In chapter 3:1-2 of Ruth, Naomi instructs Ruth to go to the threshing floor that night where Boaz would be winnowing the Barley. It is important to remember that the threshing floor always speaks of the place of repentance and surrender. At the threshing floor the grain is separated from the chaff. She tells Ruth in verse three “wash yourself therefore, anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he is finished eating and drinking, and it shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies , and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”
Through this gesture of lying down at Boaz’s feet Ruth will be asking him to redeem and restore her life. She will be asking him for union (marriage), and all the fullness that union with Boaz will bring.
This is one of the great chapters in the Bible. It is such an amazing story of the grace of God and His extraordinary ways. So many Christians are ignorant of the ways of God, and thus have a hard time participating in and celebrating His purposes.
It’s important for us to stop at this moment and remember where Ruth has come from. She is a Moabite, and thus worshiped false gods all of her life. She has also suffered great pain at a very young age, for her husband Mahlon tragically died early in their marriage. She was now in Bethlehem having embraced the God of Naomi, seeking His redemption, and fullness. Think about this; what if Mahlon had not died. Obviously, she would not have gone through the grief she had experienced, but she also would not of been positioned to marry the great Boaz. When she married Boaz she became a very influential, and famous person because of Boaz’s wealth and power. More importantly, because she was Boaz’s wife, she became the great, great, great, etc., grand mother of Jesus. It is a transforming discovery to realize that the mess that you are in, and maybe even help create, doesn’t disqualify you for abundance, but somehow, miraculously, positions you for the abundance you feared you forever forfeited. All it takes is a repentant and surrendered heart that will lie at the feet of Jesus at the threshing floor.
