Ruth 3:1-5

Naomi Instructs Ruth 3:1-5

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor,
3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.

1.

What was Naomi's purpose in giving instructions to ?Ruth 3:1; ?Ruth 3:2

Naomi wanted Ruth to act properly. Furthermore, she wanted Ruth to enjoy a peaceful life in a well secured condition. Such would be her life under the loving care of a considerate husband. Normally it was the responsibility of the father to arrange for a marriage of his daughters. Laban was anxious to see his daughters provided for in this way, and excused himself for deceiving Jacob in giving him Leah instead of Rachel by saying it was not customary for the younger daughter to be given in marriage before the older daughter was married (Genesis 29:26). When the father was dead, the responsibility for arranging these marriages fell to the oldest son who received the father's birthright and blessing. Since both Mahlon and Chilion were dead, no one was left to care for the welfare of the widows except Naomi. She had counseled both Orpah and Ruth to return to their parents-' homes, but Ruth's love for Naomi had prompted her to accompany Naomi back to Judah. Consequently, Naomi was still primarily concerned for Ruth's future welfare and instructed her accordingly.

2.

How was the winnowing done? Ruth 3:2

Grain was thrown into the air with winnowing fans. Threshing floors were nothing more than level places in the field which had been trodden smooth. The surface was generally quite hard. A level spot was selected, and the threshing floors were generally close together. They were circular in form, sometimes fifty feet in diameter. Grain was thrown onto the ground. Animals walked over it and crushed out the grains from the head of the stalks. A wooden fork was used to throw this mixture of chaff and grain into the air. As the wind blew away the chaff, the grain settled to the ground. Sometimes a carpet was placed under the threshers-' feet so the grain fell onto it whence it could be easily placed in bags.

3.

Why was the grain still on the ground? Ruth 3:3

The grain was left on the ground until it was put in the granary. As the threshing season continued, the piles of grain mounted higher and higher. These piles might be covered with cloth to protect them from the dew, but the final removal would await the completion of the threshing season. Like the rich farmer in the parable of Jesus described in Luke 12, all landowners took some bit of pride in seeing the large amounts of grain accruing to them as the harvest season continued. Boaz celebrated the conclusion of a plentiful harvest by holding a feast on the threshing floor, and Ruth went to him there.