Ruth 3:1-6 AMPC „Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper? And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes 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, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do. And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do. So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had told her.“

The above passage is a tangible expression of what love is: an act of giving and receiving in total trust. It is the kind of love that does not only takes but seeks for opportunities to give also. Naomi and Ruth are clearly living in a give and receive love relationship. Ruth had practically sacrificed her comfort and her life to be devoted to her mother-in-law and care for her. And Naomi has always been grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful daughter-in-law. In the secret of her heart she had been asking herself what she could do to repay Ruth for her sacrificial love. She had no wealth and no money to offer her. She did not have any substantial material good to present to her as a sign of gratitude but she had been praying that God would bless Ruth in a very special way. She had asked Adonai who knows the secrets of our hearts to give Ruth her heart’s desire and pour such a blessing on her that generations after generation would continue to talk about it. Now it seems like the time had come for the Almighty God to answer Naomi's prayer request.

Naomi was a smart old lady who did not just pray and fold her arms. She kept her ears and eyes open, both spiritual and natural, so as not to miss God's move and guidance. We don't know exactly how long Ruth and Naomi had been living together before Ruth met with Boaz. But from that moment on, Naomi's antennas became even more alert and she informed Ruth that Boaz was one of her relatives. Not only that, he had the right to redeem Ruth to ensure an offspring for the deceased Machlon. And this is where the story of Ruth starts getting really exciting because it seems like a love affair is about to start. Even though Ruth had abandoned everything to follow Naomi to Bethlehem, even though she was a stranger among the Israelites and could not really see at that point what the future had in store for her, she had not completely abandoned the desire and hope to get married again. That had been her secret desire and Naomi knew about it. Ruth was not the kind of woman who would go around so that men would notice her. Yes, she wanted to get married but she kept her woman dignity. She was neither frivolous nor fickle but she kept her body in all honour and decency, praying in the secret of her heart that God would bless her with a home. That is the reason why she was ready to put Naomi’s plan into action without further delay.

Thank God for these two widows who lived together in understanding and in trust. In the whole story of the Bible, never has a woman who was aspiring to marriage received such a peculiar advice than the one Naomi gave to Ruth. She could have judged the advice of Naomi as immoral, risky and silly but she never argued about this. She just obeyed, even if she had never done something like this before. Was this another crazy step she was about to take? Naomi’s advice concerning Boaz was probably contrary to the customs of the Moabites, and in the ears of any common person, this advice given by Naomi truly sounds weird. But Ruth the Moabite had trusted Naomi for so long and she had decided not to break that trust. As she made her way to Boaz's treshing floor, she was certainly asking herself all kinds of questions. She wondered how everything would turn out. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She kept asking herself what the reaction of Boaz would be. She could feel her heart beating faster than usual. Was this going to work? And what if somebody saw her there and started being suspicious, thinking that she had come with some kind of bad intention?... Another voice kept telling her “Make sure you dont do it! You might just put yourself in trouble and take blame upon yourself. You might just destroy your reputation! You know that the people of your country are not very appreciated and since you arrived in Bethlehem people have been watching you very closely, and some among them are just waiting to find the slightest mistake you will make so that they can accuse and condemn you. And if you are found guilty they will send you back to Moab the harsh way. You will be separated from Naomi and you will never see her again. And not even your own country people will want to welcome you because you turned your back on them and decided to forsake your own people to follow a strangers… you know very well that such an act is considered as high treason in Moab. They could kill you to punish you for going to Bethlehem you know? Don’t even try to do what Naomi is saying. You had enough trouble in your life, so don’t add more to it!”

But the still small voice in Ruth's heart kept telling her to just trust and obey. She had learned to identify that still small voice because of the peace and assurance it brought in her heart. It told her: “You know very well that Naomi has never tried to abuse you or lead you the wrong way. She loves you as if you were the daughter that she never had. She has never cheated on you and she has always wished you well. Remember that day when she had decided to return to Bethlehem. Remember how she had insisted that you should go back to your people because she wanted you to start a new life and be happy in the house of another husband. And even here in her house she shares everything with you. She does not hide anything from you. You are in best position to know that you can trust Naomi. She is and has always been connected to the heavenly Father that she introduced to you. The fear of and the love for God motivates all her actions and she is well spoken of in the whole town. Just trust and obey and know that you are not alone. Even if her advice sounds crazy, remember that you serve the God of unthinkable moves. Do not worry about people judging you because that is just the way men are. Just be bold and follow this advice, and trust in that God that you had decided to follow some years back. He loves to surprise His children who trust in Him and He will not disappoint you.”

There was a battle doing on in Ruth's mind but she decided to trust and obey. It was not the first crazy step that she was taking since she had met Naomi. It seemed like she was a lady of the crazy steps. But she decided to trust once again and move on. Now, let's see where this other crazy move will lead Ruth to. (To be continued) md.