*Read Ruth 3:1-18
From the time I was young, I have had somewhat uncommon sleeping patterns. I have done some reading on the subject to see if my experience is similar to others or if there's something wrong with me, but I typically don't get as much sleep as is recommended. Most experts on the subject insist that we should get a solid eight hours of sleep per night. I admire those who succeed at doing that, but that's not a common duration of rest for me.
Most people in my home tend to go to bed around 10:30pm, but that's right about the time when I get an added boost of energy. Many of the books I've written, podcasts I've recorded, and websites I've developed were created between the hours of 11:00pm and 3:00am. I jokingly call those my "entrepreneurial hours", and once I finish working, I call it a night. Typically, I get four or five hours of sleep, then I get to work again. If I figure out how to change this about myself, I'll certainly try, but being that this has been the pattern I've followed for much of my life, I don't really expect it to drastically change any time soon.
Still, I will agree that rest is a very important thing. And when we're discussing rest, we're usually speaking of physical rest, but there's another form of rest we should value as well. Oftentimes, when Scripture speaks of rest, it's talking about the peace that comes when we know our greatest needs are being met. It speaks of a peace that passes understanding when we entrust our lives over to the compassionate care of Jesus. It references a confidence about our future knowing that our lives and our eternities are being securely held in the hands of our Creator.
When Naomi looked at her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she wanted Ruth to experience rest on the deepest level possible. Together, these women had endured the deaths of their husbands as well as the strain of seeking to establish a new life in a new location without their husbands' help. They had experienced weary and sorrow-filled days. Their hearts had been heavy and their bodies were exhausted. Naomi often wrestled with the thought that God was withholding His favor from her and her household. And in the midst of enduring this all, rest felt elusive.
Naomi strikes me as an others-centered person, and even though she didn't seem to hold out much hope for her own circumstances turning around in a drastic way, she remained emotionally invested in doing what she could to direct Ruth toward a better and more restful life. As she observed Ruth's character, loyalty, and faithfulness, she wanted to see her experience better days, and she remained dedicated to offering Ruth wisdom and direction to help facilitate this.
For a little while now, Ruth had been gleaning barley in the field that belonged to a man named Boaz. Boaz was a godly man who was related to Naomi's family. He treated Ruth well as she gleaned with his maidservants. He knew of her character and reputation and wanted to do his part to bless her, not only for her sake, but for Naomi's sake as well. As Naomi witnessed this taking place, she also saw an opportunity for Ruth to be taken care of for the rest of her life. Naomi began putting plans together to attempt to encourage marriage between Ruth and Boaz, even though Boaz was older and at a different season of life than Ruth.
Naomi knew that Boaz was going to be winnowing his barley at the threshing floor in the evening. She also knew he was going to be eating and sleeping there after a hard day's work. With this in mind, she instructed Ruth to wash up, anoint herself, find out where he fell asleep, then uncover his feet and lie there until he woke up. To many people, this might seem like a strange plan, but Ruth had great trust in Naomi and the counsel she gave, so she followed her directions to the letter. In fact, she replied to Naomi, "All that you say I will do." (Ruth 3:5).
Why do you suppose Naomi instructed Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet and wait there? I believe there's a variety of things being illustrated in this action, all of which would seem counter-cultural to many people today. In this action, I see a demonstration of humility on Ruth's part. I also see a visible expression of her dependence on Boaz's care and provision. Ruth demonstrated respect, submission, and trust in Boaz by doing this.
But imagine being Boaz, waking up at night, and discovering that this beautiful woman was laying there at your feet. At first, Boaz tried to make sense of what was going on. He wanted to know who this was and why she was there. Ruth told him it was her and she proposed marriage to him. I highly doubt Boaz was expecting that when he fell asleep on the threshing floor, but that's what he woke up to discover.
Upon discovering this, please observe how Boaz responded. First, he pronounced a blessing upon her because she didn't chase after younger men, even though she could have. Then he encouraged her not to fear because it was his intention to follow the directions to redeem her as outlined in Deuteronomy 25. Then, in the morning before the sun rose, he sent her back to Naomi along with six measures of barley as a gift. Ruth brought the barley back to Naomi, along with the news of what Boaz said, and Naomi replied, "Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today." (Ruth 3:18)
Ruth was instructed to wait. Do you enjoy waiting? I have to admit, waiting is one of the hardest things the Lord has ever asked me to do. Maybe you feel the same way, but the saying is true that "good things come to those who wait."
"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:13-14)
"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." (Lamentations 3:25)
"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." (James 5:7-8)
You will often find yourself in a spot where you're called to wait upon the Lord to act on your behalf. Waiting can be a challenging task, but it's a blessing at the same time. It is something the Lord uses to stretch our faith, develop our trust in Him, and remind us of our genuine hope. We who hope in Jesus Christ will not be disappointed. We're ultimately waiting for Him to return and restore all things, and we are closer to that day than we've ever been.
Ruth was being told to wait for Boaz to fulfill his promise, but there was no doubt in Naomi's mind that he would do so. As we wait for Christ to fulfill His promises, our confidence should mirror the kind of confidence Naomi had in the assurances Boaz gave to Ruth. Ruth was about to find the rest she sought, and the compassionate heart of God was going to facilitate her redemption and restoration through His servant, Boaz.
Jesus has promised us ultimate rest, redemption, and restoration, but while we wait for His promises to be fulfilled, we can easily grow impatient. Sometimes the Lord will bless us with reminders of our need for patience. A friend of mine is getting one of those reminders right now.
The other day, I was speaking to my friend Danny who is a missionary in the country of Burundi in East Africa. He just started serving there several weeks ago, and he's been finding it challenging to adjust to the pace of life in his new location. Danny admitted that he has the type of personality that appreciates taking action quickly, but now he's serving in a context where the pace of life is much more relaxed. As he attempts to serve in his new community, this has been one of his biggest struggles because he's an action-taker who seeks fast results. But the Lord is helping Danny to adjust. He's teaching him to rest and wait. It's a valuable, but difficult lesson to learn.
If we want to experience the peace of Christ as our Lord intends us to, we need to learn to rest and wait as well. In a very real way, we're in the same spot Ruth found herself in regarding her relationship with Boaz. Ruth demonstrated humility, dependence, respect, submission, and trust toward Boaz. In our rushing and striving, is our struggle to wait on the Lord an admission on our part that we find it difficult to respond to Him with those same five traits?
Are we struggling to find rest in Jesus because we're trying to elevate our timetable over His? When we do that, are we demonstrating humility or pride?
Are we struggling to find rest in Jesus because we'd rather depend on ourselves than give our hearts permission to depend on Him?
Are we struggling to find rest in Jesus because we care more about getting respect for ourselves than we care about showing respect toward Him?
Are we struggling to find rest in Jesus because there are areas of our lives that we would rather not submit to His lordship? And in that struggle, can we see that our desire for control is starting to control us while failing to give us the peace we could have been experiencing in Christ?
Are we struggling to find rest in Jesus because we aren't fully convinced He can be trusted to do what He promised to do? Do we trust ourselves more than Him? Do we trust our good intentions more than we trust His promises?
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Jesus is worthy of our trust, and in Him we will find rest for our souls. Don't spend the majority of your earthly journey trusting in yourself, fighting His plan, or rushing His timetable. Wait for Jesus to do what He promised. Remain joyfully expectant because He will "settle the matter" in just the right way and at just the right time.
© John Stange, 2022
