For Miss Austen Part VII

I know that we have been a while getting here, but I hope that your patients will soon be rewarded. Naomi was right to say ". . . the man will not rest until he has settled it today." I have to say that the potential redeemer or the nearer kinsman lurking in the background has bothered me all along. I like him less the more I read about him. So, meet the villain of the story.

It was puzzling to see the way that Boaz, who is obviously emotionally invested in the outcome, deals with "such a one." Why would he start by offering the piece of land, and only then mention Ruth? Do you think his existence was a surprise to Naomi or to Ruth? Not at all. Bethlehem is a small town; couple that with this statement Boaz makes about Ruth, "for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman." That includes the would-be redeemer. Ruth has been gleaning since the barley harvest, early spring, all the way into the summer. So we see that he could have redeemed her all of this time; and not only that, we see that he could have redeemed her before Naomi and Ruth became so impoverished that she had to glean in the field.

Doesn't it make sense that this nearer kinsman would be more aware of their return to Bethlehem and their circumstances? Boaz, distant enough in relation, that he had to ask who she was when she showed up at his field to glean. The lack of care for both Naomi and Ruth was an unstated refusal of "such a one" to do the part a kinsman redeemer. So now we see why Boaz offered the land first. He is about to fix his character in front of everyone.

Boaz offers the land, and the man jumps at it. Maybe he was thinking that they had become so poor that they would be happy to get the price of the land, without requiring him to redeem Ruth. You see, he only wanted from her what would increase his holdings. Girls, don't you ever let it be said, that you are in a relationship with a man who requires everything from you and nothing from him. You've heard it from your Uncle B.

The man refuses when Ruth is mentioned, and every man there understood that Ruth could have come in and spit in his face, for failing to do his duty. The man left that day with his pedigree intact, and his character broken. Boaz then instantly claims the right of redemption and said I'm not only purchasing the field but I am also purchasing Ruth to be my wife, and there is an immediate outbreak of rejoicing. Because, after all, a good boy is marrying a good girl.

More tomorrow, loved ones.

For Miss Austen Part VI

In each of Miss Austen's stories there is the prospect of true love lost, although Emma does not face the prospect as severely as Misses Dashwood, Bennet or Price. It is the very picture of what is taking place between Boaz and Ruth. The boy loves the girl, but the boy may not be able to redeem the girl. Now granted in most of these cases, the afore mentioned "boys" are older; but in each case, his heart is on the line. Billy Graham once spoke about being in love with a girl at a young age, saying that most would refer to it as "puppy love," then he said with some force, "It was real to the puppy!" No matter how old you are: it's real to the puppy.

And do we wonder that she won his heart so completely? Can we not see the hand of God working in her life, before ever the two meet? She as an even younger girl marries a man she loves, and also gets an extended family that loved her too. The father-in-law whom she must have looked to as a father, and no doubt he doted over her as well. And with in a short time, the family buries him. Not only grieving with her mother-in-law, but soon after for her self and her sister-in-law; tragedies that quickly matured her beyond her years. All these trials creating in her a quite and gentle spirit, who could depend on no one other than God.

How quickly she must have taken his heart, gleaning as a Moabite, sparing Naomi the shame of gleaning daily in the sight of those who knew her all of her life. Boaz providing for her by telling his servants to leave for her, as the King James puts it, "handfuls of purpose." The prayers that must have been going up early that morning? They were both as we all should be; loving children completely dependent on their Gracious Heavenly Father.

More tomorrow, loved ones.

For Miss Austen Part V

I really don't like using the suffix "-in-law" with Ruth and Naomi. Ruth behaves as a daughter to her, and Naomi looks over Ruth with all of the care of a birth mother. Notice that she doesn't just arbitrarily send her on a man hunt; she encouraged Ruth to act on the feelings that she had obviously seen in her. Incidentally, you can let some nerd fix you up based on twenty-nine dimensions of compatibility, or you can let God do it: in His way and in His time. The pattern that I want you to notice is that Ruth followed godly counsel, and one of the primary markers of a bad match: is a refusal to listen to any counsel. It is a help to you to listen to those who know you and love you best; people who want to see you have God's best for you.

On to the next point in the story, Ruth goes back to her mother-in-law, and notice that Boaz didn't want to send her back empty handed. I have read all sorts of interpretations as to what the six measures of barley mean, and still do not have a satisfactory answer; but let's at least make this application, Boaz is sending a gift to the one who sent Ruth to him. Say it however you want, but Boaz honors Naomi in large part because she means so much to Ruth.

Now, I've had some long nights, but how would you like to know that the girl you want to marry, who wants to marry you, may belong to someone else tomorrow? How interesting that there is this divine hitch. Both Ruth and Boaz have to place the matter in God's hands and leave it there. Listen to me closely: this is the perfect example of letting the Lord build the house. (Psalm 127:1) If you have formed an attachment and discarded God's will at every turn: you have no reason to expect God to bless what you have created with no regard to His will. Loved ones, follow God, first and always; and when and if He puts you with someone, he will build and bless the relationship in ways that are beyond all that we ask or think; to His glory.

More tomorrow, dear ones.

For Miss Austen Part IV

Ruth did everything that her mother-in-law told her, and by doing so exercised her trust in Boaz. The thing that binds the heart of Ruth to Boaz is her trusting in him; and indeed, it is what all men want from women. Look at the way he responds: he tells her, I have always known that you were an uncommonly good woman, but you just immeasurably topped everything I could have hoped for. Specifically commending her from the beginning for not going after any young men, whether rich or poor. You see, she had honored him with her actions leading up to this point, and when she adds to this her clear trusting him with her heart: she knocks his socks off!

Now, the next point in this story seems the perfect place to insert Richard Lovelace's "To Lucasta, going to the Wars". It is perfectly clear that Boaz is in love with Ruth, but Boaz shows a level of maturity rarely seen. He is willing to set aside his great love for Ruth, because there is the possibility of a nearer kinsman redeeming Ruth. He tells her, "if he will redeem you; good, let him do so." Not because he does not love Ruth, but because this arrangement will honor Ruth more. He is willing to deny himself in the most acutely painful way; proving the depth of his love for her, by doing what will bring her the most honor. You see Ruth put her trust in Boaz, and Boaz had to put his trust in God. Boaz has to say, that I'm not going to steal you for myself, if that is not what God wants for you. How does he know this would be better? Because he is following the course that God's word tells him to take. Now girls ask yourself, how many men do I know that would endure anything that painful to give God's best to me?

More tomorrow, loved ones.

For Miss Austen Part III

To illustrate how courageous Ruth had to be, let's go over a few things. She had no money, she was not Jewish, she was a widow and the man she wanted to marry her was older than her; add to all of this, that she was the one who had to express interest. (Deuteronomy 25: 5, 7-10; Leviticus 25: 25, 48-49) In understanding the law, we see that a widow had the right to be espoused to a near kinsman; but we do not see that she was automatically espoused to the kinsman. It was her right and his responsibility; but it was in not his right to redeem one who did not wish to be his wife. We can see then, that she at least had to express the desire to be married again. Now, put all of this together and you can see what a precarious position Ruth is in. What girl would like to be in her place, even if she had a fortune, came from the right family and had everything to recommend her? She had to trust Boaz with everything. It took Naomi, who obviously noticed their doting over each other, to nudge her daughter-in-law in the right direction; but it was Ruth who had to place her trust in Boaz.

Let's look at this from the other side of the coin. Boaz could not presume to act upon the feelings that he obviously had for Ruth. There is at the core of his behavior, an unyielding sense of honor. You see, he had to express some interest too. Now, boys pay attention to this: he did everything that he could honorably do, and nothing more. He demonstrated how he felt by his actions, and he stayed within the bounds of propriety. Girls, if you are going to notice something about a boy, notice whether or not honor governs his actions toward you. In this you will learn the kind of man you are dealing with.

More on Monday, dear ones.

For Miss Austen Part II

Let's be honest, the only chicken that ever won anything was beheaded, plucked, battered and deep fried (yes, we are staying with an agrarian theme.) If you try to undermine a man's confidence in such away as to produce a reaction, so that you may examine his feelings for you, with out risking you own: that's vivisection! If you think that there is no cost associated with it: you are mistaken. (Song of Solomon 8:7) My point is that no coward ever won anything, because they were afraid to compete. You are not going to win any one's heart worth having, without risking your own. "But, I might get hurt," you say. You will get hurt, you will have scars. I've got plenty of scars, and if I wanted to thoroughly depress you, I'd share them with you; but, the one thing that no one can accuse me of is being afraid to step out on the field of battle. Stunning imagery for love talk, isn't it?

See what C. S. Lewis had to say about love:
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

We see in Ruth, that she is no coward soul. You may think ill of what you find in the third chapter of Ruth, but I think Matthew Henry gets it right: "If Boaz was, as they presumed, the next kinsman, she was his wife before God (as we say), and there needed but little ceremony to complete the nuptials." (Full Commentary) In other words, she declared her desire to be his wife with a simple elopement. Do you think she was a coward?

Alas, I have reached my word limit for today, more tomorrow, loved ones.

For Miss Austen

It is funny how that you read something that you haven't read in a while, and you see something in it that you didn't see before. I have had that experience a few times lately, but I digress. I read the book of Ruth today. In four short chapters, I felt as though I had gone all the way through a Jane Austen story. A girl with no means, and nothing to recommend her, but the fact that she was virtuous. In fact, after reading it, I am convinced that Mr. Darcy owes his literary existence to Boaz the kinsman redeemer. Created by a minister's daughter, who obviously loved the book of Ruth. You see, Ruth has everything out of her favor, except for a virtuous heart. She is a foreigner, she is poor [evidenced in the fact that she had to go and glean in some one's field for her and Naomi's survival (gleaning - picking what the reapers missed)], a young widow and frankly, nothing that a Jewish man would pick to marry. But the very thing that captures Boaz is her virtue.

The heroines of Miss Austen's works have the same underpinning: virtue. One of the recurrent themes is girls of the marrying age, with nothing to commend them, except virtue. And contrary to every message our world throws at us today, in every case, it is enough! Doesn't the famous proverb tell us that a virtuous woman's worth is far above rubies. Her value is her virtue and by her virtue she creates a safe place for the heart of the man she marries. In passing, I don't know why girls miss this today, but they seem to miss it with great frequency: no guy that is interested in you has any interest in seeing you around other guys, ever. No respectable farmer wants to go out and see his cow grazing in another farmer's field (yes, we are going with an agrarian theme today); no respectable guy wants to see a girl that he is interested trying to get attention from other guys that she should be getting from him. You see, by doing that, you militate against the idea that his heart can safely trust in you; thereby taking yourself out of contention for the "Proverbs 31 prize."

More tomorrow.