And it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. Spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.”
— Ruth 3:8-9
You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.
— The Song of Songs 4:9
At midnight, Boaz was startled at Ruth’s presence. We can imagine him stretching out his leg and suddenly discovering someone else lying there. He was startled. I like this. In a positive sense, we have the ability to startle the Lord. Isn’t this wonderful? In the Song of Songs 4:9, the king tells the Shulamite, “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.” When the Lord sees us, He somewhat loses His composure. We are so attractive to Him!
Sometimes when we pour out our hearts to Him, He is constrained by us. He sees the beauty of our humanity inwrought with divinity, and He is captured. His breath is taken away by what He sees in us. We are lovely to Him. Perhaps when He realizes how much we love Him, He is startled. I like this. The more I can startle Him in this way, the happier I will be. We should not be so common in His eyes; our relationship with Him must become one of allurement.
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 55.
Tomorrow: “Laying Hold of the Lord Himself”