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Special occasions call for us to be at our finest. Certain events call for us to look our best, act our best, wear our best, and be at our best. There are times that we would not want to be like the woman that made a mad dash out of her house when she heard the garbage truck pulling away. She realized that she had not put the garbage out that morning. She grabbed the garbage and ran out the door. He hair was wrapped in big curlers, her face was covered with face cream, and she was in her bathrobe and an old pair of slippers. She ran out to the street and yelled, "Am I too late for the garbage?" The fellow on the back of truck yelled back, "Nope, hop right in." At our point in Ruth's story, we find one of those occasions in her life that called for her to be at her finest. The events that are taking place are strange to our western minds. Her actions to us seem aggressive and questionable. Yet what Naomi instructed Ruth to do was customary and common to the Jewish people of that time. In a nutshell, Ruth is about to become engaged to Boaz. The first steps in her becoming the wife of Boaz are about to be taken and it called for her to be at her finest. The instructions of Naomi were, "wash thyself, anoint thyself,” and "dress thyself." Naomi wanted Ruth to be at her finest when this glorious event took place. There is coming a day when we that have been the workers of the Lord will become the wife of the Lord. When that hour comes, we want to be at our finest. We read in Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” John described the celebration at the wedding and the preparation of the wife. We as the future wife of the Lord Jesus want to make ourselves ready. When that hour comes we want to be at our finest. The actions of Ruth as she prepared to meet Boaz at the threshingfloor, ought to be same actions we take as we prepare to meet Christ around His throne. It is an hour that calls for us to be at our finest. In her actions we are reminded that: 1. WE SHOULD CLEANSE OURSELVES We read in verse 3, that the first thing Naomi instructed Ruth to do was cleanse herself. She said, “Wash thyself therefore." When we meet our heavenly Boaz, we want to meet Him without spot or defilement. To meet the Lord this way involves a: A. Consciousness Of Sin David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." David wanted God to make him conscious of anything in his life that was not pleasing to Him. David wanted God to do an audit of his heart and let him know if anything was out of order. It also involves a: B. Confession of Sin If there is a consciousness of sin there should be a confession of sin. David said in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD." Confession is the act whereby we acknowledge our sin and we admit our sin. It is the act of getting it right in our life and getting it out of our life. There is a revealing of sin followed by a repentance of sin. It also involves a: C. Cleansing of Sin. John tells us in I John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." John tells us that the objective of the Christian life is to be clean from sin. But if there is failure there can be a cleansing of sin. We read in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." To be at our finest spiritually, there must be a consciousness of sin, a confession of sin, and a cleansing of sin. John B. Gough, the great temperance orator, died while delivering one of his famous lectures. His last sentence was; "Young man, keep your record clean." Charles Tindley said it well in his great hymn:
Nothing between my soul and the Saviour Naught of this world's delusive dream: I have renounced all sinful pleasure - Jesus is mine, there's nothing between.
We also are reminded that to meet the Lord this way: 2. WE SHOULD CONSECRATE OURSELVES The second thing Naomi instructed Ruth to do was to anoint herself. She said in verse 3, "Wash thyself therefore and anoint thee." The act of anointing is very common in the Bible. It speaks of the pouring of oil on one's head and body. This matter of anointing speaks of the consecration of our life. First, think with me of: A. The Common Purpose of Anointing With Oil Anointing oneself in every day and common use is the same to us as using perfume or cologne. Naomi was saying to Ruth, "I want you to smell good when you meet Boaz." Paul spoke of the actions and service of Epaphroditus in Phil.4:18, as a sweet smell to God: "But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God." Our life is to be a sweet aroma to God. Our life is to be one consecrated to God and pleasing to Him. All too often our life is a putrefying odor instead of a pleasant odor. Many are like the fellow whose feet stunk so bad that when he put odor eaters in his shoes, he disappeared. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:15, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:" The word "savour" means fragrance. Our life ought to be a delight instead of a disappointment to God. It ought to be a blessing instead of a burden. It ought to be a lovely fragrance instead of a foul stench. Also, think with me of: B. The Ceremonial Purpose Of Anointing With Oil The ceremonial purpose of anointing with oil was to set apart something or someone from secular purposes to spiritual purposes. David was anointed as king; that is, he was set apart from the people as a common citizen and set apart unto God as a crowned King. Consecration in a believer's life is a separation from the world and a separation unto God. As a sinner we lived as a sinner. But now a saint, we are to live like a saint. You have heard the saying, "Toe the Line." The saying came from the early days of the British Parliament. Years ago members of Parliament wore swords in the House of Commons. To keep the Members from fighting during heated debates, the Speaker of the House of Commons forced the Government and Opposition party to sit on opposite sides of the chamber. Lines, two sword-lengths plus one foot apart, were drawn in the carpet. Members were required to stand behind the lines when the House was in session. To this day, when a member steps over the line during a debate the speaker yells: "Toe the Line." The Christian is to draw a line in life and then toe the line. On one side is the world and on the other side the things of God. The Christian then takes his stand on the side of the line with God and lives their life on that side. That is the anointed and consecrated life. It is with such a consecrated life that one wants to meet the Lord. Thirdly, we are reminded that in order to meet the Lord this way: 3. WE SHOULD CLOTHE OURSELVES Finally we see that Naomi told Ruth to clothe herself; "Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee." Ruth had come from Moab wearing the garments of a widow. She had gleaned in the field wearing the garments of a worker. Now Naomi says, "I want you to wear something special. I want you to put on that pretty dress that you have. I want you to look nice for Boaz." The "garments" of the Christian life speak of that which is seen by those around us. Clothing is a part of our life that others see. It speaks of our testimony and witness. To be at our finest we need to "dress up." To "dress up" we should wear: A. Clothing That Is Appropriate Different situations call for different kinds of clothing. You would not want to wear a wool overcoat to Florida in July. Neither would you want to wear a tank top and shorts to Alaska in January. Different occasions call for different kinds of clothing. You would not want to wear a sequin gown and mink fur to the ball park to watch a little league game. Neither would you wear blue jeans and a T-shirt if you were invited to the Whitehouse to meet the president. There is a life and testimony that is appropriate for those who are saved. There is a life that should be "put off” and a life that should be "put on" by Christians. A Christian would not want to wear "Devil Jeans" and "Satan shirts." In Ephesians 4:22-24 we read: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Also, to "dress up" we should wear: B. Clothing That Is Attractive Everything Naomi had asked Ruth to do was to make her attractive to Boaz. He was already attracted to her but Naomi wanted to really get his attention this time. "Ruth, put on the nicest dress you have. I want you to look good for Boaz," was what she was saying. The life that we live as a Christian should have an attraction about it. It should compel rather than repel. There should be something about our life that catches the eye rather than turn the stomach. The book "George Washington Had No Middle Name," tells about a biography of George Armstrong Custer, by James Warner Bellah. It reads in its entirety: “To put it mildly, this was an oddball." If someone wrote your biography how would they describe you? Would it be a biography that would be sold in Christian or secular book stores? Lord Peterborough lodged for a season with Fenelon, archbishop of Cambray. He was so delighted with his piety and virtue, that he exclaimed, at parting: “If I stay here any longer, I shall become a Christian in spite of myself.” A young minister, when about to be ordained, stated that at one period of his life he was nearly an infidel. "But," said he, "there was one argument in favor Christianity, which I could never refute--the consistent conduct of my own father!" It is important to remember that everything Ruth did; cleansing herself, anointing herself, and clothing herself, was for the purpose of pleasing Boaz. Just as Ruth would later that night lay at the feet of Boaz, one day we will bow at the feet of Jesus. We want to be at our finest so that He will be pleased with us. |
