Matchmaker - July 21

Read Ruth 3:1-5       

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 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. 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.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”

Reflect

What change do you notice in Naomi’s demeanor? What was the motivation for her plan?

In today’s passage, we see Naomi play matchmaker. Which really wasn’t unusual in that time. Many parents arranged marriages for their children. Notice that Naomi called her “my daughter,” not “my daughter-in-law.” This shows that she considered Ruth to be her child and her responsibility. Like any good mother, she wanted only the best for her child. Initially, the plan in returning to Bethlehem was to find favor in the eyes of someone who would allow Ruth to reap in their fields. The objective was merely to survive.

But now that Ruth has found favor in the eyes of Boaz, their wealthy, and noble relative, Naomi has an even better strategy and seems to be full of hope. Because Boaz is a close relative, he is eligible to be a “kinsman-redeemer.” A kinsman-redeemer was a close family member who could “buy back” a relative who had been sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49), land that had been sold during financially difficult times (Leviticus 25:23-28), and they could even redeem the family name through a marriage called a “levirate marriage” (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). The purpose of a kinsman-redeemer was to help family members in distress survive and thrive but also to ensure that the land which was their inheritance from the Lord stayed within the tribe and not transferred to another. A levirate marriage provided care for widows in distress but also ensured that family lines of inheritance wouldn’t die out.

Naomi decided that the time was right for Ruth to present herself to Boaz and ask him to redeem her. She knew that this was Ruth’s best chance, not only to survive, but also to thrive. So, she instructed Ruth to spruce herself up a bit and go down to the threshing floor where she knew Boaz would be working at night winnowing the barley. Her matchmaking strategy is no doubt unusual. She told her to wait until he was full, sleepy, and relaxed. Once he was down for the night, Ruth was supposed to uncover his feet, lay down, and wait to see what Boaz said.

For us in today, this is a bit of a head-scratcher. That isn’t how we would send our daughters out to find a man to marry. Unfortunately, there have been many unsavory suggestions given to make sense of all of this. Some people saw this as Naomi instructing Ruth to make a sexual advance towards Boaz. Now, it is true that the threshing floor was a place prostitutes frequented since men were working there alone at night. But there isn’t anything in this text that would indicate that Naomi wanted Ruth to seduce Boaz. Naomi wasn’t instructing Ruth to try to trap a man through a one-night-stand or anything. She wanted Ruth to approach Boaz with the offer to be a redeemer according to God’s law.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe had this to say about Naomi’s instructions to Ruth in how to prepare to meet Boaz: “Keep in mind that the book of Ruth is much more than the record of the marriage of a rejected alien to a respected Jew. It’s also a picture of Christ’s relationship to those who trust Him and belong to Him. In the steps that Ruth takes…we see the steps God’s people must take if they want to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord.” Ruth washed herself which could be seen as a ceremonial cleansing. She also anointed herself with fragrant oils like a bride for her husband. She changed her clothes which could mean that she removed her mourning clothes signaling to him that her period of mourning was over and she was ready to remarry. Then, she had to fully submit to the master of the field by laying down at his feet and waiting to humbly obey his word.

We’ll look more at how the book of Ruth is a picture of Christ’s relationship with believers in the coming days. But for now, just understand that there was nothing inappropriate in what Naomi was asking Ruth to do even if the procedure doesn’t make sense to us at first glance. Naomi was seeking a redeemer for Ruth. We need a Redeemer as well. Have you sought Him?

Respond

Lord, I know that I need to be redeemed. Please be my Redeemer. Without You, I am enslaved to sin. But Your blood bought me back and now, I belong to You. Praise You, Lord, for paying my redemption price. Amen.

Reveal

Is there someone in your life that you need to introduce to the Redeemer?