by John O’Malley
“Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking” (Ruth 3:3).
Ruth’s heart felt reassured as Naomi continued her instruction. Each step in her instructions was to prepare her for fellowship with Boaz. First, Naomi spoke of a cleansing, then a consecration, and now she spoke of a covering for the body. Each step held its own significance as Ruth readied herself for Boaz.
Ruth’s raiment before moving to Bethlehem-judah was that of a Moabite; her birthplace influenced her dress. When Elimelech and his family moved to Moab, she had the raiment of her father’s house. She dressed in traditional Middle Eastern garments; however, with the look of a Moabite. Her widowhood would have influenced her choice in raiment. Her dwelling in the land of Jehovah would have brought a change in the look of her clothing as a widowed Israelite.
Ruth now was being instructed to put on her raiment for fellowship with Boaz. She was not putting on the raiment of a Moabite. Nor was she adding the garments of a mourning widow. Rather, she clothed herself with the attire of a woman presenting herself for redemption by a kinsman.
She chose the garment carefully. She would want the articles of clothing to attract him to nothing else but “the hidden man of the heart” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Her cleansed, anointed body was to be draped in raiment that would be pleasing to both the lord of the harvest and the Lord of her heart.
The instructions Ruth received from Naomi indicated the raiment was in her possession. She did not have to go buy it or borrow it; she had it. Furthermore, the instructions reveal it was her personal responsibility to get dressed to go fellowship with Boaz. Ruth wanted to do what was right and to do it in the right way. What good would it have done to have bathed and anointed herself, but then to have dressed in a manner displeasing to the lord of the harvest?
Reader, there is a resemblance between Naomi’s instructions and James’ instructions to believers. Consider James 4:8; here, James gives direct commands about fellowshipping with our Eternal Boaz. He says that cleansing and purifying are the vital parts of drawing near to God. As it was Ruth’s choice whether she would choose to put on the garment of presentation of her heart, we too must make a choice as to what we will put on in our fellowship with Him.
With the cleansing and consecration done, let us cover ourselves with the garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3) for sweet fellowship with our Eternal Boaz. As a believer, you already have the garment of righteousness; let us retrieve the garment of rejoicing that follows cleansing and consecration, and adorn ourselves and present ourselves to Him today for fellowship.