Naomi notices Ruth is not staking her claim for Boaz to be her husband. Naomi also notices that Boaz is in love with Ruth. She asks Ruth if she shall seek rest for her. In other words, Naomi was saying, "Shall I seek a marriage for you?" Naomi encourages Ruth to go to the threshing floor to meet Boaz there.
Naomi gave Ruth specific instructions on how to prepare herself before she goes to Boaz. Naomi knew that there were so many other single ladies wanting the attention of Boaz. She wanted Ruth to stand out amongst the other women. Yes, Ruth had caught the eye of Boaz, but Naomi wanted to make sure his eye stayed on Ruth. Naomi basically told her to go and fix yourself up.
If you're single and you want to stand out amongst the other young ladies standing next to you, you must do something different to catch his eye. If all the young ladies are wearing jeans and a t-shirt, nothing is more eye catching than a beautiful skirt or dress. Men like women who look and act like women. Once you've caught his eye, please keep yourself up so that his eye stays on you. There's nothing worse than finally getting a man and then letting yourself go. Don't believe the lie from the enemy that tells you if he loves you he wouldn't be looking at other women. You have got to give him something to look at because men are attracted to the physical. They have not made it to glory living in their resurrected bodies without visual stimulation.
Her advice to Ruth seemed strange, but she wasn't suggesting Ruth to seduce Boaz. As women, we do have that ability to be seductive. We can seduce by the way we dress, through our conversation and our actions. I want to warm you that if you get a man through seductive actions, be ready for the anger that will come from him when he realizes what you have done.
It was common for a servant to lie at the feet of his or her master. Observing this custom allowed Ruth to inform Boaz that he could redeem her.
Ruth followed the advice given to her by Naomi. We should be willing to listen when Godly advice is given to us. We are surrounded with people who have a wealth of knowledge and are ready to advise us in our decision making. Imagine what Ruth's life would have been like had she ignored Naomi's advice.
In verse 9 when Ruth asked for the skirt to be spread over thine handmaid, she was saying, "I want you as my kinsman-redeemer."
Boaz couldn't resist Ruth's humility. She came prepared because of Naomi's advice. I want to say a quick word to all the mothers here. Let's take time to prepare our daughters for marriage. There's nothing worse than us putting in so much time into other things that we fail at preparing our daughters for the most role in her life, that of becoming a wife. Also, if you're a young lady in need of preparation for marriage, seek out some elderly women in your church. Those mothers got some good advice and they've already been where you're trying to go.
Ruth came to him in such a lovely way. She had the right to call upon the elders of the city to force Boaz to marry her under the Mosaic Law. Instead, she followed Naomi's advice. Us younger women need to follow the advice of older women. After all, they didn't have trouble finding and keeping their husbands. I for one will seek them out and I encourage you to do likewise.
When we get down to verse 12, ask yourself this question, "How did Boaz know that there was a kinsman nearer?"
Remember Ruth had already caught the eye of Boaz. He was in love with her before she came to the threshing floor. He had already investigated and knew there was someone else in line to redeem Ruth. This is a classic example of a man pursuing a woman. He had already done his homework because he didn't want any surprises to sneak up on him. If your contemplating entering a relationship with a man, please make sure you have taken care of business from any previous relationships. There's nothing worse than your beau pursuing you to only get stumbled by something you failed to remove.
Boaz wanted Ruth. He had a plan to redeem her. He told her not to worry about it, but lie down and rest. He was a man that was determined. When a man is determined to get a woman, he will. Notice that Ruth rested. She wasn't the one staying up all night wondering how it was going to happen. That wasn't her job. She needed to rest so that she would wake up looking pretty in the morning.
Boaz blessed her before she left. When she returned to her mother in-law, Naomi confirmed that all she needed to do was rest. Naomi knew that Boaz wasn't going to rest until the matter was settled. Naomi was confident because she knew the advice she had given her daughter in-law was sound.
