Ruth 3: Pursuing Redemption

Hope again fills Naomi's long darkened mind. Hope makes the wounded heart ready to talk about love again (though it does not have the power to make love any more safe of an endeavor). Ruth is willing. John Piper calls this “strategic righteousness.” God is orchestrating something beautiful, but it is not yet clear to those at ground level. He is still asking them to act in faith. Ruth is willing—“all you say I will do.” The actions that Ruth and Boaz takes are steps towards righteousness. Boaz has every opportunity to take advantage of Ruth, but he does not. He continues to protect her. Pursuing redemption has the look of purity. They are man and woman, they want to get married, they are in a barn in the night, and they pursue righteousness. Hollywood sighs and searches for a different storyline; But something far better is happening than a fleeting moment of indulged passion. They are planning for the future--a righteous future, built on the foundation of honoring God. Morning is dawning on their lives and they choose not to lose it with a moment of purposeless sex. They had been pursuing righteousness and they continue to together. Notice how this decision does not diminish, but increases their joy. They have not lost anything. They have gained so much by waiting and hoping and placing themselves in the refuge of God.