Ruth Chapter 3

Ruth 3
Hidden in the Night, Held by the Light

  1. Setting the Lamp on Context
    The harvest season has ended. Piles of barley lie on the threshing floor outside Bethlehem, where cool evening breezes help winnow grain. Naomi, widowed and once bitter, now begins to hope (cf. 2 : 20). She sees in Boaz—her late husband’s kinsman—not only a generous landowner but also a possible “go’el,” a family redeemer (Leviticus 25 : 25; Deuteronomy 25 : 5-10). In Hebrew, גֹּאֵ֣ל (go’el) is more than a legal term. It names the one who rescues relatives from debt, slavery, or the danger of an extinguished family line. Behind the word echoes God’s own voice: “I am the LORD … your Redeemer” (Isaiah 43 : 14, New International Version).

  2. Naomi’s Audacious Plan (3 : 1-5)
    Naomi gives Ruth three imperatives: wash, anoint, dress in your best cloak. Western readers might picture flirtation; ancient readers heard something else. Ruth has worn mourning clothes for nearly a year. Changing garments signals that her season of grief is over and she is available for marriage (cf. 2 Samuel 12 : 20). Naomi’s strategy requires stealth because threshing floors were public, unroofed spaces where workers slept beside their grain. Late-night visits could be misunderstood, yet Naomi trusts Boaz’s integrity.

Literary note: The author weaves suspense with repetition—“go down … uncover … lie down”—while withholding outcomes until dawn. Hebrew narrative often unfolds like a slow-turning camera, building tension by detail.

Cross-reference: Song of Songs 3 : 1-4 (another nocturnal search for a beloved).

  1. Ruth’s Midnight Petition (3 : 6-9)
    Ruth obeys Naomi “in every detail,” yet at the key moment she adds her own words: “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a redeemer” (3 : 9, literal Hebrew). The word for “corner” is כָּנָף (kanaf), also translated “wing.” Earlier Boaz blessed Ruth that she might find refuge under God’s “wings” (2 : 12). Now Ruth asks Boaz to become the living answer to his own prayer.
    Cultural window: To “uncover the feet” sounds odd to us. In the Ancient Near East, servants often warmed masters’ feet, but here the act wakes Boaz gently. Some commentators note that “feet” can be a euphemism for sexual parts (as in Isaiah 6 : 2). Yet the narrative’s careful phrasing, public setting, and Boaz’s immediate praise for Ruth’s virtue push the balance toward chastity. The scene is bold, not illicit.

  2. Boaz’s Redeeming Oath (3 : 10-15)
    Boaz responds with blessing, commitment, and provision:
    • Blessing – “You have shown more kindness (hesed) now than before.” Hesed—covenant loyalty—lies at the theological heart of Ruth.
    • Commitment – “As surely as the LORD lives I will do it.” He invokes God’s name, turning legal duty into a vow of worship.
    • Provision – six measures of barley (about 60–80 lb) placed into Ruth’s shawl. The gift prefigures a fuller gift—marriage and lineage culminating in David, and ultimately in Christ (Matthew 1 : 5-6).

Careful readers notice a legal wrinkle: another relative is closer. The story honors both desire and due process, showing how God’s purposes move within, not against, rightful order.

  1. Dawn, Waiting, and Trust (3 : 16-18)
    Ruth returns before daylight—reputation guarded, faith intact. Naomi’s closing counsel, “Wait … the man will not rest,” mirrors God’s waiting people throughout Scripture (Psalm 37 : 7; Isaiah 64 : 4).

  2. Threads Woven Through Scripture
    • Redemption: The kinsman-redeemer foreshadows Christ, our elder Brother who buys us out of bondage (Galatians 4 : 4-5; Hebrews 2 : 11-15).
    • Covering: Kanaf imagery later blossoms in Ezekiel 16 : 8, where God spreads His garment over Jerusalem. Jesus echoes it when a woman touches “the fringe [kanaf] of his cloak” (Matthew 9 : 20, English Standard Version)—seeking shelter under Messianic wings.
    • Inclusion: A Moabite enters Israel’s royal line, pointing to the Gentile inclusion celebrated in Ephesians 2 : 12-13.

  3. Echoes from Church History
    • Irenaeus saw in Boaz a type of Christ who “took to Himself the outcasts of the nations.”
    • Augustine marveled that Ruth’s story proves “God’s hidden hand in the ordinary,” cautioning believers not to despise small beginnings.
    • Reformers used Ruth 3 to teach vocation: faithful labor, moral courage, and respect for lawful custom all participate in divine providence.

  4. Archaeological Glimpses
    Stone-lined threshing floors from Iron-Age Judah dot the Judean hills today, often near caves that served as temporary shelters. Perfumed oil flasks (alabastron jars) from the same era, found at Tel Batash and Beth-Shemesh, confirm that scented anointing was common and affordable for village women—Naomi’s instructions are realistic, not extravagant.

  5. Heart Reflections

  1. A holy boldness. Ruth risks misunderstanding to step into God’s next chapter. Where might fear of gossip keep us from faithful obedience?
  2. Waiting that works. Naomi’s “sit still” is not passivity; she has planned, prayed, and now trusts. Can we rest after responsible action?
  3. Embodied prayers. Boaz becomes the answer to his own intercession (2 : 12). Sometimes God invites us to be the wings we ask Him to spread.

Suggested Hymn
“Jesus, Lover of My Soul” (Charles Wesley, 1740). Note the line, “Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, / Till the storm of life is past; / Safe into the haven guide, / O receive my soul at last.” The image of shelter beneath Christ’s wings echoes Ruth’s plea beneath Boaz’s cloak.

For Further Reading Today
• Psalm 91 (shelter under wings)
• Isaiah 54 : 4-8 (the LORD as husband-redeemer)
• 1 Peter 2 : 9-12 (honorable conduct among unbelievers)

Closing Prayer
Redeeming God,
Thank You for spreading Your garment of grace over us in Jesus. Teach us the courage of Ruth, the integrity of Boaz, the patient hope of Naomi. May we become living answers to our own prayers, offering shelter to the weary and honor to Your name.
In the strong name of our Kinsman-Redeemer we pray. Amen.

Narrated version of this devotional on Ruth Chapter 3