A Woman Lay at His Feet Ruth 3:8 - Equipped for Battle

How many times have we been suddenly awakened in the middle of the night? Was it because someone was suddenly in our room without our knowledge? Such an experience can be terrifying until we know who the person is, and if we have experienced this, maybe we can come closer to understanding the reaction of Boaz when we read today's verse found in chapter three and verse eight of the book of Ruth:

And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

Let's first notice the time of this event, “And it came to pass at midnight...”. In the middle of the night Boaz found someone he was not expecting at the foot of his bed. It was enough that he endured a long day and was resting peaceably, but now his slumber was interrupted by none other than Ruth.

In addition to it being midnight, Boaz' reaction was “that the man was afraid, and turned himself:” In order to really comprehend this part of the story we have to put ourselves in the places of Ruth and Boaz. There is nothing more startling and hair raising than the element of surprise in the dark. Anyone who has experienced the fear associated with disruptive events in the night can relate to the reaction of Boaz.

Finally we discover what Boaz saw when he turned to see what frightened him, “and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.” Our natural inclination when we are frightened in the middle of the night is to discover the source of our fear. Boaz did, and found a woman laying at his feet. Can we envision Boaz drawing his legs and feet up to himself quickly and possibly sitting upright with the hair raised upon his skin as he discovers this woman? He may have reacted as children do when they are scared and pulled his covers over himself and this action revealed that this woman was there. Whatever he did, he knew that a woman was laying at the foot of his reclining, and now he was reacting to her.

It is important as we read the Bible to use our God given imaginations to receive greater insights from the stories and principles we read. One of the exercises we enjoy with the book of Ruth is that there is ample opportunity to “climb into the story” and “become the various characters.” As we do, we get a greater sense of what is happening, and as we pray while we read, the Holy Spirit will “guide us into all truth and teach us whatsoever” Jesus has commanded us. We must remember, “In the volume of the book it is written of me” were words Jesus used to describe the essential function of the Bible. As we enjoy each character's part, may we constantly be asking, “Where does Jesus fit in this part of the story?”, and as we do, we will discover God.

Next time we will discover the dialog between Boaz and Ruth at the end of his bed, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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