Nowhere does history repeat itself more often than in the
realm of romance. James Madison was the forth president
of the United States, and he was the chief framer of the
Constitution. He was the greatest scholar among the
Founding Fathers. But when it came to romance he was no
big gun. In fact, he was the smallest of all the presidents.
He was so thin and frail that he weighed only a 100 lbs. at
his heaviest. He was very slow and he was not magnetic.
He was jilted twice. He was 43 and still single when he
met Dolly who was 24. At that young age she was already a
widow because her husband died in an epidemic. She was
taller and heavier than James, and there was just so much
about them that was different. They were a highly unlikely
pair to ever become a couple. But they did, and it was one of
the happiest, most celebrated, marriages in the history of the
White House. They were ideal for each other, and Dolly
Madison added a flare and dignity to the White House that
it never had before. James lived longer than any other
president who served two terms until Truman came along
and topped him by 6 years. His romance made his a story
with a happy ending.
Thomas Jefferson, the third president also married a
widow who was considerably younger than himself. History
is filled with this theme, for if love does not make the world
go round, most agree it does make the trip more enjoyable.
So it is in the book of Ruth. Romance plays a major role
in God's plan. I don't what God would have done had
Adam not fallen for Eve, for the whole plan of God revolves
around romance. Ruth is a story of romance, and there are
so many parallels with her and Boaz, and numerous couples
in history. Boaz was older, and he had status and security.
Ruth was a lonely young widow. The potential for cupid is
great if these two could only meet, but it seems so unlikely.
Boaz is a big shot, and Ruth is not even on the social
register. She is not only a poor nobody, she is not even a
Jew.
People have a way of meeting, however, and sometimes it
is by accident. In Oslo, Norway a motorist struck a young
woman at a busy intersection. He wasted no time in getting
her to the hospital, and he visited her everyday during her
recovery. Eventually he asked her to marry him, and she
said yes. They went on their honeymoon in the car that
brought them together by accident. Verse 3 hints that it was
by accident that Ruth and Boaz met. The KJV says, "And
her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to
Boaz." The RSV says she happened to come there, and the
Living Bible says, as it happened. The NIV says, as it turned
out. The point is, there was no plot or plan. Later on the
plot thickens, and Naomi does deliberately plan for Ruth to
entice Boaz into a relationship. But here at the start there is
no plan. It is just what happened as Ruth went out to work
to keep from starving.
The Hebrew word here is MIQREH, which means a
chance event, or an accident. It would be a fascinating
diversion to study the subject of chance here, but for now we
will pursue romance, and just point out that most people in
our culture who meet and fall in love do so by chance, as did
Ruth and Boaz. No one but God could have known of the
series of events that brought them together.
I am always impressed by the events that brought
Lavonne and I together. Three of my friends and I were at a
drive in on the edge of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We were
waiting for a girl to come and take our order for root beers.
It was a hot summer night and the service was very slow.
We were restless and decided to take off down the highway
to the nearest little town to see what we could find. Who
would ever dream that that decision would lead to three of
us marrying three girls in the small town of Dell Rapids. It
was all because of slow service at a root beer stand. We just
happened to be at the right place at the right time. So it was
with Ruth and Boaz. One of God's most useful tools in
history is chance.
Chance does not mean that God is not in it. Margaret
Hese, a writer for Scripture Press tells of how her happily
married sister of 30 years met her mate.
She was on a train when a soldier on leave sat down beside
her. In the course of the conversation she noted that one of
the buttons was almost ready to fall off his coat. She took
out a needle and thread and sewed it on. They kept in touch
over half a continent apart for several years, while dating
others. He found that he could not forget her. That sewing
on of his button strongly touched him. This act of kindness
changed their whole lives. The door of love is huge, but it so
often swings on such a small hinge. Had he not by chance
had that loose button the opportunity for her act of love
would not have existed, and their first meeting may have
been the last as well. Chance and romance are often
partners.
It put Ruth in the field of Boaz, and the first thing Boaz
asked his foreman was, "Whose young woman is that?
Romance almost always starts with-
I. THE EYES.
We can't say this was a case of love at first sight, but it
was a case of interest at first sight. Sometimes the eyes do
not like what they see, and it takes other factors to develop a
relationship. John Keats thought Fanny Browne was awful
looking, but after knowing her for awhile he thought she was
the most beautiful creature he knew. Everyone else still
thought she looked awful, but love is not blind, it just
develops a vision of beauty that non-love never sees.
Alexander Dumas thought Sarah Bernhardt had the body
of a broom stick, but when he fell in love with her he said,
"If nature had somewhat neglected her body, it had richly
endowed her mind." He saw the beauty of inner being, and
he loved her. We do not know what attracted Boaz to Ruth
so rapidly, but he wasted no time in making her
acquaintance. Christopher Morley said, "Fifty per cent of
the world are women, yet they always seem a novelty." Boaz
thought so about this new young woman in his field. We do
not know what Boaz was doing before this. Maybe his
philosophy was, the proper study of mankind is man, but all
of the sudden he changed his major to the study of woman,
and especially the one out in his field.
The Hebrew does not even have a word for bachelor, for
seldom did one even exist in Israel. But here is Boaz who is a
middle age man of means, and he is single. We don't know
why, but we know he rapidly reversed his no romance state
when he saw Ruth. Robert Louis Stevenson said, "A wet rag
goes safely by the fire; and if a man is blind, he cannot
expect to be much impressed by romantic scenery." For
some reason Boaz spotted Ruth, and immediately he saw
something romantic he had not seen before. She may not
have been his first love, but more important, she was his last
love, and that is true romance. The New York library has
over 2,000 books on love, but man knows more about the
rocks on the moon than he does about what makes certain
people fall in love. Ruth and Boaz were not unusual people.
They were just ordinary pleasant loving people, and they
represent the majority of the romances of history.
The entire book of Ruth revolves around the romance of
ordinary people. That is one of its purposes for being a part
of the Bible. It is God's stamp of approval on the ordinary
person as an instrument of His plan of history. It magnifies
its significance of the commonplace people. From the
moment Boaz meets Ruth the rest of the book is the story of
how their romance developed and led to marriage. This is
an everyday story, and has been from the day Adam saw
Eve. Ruth is considered to be a beautiful woman, and not
because there is any description of her, but because the more
you know of her total character the more attractive she
becomes. People become attractive to the degree that you
know them.
The reason most foreigners do not seem attractive to us
Americans is because we do not know them. We see only the
external form and face, and it is different and unusual. If we
could know them, and hear their experience, their feelings,
and their ideas, we would see more and more of their beauty.
Romance is simply getting to know people well enough so
that the eyes can see their beauty. The Gospels are the
revelation of the life and beauty of Jesus in His attitudes and
actions. It is by what we see in those accounts that we come
to love Jesus. If there is anything lovely, Paul said, think on
these things, for when you see loveliness of any kind you are
in a state of romance. Romance begins with the eyes, but
then it continues with the-
II. THE EARS.
Few things in life are more appealing to either males or
females then hearing pleasant things about themselves.
Listen to this lover's conversation.
Do you think I am beautiful? You bet.
Are my eyes the loveliest you have gazed into? Shucks yes.
Is my mouth like a rosebud? Sure is. Is my figure divine? Uh-huh.
Oh, Elmer, you say the nicest things!
Most women would prefer less prompting and more
spontaneity. This is what we see in Boaz. His immediate
response in discovering who she was, was to go to her, and
like a gentleman, make her feel as welcome and secure as
possible. She was his guest, and not a lonely isolated
stranger. She was to make herself at home and feel safe, for
he had given orders that she was to be treated with respect.
He made it clear that the men were not to touch her. A
woman alone was open game, and had no protection unless
she came under the care of a man with some power. Boaz
gave Ruth that protection.
She is, of course, overwhelmed by this sudden good
fortune, and she asks why he has shown her such favor.
Boaz had done his homework. He knew all the good things
about Ruth that were matters of public knowledge. The
story of Ruth and her commitment to follow Naomi, and to
leave her family and homeland had spread all over
Bethlehem. The news traveled fast, and Boaz, who had
never even seen Ruth, knew the whole account.
We need to pause here, and point out that talking about
people is not the same as gossip. Gossip is the spreading of
information, or disinformation, that in some way injurious
to the people talked about. The talking and sharing of facts
and information about people, and the events that are
shaping their lives is both legitimate and good. Here we see
that the spread of the story of Ruth enabled him to have the
ammunition he needed to penetrate any defensiveness she
might have. He told her he knew just how wonderful a
person she was, and he asked the Lord to richly reward her
for her faithfulness.
Ruth responds to these pleasant words with pleasant
words of her own. She expresses appreciation, and she
acknowledges that Boaz has been a great comfort to her,
even though she is nobody to him. Here are two people who
recognize the ears as keys to romance. It is true we have to
beware of the smooth talker who uses words to entice rather
than to build up. Some guys really have a line, like the guy
who said, "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before. I've
been to all the Miss America contest."
We need constant reminders that the abuse of anything is
never an adequate reason for ceasing to use it properly.
Smooth talk can be a virtue, and pleasant complimentary
words can be the greatest source of encouragement we give
to those we love. Spurgeon said, "I have no doubt that
much sorrow might be prevented if words of encouragement
were more frequently spoken...., and, therefore, to withhold
them is sin." James said that when we know to do good and
don't do it it is a sin. If you think you get through a day
without the sin of omission, forget it. Not a day goes by but
what we could have said something pleasant and
complimentary that we didn't say.
The ears are a great source of romance. God gets His will
done in history by people who know this and use it to kindle
romance, or to keep and old fire burning. If someone you
love is not encouraged through the ear gate today, you have
cast a vote against romance. The eyes with their seeing are
basic to romance, and the ears with their hearing are also
basic, but there can be doubt that any successful romance
will very soon involve-
III. THE MOUTH.
Boaz had just met Ruth, and they had a brief friendly
encounter. His next move was to invite her to join him for
lunch, and he provided the lunch. This was their first date.
We say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach,
but it works for women as well, especially if they are as poor
and hungry as Ruth. She kept part of her lunch to take
home to Naomi. Ruth may be the first person on a date to
ask for a doggie bag. Boaz was obviously interested in more
than employer-employee relations. He was really a fast
mover.
He was not as fast as the famous Dr. Wilfred Grenfell the
medical missionary to Labrador. In 1908 at the age of 43 he
was returning from a visit to England. On the deck of the
Mauretania he saw a lady that charmed him. A few hours
later he proposed to her. She said, "But you don't even
know my name!" He responded, "It doesn't matter. I know
what its going to be!" That was truly love at first sight.
Boaz took the more traditional approach of at least having a
meal together before the wedding.
Food and love are linked together from birth. Being
given food is the first expression of love that a child
understands. It is his introduction to love, and all his life he
will celebrate the love of family and special events by eating
together. It is perfectly natural then that romantic love will
quickly led to two people eating together. Dating and eating,
and marriage and eating are inseparable. This is not to say
there is never any unpleasantness connected with eating and
romance.
Former president Lyndon Johnson tells of the time he
invited Billy and Ruth Graham to the White House for
dinner. He describes the scene: "I asked during the dinner
if Billy would give me the name of a good vice-presidential
candidate. Instead of answering my question he shot out of
his chair and yelled, "Ruth, why did you just kick me under
the table?" She winced in embarrassment. Then she took a
deep breath and said quietly, "Bill, shouldn't you limit your
address to spiritual matters?" There could have been
conflict, but Billy recognized what she was saying was true.
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. He did
not always heed Ruth's advice, and he came to regret some
of his political involvement's.
The mouth gets involved in romance, not just because of
the pleasure of eating, but the mouth is the key instrument
by which people give guidance to those they love. Boaz gave
such guidance to Ruth, and in chapter 3 the words of Ruth
to Boaz, which she had received from the mouth of Naomi,
led to his determination to win Ruth as his wife. The mouth,
or tongue, is a source of great blessing or cursing. In
romance and marriage it plays a major role. Again we use
Billy Graham as an illustration. He had constant
temptations to go other directions than his ministry. He was
once offered great financial support to run for president, and
a Hollywood director offered him a star role in an epic
extravaganza. A major TV network offered him a million
dollar a year contract to host a talk show. Ruth said to him
on each occasion of these tempting offers:
"You're bounded duty to the Lord is elsewhere."
We are to live by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of God, and sometimes these words come through the
mouth of those who love us best. Romance and the plan of
God are not just linked in the book of Ruth. It is a part of
all of history. Romance and redemption are inseparable.
God makes the male-female relationship the symbol of His
relationship to man. Christ is the groom, and the church is
the bride. We are Ruth, and Christ is our Boaz. He is
coming again to take us to the mansion He has prepared for
the everlasting honeymoon.
Heaven will begin with a great wedding and the
marriage supper of the Lamb. The eyes will see what none
have ever seen before; the ears will hear what has never yet
been heard, and the mouth will be filled with praise as never
before, and we will enjoy eating like no gourmet as ever
known. Joni, who is paralyzed and cannot use her legs, says
she will dance with endless romance in heaven. And that is
what heaven will be, an endless romance. Ruth's romance
was just one of many that led to the coming of Jesus into the
world to complete the romance of redemption, and the
greatest love story ever told. All of us can be a part of the
world of romance by a wise use of our eyes, ears, and mouth
in relation to those whom we love. These are all involved in
the Gospel that leads to the eternal romance, and to the
romance we enjoy in time. We need to pay attention to how
we use them, and be more romantic in this world that always
needs more love.
