Ruth 4

Verse 5, “Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.’”

I love this comment from Boaz. He knows what he wants – to marry Ruth. He knows that he needs to get the person who has right of first refusal (if you will) to sign off on it. He also knows that he needs the elders of the town to be on board with all of this. Boaz obviously does his homework and he knows the law. He does everything right. He sets himself up for success. He doesn’t take the easy way out and say that if it is God’s will then it will happen. He puts himself into a situation that he knows that will work.

What a great learning for all of us. How often do I want something to happen and even know that it is God’s will but I am unwilling to do the hard work to make it a reality? Boaz was a man of noble character who wanted to marry a woman of noble character. He did what was right and legal, but he had to do the hard work to bring it to reality. I must be willing to do the same as I discern from God what the next right thing for me to do is.