Ruth 3:6
Ruth 3:6 So she went down to the threshing floor
and did exactly all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Now remember, Naomi has set forth her plan to secure her family’s wellbeing. At its heart, the single objective of this plan is to formally request that Boaz would marry Ruth, the widow of his kinsman.
As such, Naomi has instructed Ruth to lay aside the customs and clothing of mourning and to dress as one who is marriage eligible.
Then she is to go to the threshing floor where they know Boaz will be.
However, she is not to approach Boaz at once or even let him know she is there. Instead, Ruth is to wait until the work is finished, the dinner is done, and Boaz has gone off to lie down. Finally, Naomi says that once Boaz is asleep, Ruth is to go in, uncover his feet, and lie down at his feet. Why? To do so is a formal and recognized request to be taken under another’s care/charge (specifically in this case, it is a request for marriage).
In our text this morning, Ruth sets out to enact Naomi’s plan.
Verse 6
Notice at once, verse 6 tells us that Ruth went down to the threshing-floor. Importance: if verses 1-5 laid out Naomi’s plan, then verses 6-11 allow us to watch that plan unfold. However, please note: before we see a single detail enacted, v 6 provides us with a summery/overview of what takes place. Why? There are a few key points that the author wants you to have fount and center in your mind as you watch Ruth implement Naomi’s plan. Notice then the specific reason verse 6 tells us that Ruth goes down to the threshing floor: verse 6 tells us, So Ruth went down. In other words, this little resultative conjunction so (for this reason) tells us two important things. First, it tells us that Ruth goes to the threshing floor because Naomi instructed her to do so. At the same time, it tells us that Ruth goes because she just promised to do just what Naomi told her to do (3:5). Thus, Ruth goes because Naomi said and because she promised. Importance: at once the author reminds us that as Ruth enacts Naomi’s plan, we are seeing Ruth’s heart, character, and obedience on display. In other words, we are watching Ruth’s faithfulness and deference in action.
Next, notice when Ruth goes to the threshing floor: remember winnowing was done in the late afternoon and evening FN#1. Thus, by the timestamp of winnowing, we know that verse 6 takes place around dusk. Importance: remember a great deal of Naomi’s plan involves right timing and therefore stealth. Ruth is not to even let Boaz know she is there until after dinner when he is asleep (vs 3-4). Therefore, the fading light along with her change from mourning attire provide just the cover she needs. In other words, Naomi’s wisdom has not only selected the right place for her plan to unfold (a public winnowing- thereby protecting Ruth’s propriety) but also the right time for the plan’s delicate success FN#2. In other words, just as the author has prepared us to see Ruth’s heart, so too he prepares us to see Naomi’s heart and her genuine care/concern for Ruth. Notice the result: remember the wisdom of Naomi’s plan reflects/mirrors the deliverance that God is providing. Thus, as verse 6 prepares us to see Ruth enact Naomi’s plan, it is in fact preparing us to see the deliverance that God is bringing about through these events. In other words, the author not only prepares us to see Naomi and Ruth’s heart, he is also preparing us to see YHWH’s heart as well.
Next, notice verse 6 tells us that once Ruth arrived at the threshing floor, she does exactly what Naomi told her to do. However, notice the author’s emphatic twofold stress here: He tells us that Ruth did exactly all that Naomi said to do. In other words, her obedience is both precise and comprehensive. That is, Ruth does not alter a single point of Naomi’s instructions nor did she leave anything out. Instead, she does all that Naomi said, exactly as Naomi told her to do it. Notice then the point: the author is deliberately drawing our attention to the depth of Ruth’s character as well as to her understanding of the gravity of the situation. Remember, Naomi and Ruth’s entire wellbeing is on the line here (their sustenance, security, and social standing all depend on this plan’s success). Not only that, the risks that this plan involves are profound (Ruth could be rejected, disgraced, and run out of town). In fact, it is this risk and these stakes that set the psychological undertone of everything that follows. Notice then, despite the risk, Ruth keeps her word and carries out Naomi’s plan. Not only that, with so much at stake, Ruth is careful to do exactly as she has been instructed. Notice the result: behind the author’s emphasis on Ruth’s careful diligence we are to see a picture of a real heart of character bearing a very real weight. Importance: at once verse 6 reminds me that following God often involves real risks and real uncertainties where we are called to do and be the right sort of person without any guaranteed outcome (except this: that follow God is always best; and that God always honors and directs faithfulness).
Finally, in a book that is all about names, notice whose instructions the author specifically says that Ruth followed: verse 6 tells us that Ruth did exactly all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. Importance: in a book that is also all about legal transactions, just as we are about to see Ruth carry out Naomi’s plan, the author goes out of his way to remind us once again of the official/authoritative nature of this plan. In other words, he alerts us that this plan, which we are about to see and which Ruth follows exactly in its entirety, is a plan that her mother-in-law (the acting head and matriarch of the family) has commanded/charged/instructed her to do. Notice then the point: as you watch Ruth the author wants to make double sure that you understand that what you are witnessing is one of those binding acts (legal transactions) upon which the entire book turns (along with the history of Israel and coming of the Messiah).
Bottom line: before we see the first detail of Naomi’s plan unfold, the author alerts us that we are watching real hearts (Naomi’s, Ruth’s and YHWH’s) bearing the weight of a very real risk, at a key point in God’s plan and the book’s account.
Thus, as the evening light begins to fade, we watch a solitary figure of a young woman close the porch door behind her and begin heading down the road to the threshing floor. As we watch her go, no one would ever suspect the weight that she carries. However, by the end of the night she will either be disgraced and her family destitute; or she will be a potential bride. With each step she takes, we notice her lips moving as if in silent prayer. Her only hope is that YHWH is with her.
Footnotes
1] There are several steps in the harvesting process. The grain is first reaped (cut), bundled, and then it is taken to the threshing floor where it would then been threshed. That is, the grain would be separated from the chaff/husk. After the threshing/separating process the grain would then be winnowed. Winnowing is a process where the grain still mixed in with the separated husk would be thrown up into the air with a winnowing fork (think pitch fork). By using the late afternoon/ evening breeze common in Bethlehem that time of year, the heavier grain would fall to the ground while the lighter chaff (crushed husks and flax) would be carried off by the wind and later piled up and burned (Lk 3:16-17). Thus Boaz is winnowing at the threshing floor that evening/late afternoon. Remember, in Israel, the barely harvest occurs in late March to early April. The wheat harvest occurred some 4 weeks after the barley harvest, thus late April to early May. Also, during April, the sun sets in Bethlehem ~6 PM. As such, our timestamp tells us that the light is already fading as the winnowing begins.
2] Remember, Ruth can’t just show up at Boaz’s house unannounced in marrying clothes. People would talk. Thus the community-wide gathering to winnow grain provides the perfect opportunity for Ruth to be where Boaz is without causing a stir. However, to be seen at a public event in marriage eligible clothes propositioning Boaz would certainly bring about a scandal. Therefore, Naomi sends her (not during the threshing, which could have taken place at any time during the day) but during the winnowing, which takes place as the light is fading. As such Naomi’s timing provides the perfect cover for the discretion that her plan requires. Simply put, occasion and timing are essential to Naomi’s plan and Ruth’s reputation.