Ruth Chapter 4:1-12 by Diane Caston
As we have seen Ruth came all the way from Moab into the heart and home of Boaz. As we keep reinforcing, the book of Ruth is a love story, a true story, but also an allegory.
As J. V. McGee says,” It’s a story that starts with funerals, and ends with a wedding”.
Or as Weirsbe says, “the book starts with tears, and toil, and ends with trust and triumph.” Weirsbe loves alliteration!
The previous chapter left us at a dramatic point as in the story. Ruth and Boaz were obviously in love and want to get married, with Boaz exercising the right of the Goel or kinsman-redeemer to make her his own.
As we approach the end of this book, we now see in Chapter four, Boaz goes to work. Up until now he has had to stand back and watch. He must have known Naomi's sad story of return and that she was his near relative. As she comes to work in his field, He asks Ruth who she is and hears from others about her good reputation. He must have been interested.
However, hindered by propriety, all he could do was to ease the burden of Ruth’s work and make sure she and Naomi both had enough to eat. But now, after Ruth’s appeal for his protection, he is free! Ruth has claimed him as her kinsman-redeemer; she has come to him for security, and he is free to set the wheels in motion to provide for her through matrimony!
Ruth just needs to wait and let him be the one to make all of the arrangements. He can now step out in the open and make it known that he intends to redeem all that is Naomi’s and, in the process, marry Ruth and raise up godly offspring to Elimelech’s name. He could have been embarrassed in this situation, if it hadn’t turned out the way he hoped. But he is willing; he loves her. He wants her, and he is willing to pay the price to redeem her. Yet, there was a kinsman closer to Ruth, and he had priority. Would he claim the right of kinsman-redeemer towards Ruth, and keep her and Boaz from coming together?
Ruth 4:1 "Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So, Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So, he came aside and sat down."
The city gate was as Huey says, “A kind of outdoor court, the place where judicial matters were resolved by the elders and those who had earned the confidence and respect of the people... a place for business and as a kind of forum or public meeting place.”
Boaz came here looking for this relative to present his case to and hopefully redeem Naomi, and with her Ruth. Now this relative of Boaz's had a closer relationship to Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband, and therefore had more right to the redemption of the land than Boaz had. We don’t really know the exact relationship here. We see that Boaz calls out to him to come and sit down.
Vs. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So, they sat down.
The elders of the city do as Boaz directs. He takes charge of the situation, leading some to think he had some kind of leadership position in the city himself. Ten men, called a minion, were the number necessary to make a final decision on a legal action.
Vs. 3-4 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ “And he said, “I will redeem it.”
Now remember how we learned a few weeks back about the kinsman-redeemer from Jewish law. Levitus 25 explains the reasoning and the whole process. The Lord Himself gave Moses these instructions for the land what He required when they entered it. He speaks of Sabbaths, gleaning, and the years of Jubilee. He gives instructions not to oppress their brothers, and if they do these things the land will yield food for them. God is very serious about the land of Israel. He tells the Israelites in Leviticus 25:23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.
As an aside, a problem we see today with Israel is people are no longer educated in what the Word of God says. The land belongs to God. He will decide what happens with it and what others will be able to do about it. We see many foolish people today thinking the promises God made to Israel were forfeited when they didn’t receive their Messiah Jesus. They believe the church has replaced Israel. This causes much confusion for people who don’t study the scriptures. We see a group of people heralding, ‘Christ is King’, believing they are now the inheritors of the promises to Israel! This leads to an atmosphere of antisemitism which is spreading like poison today.
Ruth had to learn from Naomi what to do to be redeemed. The same is true throughout God’s dealing with men throughout time. The word came from God to the men of Israel. They wrote out the scriptures. We receive the word of God through the Holy Spirit-inspired words of those men. Romans 3:1-2 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.
Now that rubs some people the wrong way, but it is still true today; the land still belongs to the Lord! The promises made to Israel were everlasting promises. And God is not finished dealing with Israel. The land has a title deed with the rules written inside and out like an escrow document today. A close kinsman will come one day soon and redeem the land of Israel and the entire earth. Time limits reading it now, but for your homework read Revelation Chapter 5.
So, the Israelites were all given land that would be their possession, but ultimately the land belonged and still belongs to the Lord.
As a refresher, if for some reason landowner in Israel had to lease, sell, or otherwise lose their land, it could always be redeemed by a relative of his same family.
There were only four requirements for this redemption.
- Close relative - the closest, who was able, had first right
- Able to perform – there was nothing to prevent him from redeeming
- Willing to perform – it was his choice
- Finally, he must assume all the obligations that are involved
So, Boaz starts out with his proposal to redeem what belongs to Naomi. I think he was being very measured in how he presented his case. He begins with Naomi and the property of her late husband Elimelch. This closest kinsman probably knew the sad story of Naomi leaving to go to Moab and coming home bereft of her whole family. To have her inheritance returned to her it had to be redeemed by a relative. As Boaz explains this situation to the kinsman, the kinsman thinks, no problem, I can do this for Naomi! Boaz was probably very disappointed! He probably hoped the kinsman would refuse.
Vs.5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
Then Boaz explains the situation in a little more in detail. He informs the nearer kinsman of his duty to redeem the posterity of Elimelech if he will redeem the property of Elimelech.
There just happens to be some strings attached! There's a woman involved in the deal. Boaz tries to make the deal a little less attractive by using an almost a slur about Ruth. He mentions that she is a Moabitess!
Deut. 23:3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord”.
You know, this may be the reason Naomi encouraged her daughter-in-laws to go back to their families when she headed back to Israel. She might have been embarrassed that after some time in Moab, her sons had married women who were shunned by the Jewish faith, and here she would be bringing two of them home with her. Fortunately, Ruth loved Naomi and her faith enough cling to her, to swear loyalty to her, and to follow her and her God back to Israel.
Here Boaz points out that she is a foreigner, and not an attractive one, because of her heritage! Now the closest kinsman becomes a little less inclined! He has second thoughts.
Vs.6 And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
He must have realized this could mess up his own inheritance! Maybe he is already married, or has children of his own, and taking on this situation could interfere with their inheritance. The land would become Ruth’s heirs and become entangled with his own land. Who knows, but this is just what Boaz wants to hear! Yippee! The right of redemption is now his!
Vs. 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.
The shoe shows he was passing on the opportunity. To Boaz it was as good as a marriage license. It was good as a contract of the relinquishing his right to redeem.
This was probably not the Levirate law referred to in Deut. 25:9, because this was not the brother of the deceased husband, and Boaz didn’t spit on him, but as the verse says, it was the custom. In Middle Eastern cultures, feet and footwear represented power, possession and authority.
An interesting story, if any of you remember it, was on 12/14/08, while he was visiting in Iraq an Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at George W Bush. In Arab culture showing the sole of a shoe or throwing it is considered a profound insult and a symbol of contempt. The Iraqi man was obviously not very pleased with President Bush.
Vs. 8-10 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So, he took off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”
Boaz joyfully proclaimed — legally sealing the transaction — that he would redeem both the property and the posterity of Elimelech, and (best of all) take Ruth, the woman he loved, as his wife!
First Boaz redeems the property, then he redeems Ruth. He has acted on her behalf. He has become her kinsman-redeemer. She will now be protected and cared for. She will bear a child who will be in the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus! So amazing!
Vs.11-12 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”
Rachel and Leah were the women who birthed the 12 tribes. Here in Bethlehem is born the great grandfather of David, from whom would come the Savior Jesus.
This little book of Ruth, which we will finish next week, is a microcosm of the whole plan of redemption. Naomi left the safety of Israel with her husband and sons; this was a mistake, and out of the will of the Lord. They were there for a while, so maybe it looked like all would work out. But then the sons marry Moabite women! And then the losses came. After losing her husband and sons, Naomi realized she needed to return to her people and the land that was designated for her. I’m not sure that she came back in faith, since she asked her old friends to call her Marah, or bitter when she arrived. Along with her she brought a Gentile!
Fortunately, Ruth heard enough about the God of Israel to desire His way and His land, and she forsook the idols of her own land and clung to Naomi. Naomi had lost all that belonged to her in leaving Bethlehem, and the only way to have it returned was for the law to be fulfilled. A near kinsman was needed to redeem it for her. ‘It just so happened’, there was one, a man named Boaz. He paid the price to fulfill the law and redeem Naomi’s land and make Ruth his bride. The parallels are so strong.
Chuck Missler explains in his commentary on Ruth that the Eastern mind looks at prophecy differently from the Western mind. We look at prophecy as foretold and fulfilled. But Jewish tradition looks at types. Scripture is filled with types; Abraham was a type of God the Father as he was willing to give up his only son. Also, when he sent his servant, a type of the Holy Spirit to get a bride for son Isaac. Joseph was a type of Christ when he was sold into slavery by his brother and eventually became their savior through the famine.
In our story we see:
The land of Israel– It belongs to the Lord forever, as we previously noted, Lev 25:23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.
Salvation is of the Jews -Jn 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
Naomi is a picture of Israel – Naomi instructs Ruth what to do to fulfill the law of God, how to gain a kinsman redeemer
Ruth exemplifies the church – A gentile, she becomes the reason Naomi has hope for the future! Maybe not all is bitter after all!
Boaz is the picture of Jesus, our kinsman Redeemer – He marries Ruth - a Gentile bride – a type of the church, he redeems Naomi – a type of Israel. Boaz redeems a Gentile woman in the city of Bethlehem!
It was necessary for Jesus to become a man to redeem us, because he must be a man to fulfill that law of redemption. He must be a true relative. This redemption is there for each of us, but…
As J Vernon Mc Gee says - Christ, like Boaz, is not free to move on your behalf until you claim Him as your Kinsman redeemer.
We must ask for that redemption, just as Ruth had to ask for Boaz’ protection before he could act. We too must ask Jesus to come and redeem us. We must ask Him for forgiveness, ask to come under His wing for protection, and ask Him to give us new life.
Rev. 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
It is amazing that a small four-chapter book can speak volumes to us today of the love and salvation of our God and Savior Jesus Christ!
