How does Ruth 3:6 connect to Proverbs 3:5-6 on trusting God?

The Setting

Ruth 3 opens with Naomi’s bold plan for Ruth to seek redemption through Boaz. Verse 6 records Ruth’s response:

“​So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.” (​BSB)

---

Ruth’s Quiet, Trusting Obedience

• Ruth acts without hesitation.

• She follows Naomi’s directions exactly, even though the customs are unfamiliar.

• Her actions risk reputation, future security, and personal comfort—yet she moves forward.

---

A Living Illustration of Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (​BSB)

Parallel truths:

• Trust with the whole heart

– Ruth leaves Moab (1:16-17) and now stakes everything on Israel’s God and His covenant kindness.

• Lean not on personal understanding

– Human logic would say a widowed foreigner has little chance; Ruth sets that aside.

• Acknowledge Him in every way

– By honoring Naomi and Israel’s laws of redemption, Ruth publicly aligns with the LORD’s design for family and land.

• He will direct paths

– The threshing-floor encounter becomes God’s means to unite Ruth and Boaz, placing Ruth in the lineage of David and, ultimately, Christ (4:17; Matthew 1:5).

---

Supporting Scriptural Echoes

• Genesis 12:1-4 – Abraham steps out “not knowing where he was going,” and God guides.

• Psalm 37:5 – “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.”

• Hebrews 11:8 – Faith acts before seeing results.

---

Lessons for Today

• Obedience often precedes clarity.

• God delights to use ordinary acts done in faith to fulfill extraordinary plans (Ephesians 3:20).

• Trusting God may involve submitting to godly counsel, as Ruth did with Naomi (Proverbs 15:22).

---

Life Application Ideas

• Identify one area where directions from Scripture feel risky; obey anyway.

• Seek wise, mature believers like Naomi for input, then act.

• Record how God “makes straight” the paths that once looked impossible.