The book of Ruth begins with Naomi facing closed doors. Famine struck Bethlehem. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, relocated the family to the country of Moab. Elimelech died in Moab. Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women. Mahlon and Chilion died in Moab. They had no children. When the famine was over, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She pressed her two daughters-in-law to remain in Moab. One of them, Ruth, determined to stay with Naomi. When the two widows arrived in Bethlehem, the women of the city asked, “Is this Naomi?” In Ruth 1:20, Naomi answered, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” 

In chapter 2, the Almighty begins to open new doors. Ruth went to glean behind the reapers. She happened upon the field of Boaz. That same day, Boaz showed up and inquired about her. And receiving a good report, Boaz extended great kindness to Ruth. He gave her special gleaning privileges. He served her a satisfying lunch. He made sure she went home with a good portion. When Ruth told Naomi about Boaz, Naomi saw God opening doors for her and Ruth.

When you get to chapter 3, six to eight weeks have passed since Ruth and Boaz met. Yet Ruth remains an unmarried widow living with her widowed mother-in-law. A door has opened. No one has walked through it. The sovereign providence of God orchestrated the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. But they must partner with providence in faith, hope, and love. In so doing, they show us how to walk through an open door. Walking through an open door involves a willingness to take a risk.

• Naomi took a risk by seeking a husband for Ruth. 
• Ruth took a risk by obeying Naomi’s bold plan. 
• Boaz took a risk by accepting Ruth’s proposal.

What are you willing to risk for the good of others and the glory of God? Trust in God involves risk-taking. However, a God-inspired risk is not self-centered. Naomi’s plan was for Ruth’s benefit. Ruth obeyed out of loyalty to Naomi. Boaz acted on behalf of Naomi, Ruth, and an unnamed relative we will not meet until chapter 4. Each of these main characters finds the will of God for their lives as a result of their concern for others. God opens doors for you as you open doors for others. 

Walking through an open door will never involve compromising your integrity. Naomi’s instructions to Ruth were risky at best, ill-advised at worst. Ruth’s obedience put her in jeopardy. Ruth’s proposal presented Boaz with a great temptation. Yet Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz maintained their integrity in compromising situations. If God opens a door, you will not have to steal keys, pick locks, or break in to walk through it. Sneaking in a door evacuates the blessings and entraps you in an empty room. God must open the door for you. How do you walk through an open door? Ruth 3 teaches us to walk through open doors with hope, faith, and love.  

The Hope of Naomi 

The opening scene of the chapter consists of a conversation between Naomi and Ruth. Naomi believed the kindness of Boaz was an open door. She then devised a plan to help Ruth walk through it. 

Naomi states the problem. Verse 1 says, Naomi asks, “My daughter, should I not seek a place of rest for you, that it may be well with you?” “My daughter” expresses Naomi’s sense of affection and responsibility for Ruth. They have food but no family. Naomi desired Ruth’s long-term stability through marriage. She calls it“rest.” It implies…

• Peace from the grief of the past.
• Provision for the needs of the day. 
• Security from anxieties about the future. 

Upon returning to Bethlehem, Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to Moab. In Ruth 1:9, she says, “The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Because Ruth followed Naomi to Bethlehem, Naomi felt it was her duty to be a part of the answer to her prayer for Ruth. Naomi felt obligated to ensure Ruth found rest in the home of a husband who took good care of her.  

Naomi states the plan. In verse 2, Naomi asks, “Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.” Naomi calls Boaz our “relative.” By this, she means he is qualified to marry Ruth and redeem their land. Note she calls him “our relative,” indicating Ruth is a member of the family, not a foreign, tagalong in-law. The harvest had been reaped. The winnowing process had begun, by which the wheat and chaff were separated on the threshing floor. That’s where Boaz would be that night.

With renewed hope, Naomi made plans. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi says, “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” Naomi felt the Lord was slamming doors in her face. In chapter 2, Naomi saw the doors crack open through the kindness of Boaz to Ruth. The door now seems wide open. Because she now has hope, she makes plans for the future. 

Hope looks at tomorrow with great expectations. 

• The defeated do not make plans. 
• The depressed do not make plans. 
• The discouraged do not make plans. 

But those who have hope look into an uncertain future with confident assurance. Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Hope lives with great expectations. 

That Naomi made plans was commendable. The way she planned was questionable. In verse 3, Naomi instructs Ruth, “Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.” Ruth was to bathe and perfume herself. She was also to put on her cloak. The language indicates she was to change clothes. She may have been dressed as a mourner. It was now time to dress as a potential bride. Then she was to go down to the threshing floor. 

Hosea 9:1 states that prostitutes did business at the threshing floor. It was a risky move to send Ruth there. And Ruth was to conceal herself until Boaz finished celebrating the harvest. Verse 4 says, “But 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.”Naomi’s daring plans could have backfired. Boaz could have thought Ruth was a prostitute and rejected or accepted her. But Naomi was not trying to get Ruth a date for the night. She was trying to get her a husband who would provide rest for the future.

It was the days when the Judges ruled. Judges 21:25 says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Yet God still had some good men. Ruth 2:1 calls Boaz “a worthy man.” Boaz was not Samson. Samson was physically strong but morally weak. If Ruth had lain down at Samson’s feet, this would be a different story. Boaz had integrity. So Naomi put her hope in the goodness of God and the goodness of Boaz. Up to this point, there is no evidence that Naomi and Boaz had met. Yet, she trusted him to do the right thing. Thus, Naomi confidently instructed Ruth to visit Boaz at the threshing floor in the middle of the night. 

The Faith of Ruth 

Ruth did not respond to Naomi’s instructions by asking, “What in the world are you thinking?” In verse 5, Ruth replied to Naomi, “All that you say I will do.” Ruth’s obedience demonstrated her loyalty to Naomi. Moreover, it demonstrated her faith in God. In returning to Bethlehem with Naomi, Ruth had taken refuge under the wings of God. Naomi’s clandestine plan was risky. But it was no riskier than the steps of faithRuth had taken. Having trusted God enough to move to Bethlehem, she trusted God enough to go to the threshing floor. 

Many of us misunderstand what it means to give our lives to the Lord. We write the Lord a big check at conversion. The Lord cashes the check in quarters and gives it back to us. He asks for it back, quarter by quarter, day by day, choice by choice. The struggle of faith is that the Lord demands quarters at inconvenient times. We prevail when we remember that it all belongs to God. Faith is born wholesale but lives retail. The proof that you have given your life to God is that you trust him with the specific, mysterious, and challenging decisions of life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. IN all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Ruth trusted God. Verse 6 summarizes the second and central scene of the chapter: “So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her.” When Ruth arrived at the threshing floor, Boaz took charge of the situation. But providence progressed because Ruth took a step of faith. Verse 7 says, “And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.” This entire scenario was provocative. But Ruth was not initiating an illicit affair. She was making a marriage proposal. Her proposal was countercultural. Women did not propose to men. The younger did not propose marriage to the older. Foreigners did not propose marriage to the Israelites. Ruth to a step of faith. Verse 8 says, “At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!”

• Adam went to sleep and woke up married. 
• Jacob went to sleep and woke up married to the wrong woman. 
• Samson went to sleep and woke up with a haircut. 
• Boaz went to sleep and woke up with a woman at his feet. 

Verse 9 reads: “He said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant.” Boaz did not recognize the cloaked Ruth in the darkness of the night. Ruth identified herself, calling her “your servant.” In Ruth 2:13, she said to Boaz, “You have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” Faith now moved her to claim the title confidently. In chapters 1 and 2, Ruth is called “the Moabite.” That designation is dropped in this chapter. Ruth presents herself as a marriage-ready maiden-in-waiting. 

Naomi said Boaz would tell her what to do (3:4). Instead, Ruth told Boaz what to do: “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” This was a marriage proposal. Ezekiel 16:8 says this is how the Lord proposed to Israel: “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age of love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.”

The language of Ruth’s marriage proposal further demonstrates her faith in God. In Ruth 2:12, Boaz says to Ruth, “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Ruth believed the answer to the prayer of Boaz was Boaz. The wings of God under which she had taken refuge would be manifested by the wings of Boaz. Here again, we see how God shows up through the presence of others. Using a double entendre, Ruth asked Boaz to cover her with his garment in marriage. 

In verse 10, Boaz replied, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than your first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.” Boaz’s first words to Ruth were a benediction, invoking the name of the Lord. “Kindness” is the word hesed, used for the loyal love of God. Ruth showed kindness to Naomi and Boaz. Boaz deemed the latter greater than the former. Her first kindness was returning to Bethlehem with Naomi. Her later kindness was proposing marriage to Boaz, when she could have chosen a much younger man. Leaving Moab was greater than proposing marriage. But not to Boaz! Ruth was not obligated to marry someone from Naomi’s family. But kindness made her choose someone who would marry her and redeem Naomi. 

Verse 11 says, “And now, my daughter, do not fear, I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.” Boaz accepted Ruth’s proposal. He did not choose Ruth because of her looks, status, or background. He chose her because of her character. The entire town knew Ruth was “a worthy woman.” It is the word used in Ruth 3:1 to describe Boaz. Proverbs 12:4 says, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”Proverbs 31:10 says, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” Ruth was a worthy woman who acted in faith. Because faith honors God, God honors faith.  

The Love of Boaz 

In verse 12, Boaz says, “And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.”Boaz had not failed to make a move because he did not desire Ruth. On the contrary, he did his homework and discovered there was a closer relative. Boaz had a heart for Ruth. Moreover, he had a heart for God. Boaz wanted to marry Ruth. But he refused to try to get a legitimate blessing through illegitimate means. You cannot get ahead by skipping the line. Boaz determined to do it the right way. In verse 13, he said to Ruth, “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Like down until the morning.” I can imagine Ruth and Boaz talked through the night. But that’s all that happened that night! 

We live in a world that is saturated with sexual temptation. Bad examples are everywhere, from celebrities to athletes to executives to politicians to preachers. We should not follow the character and conduct of the world. Follow the example of Boaz and Ruth, who said no until God permitted them to say yes. Think about what happened that night. It was midnight. The stars were shining. The harvest had come. It was payday. Boaz had partied with food and drink. Lying at the threshing floor to protect his harvest, Boaz fell asleep. He woke up to the woman of his dreams lying at his feet. If they had enjoyed themselves, no one would have known. But love made Boaz ensure nothing happened!   

• If something happened prematurely, it would have ruined their potential relationship. 
• If something happened prematurely, it would have ruined the genealogy of Jesus. 
• If something happened prematurely, it would have ruined our future salvation. 

What will it cost you to say yes before God allows it? 

Boaz and Ruth said no in chapter 3. They will get married in chapter 4 and have a son named Obed. Obed will have a son named Jesse. Jesse will have a son named David. A thousand years later, David will have a descendant named Joseph. Joseph and his virgin wife gave birth to a son named Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer! None of that would have happened if Boaz had enjoyed the immediate rather than waiting for the ultimate. 

Verse 14 says, “So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.’” Boaz’s love not only guarded Ruth’s purity; he also guarded her reputation. Knowing that gossips are not careful with facts, Boaz made sure Ruth left the threshing floor unnoticed. Verse 15 says he sent her home with a gift: “And he said, ‘Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.’ So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went to the city.” We do not know the exact measurements. But Ruth went home with at least twice what she gleaned in chapter 2. This generous gift was a token of love to Ruth and a sign of trust for Naomi. 

Verse 16 says, “And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, ‘How did you fare, my daughter?’”This is the same question Boaz asked in verse 9. But Naomi was not merely asking Ruth’s identity. She was asking about Ruth’s status: 

• Are you still my widowed daughter-in-law? 
• Or have you become the new Mrs. Boaz? 

Verses 16b-17 say, “Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, ‘These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” These are Ruth’s final words in the book. It is a subtle statement of divine providence at work. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi says, “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” The Lord will use Boaz to change Ruth’s life. But he has not forgotten about Naomi. Ruth presented the six measures to Naomi, saying, “Boaz said I could not return home to you empty-handed.” What a reversal of fortunes! The Lord is able to refill your hands after life’s losses leave you empty! 

For the third time, the chapter ends with a cliffhanger that leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. In verse 18, Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” These are Naomi’s final words in the book. The statement was a commendation of Boaz. He was a worthy man who could be trusted to keep his word. It was also an exhortation to Ruth. She was to wait for Boaz to work things out with the nearer-kinsman. 

• The chapter is filled with faith-filled action. It ends with faith-filled inaction. 
• In the opening scene, Naomi instructs Ruth to get up and do something. Now Naomi instructs Ruth to sit down and do nothing. 
• Faith works! Faith waits!

Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”