Ruth 3:10-18
Ruth 3:10
And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my
daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at
the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
Instead of Boaz treating Ruth in a caustic manner for
what she did, Boaz instead pronounces a blessing upon her from the LORD and
calls her his daughter which was a sign of great affection.
He then lauds her kindness that she showed to Naomi in her last few
months concerning staying with her during the time she lost her husband and two
sons. Ruth would not abandon her
during that time and then run back to Moab in hopes to find a young husband
hopefully that is wealthy. Ruth did
not order her life according to the wanton pleasures of other young Moabitish
women, instead she had great character and proved that in her dealings with
Naomi. The fact that Ruth did not
run with the young crowd showed she had a great maturity in both thought and
actions.
Ruth 3:11
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all
that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art
a virtuous woman.
There may have been some in the city of Bethlehem had
thought Ruth to be an immodest or evil woman for lying at the feet of Boaz but
here Boaz assures her that that he will marry her according to the law of God
and that she need not worry because the people of Bethlehem knows that she is a
virtuous woman and not some kind of woman who was playing the harlot which is
what probably many thought since Ruth came from Moab which was a place of false
religion. However, there was one
hurdle that had to be overcome before Boaz could marry her.
Ruth had another relative which was closer and according to law, he had
the right to redeem Ruth before Boaz.
Ruth 3:12
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman:
howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Boaz now tells Ruth that there is another kinsman who is
of a closer relation to Ruth than Boaz was and now he had to meet with that
other person to know his intentions and to see if he could redeem Ruth.
The other kinsman may have been the uncle of Mahlon, the brother of
Elimelech, who would have been considered a closer relative than a cousin.
Ruth 3:13
Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that
if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the
kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I
do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the
morning.
Boaz had asked Ruth to remain during the night instead of
going home to Naomi. Then in the
morning Boaz promised that he would do the part of the kinsman if the other man
did not want to do the kinsman’s part.
According to law Boaz had to seek the intentions of the closer relative
before he could consider redeeming Ruth.
So he told her to get some rest and in the morning he would meet with the
man and discuss Ruth and the parcel of land belonging to Naomi.
Ruth 3:14
And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose
up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman
came into the floor.
Then the night had passed and Ruth apparently rose up
much earlier than the rest and Boaz told her not to let it be known that she
slept at his feet that night because In Israel if a woman played the harlot with
a man, she could be stoned to death and Boaz too would be culpable for that
crime so they did not want to raise any suspicions plus they wanted to guard
their reputation especially at this time when Boaz was about to negotiate for
Ruth.
Ruth 3:15
Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon
thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of
barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
Then Boaz told Ruth that she should bring the vail that
she had worn. This was not
something like a bridle vail but was basically a large outer cloak and then Boaz
told her to hold out the cloak and he measured out six measures of barley in the
vail, she then took the six measures of barley into the city which would have
Bethlehem. The six measures were
probably six omers which was one tenth of an ephah.
Each omer would have been about 3½
pounds making the six omers about 21 pounds which Ruth would have easily been
able to transport.
Ruth 3:16
And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who
art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
Ruth came to Naomi and Naomi asked her a strange
question, “who art thou my daughter?”
Naomi knew it was Ruth but she was inquiring as to what is her status if
she was still single Ruth or is she the wife of Boaz?
Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her and how he was,
possibly at that moment, negotiating with the other relative over the redemption
of Ruth.
Ruth 3:17
And she said, These six measures of barley gave he
me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
The six measures of barley was a gift from Boaz to Naomi.
Ruth was showing Naomi how kind Boaz was to her by giving her the barley
to bring to Naomi when he could have sold it for profit.
This would also show Naomi that Ruth had found favor in the sight of
Boaz.
Ruth 3:18
Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know
how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have
finished the thing this day.