Is it possible for a poor widow to flourish in the ancient rural Israel?
Well, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”. Praise God for his orchestration of our life events that even the most disappointing and hurtful situations don’t derail His plans for our lives but continue to move us in the right direction if we respond well.
Boaz generously allowed Ruth to glean in his field to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Now that Ruth and Naomi’s basic needs were met, Naomi told Ruth, “Shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” (Ruth 3:1-4)
The idea of Ruth washing herself, anointing herself, and putting on her best garment reminds me of us preparing ourselves as Jesus’ bride. He is coming back for His bride, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle, or any such a thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27) Ruth, as a widow, had stayed pure and clean before her God, and had selflessly given of herself to her mother-in-law even at the risk of staying single for the rest of her life!
Ruth did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. By going to the threshing floor and sleeping by his feet, she was asking Boaz to marry her. What a mixture of humility and boldness. Culturally, a man proposed to a woman; for a woman to humble herself that way took a great risk and courage. I am reminded of two other women who approached Jesus with humility and courage.
One was the woman who had the flow of blood for twelve years. She desperately needed a touch from Jesus, and if she had to get down to the ground to touch the hem of His garment, she was willing to do it to get her healing. (Luke 8: 43-48)
The other woman was a woman who was considered a sinner. She brought an Alabaster flask of fragrant oil and anointed Jesus feet with the oil and washed them with her tears at a Pharisee’s house!(Luke 7:36-39) This woman had such humility and boldness that she didn’t care about those who could kill her with their condemning looks, for she had found refuge in the one who had given her true life! Their judgment didn’t matter anymore because she was before the one who was going to judge the living and the dead.
I hope we all desire to live a life that is potent with a mixture of humility and boldness. Jesus himself set the example for us. He never looked for attention from man, nor tried to brag about his miracles and healings. However, when he saw a man bound by physical or spiritual blindness, he didn’t shy away from speaking life into that person and setting him free.
The Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6b). Today, if you have a need the Lord is ready/available to hear your prayer and supplication. He is near, and He will give you grace and revelation concerning what is on your heart. At the same time, we need to stand boldly on those things that are already settled in our lives. We don’t need to rehash the past and wonder about our identity. Sometime we need God’s reaffirmation on certain issues He has spoken to us in the past but not ever allowing doubt to take ground in our hearts. We have fought too many battles to get to where are at, we will not lose ground in Jesus’ name!