Ruth 3

"Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?" (v. 1)

Naomi wants for her daughter-in-law what any mother wants for her own children. She wants the best for Ruth. She becomes, in a sense, Christ-like in that she wanted the best for Ruth, and also she promised Ruth "rest" and inferred blessing. Ruth was a modest woman, and Naomi wanted to do things properly too. They had to do things according to the rules, and go through certain channels before Naomi would accomplish what she had promised in verse 1. There is a proper way of doing things, and when we do them according to the rules, and laws, they work out better for everyone. To us, these customs seem strange but they are the way that God had instructed the people to do them; they were the right way of doing things. It was because of her modesty that Moab began to notice her and she became special in his eyes (3:10). Modesty is not seen much today, but even among the worldly ones, it gets people's attention. It is something that every one of us can easily do, and we too can be a model man or lady for others to pattern their lives after. Ruth becomes the ideal woman, the "Proverbs 31" lady of scriptures because of her great character and determination (3:11). It is amazing that a Moabitess, a woman of heathen origin has become the standard for women throughout the world today, and in every age, forever. Our God is for modesty. In 1 Timothy 2:9, He is concerned with modesty in the way we dress, and though that is the only place the word "modest" is used in the Bible, His will is that we do things right, and modesty is right. I am focusing, of course, on the last part of the verse, "That it may go well with thee."

As you read through the book of Ruth, note her great character as seen in so many ways in this short book. In v. 5 we see a statement that made her great also, she was willing to do whatever was asked of her. God can use a willing servant. She had already told Naomi that she would follow her wherever she went, and she did exactly what she said. Ruth was a woman of her word. When she said that she would forsake all and follow Naomi, she followed through with her promise. Honesty is a great quality to have; it speaks of dependability and people admire dependability.

--Marty Dunn

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