Text:
Ruth 3:1-6:
1 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 to night in the threshingfloor.
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.
6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
Theme:
How To Get The Man
Introduction:
- The Book of Ruth was originally part of the Book of Judges but was separated out.
- Samuel is believed to be the author of the Book of Ruth.
- The book depicts a period of time 126 years before the birth of David, the grandson of Ruth and Boaz and the son of Obed, the son of Ruth and Boaz.
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes the Book of Ruth in this way
“Brief as this book is, and simple as is its story, it is remarkably rich in examples of faith, patience, industry, and kindness, nor less so in indications of the care which God takes of those who put their trust in him.”
- The 3rd chapter of Ruth depicts a mother-in-law, Naomi, who is giving instruction to her daughter-in-law.
- Naomi and Ruth have ended up together after Naomi’s husband and two sons have died, one of whom was the husband of Ruth. Also, the other daughter-in-law had decided to stay in the land of Moab when Naomi decided to move back to her homeland.
- Ruth, on the other hand, was determined to go with her mother-in-law!
- Ruth 1:16, “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
- Ruth, on the other hand, was determined to go with her mother-in-law!
- Ruth was working as one of the maidens working for a man by the name of Boaz who was without a wife. Although Ruth was not “worried” about Boaz, Naomi wanted Ruth to be happily married to a good man.
- Ruth 3:1, “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?”
- So, Naomi orders Ruth to follow her instructions on HOW TO GET THE MAN!
- Ruth complied, Ruth 3:5 says, “And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.”
- Naomi and Ruth have ended up together after Naomi’s husband and two sons have died, one of whom was the husband of Ruth. Also, the other daughter-in-law had decided to stay in the land of Moab when Naomi decided to move back to her homeland.
- Let us look at Naomi’s strategy on HOW TO GET THE MAN!
- 1“Wash thyself therefore”
- A man can smell an unclean body à It’s not attractiveJ
- A man can “smell” baggage à It’s not smartJ
- è Cleanse yourself of the remnants of the past!
- 2“and anoint thee”
- Adorn yourself with:
- A smile
- A good conversation
- A good attitude
- Adorn yourself with:
- 3 “and put thy raiment upon thee”
- Appearance is only 20% of attraction, but it is the FIRST 20% that gives impact! J
- Put on your best!
- BE REAL!!! à It is nice to know that what you see is truly what you get! J
- 4 “and get thee down to the floor”
- You can be noticed if you are not THERE to be noticed!
- Be careful, you will draw men from the environment in which you tarry
- A club will get you a “club rat”
- The streets will get you a “gansta” or a “thug”
- The church will get you whatever dwells within that edifice (What’s in here?)
- 5 “but make not thyself known unto the man until he shall have done eating and drinking”
- Let him have his food
- Let him have his merriment
- Let him have his recreation
- Let him be himself! (Don’t try to change him)
- His life is the “cake”, and you are the icing that makes life a “delicacy”!
- You make his life complete
- 6 “And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie”
- Pay attention to him. Notice him and his most personal self or selves.
- Help him to be himself in the best possible way.
- 7 “and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down”
- Know the man’s needs!
- You can do bad all by yourself. So, present yourself as one who can make his life better, more successful, and more comfortable!
- 8 “and he will tell thee what thou shalt do”
- Show him that you are willing to submit to the right man, your husband, as a wife should.
- Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
- 1“Wash thyself therefore”
- As we can see from Boaz’ reaction, Naomi’s instructions worked quite well:
- Ruth 3:10-11, “And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”
Body:
- These instructions are strikingly similar to the way that we get God in our lives ==> How to get GOD!!!!
- “Wash thyself therefore”
- Isaiah 1:16, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
- “and anoint thee”
- Matthew 6:17, “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;”
- “and put thy raiment upon thee”
- Zechariah 3:4, “And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
- “and get thee down to the floor”
- Psalms 51:11, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”
- “but make not thyself known unto the man until he shall have done eating and drinking”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
- “And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie”
- Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
- “and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down”
- Luke 8:41, “And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:”
- “and he will tell thee what thou shalt do”
- Psalms 25:5, “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”
- “Wash thyself therefore”
- What makes these instructions powerful?
- 1The instructions were in accordance with Judaic customs and laws. è Obey God’s Commandments
- Solomon obeyed God!
- 1Kings 6:12, “Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: “
- We are to obey God as His children!
- John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”
- Solomon obeyed God!
- 2They were done in secret…apart from everyone else
- Set apart from everyone else…done like no one else
- Leviticus 20:7, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”
- John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
- We are to communicate with God in the same way
- Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
- Set apart from everyone else…done like no one else
- 3They got his attention
- As we say, “She got into his head” or “Boaz’ nose was wide open after Ruth”
- In the same way, WE NEED GOD’S ATTENTION!!!
- As Daniel 9:17 exemplifies, “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.”
- “Getting a prayer through”
- Psalms 143:1, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”
- “Pray and pray right”
- 2Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
- 4Ruth was RESPECTFULLY received as his point of interest!
- As Boaz said in Ruth 3:11”…I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman”
- But it has with conditions! It’s a two way street!
- As Hosea said in Hosea 3:3, “And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.”
- God has conditions!
- 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
- 1The instructions were in accordance with Judaic customs and laws. è Obey God’s Commandments
Conclusion:
- The final critical element of Ruth’s instructions is that Ruth WAITED on her reward à Can we wait?
Ruth 3:18, “Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.”
- Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- Once you get the “Man from Galilee”, your needs will be met!!!
- Psalms 121:4, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
- God won’t let you down!
- If we will BE STILL, God will take care of everything!
As Grandmama said, “You will find a mate when you stop looking for one!”
- Psalms 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
- Story of the lifeguard….
- Man drowning, kicking and screaming
- Lifeguard called but won’t move
- Man still kicking and screaming
- Lifeguard won’t move
- Man stops kicking an screaming
- Lifeguard goes out and saves him
Why? –> Kicking would drown them both…
You have to allow yourself to be saved and stop trying to save yourself
#228
