Ruth 3:1-18

There is a *Redeemer

Book of Ruth

Gordon Churchyard

Words in boxes are notes on the Bible text.

Chapter 3

v1 Naomi, Ruth’s husband’s mother, said to her, ‘My daughter, I am looking for a home where you can rest. So then you can be happy. v2 Now Boaz is a *relation of ours. You have been with his young women. Tonight he will *winnow *barley at the *threshing floor. v3 Now, have a bath and make yourself smell nice. Then dress in your best clothes. Go down to the *threshing floor. Remain hidden until he finishes eating and drinking. v4 Notice carefully the place where he lies down to sleep. Then go there and uncover his feet. And lie by his feet. He will tell you what to do.’ v5 ‘I will do everything that you have told me’, Ruth said to Naomi.

v6 So Ruth went to the *threshing floor. There she did everything that her husband’s mother had said. v7 Boaz ate and drank. He began to feel very happy. He went to sleep by the side of all the *grain. Ruth came in secret. She uncovered his feet and she lay down by his feet. v8 At midnight, something made the man feel afraid. He turned. And he discovered a woman who was lying by his feet. v9 ‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘I am Ruth, your servant’, she replied. ‘You are a *redeemer. So cover me with the coat that is covering your feet.’ v10 ‘My daughter, I pray that the *LORD will be good to you’, said Boaz. ‘You are more kind now than you were earlier. You have not run after young men, poor or rich. v11 Now, my daughter, do not be afraid. I will do everything that you have suggested. Everyone in the town knows that you are a good woman. v12 It is true that I am a *redeemer. But there is a *redeemer closer to you than I am. v13 Stay here for the night. It may happen in the morning that he will *redeem you. If so, that will be good. He will *redeem you. But if he does not want to *redeem you, then I will *redeem you. I promise this, as the *LORD lives! Lie down until the morning.’

v14 So, Ruth lay by his feet until the morning. She got up before anyone might recognise the person next to him. Boaz said, ‘Do not let anyone know that a woman came to the *threshing floor.’ v15 He also said, ‘Bring me your *shawl. Hold it in front of me.’ When she did, he poured a lot of *barley into it. He gave her help to pick it up, and then he went back to town. v16 Ruth came back to her husband’s mother. Naomi said to Ruth, ‘What happened, my daughter?’ Ruth told her all that had happened with Boaz. v17 She also said, ‘He gave me all this *barley. He told me not to come back to my husband’s mother with empty hands.’ v18 Naomi replied, ‘Wait, my daughter. And see what happens. The man will make sure that he finishes everything today.’

Verse 1 ‘A home where you can rest’ means a husband to be kind to Ruth.

Verse 2 The *threshing floor was in the open air. First, they *threshed the *barley or *wheat. Then they threw it in the air. The wind would blow away the chaff. The chaff was the part of the plant that was round the *grain. The *grain would fall to the floor. This was ‘to *winnow’ the *barley or the *wheat. They used the chaff to burn on their fires.

Verse 3 Naomi told Ruth to make herself beautiful. Perhaps Ruth knew what Naomi wanted to happen! Verse 10 suggests that she did.

Verse 4 We think that this was how a woman asked a man to marry her.

Verse 7 Boaz may have had a bit too much to drink. He was happy when he went to sleep.

Verse 8 But he was frightened when he woke up. We do not know what woke him.

Verse 9 Ruth told Boaz that he was a *redeemer. Here, this meant that he was one of her husband’s family. He was one of the men that ought to give help to her.

We think that Ruth wanted this help to include marriage. What Ruth did suggested that.

Verse 10 We think that ‘You are more kind now’ means this:

• Ruth was young and pretty and she could marry anyone.

• She agreed to obey the rule and to marry someone in the family.

To Boaz this was ‘more kind’ if he loved her!

Verse 12 But there was a nearer *relation to Elimelech than Boaz was. Really, the other man should *redeem Ruth. It was Elimelech’s part of the field that he should *redeem. But Boaz said that it also included Ruth.

Verse 13 Boaz said that he would talk to the other man in the morning. If that man said ‘No!’ then Boaz would buy the field. And Boaz would marry Ruth. ‘As the *LORD lives’ is a way to say ‘I really mean what I am saying.’

Verse 14 The *Jews did not agree with sex before marriage. So, Ruth went home early. It was still dark. Nobody would recognise her. Nobody would say that Boaz and Ruth had sex. We believe that they did not.

Verse 15 A *shawl covers a woman’s shoulders. It goes over her dress. Boaz filled the *shawl with *barley. He lifted it on to her back. She carried it to Bethlehem. There Naomi was waiting for her.

Verse 18 Naomi believed that Boaz would *keep his promise.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words)

redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.

sin ~ when we do not obey God’s rules.
relation ~ someone in your family, like an aunt or a cousin.
winnow ~ after you thresh plants, you winnow to make the grain separate from the rest of the plant.

thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.
barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.'threshing floor ~ a place without a roof where you thresh barley.

thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.
barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.

barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.
thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.
redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.

sin ~ when we do not obey God’s rules.
lord ~ someone who rules or is a master; someone with authority.

LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God.
covenant ~ when people agree something together; when God and a person or people agree to a special thing.
redeem ~ buy back again.
shawl ~ a square of cloth; women wear it over their shoulders.
thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.

wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.
barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.

barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.
Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'keep a promise ~ do what you promised to do.

Ruth Obeys God And Finds Love

Ruth

Hazel Rea and Chris Gladwell

Chapter 3

Introduction

The harvest was now over. Naomi made plans for the future. If a man from Israel died without children, his brother or another relative used to marry the widow. That was the custom. Then the first son that she had would carry on the dead man’s name. And he would own his land. (See Deuteronomy 25:5-6.)

There was another custom also. If someone had financial difficulties, a man from their family would buy their land. He would then look after the land, so that it still belonged to the same family. This also meant that the person with financial difficulties would not have to become somebody’s slave. People called a man who carried out these duties a ‘*redeemer’. Naomi hopes that Boaz will accept the *redeemer’s duties. So Naomi is not doing anything unusual.

v1 Naomi, Ruth’s husband’s mother, said to her, ‘My daughter, I am looking for a home where you can rest and be happy. v2 Now Boaz is a relative of ours. You have been with his young women. Tonight he will *winnow *barley at the *threshing floor. v3 Now have a bath and make yourself smell nice. Then dress in your best clothes. Go down to the *threshing floor. Remain hidden until he finishes eating and drinking. v4 Notice carefully the place where he lies down to sleep. Then go there and lift his skirt. And lie by his feet. He will tell you what to do.’

v5 ‘I will do everything that you have told me’, Ruth said to Naomi.

Verses 1-5 After the men finished harvesting, the farmer had to *thresh the wheat and the *barley. He stayed at his place of work all day and all night. He would be very tired and hungry. Ruth had to wait until Boaz had finished eating and drinking. She had to be very quiet and prepare herself like a bride in her best clothes. Boaz would understand why she had come to him. Ruth showed that she trusted Naomi. And she obeyed her.

v6 So Ruth went to the *threshing floor. There she did everything that her husband’s mother had said. v7 Boaz ate and drank. He began to feel very happy. He went to sleep next to the heap of *grain. Ruth came in secret. She lifted his skirt and lay down by his feet. v8 At midnight, something made the man feel afraid. He turned and discovered a woman lying by his feet. v9 ‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘I am Ruth, your servant’, she replied. ‘Cover me with the edge of your skirt because you are a *redeemer.’

Verses 6-9 Ruth had chosen Naomi’s God and Naomi’s country. Here, she obeys the customs of Naomi’s country. She showed courage and trust when she offered herself to Boaz. He was surprised. But he was also grateful that this young woman was willing to become his wife. She asked him to spread his clothes over her. This was to show that she wanted him to marry her. Here ‘redeemer’ means one of her husband’s family.

v10 ‘My daughter, I pray that the *LORD will be good to you’, said Boaz. ‘You are even more kind to me now than you were earlier. You have not run after young men, poor or rich. v11 Now, my daughter, do not be afraid. I will do everything that you have suggested. Everyone in the town knows that you are a good woman. v12 It is true that I am a *redeemer. But there is a *redeemer closer to you than I am. v13 Stay here for the night. It may happen in the morning that he will *redeem you. If so, that will be good. He will *redeem you. But if he does not want to *redeem you, then I will *redeem you. I promise this, as the *LORD lives! Lie down until morning.

v14 So Ruth lay by his feet until the morning. She got up before anyone might recognise the person next to him. Boaz said, ‘Do not let anyone know that a woman came to the *threshing floor.’ v15 He also said, ‘Bring me your *shawl. Hold it in front of me.’ When she did, he poured a lot of *barley into it. He gave her help to pick it up. Then he went back to town. v16 Ruth came back to her husband’s mother. Naomi said to Ruth, ‘What happened, my daughter?’ Ruth told her all that had happened with Boaz. v17 She also said, ‘He gave me all this *barley. He told me not to come back to my husband’s mother with empty hands.’ v18 Naomi replied, ‘Wait, my daughter. And see what happens. The man will make sure that he finishes everything today.’

Verses 10-18 We know already that Boaz was an honourable man. He was kind to Ruth. And he kept her visit secret so that nobody would think bad things about her. He also thought about how Ruth and Naomi would need food now. They would need food now because the fields were empty. He gave her another large quantity of grain. He was very generous. However, he could not marry Ruth yet. There was a man who was a closer relative to Elimelech’s family than Boaz. Boaz had to ask this man if he wanted to marry Ruth.

redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our *sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.
winnow ~ after threshing, you winnow to make the grain separate from the rest of the plant.

thresh ~ to beat the barley and wheat so that the grains fall out.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
barley ~ a type of grain.
barley ~ a type of grain.
thresh ~ to beat the barley and wheat so that the grains fall out.

barley ~ a type of grain.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.

barley ~ a type of grain.
lord ~ one who rules or is a master.

LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use.
redeem ~ to pay another person’s debts and to protect them when they cannot help themselves. In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus redeems his people (see Galatians 3:13-14 and1 Peter 1:18). He pays the price for what they have done wrong.

New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible. The writers wrote it after Jesus had lived on the earth.
shawl ~ a square of cloth; women wear it over their shoulders.