“Trust”
Sit still, my daughter…. —Ruth 3:18
Read Ruth 3:16-18
Fear and uncertainty may have filled Naomi and Ruth’s hearts as they waited to see what would result from Ruth’s encounter with Boaz. They had returned to Judah in poor and miserable circum-stances, but hoped that in their encounter with Boaz a positive change might take place. And yet that had not happened. Maybe it would never happen! Maybe the other redeemer would cause havoc, or perhaps Boaz would change his mind.
But Ruth obediently returned to Naomi and trustingly opened up her heart. Naomi listened to Ruth’s account, and trusted that all would be well. When we read in verse 18, “Sit still,” we could also translate this as “just wait patiently.” But what was this trustful waiting of these women based on? Was it justified? Both of these women, and Boaz, were convinced that they needed God’s blessing. They had learned this the hard way. And so the leading characters of this history remembered God concerning all their activities. In that God lay the secret of their trust. Whoever lives according to God’s commandments, seeking His blessings in all that they do, with the knowledge of their helplessness, may look forward to the future. Knowing one’s dependency upon the Lord gives a quiet and peaceful conscience. Things may go differently in your life than you had expected, but still you know that the Lord’s ways are the best ways! You will lack this trust when you do not walk in His commandments.
On what did the trust of these women rest?