“I’m sure you are mistaken. Boaz loves you. Didn’t I tell you so before I sent you to him?”
“He scarcely looks at me. He hasn’t touched me since . . .” She shook her head, disheartened. She swallowed hard and continued bluntly. “Boaz has succeeded in performing his duty as our relative, Mother.”
“Ah,” Naomi said, her eyes revealing her understanding.
Ruth glanced away. What of Boaz’s inheritance? If he died without additional sons, all of his property, as well as Mahlon’s, would go to Obed. A good and loving man like Boaz deserved sons to carry on his own name.
He withheld himself from her in so many ways, and she longed to know everything about him. She wanted to share his thoughts, his pain, his struggles, his hope. But he seemed to retreat to his work, his obligations to the people of Bethlehem, his service to the Lord, anything and everything that kept him away from his own home—and his own wife. Yet how could she complain? Everyone benefited. Boaz’s good deeds extended to everyone, including her and Naomi. He poured himself out for her sake and Naomi’s and expected nothing for himself. He didn’t seem to expect—or even want—her love.
Ruth felt confined, trapped in silence. She was so confused, her emotions in such turmoil. She hadn’t felt this uncertainty when she left Moab. She had come to Bethlehem, content to spend the rest of her life taking care of her beloved mother-in-law. Instead, God had taken her beneath His mighty wing and provided for her through the kindness of Boaz. Why should she, the lowest of the low in Bethlehem, a foreigner, be elevated before all eyes and made the wife of the kindest, most generous, most righteous man in all the city? She rejoiced daily over the blessings God had poured upon her, even while feeling increasingly unworthy of them.
So why this unending sorrow? How dare she ask for more? And yet . . . how she longed to make her husband happy!
Oh, Boaz, my Boaz!
She spent her days waiting for him to return home. She melted when he smiled at her, even if it was a fatherly smile. Just the sound of his voice made her heart sing. When he touched her, she trembled.
But Boaz was at home less and less. And she could think of only one reason why he would absent himself so much of the time. He could not return her feelings and felt uncomfortable in her company. For surely he had sensed how deeply she loved him.
She had prayed that God would make her content to spend the rest of her life on the periphery of her husband’s life, content in his contentment. She wanted to be a part of Boaz’s life, wanted him to trust her enough to share his struggles and triumphs, wanted to be part of him. But it seemed that Boaz didn’t share her desire.
“What is it, my daughter?” Naomi said, holding Ruth’s hand between her own. “What is causing you such grief?”
“I love him. I love him so much it hurts.” She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone, even Mahlon.
“And you haven’t told him.”
“I don’t want to embarrass him.”
“Embarrass him? Is it better if he thinks he’s failed as a husband?”
Ruth drew back. “He hasn’t failed!”
“Anyone can see you’re unhappy.”
“Because he stays away, Mother.” She rose from her loom and moved away, restless. “Because he’s never home.”
“My dearest Ruth, a man who marries late in life has little knowledge of how a woman thinks, let alone a young woman in love. He probably stays away because he believes it will make you happy.”
Ruth blinked and looked back at Naomi. She’d never considered that.
“Boaz is only a man, my dear, and men are not always as strong as they portray themselves. I imagine Boaz thinks of himself as a much older man than his lovely young wife, too old for her to love. You could crush his heart with a word.”
“I want to make him happy.”
Naomi smiled. “Then accept this old woman’s blessing, and do so.”
* * *
Naomi was not content to leave things as they were. Her daughter-in-law had been bold once for her sake, but Naomi doubted she would have the confidence to reach out and grab hold of anything for herself. Naomi left the house soon after speaking with Ruth. She said she was going to visit a sick friend. She made her way straight to the city gate, where she knew she would find Boaz. He was there, as usual, and in his usual place. He saw her coming and looked troubled, even more so when she beckoned him. With a word to the other chief men, he rose and came to her. “Is something wrong?”
“All is well,” she said.
“Then why do you look the way you do?”
“What way do I look?”
“Like a woman ready to do battle.”
He was blind only when it came to his young wife. “Can we walk together and talk somewhere that people won’t be listening to our every word and watching our every move?”
Frowning, Boaz fell into step beside her, matching his pace to hers as she walked out of Bethlehem. She said nothing for a long time. Let him stew and wonder. Let him ask.
“Did Ruth send you?”
“No, she didn’t send me. I came of my own accord. Someone has to light a fire under you.”
“A fire?”
She stopped and looked up at him. “There are times when a man can safely put his heart above his head, Boaz.”
He stepped away uneasily. “What are you talking about, Naomi?”
“What do you think I’m talking about? You love her, don’t you?” The color that poured into his face was all the answer she needed. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “When do you intend to tell her you married her for reasons other than honor and legal obligations?”
“She knows,” he said dully.
Naomi threw her arms in the air. “And how would the girl know?” She paced back and forth in front of him. “You managed to stay home with her for the seven days of the wedding celebration, but then you dove back into your life as usual. You spend every waking hour overseeing things your overseer gets paid to oversee. And if you’re not about your own business, you’re tending everyone else’s business at the gate. You treat Ruth like a guest in your house! She is your wife!”
She stopped reproaching him, satisfied with his stunned look. She pulled her shawl tightly around her and glared up at him. “I knew about Rishon, Boaz. Did you think I could spend a whole month in Bethlehem and not know about every living relative and friend I’d left behind? I didn’t want Rishon to have Ruth! Would he hold her in the esteem you do? Would he love her? I watched you sitting at the city gate, and I saw the way you looked at my daughter-in-law when she was coming in from your fields. And I praised God for you and the feelings you had for her! That’s why I sent Ruth to you. I sent her to you because you loved her.”
“Yes, I love her,” he said roughly. “And now you have a son to carry on Elimelech’s name. What more do you want from me, Naomi?” He turned away and raked a hand back through his hair.
She let out her breath. Compassion filled her, along with an aching regret. “I want you to be happy, Boaz. I want you to accept the gift I gave you.”
“I have accepted Ruth.”
“No, you haven’t.”
He turned and looked at her, his eyes dark with pain. “Her son will have everything I own. Is that not acceptance? Does that not show how highly I esteem her—and you?”
“Ruth is in love with you, Boaz.”
He stared at her. “What?” She’d never seen a man look more astounded. “What did you say?”
“I said . . . Ruth . . . is . . . in . . . love . . . with you.” She spoke slowly, as she would to a child slow to understand.
“She can’t be.”
“Why?” Though it would hurt, she needed to speak plainly. “Because I was blind to your beauty? And you are beautiful, Boaz, beautiful in all the ways that count, all the ways that last. Ruth sees you more clearly than I ever did, my dear, dear friend. Now, it’s you who must open your eyes and see the girl you married.”
�
��Should I believe the impossible?”
“Is anything impossible with God? I have prayed for this to happen. I know a dozen others who have prayed as well. Half of Bethlehem prays for you and Ruth! Does God not hear our prayers? Do you know how many people in Bethlehem watch and wait for the Lord to bring the greatest blessing of all upon you both? Love. And now He has.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“You can say this with the same mouth that praises God who performs miracles? I know of what I speak. I left her, weeping, not long ago.”
“Weeping?”
“Because you’re never home where you belong.”
He stood a moment, silent, and then he laughed, amazed.
It was good to hear him laugh, even better to see the light in his eyes, a light she had never seen shine so brightly.
His smile softened, his eyes searching hers. “It is strange, isn’t it, Naomi? I loved you once.”
“And I was a thoughtless, shallow, young girl.” She came close and put her hand upon his arm. “Now I’m your mother-in-law,” she said with a sly grin. She gave his arm a playful slap. “So show some respect for an old woman. Go home, my son. Go home to my daughter, Ruth, who loves the ground you walk on.”
Boaz leaned down and kissed her cheek. “May God bless you, Naomi,” he said hoarsely.
Naomi watched him stride away. She shook her head in wonder that Ruth and Boaz could have so little confidence in themselves. Ah, but they had unshaken faith in God. And that was a good thing. No, it was the best thing of all. For God would never disappoint them.
Turning her back, Naomi blinked back tears as she looked out over the harvested fields. She thought of Elimelech. She thought of Kilion and Mahlon and ached with her losses. And yet, she thanked God as well, for despite their many sins, as well as her own, their names would not die out after all.
* * *
Boaz’s throat was tight, his heart pounding, as he entered the house. “Ruth?”
“I’m here!” She sounded surprised. When he entered the main chamber, he saw her rise and step out from behind her loom, tense and wide-eyed. “Boaz.” She blushed. “You’re home early.”
“Do you mind?”
“Oh, no. Of course not.”
He walked toward her, searching her face. Her cheeks were deeper pink than usual. Her eyes widened even more as he came closer. She lowered her head. Was he making her uncomfortable? She reached out and fingered the cloth she was weaving, then put her hand quickly at her side. He’d never seen her more nervous. But then, she was no less nervous than he.
“Have you spoken to Naomi?” Her voice was strangely constricted.
“Yes, though I can scarcely believe what she said.”
She looked up at him. “What did she say?”
He was afraid of saying too much, so he said cautiously, “She said . . . you wanted to speak with me.” This time there was no doubting the color in her cheeks. “I apologize. I’ve embarrassed you. I think she misunderstood, or I did, or—”
She interrupted. “No. I hoped she would talk to you.”
He stared at her. “You’ve only to say what you wish, Ruth. Obed can have my portion.”
“You have land enough for many sons, Boaz.”
His heart began to pound.
Her smile was shy after saying something so bold. But she wasn’t finished. She stepped closer, looking him full in the face. “I would give you as many sons and daughters as you and God will allow.”
“Oh, my love.” Her eyes flickered in surprise and then filled with so much hope that he no longer doubted her feelings. He gave a soft laugh. “When I heard people talking about you, when you and Naomi first arrived, I knew you were something very special. And then when you came to my field . . . it gave me pause that a man of my age could be so stirred.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him, crying. Perplexed, he held her closer. She was trembling and weeping. What had he said to bring on such grief? Breathing in the incense of her hair, he thought of the night she had come to him on the threshing floor. She had worn perfume then, but he preferred her as she was now. She smelled like springtime, and she made him feel young again. “What can I say or do to make you happy?”
“I am happy!”
“But you’re weeping.”
“Yes, I am, aren’t I?” She looked up and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’ve never been more happy! I want to laugh and sing and dance, all because you love me.”
He laughed with her, relishing the outpouring of her feelings. “I would have spoken sooner if you had given me some small hint of your own feelings.”
“How could I, when I was convinced you would be embarrassed?”
“So. Are you going to tell me now that you fell in love with me at first sight?”
“No, but I admired you from the first day when you were so kind to me.”
“Like a father,” he said dryly.
“Only because you persisted in calling me ‘daughter.’”
He cupped her cheek tenderly. “I had to remind myself daily that I was too old for you, and that it was far from appropriate for me to feel the way I did.”
“So I had to come to you and propose on the threshing floor.”
“And you wouldn’t have done so if Naomi hadn’t pressed you into it.”
“I’m glad she did. May the Lord bless her forever for it!” Ruth shook her head and let out her breath softly, her smile softening. “I never thought I could love another as I did Mahlon, and what I feel for you now is so much more. Oh, Boaz, God is merciful! He is kind and generous.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gazed up at him with adoring eyes.
Boaz cupped her face and drank in the sight of her love. “The Lord is all that and more, my love.” Oh, Lord God, You amaze me! Never would I have dared dream of having such a treasure as this.
Leaning down, Boaz kissed Ruth with all the love he had stored for a lifetime.
* * *
And the women were saying . . .
“I thought she was pretty before, but even more so now. Have you ever seen a more beautiful woman than Ruth?”
“It’s love that’s done it.”
“It’s the clothes. It’s got to be the clothes. Anyone can be beautiful when you’re married to the richest man in town.”
“If you put sackcloth on that girl, she’d still shine.”
“She’s a lamp on a stand.”
“Have you seen the way she looks at Boaz?”
“Have you seen the way he looks at her?”
The women giggled.
“I should be so lucky.”
“Naomi must be proud of her matchmaking.”
“A word here, a nudge there.”
“Boaz didn’t need much prodding.”
“Are any among us more deserving? Has anyone been more generous to the poor than Boaz?”
“Has anyone shown more devotion to her mother-in-law than Ruth?”
“Ah, but it is God who has poured His blessings upon them.”
“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
* * *
And the men were saying . . .
“I rejoice at our brother’s happiness!”
“As do we all, brother!”
“Boaz waited a long time for the Lord to answer his prayer.”
“A good wife is more precious than rubies.”
“Beauty doesn’t last.”
“True, but Ruth is a young woman who fears God and respects her husband.”
“And loves him. Anyone with eyes can see.”
“She is to be highly praised.”
“May our brother’s household increase.”
“May their sons be like Boaz, and their daughters like Ruth!”
“From your mouth to God’s ears.”
And the assembly at the gate all said, “Amen!”
EPILOGUE
This is the family tree of Boaz, beginning with his ancestor Perez: Pe
rez (whose mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David, who became king of Israel. And from the line of King David came the Christ, the anointed One of God, Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
SEEK AND FIND
Dear reader,
You have just read the story of Ruth as perceived by one author. Is this the whole truth about the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz? Jesus said to seek and you will find the answers you need for life. The best way to find the truth is to look for yourself!
This “Seek and Find” section is designed to help you discover the story of Ruth as recorded in the Bible. It consists of six short studies that you can do on your own or with a small discussion group.
You may be surprised to learn that this ancient story will have applications for your life today. No matter where we live or in what century, God’s Word is truth. It is as relevant today as it was yesterday. In it we find a future and a hope.
Peggy Lynch
DECLARATIONS
SEEK GOD’S WORD FOR TRUTH
Read the following passage:
In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a man from Bethlehem in Judah left the country because of a severe famine. He took his wife and two sons and went to live in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. During their stay in Moab, Elimelech died and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her husband or sons.
Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.
But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes instead of coming with me. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
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