Waiting for Redemption: Lessons from the Threshing Floor in Ruth 3
Have you ever waited for something so long that when it finally happened, you weren’t sure if it was actually worth the wait? We’ve all been there—the long line at the DMV, the slow climb toward a promotion, or even just waiting for a pot of water to boil. But in the Christian life, waiting is rarely wasted time. As the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”
This post walks us through Ruth chapter 3, titled “Waiting for Redemption.” This chapter moves the story from the barley fields of chapter 2 to the threshing floor, where Ruth makes a life-altering decision to trust her future to a Redeemer.
Bible-Informed Plans
In Ruth 3, we see Naomi acting as a mentor to Ruth. She wasn’t just giving romantic advice; she was providing Bible-informed counseling. She taught Ruth the customs of the Torah and directed her steps toward Boaz, their “kinsman redeemer.”
We all need “life coaching” rooted in the Word of God. Whether it’s a major career move or a relationship struggle, our decisions should be informed by the “multitude of counselors” found in Scripture.
“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness… teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” — Titus 2:3-4
The Role of Mentorship:
- Mentors are personal teachers: They help us recognize and solve problems according to the Word of God.
- Counsel establishes purpose: As Solomon wrote, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22).
Faith in a Person
Ruth demonstrated incredible faith—not just in a system, but in a person. When she approached Boaz at the threshing floor, she asked him to “spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman” (Ruth 3:9).
The word “skirt” or “wing” is the same word used in chapter 2 when Boaz commended her for trusting under the wings of Jehovah. Ruth was essentially saying, “Boaz, I am seeking the Lord’s protection through you.”
We exercise faith in people daily:
- Aviation: We trust pilots and mechanics.
- Medicine: We trust pharmacists to fill the right bottle.
- Engineering: We trust that 100-year-old concrete in the Empire State Building will hold.
If we can trust fallible humans with our physical lives, how much more should we trust the Lord Jesus Christ with our eternal redemption? Boaz is a beautiful picture (a “type”) of Jesus—our ultimate Kinsman Redeemer who buys us back from the trauma and debt of sin.
Anticipation with Patience
After Boaz pledged to do the part of a kinsman, he sent Ruth home with six measures of barley—about 50 pounds of grain! This was a “promise token,” a sign that he was serious. Naomi’s advice to Ruth was simple but difficult: “Sit still, my daughter.”
“Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” — Ruth 3:18
We often struggle with impatience, trying to rush through life stages—graduation, marriage, career milestones. But there is a “patience of hope” that comes from knowing our Redeemer is already at work. He won’t rest until the work of redemption in your life is finished.
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” — Romans 15:4
Are You Redeemed?
The story of Ruth and Boaz is ultimately a love story about God and His people. Ruth, a Gentile foreigner, was brought into the family of God through a Redeemer. You too can be redeemed. Jesus purchased you with His own blood on the cross so that you could be a son or daughter of God.
The redeemed work, and then they wait. Are you waiting on God today? Trust His Word, seek Bible-informed counsel, and rest in the fact that your Redeemer is swift, strong, and faithful.
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