As we rejoin our story, we
remember that it is very early in the morning and Ruth has just left
Boaz who provided her with fifteen gallons of barley that she is
carrying in her veil. She also possesses Boaz' promise that as soon
as possible he will be engaging the next closest kinsman redeemer
about fulfilling his duty to marry Ruth. Ruth trusts Boaz, and
although neither she nor Boaz knew at this point whether this near
kinsman would forgo his obligation, Ruth believed Boaz would make
every effort to be her kinsman redeemer. Ruth made her way back to
Naomi's house where we join today's reading in verse sixteen of
chapter three:
And when she came to
her mother in law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told
her all that the man had done to her.
It must
have been quite early in the morning because we read, “And when
she came to her mother in law, she said, Who are you, my daughter?”
Of course we know that Naomi knew Ruth, but it apparently was so dark
outside that Naomi could only recognize that the figure before her
was a female. As we read the Bible it is important to allow our minds
to picture the scenes to gather greater understanding of what is
happening. Can we imagine the darkness of the night, the quiet
attempt of Ruth as she enters Naomi's home, and the manner in which
Ruth awoke her? Can we see the startled Naomi as she arises to find
this female image hovering in her room or standing over her bed? We
must climb into the story so to speak as enlightenment awaits us when
we do.
Ruth
then shares with Naomi, “And she told her all that the man had
done to her.” Imagine Ruth's excitement about her time with
Boaz. We might picture her like a schoolgirl with a crush rattling
off detail after detail like, “He did this, and then he did that.
Then he said this, and then he said that. And look at all he gave me,
etc.” Every detail was discussed and shared, and can we imagine
Naomi's face as she considered all the information especially about
the nearer kinsman and Boaz' plan to deal with him. There is nothing
like having a confidant with whom we can share our greatest joys and
our greatest fears, and we can be sure that both of these were in the
mix of conversation between Ruth and Naomi in the early hours.
Whom do
we have in our lives that we can “tell our all?” Is it a friend,
a co-worker, a spouse, or brother? Is it a pastor, a minister or a
colleague? Maybe it is a parent, child or close relative? It might be
the Lord Jesus Himself, and as we consider the sharing between Ruth
and Naomi, perhaps we too will be inspired to be so excited about our
kinsman redeemer that we will share about Him with anyone who is
willing to listen to us go on and on about what a wonderful Savior He
is.
Next
time we will see Ruth tell Naomi more of the wonders of Boaz, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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