(Audio and Text Available)
Title: What Does a Godly Woman Seek?
Intro:
This message will start out highly analytical, and it will end highly personal.
Blessed are you BECAUSE:
- “…you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning…”
This seems like a very important phrase, and yet the language is somewhat strange and potentially confusing. This is what we do when we come across a phrase like this:
FIRST, look at other major ENGLISH translations:
NIV: “The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.”
NASB: “May you be blessed of the LORD, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.”
NLT: “The LORD bless you, my daughter!” Boaz exclaimed. “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor.”
SECOND, look at the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE (Hebrew) to see if anything else is revealed. You can do this pretty easily on a number of websites, I’m using Blue Letter Bible for my example here.
(Slide W/Hebrew)
The main takeaway from the Hebrew:
The various English translations do a pretty good job here, but I want to emphasize something that I think is made a bit clearer in the Hebrew:
There is a clear and distinct connection between the first idea that Boaz makes and the second. In other words, Boaz supports his reason for original blessing, by showing evidence, and citing reason.
Let me offer it this way, in a VERY unofficial translation:
Pastor Ben’s Paraphrase (PBP)
And Boaz said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter, because you have shown more kindness today, than you have already to Naomi, for you have not chased the young men, whether they were rich or poor, but instead have pursued me.”
Have you ever been in a situation where you were just dying to know what someone else was thinking? (Silas shirt off for gaming)
The author of the book of Ruth lets us into Boaz’s thought process here with this one powerful response from Boaz. We learn so much here that I want to just compile a list and then ask you if I missed anything.
- Boaz is not mad at Ruth’s proposal. He’s blown away by her boldness and her selflessness.
- Boaz does not see this as a selfish act of a young woman looking to secure her lifestyle (gold-digger), but rather he sees Ruth’s proposal as an act of utter kindness to Naomi.
- Boaz believes Ruth’s proposal to him is the kindest thing that Ruth has done so far, even kinder that leaving Moab and following Naomi to a foreign land. Even kinder than humbling herself to pick grain from the fields as a pauper so that Naomi would have enough to eat. If Boaz was previously impressed with Ruth, he is now flat out blown away by her character.
- The evidence that Boaz cites is this: Ruth pursues him, not the young men. Ruth seeks out what is truly important (maturity) and does not pursue what MOST young women pursue: Cash and Hotness.
Let me take a beat here. I want you to think about social media for a moment. Think about selfies. Think about Twitter. Think about instagram. Think about Facebook. Think about almost every dating app or website imaginable.
What are people emphasizing about themselves?
(Take Answers)
Is anyone advertising their Maturity?
(Why not?)
Would a mature person advertise their maturity?
Probably not! It’s immature to do so.
We will talk more about this after the Easter Holiday, but I want to close with a personal message from myself, your pastor, to every single lady in this congregation, regardless of age:
Ladies, please hear me:
Proverbs 31:1 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
What does a woman who fears the Lord do? They seek a man who has the fortitude, maturity and strength to lead her, and her potential children to the foot of the cross every dang day!
Let me say it another way, a way that hits a bit closer to home for me…if Nevaeh goes off to college and brings home a young man that’s a total hottie and nothing else, I will kill him before he makes it in the front door.
If she brings home a young man who’s from a rich family and has no substance, he won’t even make it out of the car.
But, if she brings home a young man that fears the Lord. A man who will be able to lead my beloved daughter, and my Grandchildren to the foot of the Cross, regardless of what he looks like, regardless of what’s in his wallet…I will embrace him, and he will become my son for all eternity.
Pray/QA