0952 Ruth 4.1-22 Loyal Love & It’s Reward

9 ‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Q. What exactly does that mean?

Q. Does it mean that children get punished for the idolatry of their parents?

I dare say that many Israelites understood it that way

Or, at least, they used that understanding to their advantage

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Q. What advantage, you may ask?

Well, the advantage of an excuse

“I’m in this predicament, not because I’ve sinned, not because I’m guilty, but because my father sinned or my mother sinned

“You see, I’m bearing the iniquity of the fathers on the children up to the 3rd & 4th generation”

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Now this verse can be looked at in 2 ways

a. God is directly punishing the children for the evil, idolatrous ways of their parents…or

b. God is allowing the consequences of the parent’s idolatry to play out in the lives of their children

I take the latter to be correct

There is cause & effect happening when people sin - others do pay the price

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Take reckless driving, for example

You may cause harm to others

Drug use - you may cause harm to others - breaking & entering to find money for drugs

Now to the nitty gritty - fail to raise your children in the ways of Yahweh & chances are that they will suffer as a result

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Ros & I were driving through Echuca on the way home from playing Squash one night

There were a gang of youths - about 6 of them & some were being smart, deliberately walking across the road in the front of our car

Q. What was their home-life like?

Q. What teaching or worldview were they being raised on?

Sin has its consequences & I think the punishing even to the 3rd & 4th generation speaks to the negative consequences of idolatry upon a home & a society

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But in contrast, Godly faithfulness extends to a thousand generations

Hyperbole - yes - going beyond the point to make the point - but the point is well taken

God blesses those who are loyal to Him to a greater extent, than the negative effects of idolatry

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The Israelites, however, were conveniently using this sense of - “oh, it was my father’s doing - for why they were in exile in Babylon

So a Proverb developed to reinforce their blame game

But what did the Lord have to say about that?

Ezekiel 18:1–4 NASB95

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. 4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

The fathers catch cold but the children sneeze

But the Lord says that they are as guilty as their fathers with their faithlessness & idolatry

God judges a person, not by the fact that he or she had bad parents, but what he or she does before the Lord

The soul that sins will bear his own judgement

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I raise this today to bring our attention to the story of Naomi & Ruth

Things went terribly bad for them & for all intents & purposes, they had not done anything wrong

But under the hand of God, life went downhill big time

They had lost all the husbands to death & had no children

Many would have thought - Naomi, what did you do so wrong - are you one of those being punished up to the 3rd & 4th generation?

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But the Scriptures don’t indicate that Naomi, nor Ruth, nor Orpah had done anything wrong

On the contrary, Naomi, the only Israelite maintained her faithfulness to God & Ruth becomes a convert to the true God of heaven & earth - & guess what?

It “paid off” - God showed His faithfulness to them

But He went one step further - through their loyalty to Him, their legacy resulted in the birth of King David which then led to the birth of King Jesus

What a wonderful blessing to be a part of God’s great plan of the ages in bringing Jesus into the world - the rewards of their loyalty to the Lord

1. Boaz’ Crafty Move Ruth 4:1

When we looked at chp.3, Ruth had made a move on Boaz to secure him in marriage as a kinsman-redeemer to continue on the legacy of her deceased husband in Israel

But as we saw in the last chapter, there is one who is ahead of Boaz as far as rights of redemption are concerned

To refresh us on this law in Israel, we read the following...

Deuteronomy 25:5–6 NASB95

5 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 “It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

This is the principle, but the principle seemed to be extended beyond just a literal brother

So that it may include an uncle or second cousin who could also be a kinsman-redeemer

Q. How did they arrive at this?

Possibly through other laws that speak about inheritances and legacies, like this one from the book of Numbers...

Numbers 27:8–11 NASB95

8 “Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 ‘If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 ‘If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 ‘If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”

From here, it seems that it was acceptable to be a kinsman-redeemer even though you are not strictly the brother of the deceased who had no son to carry on his name

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Boaz, therefore, knows that by rank of redeemer, there is another man who is a closer relative, than he

Remember that Boaz was not going to sit on this, but was going to act quickly for Ruth & Naomi’s sake

Again, what happens here is another example of the Lord working through the whole process

Ruth 4:1 NASB95

1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

It just so happened that as Boaz went up the gate of the city, that the close relative - first-in-line kinsman-redeemer happened to be passing by

It is similar to what we found in chap. 2

Ruth 2:3 NASB95

3 So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

As Boaz went up to the gate…it happened that the close relative was passing by - what are the chances?

When the Lord is involved, those chances come about

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I love the way Boaz deals with this issue

As are most transactions, in this time, they are handled at the gate of the city & there he gathers a quorum of Elders needed to verify the transaction

But Boaz eloquently played a game of let’s say, Snakes & Ladders with the first-in-line kinsman-redeemer by first presenting to him the land or “ladder”

The land was Elimelech’s property & it could not be sold, because it must remain in the family - it became Mahlon’s property

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Here’s Naboth’s response to King Ahab’s desire for his vineyard

1 Kings 21:3 NASB95

3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

It could not, technically, be sold, but the property could be used, in the interim, to make money - say as a share farmer would do on someone’s property & he would have certain rights on that property

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The first-in-line kinsman-redeemer is happy about that - all upside like climbing the ladder

I think it is also a strong possibility that such property would even pass to him, if Naomi & Ruth pass on with no husband or child

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However, there is more to this, if he wants to merely acquire the property as a kinsman-redeemer, part of the deal is that he will also have to acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, who is the rightful heir to that property

Which also means that when the kinsman-redeemer & Ruth have a son, that first-born son will inherit the property of Ruth’s former husband, the deceased Mahlon, so that his name & property will continue in Israel

But this, to the first-in-line kinsman-redeemer is like hitting the snakes, in the game of snakes & ladders as you slide down on the board & lose a lot of ground

Ruth 4:6 NASB95

6 The closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”

This game of Snakes & Ladders where the ladder was presented first has shown us something very revealing

It made it really clear that this man was no where near the calibre of godly Boaz

All he cared for was himself & whatever fortune he could make from the exchange

Unlike Boaz, who considered lovingkindness or loyal love as of far greater priority than his property

The way Boaz approached this matter shows clearly that He would rather obey Yahweh & honour Him, than merely to line his own pockets

2. Boaz Marries Ruth Ruth 4:8

Ruth 4:10 NASB95

10 “Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.”

As much as we would like to make this a wonderful romance, it tends to be more a matter of duty

Duty is one of those lost virtues in today’s world, just like lovingkindness & faithfulness are

Boaz saw his duty - to do his duty - as his commitment to His God

Doing your duty is to him, a matter of faith & virtue

Let us not see duty as boring & devoid of relational overtones

Duty is involved in how you relate to God - it was certainly what moved God as we see the rewards from Him come to Boaz, Ruth & Naomi

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Q. What are we to make of marriage to a Moabitess?

In the law it states that Israelite men must not marry foreign women

Deuteronomy 7:3–4 NASB95

3 “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.

When Ezra announced the reforms to Israel when they finally returned to the Holy land after being in exile for 70 yr in Babylons, they decided to get really serious with God

It was a radical time & a radical move towards a growing hardlined, law-based, practise

Part of those reforms were to put away the foreign women & their children whom they had married in defiance of the Law

Ezra 9:2 NASB95

2 “For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”

Ezra 10:3 NASB95

3 “So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

There are students of the Bible who have agreed & disagreed with what Ezra and the community had done

In agreeing with it, they would say that it is the proper approach of the law & the only way to get back to a holy community

Those students/commentators who oppose what Ezra said to do, would say that no where did God command for it to be done

They point out that a close contemporary, the prophet Malachi, stated: “I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel”

However, that was talking about marriage in general & not about marriages that were formed in disobedience to His law - so I’m not sure we can put too much weight on that

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But there is also the testimony of other passages of Scripture that show that other foreign women were married to Israelites

Moses had a Cushite wife; Rahab integrated into Israel & is said to be Boaz’ mother

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I think the best way forward is to admit that we don’t really know exactly what God would think of this, but we should know that just because Scripture records that something happened, it doesn’t mean it was God-sanctioned

Q. Would we say that Jephthah should have kept his vow to the Lord just because he made it & was obligated, therefore, to keep it?

Q. Should he have sacrificed his daughter?

Q. Is adultery sanctioned because David committed it with Bathsheba & Solomon was born through that union & took Israel to its greatest heights & then to its depths?

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Some things in the Bible are what we would call prescriptive & some things written are descriptive

One way proscribes like prescribing medicine you should take

The other way is merely describing what happened but not meaning you should take it

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Let us state the crucial issue - isn’t the prohibition against marrying foreign women really about idolatry?

Ruth was a solid convert to belief in Yahweh, just as Boaz’ mother Rahab was a solid convert to belief in Yahweh

The Law’s prohibition is a necessary provision, if you go by what the Law is concerned about - & there was real concern about marriage to foreign women

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Jezebel led all Israel into idolatry & Ahab the king & husband was too weak to prevent it

Solomon married many foreign women, not to appease some lustful intent, but to secure trading & security alliances with foreign nations

The women were merely part of shoring up the relationship between those nations

But those women are what led Solomon & hence all Israel into idolatry with the result that Israel became divided & with a long series of corrupt kings who were, themselves, full of idolatry

So there was a real concern - however, certainly not with Ruth

3. The Fortunes of Naomi Are Turned Around Ruth 4:13

It could be said that this book could be equally called, “The Book of Naomi”

She is certainly a central character

The person here who is given 3 verses, to Ruth’s 1, is Naomi

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Boaz & Ruth are married & the Lord enabled her to conceive & give birth to a son

Just the facts, ma'am

Yet, Naomi has 3 verses which elaborate...

The women in the community are ecstatic & recognise Yahweh’s work:

Ruth 4:14 NASB95

14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.

Then, the next verse…

Ruth 4:15 NASB95

15 “May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Who is the antecedent to “he” - in other words, who is “he” referring to?

Yahweh, Boaz, or the child?

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I think you will find that it is talking about the child in all 3 verses

v.13 she gave birth to a son; v.14 “may his name become famous in Israel” which may suggest Boaz here as the redeemer, however

Ruth 4:14–15 (NASB95)

15 “May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse.

This child, whose name is Obed, is famous & has turned the fortunes of Naomi & Ruth right around

But the one who has done this is Yahweh - this Yahweh has shown the same kind of loving kindness or loyal love as Ruth has shown to others

He gave her a husband, the ability to bear a son, and a famous descendant

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But I’d like you to notice that this is an answer to suffering Naomi’s prayers & to Boaz’ prayers

Ruth 1:8–9 NASB95

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 “May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

From Boaz

Ruth 2:12 NASB95

12 “May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”

Ruth 2:20 NASB95

20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”

Boaz’ prayer

Ruth 3:10 NASB95

10 Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

No wonder Naomi’s friends are praising Yahweh for these wonderful answers to prayer

God works behind the scenes in the deeds of His faithful people like Naomi, Ruth & Boaz

4. A Moabite’s Loyalty Introduces Blessings to the World Ruth 4:17

A little while ago now I bought this app for my computer & its called “MacFamily Tree”

I didn’t buy it because it started with Mac, but I did think it was rather nifty

But I wanted to keep a bit of a genealogy of our family

It’s not a significant thing in modern society, although, there is a resurgence of interest with all the new online genealogy sites now going

But it was very significant to this era of Boaz & Ruth & beyond to the days of Christ

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Interestingly, the blessing here comes to Naomi’s line as the child is said to be Naomi’s

That doesn’t mean that the child is not Ruth’s, it just means that the child continues Naomi & Elimelech’s line

Even more significant is this child for the Gospel

Obed is their child & becomes the grandfather of King David who establishes the line to that of King Jesus

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This genealogy starts with Perez

Ruth 4:18 NASB95

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron,

Interestingly, Perez is mentioned also in v.12

Ruth 4:12 NASB95

12 “Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

What’s the go here & what is so significant about Perez? Gen. 38

Judah was one of the Patriarchs, one of the 12 tribes of Israel

Judah gave a woman, Tamar, to his son as a wife - but he died having no offspring

Judah then gave his second son to her as kinsman-redeemer, but he died having no offspring

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Well, since all of Tamar’s husbands were dying, Judah was not willing to give her anymore of his sons in case they died too - its like this woman was bad luck

The same practise was used as with Boaz being the kinsman-redeemer

But Tamar deceived Judah, her father-in-law & he became the kinsman-redeemer in order that she could have children

She had twins & they continued the line of Judah, from whom Boaz came, Obed came, David came & Jesus came (according to the flesh)

Perez, the first-born twin, was significant because he continued what would be the royal line of Judah, but he came also via the kinsman-redeemer - being Judah himself

You can follow this line in Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew 1:3–6 NASB95

3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

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The book of Ruth, I hope, has encouraged us to look beyond the everyday things of life to see how God can make something amazing out of them, even from out of the most trying of circumstances

God’s blessing to Naomi, Ruth & Boaz was not just for them, but extended out to the whole world

Q. Could it be said that the everyday things that happen in our lives are meant for a greater purpose than just ourselves?

I believe so - God has always used His people to extend His blessings far beyond just ourselves

May we be encouraged, then, to see the bigger picture that emerges from the ordinary circumstances we face in life!

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