I Will Do Whatever You Say

 Read Ruth 3

Let’s get after it.

OK, girlfriend, things are better but not good enough for the long term.  I am old and likely not considered marketable as far as finding another man.

You, on the other hand, need a family not just a widowed mother-in-law. You’ve got some life ahead of you and you don’t need to be singing Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me.

You are still young and could have kids and enjoy family life like you once wanted with my own son. I want that for you too.

Fortunately, as a mother, I have skills. I have match-making skills. Let’s plan.

Take a long bath and use the good lotions and oils. Dress yourself to be as appealing as you can be. Put on some good perfume.

Are we going out bar hopping? Are we going to hang out at the COOP? Are we crashing a wedding?

No. We will skip the intermediate stuff and go to the coup de gras. Boaz is working on the threshing floor. Go there but don’t let him see you.

Let him finish eating and drinking. When he lies down for the night, it will be on the threshing floor. He isn’t going back to the house. He will sleep there. It’s a guy thing.

Lay at his feet and uncover them.

He is going back to the house for a shower first, right?

No. It’s a guy thing too. Don’t worry he is the boss and doesn’t sweat much. You’ll live.

OK. I’m in. Whatever you say, I’m all in.

She did as she was instructed. Boaz awakened a little startled. This isn’t your normal end of the day catch a few hours and back to work night on the threshing floor.

Who is there?

What can we surmise from this question? That’s easy. Boaz doesn’t sleep with a night light on. He knew what Ruth looked like. He just didn’t expect to see her at his feet while he was sleeping.

But he was pleased to see her. He felt blessed to see her. He told her, “I’ve got this. Just hang in there until I make sure we do this right. There is someone else who might have a say in this.”

So, what’s with this uncovering the feet business?

One explanation is that Ruth humbled herself and sought entry into the security of Boaz’s blanket. The blanket was the security that a Kinsman -Redeemer would provide. Boaz knew that Naomi was a relative and that he could be the Kinsman-Redeemer.

I have seen some interesting thoughts on this, most from Christian Tourists. Many say, that girl was asking for sex.

Others say that the feet were a euphemism for another part of the male anatomy.  I think I will go ahead and quote or misquote Freud on this one. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I’m going with this as an act of respect and reverence for one who could become a Kinsman-Redeemer to Naomi and to her. Ruth was humble.

Was she wanting to be appealing to Boaz? Absolutely!

Did she have to manipulate Boaz to make this happen? I think we have surely put the pieces together. Naomi was not the real matchmaker here. God was.  If we follow the story, God will bring Ruth into the line of David and the Christ.

How much is cultural or social custom from which we have been chronologically distanced and really out of touch with the thinking? I won’t speculate, but I believe that she did exactly as instructed and the  best description that maintains fidelity with what God was doing is that she sought the safety and security that Boaz had and was capable of providing, and she was quite humble about it.

Did she desire marriage? Of course, she did!

Boaz acknowledged this.

The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

What should we understand? Naomi was not the real matchmaker.

Everyone here appeared to be acting with the best of intentions. This wasn’t a hook up and hope for the best.

God’s plan would continue in this way. We don’t always know the why. We don’t always understand the how. We often misunderstand the when.

Like I really needed an excuse to say this, but trust in the Lord with all of your heart…

Trust God. Trust his plan. Trust that those are good plans.

Sometimes those plans put you in the line of Christ. Sometimes they put you in Walmart with a pocket full of GOD LOVES YOU – LOVE ONE ANOTHER wristbands.

Sometimes they put you in these pews.

Sometimes, they put you in someone’s driveway with a box of food or a prayer or gospel or two.

Sometimes, they put you in the wilderness for a time to get your heart and mind in sync with God’s.

They should always send us into the world with good news, love, and a true desire to bring glory to God.

So what do we do when we know that God is telling us to do something but we don’t quite get the whole picture.

How about, we quote Ruth.

“I will do whatever you say,”

Ruth was speaking to Naomi, but those words should be even more applicable to what God is telling us.

Go tell that kid that God loves him. Whatever you say, Lord.

Speak the truth in a spirit of love to the person who has deluded themselves into twisting the word of God or convinced themselves that one more payday loan wouldn’t be a problem or anything else that God has placed on your heart to share with a person.

You don’t need an audible voice for most things. Have we not already been told what to do? Have we not received plenty of instructions?

Is not the lack of instructions that is the problem. It is the willingness and readiness to put them into practice.

Make a joyful sound unto the Lord.

Tithe.

Pray.

Pray some more.

Go ahead and just keep on praying.

Look after the less fortunate.

Count your blessings and be thankful.

Give cheerfully.

Worship.

Serve.

Study to be a workman approved.

Don’t be anxious.

Don’t worry.

Don’t be afraid.

God has already told us much of what we need to do.  How will we answer?

“I will do whatever you say,”

And yes, you might get some unwanted attention or scorn or disdain or in some cases, even persecution.  To that, I say good!

Sometimes the opposition from our world validates that we are seeking God and his kingdom and his righteousness before all things.

Would we not prefer to do what God commands over what the world demands?

Our lesson today is obedience and trust. Trust and obey.

Leave the planning to God. Don’t try to limit what God wants you to do.

As I quoted Freud earlier, I will make up for that by quoting Corrie Ten Boom.

“Don't bother to give God instructions; just report for duty.”

Just report for duty and be ready to follow orders. We try too hard to figure it all out. We want the blueprints and designs and modification authority. We want a say in how this will go and come out and what might be a might prickly.

Sometimes—no, most times, just report for duty. Here I am Lord. I will do whatever you say.

“I will do whatever you say,”

 

Amen.