Ruth 3:16‭-‬18 AMPC “And when she came home, her mother-in-law said, How have you fared, my daughter? And Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said to me, Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he finishes the matter today.”

There are some powerful revelations in this portion of Ruth's story. First of all, we see Ruth coming back home to her mother-in-law. She had gone out the previous day in a unique adventure and in a step of faith. It had taken her a lot of courage to follow Naomi's advice to go to the treshing floor and lay herself at the feet of Boaz while he was sleeping. By doing so, she was expressing her desire for him to become her redeemer, her protector, her provider, her lover and her covering for life. Boaz got the message perfectly well and reacted positively to the request of the young lady. Even though he made some restrictions to his yes, the fact is that he expressed his willingness to do everything possible so that Ruth would have what she rightly deserved. He had promised to stand for her and make sure that she was cared for, as well as Naomi. ‬

When Ruth came back home that morning, she had a lot to tell her mother-in-law. She had mixed feelings. She told Naomi everything that had happened as well as Boaze’s answer to her request. Naomi could see that she was a little anxious about the outcome of the matter and she reassured her of the fact that Boaz was a man of integrity who would not give himself rest until he had settled the matter with the other man who also had the right to redeem Ruth.

Ruth came back home excited and she poured out her heart to her mother-in-law, and what she told her could go like this: “Mother you know what? Boaz is such a generous and gentle person. He took time to listen to my request. He did not make me feel embarrassed at all. As a matter of fact, he wants to marry me! I know that he loves me. He has showed it to me in the past one way or the other and I really had to humble myself and follow your advice before I could open my heart to him. And I feel so relieved that I did so. But he is also a man of right standing who wants to do things the right way. He will make sure that he is not depriving another man of the privilege to take me as his wife, and that is the reason why he is going to find out first, if the relative he told me about wants to redeem me or not. If he doesn’t want to, I will become His wife!"

Ruth could not contain her excitement and Naomi had to calm her down: “Don't worry, let us continue to trust God because He is faithful. Boaz reassured you that he will not give himself any rest until he finds out because as much as you want him, that's also how much he wants you. Let's continue to wait as we pray. It shall be well my daughter.”

The remarkable thing about this passage is that Boaz who is like a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed as generous, gentle, caring and righteous. When we go in the presence of God with a believing heart, we can be sure that we will not go back empty handed. God always blesses us with something, whether we feel or see it or not. He is honoured when we move in faith and He honours every step of faith that we take because of Him. Ruth went to Boaz in faith and presented him her request. He took time to listen to her and he blessed her. She did not go back empty handed. To love is to give, that's why the Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

What a glorious assurance we have in Jesus our Saviour! We have so much more when we go to God in faith and that cannot even be measured with anything earthly. Boaz promised Ruth that he would not give himself rest until he had settled the matter with Ruth. He would not allow himself to be at peace until he was sure of the right outcome of this issue, which had to be Ruth's happiness and security for the rest of her life. If we human beings can deprive ourselves of rest just to make somebody that we love happy, how much more God? Jesus said in Matthew 7:11 "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" We have the assurance that God who is full of love is ready to bless us beyond measure according to His perfect knowledge of our individual situations and needs. Indeed, this is our blessed assurance in Christ Jesus the Lord. md