Ruth 3: 11-15 – AMP – And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do for you all you require, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of strength (worth, bravery, capability). It is true that I am your near kinsman; however, there is a kinsman nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, good; let him do it. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will do the part of a kinsman for you. Lie down until the morning. And she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another; for he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. Also he said, Bring the mantle you are wearing and hold it. So [Ruth] held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and laid it on her. And she went into the town.

Ruth couldn’t believe her ears: he said yes! A heavy burden had just been lifted off her shoulders at the sound of Boaz’s voice when he agreed to be her husband and her redeemer. Her life was never going to be the same again. Everything in him was saying yes to this virtuous, brave and capable lady. It seems like there was actually nothing he could possibly deny her because she was just worthy of blessing. She had sacrificed a lot and it was time for her to reap the fruit of her persistent, challenging and faithful labor. As a matter of fact, Ruth was a testimony in the whole town. Her story and her way of living were a source of inspiration for all those who came across her path. Truly she deserved to be blessed and Boaz did not hesitate. He looked straight in her eyes and said: “Yes, I will do that for you.” Since she was expressing the desire to have him as her covering, support and helper for the rest of her life, and since she had proven times and times again that she was a woman with a pure heart to love and give herself away, she deserved no other answer but a yes.

Just like Ruth, Boaz also was a man of good reputation who was admired and highly esteemed among his people. He was a man of right standing who feared God and longed to walk in God’s righteousness. Yes, he loved Ruth and admired her, and that is exactly the reason why it was important for him to do just the right thing as far as she was concerned. He was not going to allow his feelings for Ruth to blind him and cause him to stray away from God’s righteousness. Even though his was willing to take Ruth as his wife and perform for her the part of the kinsman, he did not want to step on someone else’s ground. He was very well aware of the fact that there was another man who had the right to redeem Ruth. That is the reason why he told Ruth that he was going to talk to him to find out if he was willing to perform that duty or not. He was not going to steal what belonged to someone else just because he had so much love and admiration for Ruth. So, she understood that she had to keep praying and be patient until Boaz had settled the matter. She had to keep trusting and believing God that this matter would finally turn for her good. Boaz did not let Ruth go back home to her mother-in-law empty handed. He gave her a good portion of grain as a sign of his love and care, and he promised to clarify the issue at hand as fast as possible. Ruth went back home that day with mixed feelings of joy, excitement but also anxiety. Did her mother-in-law know about this other man who also had the right to redeem her? She couldn’t wait to be at home to tell Naomi all what had happened that night.

As children of God, we often go to our heavenly Father with all kinds of requests. As much as He loves us, He will only act and answer our prayers according to His sovereignty and righteousness. The Bible declares that God’s blessings cause us to be rich and He adds no sorrow to it. It is the will of God for us to be blessed with all the blessings that He has in store for us. That is the reason why we should always pray and ask that His will alone be done in our lives. Sometimes we ask God for things that we are not really ready to receive yet. Sometimes we do not understand the impact that those blessings that we desire so much will have in our lives and sometimes we are just not ready for the things that we are asking Him for. But one thing is sure, we can always trust Him to do the right thing for us. And when we do not receive from God exactly what we have asked, we should know that we are still blessed and highly favored because God never lets us go away from His presence empty handed. When we take a closer look at our lives, we realize that His blessings overflow in our lives just as we can read in Psalm 23.

Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

May this be our portion as we faithfully trust the Lord to bless us in Jesus mighty name. Amen. md (To be continued)