Love Has No Loopholes
Love Has No Loopholes
Ruth 3:11-13
“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
Reflect on the word “yet” in Boaz’s admission that there’s another redeemer closer in line. That little word is a wall between him and his once-in-a-lifetime love. Think of how it must sting Boaz’ vocal cords to even form the sound. I don’t know Boaz’s backstory here, but it does seem odd that an eligible, wealthy, godly bachelor like him isn’t taken by now. He must have young Jewish women knocking on his door every day, baking him cakes and bringing him cards, all vying to be Mrs. Boaz. Perhaps he’s a widower himself, and maybe the pain of losing his first wife has kept him celibate. Or perhaps he’s just so occupied with sowing fields and ministering to the poor that he hasn’t really had time to settle down. Well, his heart is racing now. There’s a new pulse he can’t slow down. And godly though he is, the thought that some other guy might just come and steal Ruth away must hammer at the walls of his temperance.
Didn’t Cain murder Abel out of envy? Didn’t Jacob steal Esau’s blessing out of envy? Didn’t Judah sell Joseph into slavery out of envy? And didn’t David kill Uriah out of envy? Oh, I bet the devil is whispering louder than ever in Boaz’s ear, “Boaz, think how easy it would be to just kill the other guy and make it look like a farming accident? He doesn’t deserve your beloved Ruth! And no one will ever know. Besides, she’s right here—she wants you—you can’t just give her over to some other guy just because a dumb old rule on paper tells you to! No, be a man and take the matter into your own hands!”
Friend, be stalwart like Boaz. Don’t look for loopholes in your life of faith today. They’ll only get you tangled up in knots by the end.