God’s longing to redeem the repentant and surrendered heart is amazing, as we can see in Ruth chapter 3. The end of the barley harvest is at hand, and Boaz is at the threshing floor celebrating the harvest. Naomi tells Ruth to go to the threshing celebration, and when she discovers where Boaz is sleeping, to uncover his feet and lie down there. In the middle of the night he woke up startled to discover a woman lying as his feet. Discovering who she was, she asked him to spread his covering over her, since she was a kinsman redeemer. This was her way of asking him for redemption and revival, and the union, and fullness that comes with it. Instead of rebuking her, he tells her, in verse 10, that she’s showing kindness to him by asking him to redeem her life. In verse 11 he tells her to not be afraid and that he would do for her whatever she asked. We have such a warped view of God. We believe somehow that if we come to him with our sins and our brokenness, He will reject us out of frustration and disappointment, because He is so perfect. The truth is, nothing makes Him so happy as to see someone broken, and repentant lying at His feet on the spiritual threshing floor, asking for redemption and fullness. Whenever we come to Him with our sin, and our brokenness, not only do we not encounter disgust in His heart, He actually thanks us. Our renewed repentance and surrender is the gift that we bring to Him that He treasures the most, for He is then able remove those things that come between us. On the threshing floor we were told in verse 7, that this night at the threshing floor was a celebration, and that Boaz’s heart was merry. Doesn’t the scripture tell us that whenever someone who’s been in sin, whether the lost or the saved, repents, all of Heaven throws a party. Repentance, and surrender, happens in an environment of joy, merriment, and great celebration, not reinforced guilt and shame. Remember how the father treated the return of the Prodigal son.
