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.
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