Spread Your Wing Over MeRuth 3:1–9

Introduction 38:10

Welcome again. My name is Pastor Tim, and I am what is called an expository preacher. That is a big word to say that I like to go book by book through the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, sometimes even word by word. I don’t preach on topics. I don’t think there is anything wrong with pastors who do. It is just not who God has called me to be as a preacher. For the last several weeks, as a church, we have been going through the book of Ruth. This morning we pick up in Ruth 3 and read verses 1 through 9.

The story so far 38:50

Before we do, I want to give you some quick background so everybody is on the same page. I don’t like to assume anybody knows anything. Not everybody was raised in the church. I came to it a little later than most kids, and my wife was not raised in the church at all.

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, when everybody did what they thought was right in their own mind. There was no king. It was close to anarchy. During that time there was a famine in Bethlehem in Judah. Because of the famine, Naomi and her husband Elimelech left with their two sons for Moab. Their sons married there, and they stayed more than ten years. Then all the men died, and Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

Naomi tells them, “I cannot take care of you. There is no Social Security for you if you stay with me. Go back to your families. Maybe you can find a new husband, have children, and go on with your life.” Culturally, that would have been acceptable. Orpah was sad, but she listened and went back. The Scripture says Ruth clung to Naomi. She said, “Where you go, I will go. Your God will be my God. Your people will be my people. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” Basically, “You are stuck with me.”

According to Jewish law, in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, people harvesting their fields were told not to harvest the corners or the edges, and not to be so thorough that nothing was left behind. What was left was for foreigners and travelers passing through, and for widows, who could not go to Walmart or go get a job. They could pick up what was on the ground and at the edges. That is called gleaning, and it is exactly what Ruth does.

The owner of the field is a man named Boaz. He sees her and asks, “Who is that?” His servants tell him, “That is the Moabitess, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, who lost her husband. She has been working hard to take care of herself and her mother-in-law, and she has only stopped for a quick break.” Ruth’s character is coming into view.

Boaz calls her over to eat lunch with them. He gives her roasted grain. The best way I can describe it is corn nuts, but made with grain. They dipped their bread in vinegar, a little like the oil and bread you get at an Italian restaurant. Then Ruth goes back to gleaning, and Boaz tells his servants, “Make sure she gets a lot. Don’t stop her from coming into the field itself. And as you bundle the grain, pull some out and drop it for her,” like Hansel and Gretel, so she can pick up the good grain.

She goes home to her mother-in-law with about thirty pounds of grain. That would be a good day’s work for a hired worker in the middle of the field. This was a widow gleaning. Imagine putting that on your back and hauling it home. Boaz was showing his character, just as Ruth had been showing hers all along. Now we are caught up.

Reading the passage 45:40

[Pastor Tim reads Ruth 3:1–9 from the New King James Version.]

We have a lot to unpack. But let me say, Boaz had it a lot easier than I did. I had to chase that girl. I had to woo her. She lived in Alabama, and I had to fly to Alabama. Boaz has her coming right to his feet. I’m kidding. Let’s go back and break it down verse by verse.

Verse 1: security and rest 47:52

[Reads Ruth 3:1.]

Last week we talked about what Naomi had told Ruth: “Listen to Boaz. Stay close to his young women and his workers in the field.” Remember, this is a time when everybody did what was right in their own mind. All we have to do is look around the world to see that not everybody does the right thing when it is up to them. There are violent people out there. And there was no central protection for these women. There were no police. So Naomi says, “Listen to him, for your own protection, and so you can keep being blessed by God.”

Here in verse 1 she says, “Shall I not seek security for you? Shall I not seek rest for you?” This is a direct callback to Naomi’s own words in chapter 1, verse 9, when she told her daughters-in-law to go back to Moab and find rest and security with their families. It is the same thought. Before, she was saying, “Go back to your family, because I cannot do anything for you.” Now she is saying, “I have been trying to keep you safe and find you rest. Listen to him, and you will have it.”

Naomi’s faith in chapter 1 was not passive resignation. It was a prayer, and now it is being acted on. The protection and provision are coming, but not in the way she expected. In chapter 1 she thought it would come through Ruth’s family. In chapter 3 it is being granted in a different way, through Boaz.

Verse 2: a relative at the threshing floor 50:55

[Reads Ruth 3:2.]

Let’s pause, because this might sound strange in today’s culture. “Is he not our relative?” You are sending her to a relative? These were arrangements God set up to continue a family’s line and take care of people. If my brother and I lived in the same household and I died without children, the Scriptures say in Deuteronomy 25 that my wife could marry my brother and have a child with him. That child would carry on my name, so my inheritance and my business would continue and the child’s mother would be cared for. It worked almost like Social Security. A close relative took on the responsibility. Does that make sense?

Now, the threshing floor. This is interesting when you do the research. Threshing floors were typically on elevated, open ground outside of town. They were chosen for wind exposure. Workers would toss the grain into the air and let the wind blow away the chaff, while the good, heavy grain fell to the floor. All the excess was gone, and they could gather what was left.

These floors were not usually privately owned. They were communal sites used by many families during and after the harvest. Harvest nights had a festive, celebratory atmosphere. Workers would eat, drink, and rest after a long day. I picture blue-collar workers after work. They have worked hard all day, and now they want to relax. The harvest was done. It was time to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

It was also standard practice for the owner or his workers to sleep at the threshing floor. All of your grain is your money for the year. In the time of the Judges, when people did what was right in their own eyes, you did not leave your whole harvest lying on the ground and go home five miles away. Anybody could come by with a scoop. So someone stayed overnight until it could be packed up the next day. That is why Boaz is there by the grain pile. Naomi knows his routine because it is simply the ordinary practice of harvest season. It is not special insight into Boaz. It is what people did.

Verse 3: wash, anoint, and change your clothes 55:34

[Reads Ruth 3:3.]

If you don’t do the research, this is where the Scriptures can sound a little dicey. It can sound like a moment of seduction, like the Reba McEntire song “Fancy.” That is not what this is at all. Naomi is not giving her daughter-in-law instructions on how to seduce a man.

Remember, Ruth’s husband was dead, and she was still mourning him while she worked in the fields. Everyone knew it. Washing and anointing after a period of mourning, and changing out of mourning and work clothes into your best garment, was a recognized transition. It said, “I am no longer in a state of mourning. I am ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.” As long as Ruth was visibly in mourning, she was not ready to be married or to be cared for, even by a family relative. So Naomi tells her to come out of it.

A good comparison comes later, in 2 Samuel 12, in one of the best-known stories in the Bible, David and Bathsheba. David, who is king, is standing on his roof and sees a beautiful woman bathing. He wants her. He finds out she is married and does not care. He sleeps with her and then sends her husband to war carrying a letter to the general that says, in effect, “Leave this man behind and let him die.” King David is not acting like a man after God’s own heart in that moment.

Then the prophet Nathan shows up and says, “David, I have a story for you. There is a rich man in your kingdom with a great many sheep. He looked over at a poor man who had only one, and he took it.” David says, “Who is this man? I will deal with him.” Nathan says, “It is you.” David realizes his sin. Nathan tells him that because of it, the child will not live. So David falls on his face, mourning and crying out to God. Finally his servants come in, and he asks, “Is the child dead?” They tell him he is. And David gets up, washes, changes his clothes, and moves forward.

It is the same thing here with Ruth. Her husband has died. She has been in her mourning clothes. Now it is time to take them off and move on.

Verse 4: uncover his feet 60:40

[Reads Ruth 3:4.]

Naomi says, “Go lie down at his feet and lift the blanket, or the part of his robe that covers his feet to keep him warm.” The Hebrew is literally “uncover the place of his feet,” meaning pull back the covering of his outer garment or blanket. It is bold, but it is a legitimate, customary gesture.

By deliberately exposing his feet to the cold air, Ruth makes sure he will wake up at some point, which he does in verse 8. And by lying down there, instead of approaching him directly while he sleeps, she puts herself in a position where the meaning of her presence is unmistakable once he wakes, without a word being spoken first. She is there to be under his authority and protection, waiting for him to act.

Remember the kanaph, the corner of the robe where the tassels were. That word is used over and over in Scripture as a picture of protection. She is saying, “I want to be under your kanaph. I want to be under your protection. I want you to be the one who takes care of me.” She wants her intentions to be unmistakably clear.

Naomi’s confidence is worth noticing. She is not gambling on Boaz’s mood. She is not saying, “I hope he is in a good mood and does not shoo you away.” She is trusting the character Boaz has displayed all through chapter 2. His generosity went beyond what the law required. The law said Ruth could glean from the edges and from the ground. He said, “Let her come in,” and had his workers leave extra on purpose. He gave and gave when he did not have to. Naomi’s plan works because she has watched his character for weeks and is confident about how he will respond. She is not guessing.

Verse 5: “All that you say to me I will do” 64:20

[Reads Ruth 3:5.]

Immediate trust. It echoes the same committed obedience Ruth showed in chapter 1, when she said, “Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.” She meant it. She could not have said that and then heard her mother-in-law’s instructions and answered, “I don’t know. Are you sure?” She is not second-guessing. She is showing the same faith she showed in chapter 1.

Verses 6–7: his heart was cheerful 65:09

[Reads Ruth 3:6–7.]

Boaz has finished eating and drinking, and he is merry. He is content. That is what the word means. It does not mean he was drunk. He had a great harvest. He has eaten and had a little wine. He can take a deep breath. It is like me driving home after winning a softball game. I am happy. I am not drunk. Sometimes I stop for a cheeseburger because I am hungry, and then I am content and can finally breathe. That is Boaz here.

The phrase describes contentment and celebration after a satisfying harvest meal, the ordinary mood of a good night after a good harvest. Nothing in the text supports the idea that Boaz was drunk. Eating and drinking does not mean drunk. Nothing suggests he was making an impaired decision. In fact, next week we will find out that he is thinking clearly. He can name a relative who is closer to Ruth and Naomi than he is, and he says, “We have to go through the proper channels first. I need to see whether he is willing to be your go’el, your provider and caretaker. If he is not, I will do it.” If he were drunk, he would have said, “Let’s get it done. Let’s go to Vegas.” That is not what the Scriptures describe. Nothing about his character before this, or about what he does next, even hints at it. He is simply happy after a long, hard day’s work.

Verses 8–9: under your wing 68:05

[Reads Ruth 3:8–9.]

“Take your maidservant under your wing,” your kanaph, “for you are a close relative.” This is the payoff the narrator has been building toward for two chapters. It is the story of two women who lost their husbands and needed a family redeemer to provide for them in their mourning, take them under his protection, under his wing, and protect their family line.

Boaz blessed Ruth in chapter 2, verse 12, for coming to take refuge under the wings of the Lord. Naomi named Boaz out loud as a go’el, a family redeemer. Now Ruth herself speaks, and she uses both ideas at once. She asks Boaz to spread his own wing over her, and she gives the reason: “You are a close relative. You are a family redeemer. You are a go’el.” She is the one moving it forward.

What does this mean for us? 69:53

It is a good story. God is taking care of this woman. Boaz does some kind things. It gives you butterflies. But butterflies do not mean anything. What is the point? I see three things we can take from this passage and apply to our lives, thousands of years after it was written.

First, faith can look like taking a bold, well-considered action, not just waiting quietly. So many times we pray, “God, this is what I want. This is what I need.” Then we sit down and turn on the television, or pull out our phones, or start cooking and cleaning, and we move on with our day. God is saying, “Good. Now let’s move forward with it.”

Ruth needed a family redeemer, someone to take her under his wing and protect her. I am sure she cried out to God for it. We may not see it in the text, but I can picture her at night, after carrying that grain home: “God, thank You for this grain. But I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. Can You please provide some protection?” She does not only cry out. She does the hard thing. Do you think she was comfortable walking up to this man in the middle of the night, uncovering his feet, and lying down there? I am sure she was very uncomfortable. It did not stop her. Her well-considered action was her faith in motion. James says faith without works is dead. “I will show you my faith by my works.”

We often think faith is a blind thing where we sit and say, “God, I hope it happens.” Not at all. With Ruth and Naomi, action follows prayer. We see the same in the New Testament. Jesus went away to pray in the early mornings. When He came back, He did not sit around town with His disciples talking about the latest news. He sent them out two by two, and then they came back and prayed again.

We do a lot of talking as Christians. Can I be blunt with you? I am getting sick of it. “God, I have faith in You,” and then we act like little sissies sitting on our hands. God tells us to go. “As you are going, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all the things I have taught you.” It takes action to put faith to work. Naomi’s plan and Ruth’s carrying it out are proactive faith, built on watching God’s character at work through Boaz over time and then acting on that confidence. Don’t just cry out to God. Cry out and act. Cry out and listen. Cry out and do what is necessary.

Second, character built over time earns trust in the moment it matters. When Naomi says in verse 4, “He will tell you what to do,” she is not guessing. Her confidence rests on everything Boaz has already shown of himself. Consistent integrity is what makes people trustworthy when the stakes are high. Are you like Boaz? Are you showing consistent integrity over and over? Or does your word sometimes fall to the floor?

Third, bitterness is not a permanent identity. In chapter 1, Naomi renamed herself Mara, which means bitter. By chapter 3 she is planning someone else’s future with hope and confidence. She went from “I was blessed and now I feel cursed” to “Look at what God is doing.” Last week, when she saw the thirty pounds of grain, she asked whose field Ruth had been in and blessed God before Ruth could even finish answering.

My friends, grief is real. But it can be temporary at the same time. If you are going through a hard time, if the walls feel like they are closing in and your heart is broken, I am here to tell you there is a God who sees that heart and has already done everything to draw it back to Himself, because He wants to heal it. Some of you have a God-shaped hole in your heart. He is saying, “I am right here.”

All of us have thought, said, and done things against God’s teaching, and that sin would have separated us permanently from a loving God. God did not want that. So Jesus came and lived a perfect life. He never sinned. He was still executed on a cross. As He hung there for six hours in agony, your sin and mine was imputed to Him, which is a big word for transferred onto His shoulders. The moment we say, “Jesus, I admit I am a sinner. I have broken God’s law. Please forgive me. I am repenting, changing my ways to follow what You want for my life,” He fills that God-sized hole.

It does not mean everything will be easy. It does not mean you will never mourn again. It does mean that when you walk through mourning, there is a God walking with you step by step. He wants to show you His provision and protection, just as He showed Naomi and Ruth. He wants to show you how much He loves you. If that is you, I beg you to cry out to God, and to talk to someone, me or anyone who can help you grieve in a way that is spiritually healthy.

Closing prayer 79:55

God, thank You for Ruth chapter 3, and for the example and the reminder it is in our own lives. Even when things look bleak, when it feels like the world is against us and there is no hope in sight, we know there is a God who loves us and wants the best for us.

Thank You for the example of Ruth and Naomi. Thank You that we can take action in our faith, that we do not have to sit and beg and wait.

Thank You for Boaz’s character, shown over and over. Help us to be people of high character, so that when it matters most, we are the ones You use to take care of others.

And thank You that bitterness is not a permanent identity. You can move us past it and bring us into the next chapter You have planned for our lives, so that we can bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.