Ruth - Part 5
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Don’t take the easy way out.
Naomi was an Israelite living in Moab, and she had a Moabite daughter-in-law named Ruth.
Their husbands had died, they had no other children and so they were two widows out on their own trying to survive. They we vulnerable to starvation, to attack.
Naomi hear’s the famine has ended in her home country of Israel, so she sets off to travel back to her hometown of Bethlehem.
She tries to send her daughter in-law’s home to their blood relatives in the hopes of having a better life, but Ruth commits to help and care for Naomi.
Ruth 1:16 (ESV)
For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
SO they come back to Bethlehem, a strange pair. Naomi had left for a better life with her husband & two sons, and she had returned in a worse state, no sons or husband. Yet she had this loyal foreign daughter-in-law who had converted, leaving behind her own people.
Ruth was a diligent and faithful woman who got out into the field to glean for barley grain, picking up the left overs from the havesters.
She “happened” to end up in the field of Boaz who was a relative of Naomi’s husband Elimilech. He was very kind to Ruth, rewarding her for all she had done for Naomi and for her dead husband.
Naomi saw an opportunity to find long-term security and and blessing for Ruth (and by extension for herself), she arranged for Ruth to find an opportunity to talk to Boaz and ask for him to take her into his care and protection as a wife. In Israel you owed an obligation to your dead relatives (especially your brothers) to marry their childless widows. Being without a family put you in a precarious social position, and without children you would have no-one to care for you in your old age.
So Ruth asked for Boaz’s help:
Ruth 3:9 (ESV)
Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
Boaz agreed!
As a relative of her departed husband, Boaz had a family obligation to do what he could to care for Ruth, but Boaz wasn’t doing it out of mere duty, you see there was another relative, one who was closer, who had the legal right to redeem.
Our story ended on a bit of a cliff hanger last week, with Boaz agreeing to redeem Ruth, but not yet able to follow through. We’re cheering for Ruth and Boaz to get married, they’re both good people and we want both of them to happy and it just seems like a perfect match, but there’s a spanner in the works.
Legally that other relative should redeem Ruth. He is closer and he has first “preference” to serve his family.
So we’re waiting, what will happen?
Well we did read it a few minutes ago, so you know the ending, but join me for the ride in the text, and imagine you didn’t know how it ended. The tension is high in the story. Can these two righteous people find a way to be together?
Three big Things I want you to see in this passage.
Redemption Sought
Redemption Sought
When we left off the story, Ruth was at home with Naomi giving her the news that Boaz had agreed to marry, but there was a hitch.
Naomi assures Ruth: “the man will not rest but will settle the matter today”
And Just as Naomi suspected, Boaz did get right down to business.
Now even though Boaz was right on the case, it would not be a quick as you expect. This work isn’t done by filling out forms, or making applications. He can’t phone up, or email, he has to go find the a guy somewhere around town. But the city gate acts like a public meeting area, so if you wanted to catch someone, you would hang out there, which is waht Boaz does:
Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
We’re used to legal matters being decided with tomes of legislation, lawyers to interpret the law and contracts and paperwork, etc. But in ANE it was done by coming before your community elders. They knew the law and could make descions over disputes. It was also for the witnessing of agreements, they didn’t have signatures and seals, instead you would make your agreement in front of your community representatives and leaders, then it was public knowledge what had happened and you could be held accountable.
Little aside: Church elders are meant to perform a similar role, the NT tells us that church elders are to oversee our church community life, and tells us that disputes (Not criminal matters) between believers should be dealt with in church where possible. We need more elders so that we can have a cohort of wise leaders who know God’s word who can help the church community thrive!
Back to Boaz, he gets down to business:
Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
Strangely enough Boaz starts talking about land. This catches us off guard.
Seems to be a strategy to get to his desired goal.
How did he find out about the land for sale? Maybe Ruth told him. Maybe he knew about it separately and put two and two together.
You see this land thing seems totally foreign to us, but we don’t live under the Old Covenant in ancient Israel. God had promised the land as an inheritance to the people and he had promised blessings to go with that land.
Part of their idea of blessing was that your name would not be wiped out, and how could you ensure your name was remembered? you had offspring who knew and repeated your name in their geneology. There was a kind of vicarious immortality through your descendants.
These things worked together to mean that the land shouldn’t be separated from the family, it is meant to stay with the family and be passed on to each generation, and, where possible you tried to keep the name of your relatives alive.
One of the ways this was done is through Levirate marriage. If you’re and man, and your bother dies, you’re obligated to marry his widow if she’s childless to raise up offspring to carry on your brother’s name. It’s not genetics, its about transmission of the name.
SO the first child of a levirate marriage would inherit the name and property of his genetic uncle. A weird system to us, but hey, it worked and it was endorsed by God under the civil law given to Israel.
So you had to try an both keep both the land in the family and perpetuate the name of your dead relatives. These two things were kind of separate, but related.
Now, you might need to sell off your land to pay back debts or escape destitution. But! if the land needs to stay as part of the family inheritance, how can it come back? God gave a law of redemption for the land.
You could sell the land, but the “sale” is more like a lease. It will return to the original owner (or his descendants) in the year of jubilee.
If you get back on your feet and can afford it, you can go and end the lease early by paying out the reminder of the lease.
But, if you have a relative of means, he can come and redeem it so that it stays within the family.
It seems that this is similar to what’s going on with Naomi. She’s on hard times, and has either already sold the “lease” or is offering it up for sale so she can make ends meet in her old age.
Boaz is asking the nameless redeemer if he will redeem the land.
But, which is easier, to marry and raise kids, or to buy land? It’s much easier to add some more land to your property portfolio than to take on the responsibilities of a family - more mouths to feed, more duties and responsibilities.
This is what Boaz seems to be playing on. We don’t need much convincing to do things that we selfishly want to do anyway! It’s much harder to follow through with our obligations when our heart is not in it. When it comes with strings attached.
So Boaz plays his next card:
Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
It seems to be that when there’s a childless widow involved, the land comes as a package deal. The land has to stay with the family, and the man’s name should hopefully continue if the widow can remarry, so it makes sense that these two go together.
Although we’re not used to this language of buy and acquiring a person, it’s not human trafficking as we know it. It’s part of the web of community relationships and obligations. We can rightly say I belong to my wife. I am hers. SO although this kind of language is not as familiar to us, don’t be too quick to jump on the “it’s treating women as property” train. There was bad treatment of women under some ANE customs for sure, but don’t jump to conclusions.
The other redeemer is faced with the fullness of his responsibilities if he wants the land, and he decides to opt out.
He thinks it will imperil his own inheritance. How? don’t know. Maybe has no kids yet, and he’s worried that there will be trouble if he has a first child by Ruth.
If he was a brother, he would have been shamed in his society, because was an awful thing to ditch your family like that. But because this was a more distant relative, it seems the obligation is not as strong. He’s not disobeying God’s law, though it does look bad when compared to Boaz willingness to do what it takes.
Boaz is held up as the great example.
Providing food for the poor, treating them with respect
recognizing and rewarding righteousness
Withstood the test of temptation in the night with a pretty young lady.
Being concerned for the reputation of others, and concerned that the laws and proper channels are followed.
Being willing to fulfill duties and obligations.
Man of action, going though with his word.
Facing challenges and pursing redemption.
Boaz pursuing Ruth’s redemption reminds us of Jesus pursuing ours!
He came into the world with a purpose.
He preached the coming of the kingdom
He set his face toward Jerusalem, and went there without turning away.
Redemption Achieved
Redemption Achieved
Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”
agreement reached - took a sandal as was the custom.
Ruth will become his wife in the levirate way. Although Boaz shouldn’t really be marrying foreign women, in this case it’s a loophole, for Ruth is both loyal to YHWH, and thus no longer a foreign wife, and he is doing his family duty to marry his relative’s childless widow.
Then a blessing/prayer offered by the public witnesses
Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
Jesus completed our Redemption
Christ has purchased His Bride with his own blood.
We were destitute without him!
We have been won!
Prayers Answered
Prayers Answered
Ruth & Boaz married. Naomi saved.
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!
The fulfillment of all the prayers of the book:
Deal kindly with Ruth, finding rest with a new home and husband.
The Lord punish me if I fail to fulfill me promise.
The LORD repay, reward Ruth.
Blessed be Boaz
Blessed be Ruth
The Lord make your fruitful and have children
Now bless the LORD! Be renowned in Israel.
He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
Naomi's sadness turned to joy! Not Mara (bitter) but Pleasant!
And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Obed is a restorer to a family line that looked to be cut off.
Greater things to come!
Obed was Kind David’s great grandad!
Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Crazy family tree -
Tamar - was to be excluded because some refused their family obligation of levirate marriage. But it was overcome.
Rahab the foreigner & prostitute joined God’s people. Rahab was Boaz’ mum!
Now Ruth, like Tamar & Rahab combined. three women who were redeemed from their “fate”
The Lord has not left you without a redeemer, but has given you Jesus, Son of David who will save you from your fate.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
He is the answer to the prayers of the OT, where God’s people pleaded for their salvation!
He will give you a future that you otherwise cannot have. But not merely securing a legacy, he will secure your very life.
So what?
So what?
Redemption Pursued
Redemption Achieved
Prayers Answered