The Importance of Character: Ruth 3:1-18

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible Guys. Today

is Friday Friday, and if you're listening or watching, we

want to just say tgif we are with you, there

we go. And today before we jump into the second

part of the story of Ruth for us we have.

It's another exciting episode of would you would.

You rather that? Okay, there's a christ cheering, all right,

you want to read number one?

Would you rather have your only mode of transfermation be

a unicycle or a giant inflatable duck?

Wow? Wow? How are we supposed to assume that the

duck can go anywhere? Or is it just by water?

It's just an inflatable duck.

I don't know, because if it's only by water, then.

Maybe it creates its own water.

There's so many possible Yes, I don't know, so many.

I don't know.

I'm gonna have to I want everything in me wants

to say the giant inflatable duck.

Okay, we'll do it, but say it.

But I can't why because it didn't say like you

can take the inflatable duck, like down the road to Kroger.

It's a mode of transportation. You could take it anywhere.

I say, I think the assumption is you can travel

anywhere you need to travel, Okay, with either by unicycle

or giant flightable duck.

I'm going with the duck.

You're going with the duck? Yes, okay? Good?

Would you choose?

I used to be able to ride a unicycle, so

that's a pretty simple one for me.

Yeah, oh wow, could you delay?

No? Probably not. I don't know. I haven't been out

of unicycle since I was probably like seventeen or eighteen.

That's funny, all right. Number two? Would you rather live

in a world? Live in a world where it rains

popcorn every day? Or where it snows mashed potatoes every day?

Are we talking about mash but instant mashed potato flakes?

Because mashed potatoes instant mashed potato flakes is not the

same as mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes. Snowing would be really like hindrus be Yeah.

So does the popcorn have butter?

But I mean you could collect it in salt and

butter it.

Yeah, I think I would choose the popcorn.

Yeah, it just seems a lot.

Now, I love mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes is my favorite side.

Yes?

Is it? Your favorite? Really?

Is?

Wow? With gravy or with salt and butter? Gravy, salt

and butter. You're wrong, You're wrong answer, you're wrong, wrong answer.

Okay, I love I love mashatato and gravy, but I

would I would definitely choose popcorn too.

All right, popcorn? Okay, that was a good Would you

rather have to do the cha cha every time you

enter a room or break into a dramatic monologue from

a Shakespeare play whenever you leave a room?

Oh? Those are those really good options. Yeah, I'm gonna

say chatcha.

Yeah, well I think you sometimes do the cha chaw

when you just walk in a room anyway, So.

I like to do the cha cha like that's that's

a movie quote? Is it from Brus Almighty?

Oh? Okay?

Steve Carrell when he was when he was h the

anchor guy.

Well that's a different game, Chris, Yes, yes, sorry, stay focused?

Or the other one dramatic monologue Shakespeare when you walk

out to be or not to be?

That's the question, that's that's a pretty cool thing.

Yeah, that's kind of a neat one.

If everybody knew that about you, then they'd be like.

Okay, here he goes, he's.

Leaving, he said, they just go off.

I know that low for a minute, or not to

be or it'd get old for everybodything on there, he goes, Right, Well,

they definitely would. Okay, would you rather no, I already

read that one, So you're number four?

Oh, would you rather be able to turn invisible but

only when nobody is looking? Or be able to fly

but only at the speed of a brisk walk? How

incredibly specific those are?

Hard? Yeah? Being visible but only when nobody is looking,

that's a weird one. Yeah, why then, I don't know

the value of being.

Invisible just so you can't show it off. Hey wat's this?

Yep?

Right? Or to fly but only at a brisk walk.

Is the assumption when nobody is looking as a person,

that nobody because like you could hide from dogs and stuff,

like a mean neighbor's dog.

Yeah, I'm gonna say, because it'd be terrible if like

you decided you're a thief.

Hey I'm visible, I'm gonna start stealing stuff. Yeah, then

somebody walks down in the living room, turns the light

down and suddenly immediately they can see you. Yeah, that

kind of ruins it.

For you know, what I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say,

fly at a brisk walk. Here's why, because I can't

really think of anything good that can come from being invisible. Uh,

it's only like bad things, right right, Like it's just

it's just it's just gonna lead it's gonna lead to

no good. But can you imagine, you know, like sometimes

you say I'm gonna go for a stroll, even if

even if it's only at the speed of a brisk walk,

you'd be like, I'm just gonna go for a fly.

Yeah, because you don't have to do any work. Then

you're just flying.

You're just flying.

Or you know, at this point, now you don't need

stairs either. Oh yeah, right, you just go up to

the top of the hill. You don't have to hike

to the top of the hill. Oh yeah, so that's

way better. Oh god, that's a no brainer.

All of a sudden, there's a no brainer that elevated

everything for me.

Do you remember you remember the cartoon Wally, Yes, everybody

and they're they're they're sitting around with their they've got

their screens and their great big drinks, and they're just

on that little cart that floats. Yes, that's what this

life would be like for you from that point on.

It's a great, big, giant, big gulp.

And only there were big large people.

That's okay. But if you don't have to walk anymore,

you're gonna be a big large person too.

True.

Here we go number five. Would you rather have to

wear roller skates all the time or be stuck in

a hamster ball for a week? Hamster ball for a week,

that's no brainer.

No brainer.

Yeah, it's only she didn't say.

A year, she said a week.

Yeah, hamster ball all the time or roller skates all

the time. Which one would you choose?

Oh?

Definitely roller skates all the time. Yeah, yeah, but hamster

ball for a week.

Yeah, then it's over.

Yeah, then it's over, it's done.

And then after that you put on roller skates.

How about roller skates inside the hamster ball?

Now that would be a double whammy.

Yeah, that would be double whammy.

I would just sit if I had a hamster sit down. Yeah,

I just sit out in the hamster ball for a week,

for a week. Can you imagine going to the restroom

in a hamster ball and then walking.

No, you're taking us places that I don't think she

was going to take us.

Hey, it's a question of contemplation. I'm merely contemplating, Jeff.

Okay, well, thank you for that, Chris, I'm very enlightening.

Let's think desiree.

Thank you, Desiree.

Yeah, because I actually like would you rathers? A lot?

Would you rathers are the best? Yeah?

They're really good.

Okay, Well, hey, if you've been with us all week,

this is Friday, it is. We're coming to the end.

We're in the middle of the story, this beautiful story

of Ruth and Naomi, and we're going to introduce a

new character, Boas As, And so there's gonna be some

things that are gonna be hard to understand. We'll unpack

them with regard to their cultural belief system, but just

understand bo As comes in and he has the potential

to be the hero, a hero in the story. And

Naomi is trying to really set up Ruth in a

good way. So here's what's happening. It says we're going

to start in Ruth three. We're not going to read

Ruth two. And we'll cover that in a minute, though

it says one day Naomi said to Ruth, my daughter,

it's time that I found a permanent home for you,

so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a

close relative of ours, and he's been very kind by

letting you gather green with his young women. Tonight he'll

be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as

I tell you. Take a bath and put on perfume

and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the

threshing floor, but don't let Boas see you until he's

finished eating and drinking. Be sure to notice where he

lies down, and then go and uncover his feet and

lie down there. He will tell you what to do.

I'll do everything you say, Ruth replied, So she went

down to the threshing floor that night and followed the

instructions of her mother in law. After Boas had finished

eating and drinking, it was in good spirits. He lay

down at the far end of the pile of grain

and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his

feet and laid down. Around midnight, Boaz suddenly woke up

and turned over, and he was surprised to find a

woman lying at his feet. Who are you, he asked,

I am your servant, Ruth, she replied. Spread the corner

of your covering over me. For you or my family redeemer,

The Lord bless you, my daughter, Boas exclaimed, you are

showing even more family loyalty now than you did before,

for you have not gone after a younger man, whether

rich or poor. Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter.

I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town

knows you are a virtuous woman. But while it's true

that I am one of your family redeemers, there is

another man who is more closely related to you than

I am. Stay here tonight. In the morning, I will

talk to him. If he's willing to redeem you, very well,

let him marry you. But if he is not willing,

then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem

you myself. Now lie down here until morning. So Ruth

lay at BoA's his feet until the morning. But she

got up before it was light enough for people to

recognize each other, for boa As had said, no one

must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor.

Then Boaz said to her bring your cloak and spread

it out, and he measured six scoops of barley into

the cloak and placed it on her back, and then

he returned to the town. When Ruth went back to

her mother in law, Naomi asked, what happened my daughter?

Naomi or Ruth told Naomi everything Boa has had done

for her, and she added, he gave me these six

scoops of barley and said, don't go back to your

mother in law empty handed. Then Naomi said to her,

just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens.

The man won't rest until he settled things today. So

we have to introduce bo As right, right, So who's Boas?

Boas is the is he the uncle?

What is he? I don't know, I asked you did.

Bo As well? We sort of skipped the introduction of

Boaz right in Luke, Chuck and Ruth distinct cousins, distant cousins,

that's what he is. Okay, Yeah, but he's but he's

a part of the family, and uh so he has

technically I don't think that he was obligated by law,

but I think that there is probably more cultural tradition,

is what I remember from the story where it's it's

not as if there's a law that says he has

to take care of somebody like that, but you know,

to take care of a family. It was customary to

help family in need.

Right, Yeah, So he is a distant cousin of a

limelech In Naomi, which would mean then that he was

also a cousin to a Limi millec in Naomi's sons.

So then they had this idea, there is this concept

and this is within the law of a kinsman redeemer

and the kinsman redeemer being one of the male relatives

who had resources that was in the lineage of the

family that would come in and take responsibility for a

woman that was a widow, very similar to like the

brother was required to do.

So, I didn't realize that was in the law.

Yeah, it was within their law. It wasn't required that

he do it, but a woman had the right to

request it. And if the first guy refused, and the

second guy would say yes, right, okay, and so this

is her way. That sounds like what I remember, yeah, yeah,

and so so I think if he refused, then there

was some kind of a financial arrangement or some kind

of way to get out of being in the kinsman Redember.

I just remember that he didn't have to do it.

Yeah. So what you have here then is Naomi brings

Ruth to this place, you know, to Bethlehem, and it's harvests.

Remember we just read that it was the beginning of

harvest season. And so one of God's laws for the

Jewish people was that a farmer wasn't supposed to harvest

the corners of his field right and leave it for

the poor people.

And we covered that probably what a couple of weeks ago.

Yeah, yeah, And so leave it for the poor people

was the idea there. And this is then the poor

people could go out and work. It wasn't pure charity.

You had to do the work of it. But you know,

if you have a big rectangular field and you're out

there harvesting back and forth, back and forth, when you

make that, just make the turn, don't don't go straight

into the corner and take the her time and I'll

leave that and then they can do it. So then

Naomi knows this rule and she goes to Boas and says, hey,

God's blessed you and your harvest. Would it be okay?

If my daughter in law harvested in just the corners

of your field, grab a little bit, and we can

stay alive. And Boas kinda notices and he goes over

to Ruth and says, listen, you can you can stay

with us, and you can gather grain with my girls.

So he had all his servants out there and he's

you know, so she definitely caught his eye, and so

he kind of takes care of her. Morris family than

it's just some poor lady that needs food, And that

caught Naomi's eye, going, oh, I bet Ruth isn't picking

up on what this is.

Right, because because you said just be patient, right, because.

Ruth is a moabite, Naomi knows the rules. So there's

all these social things the poor people can pick over

there in the corners, and yeah, whatever, just do your thing.

But Boaz comes over and goes, you don't have to

pick in the corners. You can just go ahead and

get what you need, right, And so Ruth is like,

always sain't he a nice guy? And then always like,

oh Boaz is interested in Ruth? Right, maybe maybe he's interested.

Maybe he might just be a nice guy. Extended family

way out there whatever. So maybe he's just a nice guy.

But but Ruth is thinking there might be a chance.

As a matter of fact, there's a moment when they

all take a break, like a lunch break in chapter two,

and he invites Ruth over, Hey, go ahead, and you

can have some of our food. You can have some

of our wine, you know. And that's what Naomi is

picking up on, is Boaz isn't just a nice guy.

He he likes Ruth, right, or in addition to be

a nice guy.

That's right, that's right.

Yeah, So you know when you think about, okay, what

does this have to do with me? What what kind

of sermon is in there? You know, is there a

sermon in there somewhere? Right? I think it's I think

it's maybe this that you never know how the tides

are going to turn. You never know what's in store, right,

so you know, you know, for that matter, you never

know if it's going to be today. Right, So you're

walking into you know, an environment and you know, remember

the day that you met one of your best friends

in the world, right, Like, did you know that that

was the day you were going to meet him? No? Right?

Remember when the day you met your wife yes, you

didn't know that was the day you're going to meet him. No,

I didn't, And that changed the course of your entire life.

The trajectory of your entire life changed on that day.

So it's just a reminder. I think there's a sermon

in here somewhere that says, you know you're down on

your luck, right, You're you're you're sad, you know your

your life is Hey, I'm going to change my name

because of the season that I'm in. You know, everything

is just really bitter. And then all of a sudden, boom,

things start to turn. Why because apparently bo As thinks

Root's attractive, and that's going to create this opportunity, this

opportunity that is going to end up where everybody's going

to be taking.

What an incredible moment. And by the way, Naomi is

the one who's tuned into this, not Ruth right, But

it's interesting because we just ended yesterday with Naomi being bitter. Right,

my life is miserable. I can't I left with everything.

I lost everything, He lost everything. I came home, God

gave up on me.

Can you imagine losing your husband and your sons?

Yeah, And so she has this sense that you know,

for some reason, God's punishing her, taking things from her.

But there's a really amazing note in verses nineteen and

twenty here in chapter two which we didn't read, which

we skipped right, but it says Naomi had felt bitter,

but her faith in God was still alive, and she

praised God for Boaz his kindness to Ruth. Right she does.

She celebrates God is good to us, and God has

provided for us through Boas for Ruth. And so we

might feel bitter about a situation, but we must never despair.

Today is always a new opportunity for experiencing God's care.

And then it goes. Though Ruth may not have always

recognized God's guidance, he'd been with her every step of

the way. She went to glean and just had and

to end up in the field owned by Boas, so

she didn't know as Boas his field. She just goes

to get some food, knowing that you're allowed to glean

in the corners, and Boaz goes, hey want you to

come over and have lunch with us, right, and you

can pick any part of it. You don't have to

just pick up the corners, And so she just happened

to do that just happened to be a close relative.

This was more than mere coincidence. As you go about

your daily tasks, God is working in your life in

ways you may not even notice. We must not close

the door on what God can do. Events do not

occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that

God is directing our lives for his purpose, which is

in line with exactly what you were saying. And you

could write the notes for the life Applications you know what,

called Tyndale them from me. That's right. Tindale is a publisher.

You just go tell them you got this.

Yeah, yeah, and it's just great. And then you know,

there's also a note here that talks about it. Says

la la la la la. Hear this. The nearest relative

did not have to marry the widow, and if he

chose not to, the next nearest relative could take his place.

If no one chose to help the widow, she would

probably live in poverty the rest of her life. Because

the Israelite culture, the inheritance was passed onto the son

of the nearest male relative, not the wife. The laws

for gleaning and family redeemers helped to take the sting

out of the inheritance rules. In other words, they're saying,

that's why you know the rules existed. You know, that's

the benefit. And then it says we have a family

redeemer in Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, came

to earth as a man in order to save us.

But by his death and the Cross, he has redeemed

us from the sin and hopelessness, and has thereby purchased

us with his own possession. For Peter, chapter one, Versember eighteen,

this guarantees are in eternal inheritance. Quite a hard time

reading that. So you can you can see the picture right,

the foreshadowing of Jesus, who's referred to as the kinsman redeemer,

isn't he exactly? This is awesome.

So this is what you have. And by the way,

Boaz and Ruth wind up being in Jesus family, which

is you know, really just so hey, let's contrast Samson.

So we've already talked about the kind of decisions Samson

made with the women he chased. It was nothing to

do with character. It was only had something to do

with the visible thing. Now, I think you should be

attracted to your spouse right. So those of you that

are are single that are listening, you know, attraction is

part of it, it's just not the main thing. But

in our culture today, beauty is the most important thing.

And so what we find out is that he doesn't

consider the character of a woman like Delilah, and she

winds up ruining his life. Right, He's only he never

thought about his own character. He didn't care about his

own character. He certainly didn't care about the character of

other people. It was just pure hedonism. Whatever pleases him.

I want what pleases me, no consideration of what kind

of life he's going to try to build. On the

other hand, you have two really interesting hints here. One,

bo As mentions to Ruth, the reputation you have is good, virtuous, virtuous.

So your reputation, so Boaz and everybody knows. Right. Boaz

had taken a liking to her, he'd noticed her, was

a round her several days, significant amount of time, and

apparently done his homework because he didn't just say I

think you have a good reputation, He said, everybody knows

you're a virtuous woman, right, which means he's checking out.

He's getting references at this point behind the scenes, he's

trying to figure ot what kind of woman is this,

because when you make a decision about relationship, you're going

to be in for your life. It's going to affect

every aspect of your life. Right. A good marriage is great,

A bad marriage ruins everything. Right, it's so hard. And

so he's he's looking. He's very interested in her. He

certainly was attracted, but he didn't make any moves until

he knew that she had an outstanding reputation, of virtuous

reputation with everybody. And then on the other side of it,

Naomi says, hey, go do this, And this was like

a hint that a woman would would be open to

a marriage. She's not cuddling up to him. They're not spooning, right,

She's not coming out. All she's doing is she goes

to his feet and says, I would be available if

you made a proposal. That that's what she's that. That's

the simple it's weird to us, but in their culture

that would have made sense in the day, right. And

so she's not coming on to him sexually. She's she's

but she's letting him know I would be available if

you made an advance, you know, for marriage. And so

she comes home, she tells, and he gives her a

bunch of grain. He starts giving her all this stuff,

you know, like like like somebody in love does here?

Take just take more? Right, Here have some of that.

Here's some jewelry, Take some of my money. Hey, let me,

you know, let me take you out the dinner. That's

what he's doing. So he gives her six scoops of grain.

Take this back to Naomi. So he also is honoring

naomi family, right, and Naomi says, okay, just wait, because

he's a good guy. He's gonna go. He's gonna take

your care of his business quickly. So Naomi knows here's

a man of good reputation. He gets is business done,

and he knows that Ruth is a virtuous woman. And

so they're measuring each other's character right before any of

these decisions were made or the these attempts were.

Made, just so contrast to the story we just left.

Of Samson going, oh there's a pretty one, let's go

sleep with that one, right, and it ruined his life.

As opposed to, they took time, they investigated the character,

and they got to know each other and they're both

serving one another. Right, that there's a whole different thing.

And hey, it winds up eventually. Well I hate the

spill the beans, but they get married. Yeah, and you

know is is it's a beautiful thing. So take your

time discover the character of the person you're looking at.

But this is true about going into business, This is

true about friendships, right, choosing your neighbors, man, the church

you're going to go to. Right, character matters, the reputation matters,

all these things in life, the alliances that you make,

the character of the people that you're making the alliance

with is more important than the opportunity, nity or the

flashy thing the salesmanship that they're that they're putting on you.

Yeah, that's a that's a great lesson. So there's a

lot of sermons hitting in there. So we are going

to continue with Ruth on Monday. So hopefully we will

see you next time on the Bible guys.

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