Welcome to the Daily Disciple Podcast, where we seek daily to be with and to become like Jesus, our teacher. Welcome to the Daily Disciple Podcast. This is Travis, and some of you are not going to like this podcast. I just want to say that right off the bat.
Some of you are going to think that this podcast is a little bit suspect. It's a little bit old-fashioned. It's a little edgy. And then others of you are going to be a bit intrigued and maybe inspired and kind of excited.
And perhaps what we're going to see in Ruth chapter 3 is going to cause us to think a little bit maybe differently about romantic relationships, particularly marriages. So the title, Strategic and Alluring. Strategic and Alluring. Now, before we get into the story, Jesus did say, and this is not an often quoted Jesus statement, but Jesus did say, we need as daily disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Think about that. Wise as serpents. When it comes to romantic relationships, let's be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. And so what would it look like to be wise in a romantic relationship?
Even strategic with timing and planning and even intentionality. And we're looking at a story between a woman and a man. And so I'm going to ask this question. I'm just gonna put it out there.
And again, I know that some of us might not like this podcast, but what would it look like to be alluring in a romantic relationship and dare I say seductive? Not inappropriate, not underhanded, not manipulative, and certainly not sleazy, but alluring and seductive. So the title again is strategic and alluring. And so we're continuing the story that is a beautiful story in the book of Ruth.
And in chapter 2, Boaz has noticed Ruth and Ruth knows it. And so Ruth goes to Naomi and presumably says, hey, Boaz has been noticing me. And Naomi says, that's great. He's part of our lineage.
He's a kinsman redeemer. He can marry you according to the law, the Torah. This is amazing. He's been noticing you.
So Ruth, here's the plan. Here's the plan. Here's the strategy. And in Ruth chapter 3, beginning in verse 2, Naomi says, okay, now Boaz will be working in the field.
And what I want you to do, Ruth, is I want you to wash yourself really well, put on perfume and get dressed in the best of clothes. In other words, put on a knockout dress. And then in the evening when Boaz is finished eating and drinking, he's going to lie down on the far side of the grain pile. And then go over to him, right, in your knockout dress and uncover his feet, like pull the cover up over his feet.
And we'll explain that in a minute. So Ruth said, okay. So she did exactly what Naomi said. And she went to the grain pile and she waited for Boaz to finish eating and drinking and he kind of got relaxed and he laid down on the grain pile and then Ruth approached him.
And it startled him at first, verse 8. But then he noticed that it was Ruth. And she says, Boaz, it's Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me since you are a guardian redeemer of our family.
And Boaz realized it was Ruth. And he said, the Lord bless you, my daughter. May his kindness be shown to you. You have not run after the younger men, rather rich or poor.
And then he just, he goes on about her character. And this is a very interesting chapter. And in this chapter, if I could put it this way, Ruth was strategic and she was alluring. And she used some of what she had as a woman in order to inspire Boaz to play the man.
And I'm just going to say that again. She used some of what she uniquely had as a woman in order to inspire Boaz to play the man. And her beauty and her allure impacted him. It made a huge impact on him.
And I'll bet that Boaz didn't mind being approached in the way that she approached him. And of course, some have wondered, well, what happened on the other side of the grain pile, you know? And Boaz has had a few glasses of wine and Ruth's in this knockout dress. What happened on the far side of the grain pile?
Nothing inappropriate happened at all. Ruth honored herself. Boaz honored himself. And Boaz honored Ruth.
In fact, he spread the corner of his garment over her as a sign of protection, as a sign of saying, I am a kinsman redeemer. And this was a way of saying to her, you will be protected. I will offer my strength to you. And of course, her plan was not to be used.
She didn't get in this knockout dress and wash and put on perfume to be used. No, but to use some of what God had given her as a woman, an allure, to encourage and inspire him to offer his strength and be who he needed to be as a man. And again, I know that some of you are not going to be into this podcast, but some of you are kind of intrigued. And notice in the story, she is strategic.
She is planned out. She was alluring, a bit seductive. And notice, she didn't beg. She didn't badger.
She didn't nag. She really offered vulnerability. And it worked. And Boaz played the man.
He showed up. He manned up, which is exactly what Ruth wanted and needed Boaz to do. And sometimes, well, let's just say often in relationship, in romantic relationship, things don't work out this way. This is a beautiful story of a man that had noticed a woman, a woman that noticed that a man had noticed her, and a woman who was willing to be vulnerable and alluring, not inappropriate, not sleazy, not underhanded, but vulnerable and seductive.
And what it did was it brought out strength and protection and covering from the man. And this is often not what happens in romantic relationships. But this is a very beautiful story. And as we're going to see as the story of Ruth continues, it's going to actually open up into a marriage and a lineage which flags God's faithfulness and God's vulnerability and, dare I say, God's allure.
Because we do see Ruth using a bit of what she has as a woman to inspire Boaz to offer a bit of what he has as a man. And it's pretty inspiring and it's vulnerable. And it's courageous to be vulnerable and alluring. And Boaz felt honored in this, and it had the powerful effect that Ruth indeed wanted and that Naomi and Ruth needed.
And it is a beautiful story. And what if we tried some strategy and some allure and some vulnerability and some strength and some commitment and some covering? We might actually have far fewer divorces and a lot happier marriages. And as daily disciples, I think that Ruth chapter 3 is something that we may want to think a bit about.
And we'll talk soon. Thanks for listening to the Daily Disciple Podcast. We truly hope that you were encouraged by it today. Now, if you would like to support or if you have any questions about the Daily Disciple Podcast, feel free to contact us through our Inland Vineyard Church app.
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