Friends Indeed - Part Two

One day, after the harvest, Naomi and Ruth were sitting together talking:

‘My daughter, I feel that I should make sure that you have a good home and are secure all your days, don’t you agree?’ Naomi asked. ‘Now Boaz, in whose fields you have worked throughout the harvest, is a close relative. He is winnowing barley tonight down in the barn on the threshing floor. So put on your very best clothes, spray on some sweet perfume and go down to the threshing floor, but do not let anyone see you. When Boaz has finished his dinner and his after dinner drinks and has lain down to sleep for the night. Then quietly go to where he is laying and lie down at his feet and cover yourself with his blanket. When he awakes Boaz will tell you what to do next.
Ruth answered, ‘Mom. I will do all that you have said.’ And she did.

After Ruth had lain down at the feet of Boaz she fell asleep. About midnight Boaz woke up very startled. When he turned over he saw a woman lying at his feet. ‘Who are you?’ he exclaimed.

‘I am Ruth, your servant, please take me under your wing and protect me for you are a close relative.’ Ruth replied.

You are very blessed, young lady! For you have not gone running after younger men, whether rich or poor, in this you have shown even more kindness than you did when you joined Naomi and moved here from your homeland. I will do all that you have requested; however my dear, while it is true I am a close relative, there is one closed than I who must be given the opportunity to fulfill this custom first. Stay tonight and in the morning I will go and see if he will perform this duty. If he wills - it is good, let him do it. But if he is not willing, then I will perform this duty and fulfill our custom.

So Ruth slept at the feet of Boaz and they awoke just before dawn. Boaz filled her shawl with some of the barley he had been winnowing as a gift for Naomi. As she left he cautioned her not to let anyone know that she had come to the threshing floor.

At home Ruth gave the grain to Naomi who asked her what had transpired. Ruth went through the events of the past 12 hours with the skill of a play by play reporter. When she had finished her recitation, Naomi said; ‘Sit still my daughter, until you know how the matter will turnout. Boaz will not rest until he has settled this for you.

At the proper time Boaz went to the city gates and sat down to meet with Elimelech’s other close relative and the leaders of the city. When he saw the relative Boaz called out to him, ‘Come over here my friend and sit down a while.’ When the man was seated Boaz called 10 of the elders of the city to witness their talk, then he said to the man; ‘Naomi, the widow of our brother Elimelech, has returned to Bethlehem and wants to sell his property. Do you want to buy it?’
‘Sure, Boaz, I would love to add that to my estate. I will buy it today.’ The man said.

Boaz replied, ‘if you buy this property, you must also marry Ruth, the widow of Mahlon, and raise up heirs to his name. Do you still want to buy this property?’

‘I’m sorry, Boaz, this would put my estate in jeopardy, I can’t buy this property, the man replied.

‘Then I will buy this property and take Ruth as my wife to raise up heirs for Mahlon, our brother. And you are all my witnesses today and will attest to all that has happened here.’ At this point Boaz took off his shoe and gave it to his relative to confirm the agreement they had made on the property if Elimelech and his marriage to Ruth, the widow of Mahlon. This agreement was witnessed by the ten elders of Bethlehem, who Boaz had gathered them earlier for this purpose, as well as all those who were at the city gates of Bethlehem.

And all the people answered, ‘We are your witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your home be like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel. . .’ The crowd went on to speak many blessings that were popular at that time.

So Boaz and Ruth were married, it was the wedding of the year in the city of Bethlehem. They started their family right away; their first child was a son that they named Obed. The women of the city blessed Naomi saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord who has not left you with out a near kinsman redeemer. May his name be famous in Israel. . .’

Many years and many more children later Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David. And he in turn became the ancestor of Jesus.



Learning to be a Friend:

Memory Verse: ‘A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ Proverbs 18:24 KJV

In our story Ruth was a friend to Naomi when she needed one most. She literally walked beside her as they traveled from Moab to Bethlehem. Ruth promised to be with her no matter what would happen for the rest of their lives – and she did. Even after she and Boaz were married Naomi lived in their home. She cared for their children while Ruth and Boaz provided for her. Ruth also went to work in the fields of Boaz to glean behind the reapers to provide food for both her and Naomi before she met and married Boaz.
Naomi was also a good friend to Ruth. When they had settled in Bethlehem, Naomi wanted to protect Ruth and treated her as she would have her own daughter. In this vein Naomi taught Ruth the customs and laws of the land and their religious practices and traditions. Naomi also saw that Ruth was a young and beautiful woman. She didn’t want to see her alone for the rest of her life, so Naomi gave Ruth instruction on how to meet one of their family’s kinsman redeemers. By meeting this man Ruth soon had the security that came with her marriage. She would be provided for for the rest of her life by her husband. And if he died before she did, then her sons would take on that responsibility. In ancient times this was the most prominent way a woman was cared for once she had reached maturity. A few women, not the norm, had their own business and were able to provide for themselves in the event they out lived their husbands. So Naomi was a good friend by meeting the needs of her daughter-in-law, Ruth.


How do we become a friend?

Our memory verse gives us that answer very clearly; in order to have friends, a person MUST be friendly to others. What is the meaning of friendly? First being friendly is an action. It means to be kind, helpful, courteous, generous, and other such things. There are many verses in the Bible that show how to be a good friend. I have picked a couple to tell you what God thinks a friend should be like.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10 NIV

This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15: 12-13 KJV

According to the Bible a friend chooses to honor his friend above himself. This means to treat him as if he is more important than you are. We are to have love for our friends even to the point where we would die in his place. Most of us will never be in the place to die for our friends, but we should be WILLING to. So what does this mean for most of us – I feel this means that we would stand up and defend our friend if some one were trying to beat him up. Or to push him out of the way if we see he is in danger. These are very practical ways to show our friendship.

What SHOULDN’T a friend do? Anything that could or would hurt the other person, like throwing rocks at him or even letting him cheat off your homework. This last thing may not seem like it could hurt our friend, but it does. It cheats him out of learning things for himself and gives him the false impression that he has earned his grades. This is not acting in love or honoring our friend.

Just to recap – a friend must treat his friends as more important than he is with love, respect and honor. Doing only what is full of kindness, generosity, courtesy, and love. OK, I know this sounds like I am listing the fruits of the Spirit here. Producing these fruits in our lives does give us a head start towards being a good friend. So start growing your friendships today!

So let’s start trying to be a friend to all!

Until next time, Leigh