We left Ruth in our last study obediently accepting Naomi’s plan of action to propose marriage to Boaz. Now we start this study with Ruth acting out the plan of action at the threshing floor. She is waiting and watching Boaz. What do you think was going through her mind?

 

Ruth 3:7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 “Who are you?” he asked.  

Will this scheme work out?  Will Boaz laugh at me?  Should I really go through with this?  Does Naomi know what she is doing? Will these festivities ever end so we can get this going?   Is it hot out here or is it just me?

How long do you think she had to wait and watch?

 

Finally, Boaz is heading for his bed. No more rehearsing this is the real deal – the moment Ruth has been watching and waiting for is here.  Ruth watches as Boaz gets in bed.  Ruth watches and waits as he falls asleep.  Ruth then makes her way over and lays at his feet. Ruth now watches and waits as he sleeps and sleeps.

 

That poor girl!  This must have been the longest day of her life!  Watching and waiting. Waiting and Ruth’s longest day brings us to verse 8, which I think is the funniest verse in this entire book: In the middle of the night something startled the man and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.

 

 “Something” startled the man.  I’ll tell you what startled the man.  I think Ruth got a little tired of watching and waiting.  I think she started looking around for “something” to startle the man with like a pebble to throw at his snoring head.  Maybe she pinched his toe. Or, maybe she tickled his foot.  “Something”, anything to get the clock to move faster.

 

Can’t you just picture that whole scene playing out!  When Ruth’s “something” worked and Boaz woke up shocked to find a woman at his feet, Ruth was probably just as startled and felt semi-guilty for waking the poor guy up.  He was probably in that deep, restful sleep then shock of all shocks. But that is all quickly forgotten.  We move to next scene: The Discovery.

 

First thing to notice is that Boaz is still our upright hero.  He recognizes there is a woman at his feet and he could have easily taken advantage of the moment.  Ruth smelled good and looked good enough for Boaz to recognize that it was a woman that startled him out of his sleep.  His first response though is respect. “Who are you?” he asked. More like who are you and why is there a woman at my feet.

 

It is finally here. The moment Ruth has been watching and waiting for has finally arrived.  Her first speaking part and the proposal.  But, we will wait till Thursday to get to the proposal.  It is quite a different proposal than you and I are accustomed to and will take some explanation.  So, I will focus on that portion of the text next Thursday. 

 

For now though, I want to leave you with a question to ponder:  How are you at watching and waiting for God to take action on a prayer request, a decision that needs to be made, or a change to take place?