Boaz said, “Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city.
—Ruth 3:15
Everything that belonged to Boaz would become Ruth’s once they were married, so these six ephahs of barley were really for Naomi, who had cared for Ruth. Naomi had struggled for Ruth’s development and had coached her in how to approach Boaz. Naomi’s reward for shepherding Ruth was not merely six ephahs of barley. The knowledge that Boaz would marry Ruth as she desired was a far greater reward.
One day in the mid-1960s, I was driving with Brother Lee. Suddenly he turned to me and spoke concerning a particular brother: “Brother Titus, I see a certain amount of maturity with this one.” I can never forget how he smiled as he spoke this. He was telling me that this brother, whom the Lord had gained in America through his shepherding, had grown. Many times we do not realize how much the serving ones suffer on our behalf, or the amount of concern they have for us. When we experience a little progress in Christ, how happy they are before the Lord!
As a serving one, I am so comforted when I see those who give themselves to pursue Christ and be found in Him alone. So many are still free to pursue “young men” instead of “Boaz.” When we desire to marry Christ alone, those who serve us are comforted. The church life changes as well, because in this transaction, we gain six ephahs of barley with which to feed others. If we take in as much of the riches of Christ as we can (signified by the six ephahs), how encouraged are those who serve us!
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 74.
Tomorrow: “The Lord will Not Rest”