Ruth 4                                                                                             210905

The story of Ruth begins as a growing tragedy and moves forward to an amazing triumph. Famine had led to the young family’s departure from Bethlehem and immigration to Moab. Elimelech believed this would be the best way to care for his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. We do not know how much time passed before Elimelech died leaving Naomi with two sons. The boys took wives, Orpah and Ruth. After about 10 years the sons also died leaving Naomi with her two childless daughters-in-law. It seems they survived in Moab by working in the fields. One day Naomi heard in the fields of Moab “that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. (Ruth 1:6b-7)

This period in history was extremely hard. The record of the Judges concludes by telling us, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). The conditions in Bethlehem must have been very bad for Elimelech to take his family to Moab. It must have been equally hard for Naomi to allow her two sons to marry Moabite women. The three widows had little to look forward to. In Moab the two younger would have been tarnished because they had married Israelites. In Israel they would be labeled “foreigners”. Prejudice is a malicious social disease that destroys any opportunity to build a strong community.

If these two younger widows had been Israelites the Law of Moses would have required the nearest male relative to take the widow as a wife, protect her and raise up children in the name of the deceased. If he refused he would have been shamed. (Deuteronomy 25:5).

Naomi was in no mood to trust God in her situation. She had been on hand when Elimelech had trusted God, moved to Moab, and died!

Ruth and Orpah must have had a very loving relationship with Naomi. They were willing to go with her to Bethlehem. For their own good she urged them to return to their families. That was the only way she could see for them to be taken care of. They divided on the issue and Orpah choose to go back to her family but Ruth was determined to be loyal to Naomi. She said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. 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. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17). This testimony shows her conversion to the family of the living God, Yahweh!

When the two women arrived in Bethlehem they were the talk of the town! In reply to the question, “Is this Naomi?” She answered, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Ruth 1:21).

“Naomi” means “Pleasant” and “Mara” means “Bitter”.

Ruth’s confession of faith had included a rejection of the Moabite god, chemosh! Ruth surrendered her life to Naomi and the one true God, “Yahweh”.

Naomi was in so much pain that she could not imagine Ruth as an asset. God is often blamed when things seem to go “wrong”. Man takes the credit when things seem to go “right”!

Chapter one ends with a hint of how they might survive, “And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” (Ruth1:22b) There were two things Naomi and Ruth had to have in order to survive: food and family. They had gleaned for food in the fields of Moab. So they knew how to “get by” for food but there was certainly no future in that.

Chapter two begins with, “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. (Ruth 2:1) Ruth and Naomi may have discussed their closest relatives but they would not have known which relatives had survived.

Naomi’s comment, “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty,” (Ruth 1:20) certainly indicates she could not see anything positive in their situation. Yahweh Himself was Ruth’s and Naomi’s only real asset. But Naomi did not give Ruth any consideration. Apparently she did not trust Yahweh! So Ruth takes it upon herself to provide for their needs. She asked Naomi’s permission before she went out to gather what grain she could. God’s unseen hand reached out.

Ruth just “happened” to come to the field being harvested by Boaz, one of their kinsman redeemers!

Now I don’t believe in chance or luck. I do believe in providence!

God had provided for gleaning in the Law of Moses. One of the laws of compassion allow for the poor to glean after the harvesters. “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” (Deuteronomy 24:19).

When she set out that morning Ruth was not looking for Boaz’s field she was just looking for food for her and her beloved Naomi. I do not think Ruth planned to arrive in Boaz’s field. I believe God guided her there. This was not a scheme by the two widows to trap a man. It was part of a long-term plan arranged by God with a specific goal. Look at the evidence of Boaz and his crew showing their common faith. Ruth arrived just as, “Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” (Ruth 2:4) It just happened that Boaz arrived while Ruth was gleaning in his field. I believe God’s unseen hand guided her to family, food and a future all wrapped up in one package. A package named Boaz. When he arrived on the scene he did not ask, “Who is the young woman?” He asked, “Whose young woman is this?” The difference is subtle. Boaz did not want to know who she was as much as he wanted to know if she was free and if not who did she belong to. 

Boaz checked in with his crew and gave them instructions then he approached Ruth. Boaz had instructed his crew, male and female, to keep Ruth from harm and to make sure she had all she needed. He also told the young men to leave plenty of grain for her to gather. She was to be allowed to drink from the workers’ water jars. She knew that this was not common practice. And she was bold enough to ask, “Why”?

Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:11-12) Ruth’s loyalty had paid off in real dividends. She could see that she was being treated like one of his servants and not like a poor foreigner.

Boaz went a step further. At the end of the day he and his crew ate together. He invited Ruth to join in the meal. He even served her with his own hands. At the end of the day Ruth beat out the grain she had gathered. Naomi was excited about the size of Ruth’s harvest. Obviously, someone had blessed her. I am not sure Naomi was ready to recognize God’s hand. But we know that God was her benefactor. Just as Boaz had said, “The Lord repay you for what you have done.”(Ruth 2:12) Barley harvest usually began about mid-April and wheat harvest extended to mid-June—a period of intense labor for about two months. This generally coincided with the seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost.

For a couple of months Ruth had worked in the fields of Boaz alongside his young women. During that time her reputation was growing. Later, Boaz would call her a worthy woman. That same phrase is used to describe the excellent wife beginning in Proverbs 31:10. No doubt he was smitten by her and did not know exactly what to do about it. I believe he was older than she and had likely given up on having a wife and family. He may have been too busy bringing his business through the famine. This may have been one explanation of why he was not already married.

Of course he was not married! God was holding him in reserve to become the great-grandfather of David the King. Meanwhile, “She lived with her mother-in-law.”  (Ruth 2:23b) As soon as Naomi heard the name, “Boaz” she knew what to say and do. “Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. ³ Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” ⁵ And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” (Ruth 3:2-5).

The scene was set. Most of the servants of Boaz would have the day, or certainly the evening, off. Winnowing was a man’s job. The female servants brought in the harvest and the men would have separated the grain from the chaff. The fact that Boaz was there working alongside of his crew in doing the work speaks well of him.

Ruth had bathed and put on perfume. I expect she had, up till then, been dressed in the clothes of a widow. She would have put the “widows weeds” aside and, with her clothing, shown that she was ready to lay aside the past and get on with life. She went to the winnowing floor and let the darkness protect her identity. Following Naomi’s instructions she watched Boaz very carefully. She did not want to approach the wrong man when she moved into action. She watched where he lay down and waited until she was certain he was sound asleep.

Then she softly moved to his feet and turned his robe back and lay down. In our world that would have been a very provocative act. In their world this was acceptable. I believe at least one of Boaz’s servants was awake and aware of what was happening. That servant would have been very loyal to his good master. His duties would have included maintaining a fire and watching over the gathered grain. He would have also known Ruth was worthy and to be trusted.

That would have been who Boaz spoke to when he said, ““Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” (Ruth 3:14)

In the middle of the night Boaz was awakened and he uncovered Ruth. He asked, “Who are you?” Her reply would have settled all of his doubts about her and their future.

The word she used for covering might be translated “wings”, “skirt”, or “hem”. It was the same word Boaz used when referring to her relationship with the God of Israel. Ruth was serious about her relationship with Boaz. She said, “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” ¹⁰ And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

(Ruth 3:9b-11). Then Boaz revealed that he had been considering exactly what Ruth proposed. He had done his research but he had kept quiet about what he knew.

He said, “And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. ¹³ Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” (Ruth 3:10-13), Ruth wanted there to be no doubt in Boaz’s mind. Naomi had given her instruction to let Boaz discover her and then follow his directions. “But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:7). Ruth did not stop with the unveiling she added to Naomi’s words.  “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

(Ruth 3:9b) Boaz was a man of honor. He would make sure Ruth’s reputation was secure. He would also make sure there was no time for the “closer redeemer” to hear about the scene at the threshing floor.

At the same time, he would protect her physically by having her stay until morning twilight to go home. Also he gave her an abundance of grain so Naomi could no longer say God brought her back empty. Then he promised to settle the matter immediately. He must not let too much time pass. The whole community would have known what was going on soon enough. If the nearer redeemer had time to work out the nuances of Ruth and the property she represented he would have found a way to make it work. So, Boaz is ready to strike while the iron is hot! Before his cousin (at least I think they were cousins) realized there would be a way to add to his land, father a male heir, and still keep his estate separate.

In the meantime, Ruth came to their apartment in the city with a story to tell and a supply of barley. Naomi assured Ruth, ““Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” (Ruth 3:18).

In his excitement Boaz hurried to the city gate. He had, had little sleep and lots of anticipation. I believe he knew what time what’s his name would pass through that gate. I expect Boaz had watched what’s his name going through his daily routines long enough to act on the information he had gathered. When the unnamed redeemer stepped up Boaz quickly organized a 10 man quorum and presented his case. God willing we will pick up the story at the city gate next Sunday.

 

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2016. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

 

Boaz personifies Jesus who, “had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17), Jesus redeemed those who were slaves to sin. “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:15–18)  Jesus redeemed those who had lost all earthly privilege in the Fall, and had been alienated by sin from God. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:18–21).

Boaz stands in the direct line of Christ. This turn of events marks the point where Naomi’s human emptiness (Ruth 1:21) begins to be refilled by the Lord. Her night of earthly doubt has been broken by the dawning of new hope.

Have you recognized your need for a redeemer? One who can buy you back from the fields of this age and allow you to work alongside those who are servants of the King of the Universe? See how a citizen of a foreign nation can become a member of the people of God? Have you trusted Jesus as your Lord?

 

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2016. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.