Understanding God's TimingMostra

In Ruth 1, Naomi is left without her husband and sons. She is now without an heir. Naomi constantly worries about this problem. You might even say that she was obsessed with it, and judging by her actions, she may have reached the point of panic. Why was this such a big deal? In the ancient Near East, a widow without an heir was not only a shameful situation but also held the risk of extreme poverty.

Naomi's reliance on an heir, rather than God, to meet her needs is a stark contrast to the theme of trust in God's plan. In Ruth 2:20, she mentions that Boaz is a potential kinsman-redeemer, someone who could marry Ruth and provide an heir for Naomi. She is hopeful at Boaz’s respectful and generous treatment of Ruth when she gleaned in his fields. However, by Ruth 3, three months have passed, and Boaz has not redeemed Naomi by marrying Ruth, leading to a shift in Naomi's approach.

Like many a meddling mother-in-law, Naomi decided to play matchmaker. She prayed for a kinsman-redeemer and, tired of waiting on God’s timing, decided to answer her own prayer. Naomi decided she would be the catalyst for Boaz and Ruth’s relationship. In Ruth 3, she hatched her dangerous plan.

Naomi told Ruth to clean up, put on perfumed oil, stop dressing in mourning, and put on something nice. She told Ruth to make herself attractive to Boaz to get him to propose. She then told Ruth to visit Boaz where no respectable woman would go – the threshing floor.

Naomi's plan was not only risky but also potentially dangerous. The threshing floor at harvest time was a place of drinking, merriment, and often, prostitution. Boaz’s men had just been paid and were indulging in physical pleasures. By sending Ruth there, Naomi was not only disregarding Ruth’s safety but also taking matters into her own hands instead of trusting God's timing. This highlights the potential dangers of rushing God's plan and the importance of patience and trust in Him.

Ruth listened to Naomi’s scheme and obeyed her as any good daughter-in-law would. By agreeing to Naomi’s plan, Ruth risked her reputation and chance of a good marriage and practically invited assault upon herself! Naomi planned for Ruth to be with Boaz, regardless of how. Naomi was rushing God’s timing. All she cared about was the final result.

In the rest of chapter 3, we see that as risky as Naomi’s plan was, God acted through it. But God did not sacrifice Ruth’s well-being in the process. Boaz was a man of integrity and protected Ruth’s reputation while he moved swiftly to make her his wife. And the son that Ruth bore became Naomi’s heir, ensuring her security for the rest of her life. Despite Naomi’s doubts, God displayed His redeeming love in His timing.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” He does that with us today. We know that God is sovereign but also that He works through our actions. This should not negate our trust in Him. We are to trust Him more and more. But we can also be assured that God’s plan for our lives will stay intact even if we stumble. We aren’t perfect. We can’t see the future; no matter how “in-touch” we try to be with God’s will, we will make mistakes. But God has given us stories in the Bible to show us how He works out His will in the lives of His people. People who were real and had real fears and doubts, just like we do. Their stories show us that God’s redeeming love is greater than our mistakes. This is what redeeming love does – it is patient with us, assures our doubts, and helps us trust in Him. This is how God works. This is who God is. This is what He does in the lives of those who believe in Him. He will do the same for us.