What single thing stops us entering into the Rest?
Ruth 3:12-14 'And now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 'Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.' So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, 'Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.'
Boaz, like the Lord Jesus Christ, is willing to redeem her but there is a closer relative than Boaz! Who would have the first choice to redeem you before the Lord? 'Tis a mystery but we will have to save that for chapter four. But for now what is important is the Lord's response to someone trusting and looking to Him. After telling Ruth not to fear the next thing he says is for her to remain resting for the night. The rest!
There is only one thing that prevents us from entering into the rest and that is unbelief. After Boaz told Ruth to rest, not to fear and that he would look after everything, do you think she spent the rest of the night tossing and turning thinking 'will he, won't he, he loves me, he loves me not - Oh what's going to happen?' No way! She believed him and had a good nights' sleep! Read Hebrews 4 - it states that there remains a rest for the people of God and that 'we who believe enter the rest'. The rest is not one day a week, but 'Today' as Hebrews states. Like the children of Israel we often fail to believe but let's hear God again say 'do not fear' and allow faith to rise as faith comes by hearing.
She had to rest on the threshing floor knowing that Boaz would look after her! The picture couldn't be any clearer for us. Testing and trials will come for the refining of our faith but what the Lord is after is that attitude which places the problem at the feet of Jesus, remaining restful in the midst of the trial.