So
she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another;
and he said, "Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing
floor." Again he said, "Give me the cloak that is on you and hold
it." So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on
her. Then she went into the city. When she came to her mother-in-law, she said,
"How did it go, my daughter?" And she told her all that the man had
done for her.
Hush--don’t tell anyone! Doesn’t that just want to
make you tell someone? Human nature is to talk to others and tell them what is
happening. That could be considered breaking a promise or even forsaking
someone. That is not an honorable thing—and out of respect Boaz workers who may
have seen Ruth leaving the threshing floor would have not said anything, just
as Boaz requested.
Six measures of barley. It is hard to define just
what measure of barley. It could be six armfuls or six ephahs which would equal
between one and almost seven bushels or between 60 and 300 pounds of grain.
That would be too much for Ruth to carry home, so it is safe to assume that it
was likely not over 50 pounds of grain. Boaz put it in her cloak and she
carried it home, probably balancing it on her head as she walked along the
path, the road back to the city of Bethlehem. Possibly along the same pathway
that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem more than a thousand years later.
What pathway, road or street do you travel regularly that your offspring will
one day also travel?
How did it go? Naomi was anxious to hear about
Ruth’s adventure to the threshing floor—to hear if Boaz accepted her proposal
for redemption. Naomi knew that Boaz decision would also affect her. It was the
land that her husband had once owned that would be transfer to Boaz, along with
the hand of Ruth, Naomi’s sweet daughter-in-law. Surely Naomi would be taken
care of, too—she would not be left behind in poverty to glean the fields the
rest of her live. As Ruth relayed the story of watching Boaz and the her secret
trip to the threshing floor, uncovering his feet, and then his answer to her
proposal for Boaz to cover her—to redeem her, Naomi hung on to every word. Ruth
had listened to Naomi, and now Naomi listened to Ruth.
How often do we listen to each other? To hear
intently just what the other person is saying. “Uh-huh. Yah” “OK—but what did
you say?” Can we put down our phones, turn off the iPad, iTunes, TV and really
listen? Listen. I have something to tell you. I care about you. I care about
Jesus—He is a part, a very important part of my life and I want to share Him
with you. Will you listen? Spiritually we have to listen to God speaking to
us—in His word, reading and meditating on it. Will we listen? What is keeping
you from listening today?
Lord, help us to
hear You speak to us, help us to listen and obey Your word and to live in the
way that we should.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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