“Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor…” (Ruth 3:3).

I am sure that the desire of every true child of God is to draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. We find in the book of Ruth some great instructions for drawing closer to God. In chapter 3, Naomi tells Ruth how to draw near to Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. If we are to draw nigh unto our Redeemer, we should follow these precious instructions.

First of all, we must be cleansed. The first thing Naomi said was, “Wash thyself.” James 4:8 tells us, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” The Bible says we are cleansed by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26) and also by the blood of Christ (I John 1:7-9).

Second, we must be consecrated. Naomi then says, “and anoint thee….” The application here is to be filled with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18). God only fills clean vessels, so we must be clean before we can be consecrated.

Third, Naomi told Ruth, “Put thy raiment upon thee.” We must be fitly clothed. How is the believer to be clothed? I Peter 5:5 tells us to “be clothed with humility.” Why? “For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5).

Finally, Ruth is instructed to get down to the floor and to lie at the feet of Boaz. This speaks of commitment. She was drawing nigh to her kinsman redeemer, and we should draw nigh unto our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be clean, consecrated, clothed, and committed.

It’s thrilling to hear what Naomi says to Ruth, “[F]for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day” (Ruth 3:18b). Hallelujah! Our Lord is not done. He is going to finish this thing. He is coming, and we are going! Even so, come Lord Jesus!