The book of Ruth is a powerful story of brokenness and redemption. It is a lens through which we can see the whole biblical story. In Ruth, we see the plight of all people and God’s gracious solution. The book of Ruth is more than a story of God’s help in difficult times, though it is surely that. It is a story of God working out his plan of salvation in and through the daily details of the lives of ordinary people. This is the third study in a series of four studies. If you have not read the first two, you might want to go back and read them before you read this one.
The book has four chapters which are four episodes in the whole story of the book. Each episode has three scenes. In the first episode, we find the problem confronting Naomi’s family; in the fourth episode, we see God’s solution. Episodes two and three connect the problem of episode one to the solution of episode four. In episode two, Ruth meets Boaz in his barley field. He is impressed with her kindness and loyal love for Naomi. He cares for her and protects her as she gleans in his field to provide food for herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. We also saw in episode two that Naomi knew that Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer.
Now, in episode three, we see the story moving forward to its resolution. In this episode, Naomi and Ruth are again making plans. This time Naomi advises Ruth how to approach Boaz at the threshing floor after he has finished threshing the grain and is celebrating. Ruth gets dressed up and goes to the threshing floor to meet Boaz. As Naomi had instructed her, she uncovers the feet of the sleeping Boaz and lays beside him. When the cool night air on his feet wakes him sometime later that night, he is startled to see Ruth there. She then calls on him to fulfill his kinsman redeemer responsibility. No funny business is going on here. This is a custom to call on a man to do the right thing. Boaz reassures her that he will take responsibility and be her kinsman-redeemer. In the morning, Ruth returns home and relates the story to Naomi. She knows Boaz will do the right thing according to the word of God.
This episode has three scenes, as do all four episodes. In the first scene (3:1-5), we see the principle that we must act on divine provision. God promises to provide for us. We can cast all our cares on him because he cares for us. But often, we must act on the provision of God to realize the blessing of that provision. Naomi instructs Ruth how to call Boaz to be the kinsman-redeemer God is calling him to be. Faith is not only passive but active. It acts on what God is doing. Ruth must step out in faith.
In the second scene (3:6-15), we see the principle that a call to spiritual integrity requires a response of spiritual integrity. When someone has the spiritual integrity to call another to take the action God is calling them to, then they must also display spiritual integrity and answer the call. Ruth has faith in the Lord and a focus on his plan, so she is willing to take the risk of confronting Boaz with his responsibility to the will of God. Why is it Boaz’s responsibility to redeem Ruth and Naomi? Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer, and under the law of God, he must obey the call to redeem. He pledges he will do so, demonstrating his spiritual integrity.
In scene three (3:16-18), we see the principle that a person of spiritual integrity will take responsibility to fulfill God’s will. When Ruth reports to Naomi that Boaz has pledged to be the kinsman-redeemer, Naomi knows that he will follow through on his promise that very day. A person’s character is known by their actions. Boaz is a man of godly character. Boaz shows his character by sending Ruth home with six measures of barley for her and Naomi.
The central teaching of the third episode is that of spiritual integrity. But what is spiritual integrity? Simply stated, spiritual integrity is the character to do what is right according to the word of God, even in the face of risks that can have great costs. Spiritual integrity, then, is living by a God-centered standard of values. A believer’s life is defined by the truth of God’s word, not by their desires or the world. Ruth and Boaz both demonstrate spiritual integrity. But what do we see in Ruth and Boaz that reveals their spiritual integrity? There are four marks of spiritual integrity that were in Ruth and Boaz that should be in all believers: (1) Humility, (2) Obedience, (3) Wisdom (4) Faith.
First, there is the character trait of humility. Both Ruth and Boaz are humble. They don’t promote themselves or push their agenda. They were really oriented to God’s grace in their lives. Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Truly humbling ourselves is not easy because it pushes against a person’s natural inclination towards pride. Being humble is achieved not by trying to be more humble but by killing our pride. Pride comes easily for us all, but humility is more difficult. It has been said that being humble is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. A person of spiritual integrity is a humble person.
The second character trait of spiritual integrity is obedience. Both Ruth and Boaz were very much more concerned with living out the word of God than their own desires. The heart of obedience considers the will of God to be of much greater importance than one’s own personal will. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The love of Jesus is intimately connected to obedience. Therefore, obedience is recognizing that Jesus is Lord and responding with glad surrender.
The third character trait of spiritual integrity is wisdom. True wisdom is seeing life from a godly biblical perspective rather than a worldly one. Both Ruth and Boaz clearly saw what needed to be done. Their understanding of the situation was informed by God’s will, not their own. Wisdom usually does not come quickly but is developed over time by the struggle to live out God’s word in all of life. Wisdom is often hammered out on the anvil of adversity. The wise person learns from their mistakes as well as their successes.
The fourth character trait of spiritual integrity is faith. Faith is having the courage to trust God with life. Both Ruth and Boaz step out in faith and trust the Lord. There were real risks involved. Either of them could have moved in a different direction. They believed that God was at work. The book of Ruth is more than a love story, though it is that too. It is a story of people trusting God with the challenges and opportunities of life. Something is more important than what we want.
So, just as God called Ruth and Boaz to spiritual integrity, he likewise calls us to the same. We live in a different time and in a different culture, but it is the same truth we seek to live to fulfill God’s plan in our lives. But we can’t do it in our own strength. We need the power of God in his word and his Spirit. It is available to us by faith, just as it was to Ruth and Boaz.