April 8, 2026

Business by the Book

Ruth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. 

Have a plan, Boaz did. This mighty man of wealth told Ruth of his plan to contact her nearest kinsman and ask that man to perform the part of the kinsman redeemer. If the man would not choose redeem Ruth, Boaz would. This was his plan. It was simple, lawful, clear cut and honest above all. His plan worked as we will soon learn.

Having a plan are words easily spoken but sometimes difficult to perform. I was once told in a sales training seminar “If you can plan it out, write it down and you can accomplish it. But if you can’t write it out chances are you will never succeed in that endeavor.”  A plan is an outline of action steps needed to accomplish the desired goal. Boaz’s action steps were 1) Wait until the time was right, 2) Meet with the nearest kinsman (this is unwritten but is obvious), 3) Relay the possibility of Ruth being redeemed by him, 4) If the man would do his part then that would be the outcome, 5) If the man would not do the part of a kinsman redeemer, Boaz would. This was his five step plan to resolve this issue.

George Patton said, “In the space of two days I evolved two plans, wholly distinct, both of which were equally feasible. The point I am trying to bring out is that one does not plan and then try make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances.”  Boaz did this. If the nearest kinsman said he would perform his legal right, then Boaz knew what to do, back away. If the man did not accept this responsibility, Boaz would redeem Ruth. Either way, he had a plan.

Years ago I was attempting to obtain a building permit from my city to screen in my back porch. This was a very simple job in that the patio was already covered by a nice structure, I just wanted to build a simple wooden grid and attach screens to keep the bugs out. In order to get the permit I had to submit architectural drawings to scale, list the building materials, take pictures of the existing porch, answer legal questions about my deed restrictions, pledge that as the homeowner I was going to do all the work myself (no contractors), and of course pay $63.00. Once I submitted all of this information, the city had five days to approve, ask for additional information, or disapprove the project. My plans that were simple in my head, had to be confirmed in writing, reviewed by at least three city officials, and then upon being completed be inspected.

Sometimes planning is a pain. But surely the job was easier, safer, and up to the city building code, by the proper planning and approval process. As least this is what I kept telling myself. After all the old adage is still true “Plan your work and work your plan.” Boaz did and he was a mighty man of wealth.

Dr. William Howe