An Excellent Woman - Ruth at the Threshing Floor

That evening, Ruth made her way to the threshing floor-a hard packed area where a number of farmers would take their grain for threshing and winnowing. The spot chosen was usually on a hillside or hilltop, where the breezes were strong in the late afternoon and early evening. To release grain from the chaff and straw, workers used big forks or shovels to toss the mixture into the wind, which carried off the lighter chaff and allowed the heavier grains to fall back to the floor.

Ruth watched discreetly a the work wound down in the evening. Boaz oversaw the winnowing of his grain, which grew into a great heap. After eating heartily, he lay down at one end of the heap. This was evidently a common practice, perhaps designed to protect the precious harvest from thieves and marauders.  Ruth saw Boaz settling down for the night .  The time had come to put Naomi's plan into action.

Ruth crept closer, her heart racing. She could tell the man was sound asleep. So just as Naomi had said. She went over to his feet, uncovered them, and lay down by them.  Then she waited. The time passed. To Ruth, it must have felt like an eternity.  Finally, around midnight, Boaz begin to stir. Trembling from the cold, he stretched forward, like to cover his feet up again. But he sensed that someone was there.  As the account reads, "Look a woman lying at his feet!" - RUTH 3:8.

"Who are you?" he asked. Ruth replied, perhaps with a tremor in her voice:  "I am Ruth your slave girl, and you must spread out your skirt over your slave girl, for you are  repurchaser." (Ruth 3:9) Some modern interpreters have sought to imply that there was some sexual undertones in Ruth's actions and words, but they ignore two simple facts. First, Ruth was acting according to the customs of the day, many of which are lost to us. So it would be a mistake to view her actions through the warped lens of today's  debased moral standards. Second, Boaz responded in way that clearly shows that he saw Ruth's conduct as morally chaster and highly commendable. 

Next time: An Excellent Woman -Conclusion of  Ruth at the Threshing Floor

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