I am Ready to Settle Down (Part 4)

My fourth point is, be prepared; your man will come when you least expect it. Naomi had stated earlier that she left full and came back empty, but in fact she had the land in Moab that her husband owned. Later you will see how important this land is.

One of the pastors at Ben Hill, Rev. Gigi Warren, stated she would not want a bozo because she'd rather have a Boaz. I agree with her. Boaz was Naomi's husband's relative. This was important because it was customary for a close relative to "redeem" the land (Leviticus 25:25). What land? Naomi's land. Boaz was wealthy. He owned the fields that Ruth was working in. He admired Ruth's faithfulness and loyalty. She didn't have to be out there working. She could have returned to her family and possibly remarried. She wasn't complaining, she didn't mope around, and she had no little gods. Ruth also listened to her support system. She washed and anointed herself and went to the threshing floor where Boaz was. This is where my knowledge from multiple religion courses kick in-thanks to my education atStillman College. The threshing floor was usually away from where people lived, normally in a field or on a hilltop. The threshing floor was used to separate the grain from the chaff (the good from the bad). Threshing floors had a tendency of being robbed for the grain so it was very common for someone to sleep there overnight. That is why Boaz was there. Ruth didn't wash and anoint herself to be romantically involved with Boaz. Symbolically, the threshing floor represents a place of judgment/testing and even a place to receive blessings. Read the story and you will see that Boaz "redeemed" the land (only after another relative declined to redeem Ruth) and Ruth became his wife. I think Ruth never expected that Boaz would be her husband; there was a possibility the other male relative would have "redeemed" her.

Here is where I come in. Threshing floors are connected with altars (1 Chronicles 21:18). I was focused, working on me and improving myself. One Sunday my girlfriend (one of my support system) and I attended the 7:30 am service at church. This was normal for me. The only difference was I didn't pray at my seat, instead I went to the front near the altar. After church we visited the mall and as we were leaving, I complimented a gentleman by saying, "You look nice in your suit." I was tired of seeing black men in the mall with their pants hanging down. The compliment was innocent. That gentleman stopped me to talk and the rest is history. I never expected to meet my husband in Macy's on a Sunday afternoon.

Have a sweet day,
Shaneka