03/29/09
Speakers:
RUTH - Chapter 3:1-18
ACT 3 sci - Naomi and Ruth's home - BETHLEHEM, House of Bread.
1. Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I must find a husband for you so that you will have a home of your own. 2. Remember that this man Boaz, whose women you have been working with, is our relative. Now listen, he is going to be winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3. So bathe yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not let Boaz know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking." {Naomi's words reveal that BETHLEHEM is higher in elevation than the threshing floor. This gives the stage directions that the scenes in their home have to be higher than the fields and the threshing floor.} 4. Be sure to notice where he lies down. Later, after he has fallen asleep, go to him, and uncover his feet, and lie down there."
5. And Ruth said to Naomi, "I will do everything you tell me."
ACT 3 scii - Threshing floor
6. So Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had instructed. {The narrator's words give Ruth her instructions to move from the height of Bethlehem down to the threshing floor}.
7. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking {Boaz is doing this while Ruth is watching}, he was feeling good. He went to the end of the heap of grain and lay down to sleep. {Ruth waits as Naomi had instructed; Boaz can move from tossing and turning until he is quite still (asleep) }. Ruth slipped over quietly and softly uncovered his feet and lay down there as Naomi had instructed her.
8. In the middle of the night, Boaz was startled and bent forward, and was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet. {"startled and bent forward" gives Boaz his stage directions to do these things first and then actually jump up}.
9. And Boaz said, "Who are you?" and Ruth answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your robe of protection over me, for you are my kinsman-redeemer."
10. Then Boaz said, "May Adonai bless you, my daughter. You are showing even greater family loyalty in what you are doing now than in what you did for your mother-in-law. You might have gone looking for a young man, either rich or poor, but you have not done that. 11. Now, my daughter, don't be afraid. {Boaz lifts her up after he says, "afraid.} I will do whatever you ask, for all the city leaders among my people know that you are a woman of excellence, a woman of good character. 12. Yes, it is true. I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13. Stay here the rest of the night, and in the morning we will find out whether or not he will take full responsibility for you. If so, well and good; if not, then I swear by the Living God that I will take full responsibility. Now lie down and stay here 'til morning." {Boaz' instruction to tell Ruth to lie down give the stage direction that she had earlier arose from her sleeping position.}
14. So Ruth lay at his feet {This gives Ruth the stage direction to lie down again. It also gives Boaz the direction to cover her with his robe and lie back down with her at his feet. Both wait until morning.} And Ruth arose before it was light enough to see. {Ruth carefully folds the robe and places it where she had been sleeping. Boaz bends down to feel if she is still there and picks up his robe, holds it to his chest for a few seconds, then rises as well. He looks up with eyes open and prays,} "Don't let it be known." {Boaz' prayer with open eyes is to be a foreshadow of Jesus when he does the same and blesses the bread for the multitude, and it multiplies. Boaz then arises, walks to Ruth} and says, 15. "Take off your shawl and spread it out here on the floor." Ruth did as Boaz instructed, and he poured out at least 48 pounds of barley and helped her lift it to her shoulder. {These words give both Ruth and Boaz their stage directions.} Then Ruth walked back up to the city of Bethlehem. {Ruth is now carrying a bushel of barley which is about 48-50 pounds. She will not be walking as fast as she did when she came down from Bethlehem to the threshing floor empty handed. Ruth's walk back up the hill with this burden on her shoulder should foreshadow Mary's body when she was carrying the Messiah in her womb. The intensity should be like a woman in labor even though the weight is on her shoulder.}
{Boaz poured out 6 measures of barley which Ruth says is a bushel. A US dry measure bushel of barley is 48-50 pounds. What is this in kilograms?____}
ACT 3 sciii - BETHLEHEM, House of Bread
16. When Ruth arrived home, her mother-in-law, Naomi, asked her, "How did it go, my daughter?" and Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. {This is where Ruth moves the bundle of barley grain from her shoulder and holds it in front of her womb area as a pregnant woman would put her arms around her own body to hug the baby growing inside her.}
17. Ruth said, "He poured a bushel of barley into my shawl, and said, 'Don't go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'" {Ruth hands the bundle of barley to Ruth - remember - the baby image is a foreshadow of Ruth's son, Obed, father of Jesse, granfather to King David, the lineage through which the Messiah will be born onto the earth. This scene has the potential to deeply transform those listening/watching. Naomi places the bundle of barley in a corner of the room, and returns to Ruth and begins to rub Ruth's shoulders to show the effect of carrying the bundle of 48-50 pounds of barley. After Ruth does that, she places her hands around Ruth's face and looks into Ruth's eyes.}
18. Then Naomi said, "Be patient, my daughter, until you see how this all turns out. Boaz will not rest until he has settled this matter today."
In Christ, our only hope; Christ in us, our hope and unity in His glory,