Today's Topical Bible Study

What Are You Willing to Risk?

by Mark Altrogge

What kind of risks are you willing to take for Jesus?

In the book of Ruth, Naomi hatches a plan to see her widowed daughter Ruth get a husband who can give her children. She tells Ruth to spruce herself up and present herself to Boaz, a relative quite a bit older than Ruth, who could, as a “kinsman redeemer,” marry her. Ruth had been working as a field hand for Boaz, and he’d shown great kindness to her, but shown no interest in marrying this young foreign widow.

Naomi tells Ruth to go to the threshing floor on the east side of town at night, where Boaz would be sleeping next to and guarding his pile of grain, uncover his feet, lie down next to him, and wait for him to tell her what to do.

These were days when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). It was risky for a young woman to cross town alone at night. It was a huge risk to lie down next to an older man in the dark. Would he take advantage of her? But Ruth makes her way to the threshing floor, and in the darkness manages to locate Boaz asleep by his grain. She gently lifts his garment back exposing his feet, then lies down.

In the middle of the night, something startles Boaz, he turns over and – there’s a woman at his feet! In the darkness he can’t see who it is so he cries out “Who are you?”

“And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.’” (Ruth 3:9)

“Spread your wings over your servant” meant “spread the edge of your garment over me,” which was a commitment of marriage, like giving an engagement ring. Ruth didn’t wait for Boaz to tell her what to do as Noami had advised, but blurted out a marriage proposal!