The Threshing Floor Proposal Text: Ruth 3:1-5
Introduction: A Holy Audacity
We come now to the central hinge of the book of Ruth. Everything has been leading up to this moment, and everything will flow from it. And what we find here is a plan that, to our delicate modern sensibilities, might seem shocking, risky, and perhaps even a bit scandalous. But we must resist the temptation to read our own cultural baggage back into the text. What we are witnessing is not a sordid late-night rendezvous, but rather a bold, covenantal, and entirely righteous maneuver, orchestrated by a wise woman and executed by a virtuous one.
The story of Ruth is a story of God's providence, but it is a providence that works through the faithful and courageous actions of His people. God does not ask us to be passive observers in the unfolding of His plan. He calls us to act. Naomi, having moved from bitterness to blessing, now takes the initiative. Her mind is sharp, and her goal is clear: to secure "rest" for her beloved daughter-in-law. This is not the rest of inactivity, but the rest of security, of belonging, of being under the covering and protection of a husband and a home. It is shalom.
The plan she devises is audacious. It involves a midnight trip to a threshing floor, a place of harvest celebration, a place where a man of substance would be sleeping to guard his grain. It is a plan fraught with potential for misunderstanding, for shame, and for ruin. But it is a plan rooted in the law of God, specifically the law of the kinsman-redeemer. This is not a shot in the dark; it is a carefully aimed arrow, shot in faith, trusting that the target, Boaz, is a man of honor and that the God of Israel is the one guiding its flight. This chapter teaches us that true faith is not timid. It is bold. It takes calculated, righteous risks for the sake of covenantal faithfulness. It is a holy audacity.
The Text
Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek a state of rest for you, that it may be well with you? And now, is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. So you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and you shall go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Let it be that when he lies down, you shall know the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.” She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”
(Ruth 3:1-5 LSB)
Seeking Covenantal Rest (v. 1)
The chapter opens with Naomi's loving initiative.
"Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, 'My daughter, shall I not seek a state of rest for you, that it may be well with you?'" (Ruth 3:1)
Notice the change in Naomi. The woman who returned to Bethlehem empty and bitter, who told everyone to call her Mara, is now actively seeking the good of another. Her faith, rekindled by the providence of God in chapter two, is now bearing the fruit of love. She calls Ruth "my daughter," affirming their deep bond. Her question is rhetorical, "Shall I not seek a state of rest for you?" Of course, she must. It is her covenantal duty as a mother in Israel.
The word "rest" here is key. It is the same word she used in her farewell blessing to Orpah and Ruth back in chapter one, wishing that they might find "rest, each in the house of her husband" (Ruth 1:9). At that time, it was a hope offered in a spirit of despair. Now, it is a mission undertaken in a spirit of faith. This rest is not about putting your feet up. It is about security, stability, and finding your place within the covenant community under the headship of a godly man. It is the opposite of the vulnerability and wandering that has characterized their lives. Naomi's goal is simple and profound: "that it may be well with you." This is the heartbeat of the covenant: God's desire for the well-being of His people.
The Man, the Place, and the Time (v. 2)
Naomi has not only a goal but a specific plan, which she lays out in verse 2.
"And now, is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose young women you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight." (Ruth 3:2 LSB)
The plan centers on Boaz. He is not just any man; he is "our kinsman." The Hebrew word here points to the legal relationship that makes him a potential redeemer (a go'el). He has the right and the responsibility to redeem the family line of Elimelech. Naomi has been thinking. She has connected the dots between Boaz's kindness, his relation to her deceased husband, and the provisions of God's law.
She also has the intelligence on his whereabouts. "Behold, he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight." Winnowing was the process of tossing the threshed grain into the air so the evening breeze would blow away the lighter chaff, leaving the heavier grain to fall to the floor. It was often done at night to take advantage of the wind. The threshing floor was typically on a high, open place outside the city. After a long day's work, it was common for the owner to sleep there to guard his newly harvested and valuable crop from thieves. Naomi's plan is practical and grounded in the realities of agricultural life. She knows the man, the place, and the time. This is not mysticism; it is sanctified common sense.
The Preparation (v. 3)
Naomi's instructions to Ruth are precise and symbolic.
"So you shall wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and you shall go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking." (Ruth 3:3 LSB)
These are not instructions for seduction; they are instructions for a transition. "Wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes." Ruth has, up to this point, been wearing the humble garments of a poor widow and a foreign gleaner. Naomi is telling her to take off the signs of her mourning and her poverty. She is to present herself not as a beggar, but as a woman prepared for marriage. This is an act of faith. She is to dress for the future God has for her, not the past He has brought her out of.
The timing is also crucial: "do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking." This is a matter of prudence. The harvest was a time of celebration. She was to approach him when the work was done, when he was in a good and settled spirit, and when they could have a private, uninterrupted conversation. This is not about taking advantage of a man in his cups, as some have foolishly suggested. It is about choosing the right moment for a serious and life-altering proposal.
The Proposal (v. 4-5)
Here we come to the heart of the plan, the act that carries all the risk and all the promise.
"Let it be that when he lies down, you shall know the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do." (Ruth 3:4 LSB)
This act is thick with legal and cultural meaning. To "uncover his feet and lie down" was a symbolic gesture of submission and a request for protection. In that culture, the corner of a man's garment was a symbol of his authority and his protective covering. When Ruth later asks Boaz to "spread your covering over your maidservant" (v. 9), she is explicitly asking him to marry her, to take her under his wing. By uncovering his feet, she is placing herself, a vulnerable widow, at his mercy and appealing to him to fulfill his role as kinsman-redeemer. It is a silent, humble, and powerful request.
This was an act of immense trust, both in the character of Boaz and in the goodness of God. She was making herself completely vulnerable. A lesser man could have taken advantage of her or publicly shamed her. But Naomi knows Boaz. She trusts that he is a man of hesed, of covenant loyalty, the same loyalty Ruth has shown to her. Naomi's final instruction is one of faith: "then he will tell you what you shall do." She is confident that once the proposal is made, this godly man will take charge and do what is right.
And Ruth's response is the model of faithful obedience.
"She said to her, 'All that you say I will do.'" (Ruth 3:5 LSB)
There is no hesitation, no questioning. Just simple, beautiful obedience. Ruth, who pledged her loyalty to Naomi on the road from Moab, now demonstrates that loyalty through her actions. Her faith is not just a creed; it is a deed. She trusts Naomi's wisdom, and in doing so, she is trusting the God whom Naomi serves.
Christ Our Redeemer
This entire scene on the threshing floor is a magnificent picture of our redemption in Jesus Christ. We, like Ruth, are foreigners and outsiders. We are spiritually destitute, widowed from our first husband, Adam, with no hope in the world. We are working in the fields, trying to glean a bit of righteousness for ourselves, but it is not enough. We are without rest.
But God, in His grace, devises a plan. He points us to our true Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who is related to us, having taken on our flesh, and who is able to pay the price to redeem us. The Holy Spirit prepares us, washing us in the water of the Word, anointing us with His presence, and clothing us in the garments of Christ's righteousness, removing our filthy rags of mourning and sin.
And then we are called to do something audacious. We are called to come to Jesus, at the foot of His cross, and make our appeal. We come with nothing to offer. We uncover His feet, pierced for our transgressions, and we lie down in complete submission and vulnerability. We are, in effect, saying, "You are my only hope. I am a poor, bankrupt sinner. Please, spread the corner of your garment, your robe of righteousness, over me. Take me under your protection. Be my Redeemer."
And what does our Boaz do? He does not cast us out. He does not shame us. He looks upon us with love and says, "Do not be afraid." He pays the price, not with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood. He takes us as His own bride, and He gives us not just a few measures of barley, but all the riches of His inheritance. He tells us what to do: "Rest." Rest in the finished work He has accomplished. This is the gospel. It is a risky proposal, coming to a holy God with nothing but our sin. But it is a proposal He has invited, and one He will never, ever turn away.