Marriage, a woman's rest.
If Ruth was unselfish, so also was Naomi. The mother-in-law acted towards the young Moabitess as if she had been her own daughter. In seeking a husband for her daughter-in-law Naomi followed the customs of her country and her age. (Our English custom is intermediate between the French custom, according to which the husband is provided by the negotiations of the parents, and the American custom, which leaves daughters to select for themselves.) The case before us was not an ordinary one. For whilst marriage was almost universally looked forward to by Hebrew youths and maidens, there were very special reasons why Naomi should seek a husband for Ruth. As is implied in the text, Naomi desired that her daughter-in-law might find in marriage with Boaz—
I. A HOME, which should be a rest from her wanderings.
II. A PROVISION, which should deliver her from the misery and the temptations of poverty.
III. HAPPINESS, which should compensate her for the sorrows of her widowhood.
IV. PIOUS COMPANIONSHIP, which should be a relief from long friendlessness. Lessons:—
1. Parents should take thought for their children, and not leave them to choose companions and friends and life-associates by chance. Nothing could be more disastrous than such neglect and thoughtlessness.
2. Marriage should be thought of with deliberation and prayer, both by the young, and by their parents or natural guardians.
3. Those who have found rest and prosperity in marriage should not omit the duty of gratitude and praise for the care and direction of Divine providence.—T.