Then he said, "May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning."
Do you know anyone who is known as “A Woman of Excellence”? Proverbs 31 gives us a glimpse of such a woman. An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life… Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.(NASB, verses 10-13 and 25-30) I like to think this passage is descriptive of Ruth—and what her life may have been after she married Boaz. She certainly raises the bar for all women.
Today is my 44th wedding anniversary—so I personally would like to think that I have attained at least a small level of this woman of excellence status—but I am only human and know my own weaknesses. I’m not there yet! It gives me a goal for which to strive—to reach, but not with my own strength. I am reminded that it is only in Christ’s strength that I can ever attain such a goal. A friend of mine’s favorite verse is Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Holding up her hands she calls it her ten finger verse—one word for each of her ten fingers. And with her hands in the air, she glorifies God, who gives her strength to do all things. Like Ruth, she is an amazing woman of excellence!
Do not fear—Boaz was once again protecting and honoring Ruth. By asking him to cover her, she has “asked” him to be her goel, her savior, her husband. It was so important in that time to have a husband and family for their hope of immortality is in having offspring. Now Boaz is going to “redeem” Ruth, if her closer relative will not redeem her. He didn’t escort her home in the dark of the night, but told her to lie down and that he would take care of this situation in the morning. What a man of honor Boaz is! Just lie down and rest and let me do the worrying, the arranging. She would be safe. A woman didn't feel safe in that society without a man to watch over her and her household.
We depend on Christ for our spiritual salvation, for our hope and future safety. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and He gave His life that we might have eternal life with Him For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17 NASB. The redemption that Jesus provides for us was foretold in the redemption of Ruth by Boaz, with love, honor, respect and full devotion.
Just as Ruth was saved by Boaz...and the world was preserved with Noah's Ark...we are saved by Jesus' redeeming blood shed for us. It is all linked together with God's love. (Noah's Ark in the Netherlands.) 
Dear Jesus, Thank you for being our Savior, for redeeming us from a world of fear, weakness and chaos. Thank you for the strength and hope we have in You.
Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
Daniel and his friends ate well at the King's table in Babylon--but they didn't eat rich foods. They chose to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. We should do the same.
When I was growing up we picked fresh gooseberries at my Grandparents' home--picking enough for them and for us. Then we'd hurry back to our house so Mom could bake a fresh pie for supper that night. Fresh gooseberries are best baked in a pie. Although Daniel probably would not have eaten this, I offer you my Mom's recipe for Gooseberry Pie.
Gooseberry Pie
1 double shell pie crust pastry
4 cups gooseberries (stems & blossom ends removed)
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
Place gooseberries in a bowl. Blend sugar, flour, salt together and mix through the gooseberries. Pour into pastry lined pie plate. Dot with butter. Add top crust and seal. Bake at 425 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
Enjoy!
Adapted from June 24, 2012 – Banquet With The King.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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