as his wife, and now, she has made this claim … and Boaz goes into action. e. God’s story is a love story Ephesians 5:2 says, “2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” f. God loved us and gave Himself for us in order that He might redeem us – He lives for us today! g. Notice what Boaz says 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. a. Notice the reputation of Ruth – she is a foreigner, she is a Moabites, she is an outcast according to Mosaic Law, she has been told you can never enter the congregation of the Lord. She has been warned and prep by her mother-in-law, Naomi, she will not be accepted by the people, or can every marry again – Ruth most likely accepted that status b. Yet, even in the midst of all of this – Ruth has a wonderful reputation in Bethlehem c. Boaz continues 12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. a. Wait – timeout. There is a closer relative than Boaz? Yes. b. Because of this – it tied his hands from moving into full action. c. Until, she (Ruth) claims Boaz as her kinsman-redeemer.

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d. The minute she tells him – “I want you” – he tells her – “there is another kinsman who is closer than I, and he has the priority.” e. Another words, this guy will have to be dealt with first. f. This other guy was most likely a brother of Elimelech, therefore, closer in relationship than Boaz, who was a cousin to Ruth’s first husband. g. Boaz is saying, “I want to be your kinsman-redeemer, but we have to check with the other guy, to see how he feels about this matter.” 13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.” a. At this point – it seems strange – almost like Boaz is second-guessing this whole thing. Another words, if this other guy takes interest – I will pass it along to him. b. Notice, Boaz has a plan – he emphasizes this kinsman-redeemer (duty) three times. c. Yet, you know Boaz cares deeply for Ruth – Her safety - stay here tonight – Protection 14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” a. Boaz is taking matters into his own hands. He doesn’t want to let this other kinsman to know he has serious interest in this girl. b. Yet, as a man of Law, he must pursue the correct course. 15 Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. a. Boaz has prepped her with a generous gift

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16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

a. Naomi sent Ruth out the door with a mission to claim Boaz as kinsman- redeemer, and now, Ruth is returning the next morning and the question from Naomi is not, “Who are you?” it is more like, “Well … Are you Mrs. Boaz?” “Was I right about his feelings toward you? She was right. b. Notice what Naomi declares “this matter is now in the hands of this man (your kinsman-redeemer). He has taken up your case and now you can wait for the outcome … for it will be resolved! c. Why? Boaz is a man of action! Conclusion: We have a wonderful Savior in whom you can rest and take stock in to handle ALL the difficult cases! We have a Redeemer – who takes great notice of you and me. We are invited to enter this redemption because it is finished. Jesus in His great prayer to His Father said, “ … I have finished the work which you gave for me to do” (John 17:4) a. On the Cross Jesus declared “it is finished” (John 19:30) b. Your redemption, my redemption was finished – the price was declared and the payment was made. c. He paid the penalty for your sin and my sin to such an extent that we cannot lift a little finger to add to our salvation. He has done it all! d. Important Counsel – we have to be careful not to think our church Attendance, our family standing, is somehow is related to our Salvation. e. God doesn’t receive your effort or my effort – we cannot do enough to earn it. f. It is on the basis of His work on the Cross for you and me that God saves us.

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14“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. John 3:14-15 a. And so Ruth 3 concludes with Naomi saying to Ruth the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.” b. Naomi is saying, “Sit still Ruth” “There is nothing more for you to do.” c. The work of redemption is His work – Good news - It is finished! Q: Will you be active in pursuing Him, or are we going to remain non-active? Next week – Final Week – In the Heart and Home of Boaz