A Scandal in Bethlehem! – Ruth 3:1-18
May 23, 2021Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Peter Stonecipher
Ruth 3 is tantalizing in the details which it chooses to include, and maddening in the details which it chooses to leave out! Much like the village gossips in Bethlehem in Ruth’s day, modern readers are often left asking, “What exactly happened at the threshing floor between Boaz and Ruth?” By all appearances, there seems to be a scandal in Bethlehem.
As we engage with Ruth 3 together this Sunday morning, we’re going to have to live with a bit of tension. On the one hand, the book of Ruth presents Ruth’s character and Boaz’s character as above reproach. On the other hand, we have to admit that the scene at the threshing floor just doesn’t look good! I’m confident that as we honestly hold these two ideas together, we’ll not only gain a better understanding of this section of Scripture, we’ll also begin to grasp what the events of this chapter mean for us as God’s people today.