The story of Ruth and Boaz isn’t a how-to lesson about getting a spouse. It’s an historical account of what happened between Boaz and Ruth. We must be very careful of using an historical account in the Bible as a command to repeat.

I. A Friend (Ruth 3:10-12). Boaz blessed Ruth and recognized her readiness to marry despite their age difference as an act of "hesed" loving-kindness or covenant love. He knew she wasn’t seducing him or taking financial advantage, but truly desired to be under his wing.
Boaz promised to meet her need for a redeemer, but more than her mourning prevented his action. While Naomi and Ruth likely thought Boaz was disinterested or procrastinating, he’d been working behind the scenes and knew there was a kinsman nearer to her than he.
There is a friend closer than a brother (Prov 18:24). We ought to understand this friend to be the Lord, who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6-8; Heb 13:5). He will be faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to Him (2 Tim 2:13). A man like Boaz was an incredible kinsman-redeemer, but he falls miserably short of Jesus.

II. A Promise (Ruth 3:13). Boaz intended to redeem Naomi, Ruth, their family name, and their property. He’d perform the duty of a "goel" because he loved Ruth. Love makes a difference.
God didn’t have to redeem any of us. We were sinners, dead in our trespasses and sins, alienated from God and haters of God. Damning each one of us to Hell would be just, yet He loved us and thus sent His Son into the world. His redemption is a divine love story (Hos 1:1-3:5; Eph 1:14; 2:4; 5:25-32).
A promise is only as good as the character of the promise-maker. God is faithful to keep his every promise (Deut 7:9-11; Ps 25:8-10; 26:1-3; 33:4; 91:4; Is 25:1; Ezek 12:25; Lam 3:22-23; 1 Cor 1:4-9; 10:12-13; 1 Thess 5:23-24; Heb 3:4-6; 10:23). In the darkness, Ruth couldn’t see Boaz’s face to judge his sincerity, but she trusted his word.
The people in Bethlehem knew Ruth was virtuous, so she didn’t need to worry what others might think, yet there was still danger. Rumors and lies have lives of their own. Ruth was to stay the night with Boaz for safety reasons, and in the morning he’d talk to the nearer kinsman.

III. A Husband (Eph 1:4; 5:25-29). The Father chose or elected the Church to salvation before the foundation of the world because in the timelessness of Heaven, Jesus was slain before the world’s foundation (1 Pet 1:20; Rev 13:8; 17:8).
In salvation, sin is forgiven and in sin’s place, the Father clothes the believer in Christ’s own righteousness by grace (2 Cor 5:21). Then the Father sanctifies (sets apart) the believer, declaring him holy and blameless. The believer not only has the Father’s spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3), but receives the character of the Lamb of God who is without spot or blemish (Eph 5:27; 1 Pet 1:19), a state not fully realized until Heaven (1 Jn 3:2-3).
Sin is forgiven through Christ’s death, sanctification is through the Word of God as the Bridge Groom nourishes and cherishes the Church (Eph 5:29; Tit 3:5). Jesus’ character or virtue being worked in the believer is an evidence of salvation.
The Hebrew phrase, town know that you are a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11) is the same as in Proverbs 31:31, let her own works praise her in the gates. This is significant. The Hebrew order of the Biblical books is different than in ours. In the Hebrew Bible, Ruth follows Proverbs. The last chapter of Proverbs describes the character of a godly or virtuous woman. Ruth is the embodiment, the example, of a Proverbs 31 woman!