Context No. 3441 of 4322 · Ruth

Ruth 3:1-9: in context

1Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he will be winnowing barley tonight on the threshing floor. 3Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor; but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4It shall be, when he lies down, that you shall note the place where he is lying. Then you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will tell you what to do.” 5She said to her, “All that you say, I will do.” 6She went down to the threshing floor, and did everything that her mother-in-law told her. 7When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8At midnight, the man was startled and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9He said, “Who are you?” She answered, “I am Ruth your servant. Therefore spread the corner of your garment over your servant; for you are a near kinsman.”

At Naomi's counsel, Ruth goes to the threshing floor by night and, when Boaz wakes and finds a woman lying at his feet, she makes a bold and humble request: spread the corner of your garment over your servant, for you are a redeemer. She is asking him, in the custom of the time, to marry her and redeem her family, appealing to his role as a near kinsman.

It is an act of remarkable faith and courage from a vulnerable widow and foreigner, and it is also a picture of grace. Ruth appeals not to her own worthiness but to Boaz's role as redeemer, casting herself on his kindness and his covenant obligation to her family. In the same way, we come to Christ our Redeemer, not with claims of our own merit, but appealing to who he is, asking him to cover us and make us his own. Ruth's words, spread the corner of your garment over me, are the very posture of faith: I have no claim but your redeeming love, so cover me with it.

Do I come to Christ my Redeemer as Ruth came to Boaz, not on my own merit but appealing to his redeeming love to cover me and make me his own?

Sources

Ruth 3:9: "I am Ruth your servant. Therefore spread the corner of your garment over your servant; for you are a near kinsman."
Ruth 3:5: "All that you say, I will do."
Ephesians 1:7: "In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses."