Ruth 4:1-13

INTRODUCTION

Who can tell me the story of Ruth so far?

SERMON

Many call the book of Ruth a love story. Like a Hallmark love story, we know who the heroine is going to marry from the beginning. We know Ruth is going to end up marrying Boaz. But like any good movie there is a problem that arises and must be overcome. Who knows what the problem is. We find out the problem in chapter 3. After Ruth proposes to Boaz he says:

Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. (Ruth 3:12)

Someone else is a closer relative than Boaz. Before Boaz would have a chance to be a guardian redeemer someone else would have to turn it down. I think Boaz has already thought about marrying Ruth but gave up hope because of the difference in their ages – he’s much older – and the fact that there was a closer relative. If he hadn’t thought about it he wouldn’t have immediately known there was a closer relative. This closer relative would have first right to buy the property and marry Ruth.

That’s the problem since both Ruth and Naomi want it to be Boaz. But Naomi isn’t very concerned. When Ruth gets back home and hears what Boaz has said she responds:

Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man [Boaz] will not rest until the matter is settled today. (Ruth 3:18)

I want you to notice the trust she has in Boaz. We’ll get back to this later, but she completely trusts him and encourages Ruth to do the same. “Just sit back and rest. Boaz will take care of this and he will let us know sometime today.”

And that’s exactly what happens.

1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. (Ruth 4:1)

Boaz goes to the gate of the town. Today, if you want to buy or sell property it has to be registered at the courthouse. If you buy a car you register the title at the courthouse. But they didn’t have a courthouse like we have today. Official business like that was done at the city gate in front of at least ten elders.

It’s interesting to note that the word elder simply means “one with a long beard.” So it was denoting an adult male with some years. I guess that means I could never be a town elder since I can’t grow a beard.

I think it’s also interesting that the closer relative is never named. In the NIV Boaz says, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” In the Hebrew it literally says, “O such one, come here.” It’s like saying, “Hey you, come over here and sit down.” Boaz knew his name but it’s not recorded. Maybe the relative isn’t named to keep from humiliating him. He’s the only main character in the book not named. We’ll just call him Mr. X. “Mr. X, come over here and sit with me. I’ve got something I need to talk to you about.”

2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. (Ruth 4:2)

Remember, you needed ten elders to be witnesses in order to conduct official business. There were no contracts so if it ever came up in a dispute you had ten men to verify what had happened.

3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said. (Ruth 4:3-4)

When Naomi’s husband Elimelek died the land he owned would have been divided between his two sons. However, his two sons died without children so Naomi is now responsible for doing something with the land. She doesn’t have any money. Therefore, the land is going to be sold in order to provide for Naomi.

You have to understand how important the land was to the people. After Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and they defeated the enemies the land was divided up according to the tribes and then each tribe divided their land so that each family had land. They considered the land to be given to each family by God. This was so important that God made a law that the land should stay in the family. You could sell your land to someone outside of the family, but every fifty years the land went back to the descendants of the original owner. That way the land stayed with the family.

Naomi now has to sell the land. Anyone could buy the land, but the person with the first right to buy it would be Mr. X because he was the closest relative. If Mr. X didn’t want to buy it then the land then the next closest relative had a chance. In this case it was Boaz and he is more than willing. But Mr. X said he wanted to buy the land. That also means he would be responsible for caring for Naomi and Ruth. That means he would be marrying Ruth. But Boaz didn’t tell him that. He left that part out. But he’s getting ready to.

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” (Ruth 4:5)

In other words, he can’t just buy the land, he also has to marry Ruth and any children they have will be considered children of Ruth’s first husband Mahlon. That also means that the land he’s buying wouldn’t go to his sons, but to any sons he has with Ruth.

6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” (Ruth 4:6)

He’s probably going to have to borrow money to buy the land and then the land wouldn’t stay in his family. Now the proposition isn’t sounding so good. On second thought, he decides to take a pass and let Boaz do it.

7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) (Ruth 4:7)

This is another part of this story that seems really strange. The custom is described in Deuteronomy, but basically it signifies that he is no longer able to walk the land because it’s not his.

8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal. (Ruth 4:8)

Mr. X was willing to take possession of the land, but he was not willing to take responsibility for Ruth. So he gives Boaz – the next closest relative – permission to buy the land and redeem Ruth. The agreement is shown by the giving of the sandal. That’s certainly much easier than all the papers you have to sign when buying a house today.

9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!” (Ruth 4:9-10)

That’s the reason the elders were there – to be witnesses. They had taken time from their schedule to be witnesses to the agreement between Boaz and Mr. X.

11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” (Ruth 4:11-12)

The elders and others who have gathered to watch agree that they have been witness. Then they pronounce two blessing for Boaz and Ruth.

The first blessing is that God would give Boaz and Ruth lots of children. They pray that Ruth would be like Rachel and Leah, the wives of Jacob. Jacob had twelve boys and at least one girl. They wanted lots of children. The Bible calls children a blessing from God. A sure sign you have been blessed was having lots of children. There was a time when people around here had lots of children. But that’s not true anymore. Now most people only want one or two children. Our culture often treats children as a hindrance. These witnesses pray that Boaz and Ruth would be blessed by God which would be seen by the number of children they had.

The second blessing is that Boaz would have standing in the community or that the family name would be well respected. Proverbs says that a good name is better than riches.

Do you know anyone with a good reputation? What does it mean to have a good reputation? How do you achieve a good reputation? How do you think God would describe someone with a good reputation? You achieve a good reputation by continually doing what is right.

Do you think Boaz had a good reputation? Naomi trusted him. She had no doubt he would do what he said he would do. Do you know people like that? If they say they’ll do something it’s as good as done because they always do what they say. Are you like that? Can people trust you to do what you say?

Do you think Ruth had a good reputation? Back in chapter 3 Boaz mentioned her reputation.

All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. (Ruth 3:11b)

How would you describe someone of noble character?

Ruth had been in Bethlehem less than a month. The barley harvest was just beginning when she and Naomi arrived and it was just finishing when the story ends. That’s less than four weeks. Yet Boaz says everyone in the community knows she is a virtuous woman.

How did they know that? What do you think she had done – or not done – to get that reputation? If she had spent the time complaining about Naomi – her mother-in-law – do you think people would have thought very highly of her?

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us that we are to be lights to the world. What does that mean? What is the purpose of being a light? So that people will say good things about us? No. We’re to be lights so that people will say good things about God.

14 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

And that’s the kind of life Ruth and Boaz lived. They both had good reputations because they did what was right. As a result people could depend on them.

Is it easy to do what’s right? Is it easy to be a light? No. Remember when Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz lived. It was during the time of the judges. It was a time of evil. Most people were ignoring God and his laws. Everyone was just doing what they felt like. It would have been easier for Boaz to just marry Ruth and ask for permission later. By then it would have been too late to stop it. But that’s not what he did. Because he followed God’s laws when most people were ignoring them he earned a good reputation. More importantly, as you’ll see next week, he was blessed by God.

The darker the world the harder it is to be a light for God. But the darker the world the brighter that light shines.

My cousin drowned helping someone else when he was twenty. At his funeral numerous people came up and told about the impact he had on their lives. Many said they were Christians because of his witness. What will people say about you? Do you have a good reputation? Do people know you to be a Christian?

Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention. (F. B. Meyer)

Ruth is not purchased. Only slaves were bought and sold and you couldn’t buy or sell an Israelite.

God is at work behind the scenes, and “behind the seen,” to work all things together “for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). The story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz concludes, happily (for)ever after.

Principles

God uses people who have the right priorities and who stand for principle in an age of moral relativism.

God does not always make our paths easy, but he does make them straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Like Boaz, God wants us to do things properly.

Even when believers feel God has abandoned them, he remains intimately involved in the details of their lives.

There are times when God operates on a “need to know” basis, and we don’t always need to know, only to trust and obey.

Applications

Follow the example set throughout the book of Ruth: pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Be faithful, God is. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Trust the Lord; he has bigger plans for the investment of your life than you do.

Be careful of your testimony, you have an audience. (Philippians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 11:10; Hebrews 12:2)

Ruth and Boaz were ordinary people who live faithful lives in a time of faithlessness – they followed God in contrast to path we see in the book of Judges.

God wants his children to be faithful, to live extraordinary lives in sub-ordinary times.

Naomi trusted Boaz to do what he said he would do. Do people trust you to do what you say? Jesus said to let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no. In that way people trust you to tell the truth without having to take an oath.

We are to be lights in a dark world. The darker the world the harder it is to be a light, but the brighter the light shines.

R. P. Dugan records a particularly dramatic moment from our nation's history. May 19, 1780, was a particularly dismal day in Hartford, Connecticut.

At noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that religious age, men fell on their knees and begged a final blessing before the end came. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. And as some men fell down and others clamored for an immediate adjournment, the Speaker of the House, one Colonel Davenport, came to his feet. He silenced them and said these words: “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought!” (Dugan, Winning the New Civil War [Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1991], p. 183).

It is widely acknowledged that “90 percent of life is just showing up.” Being available and doing our duty as unto the Lord are the essential components of basic faithfulness. In closing these studies in Judges and Ruth, one point is clear: God wants his children to be faithful, to live extraordinary lives in sub-ordinary times.

Boaz and Ruth were ordinary people who lived faithful lives. In contrast to the Book of Judges, this small book contains no miracles. It's “life as usual.” But from God’s viewpoint, “life as usual” is of eternal value!

Introduction (10 minutes)

Jab 1

Jab 2

Jab 3

Right Hook

Explanation (10 minutes)

Application (10 minutes)

What do I want them to do?

Series: Ruth

Title: An Amazing Resemption

Scripture: Ruth 4:1-12

Date: September 5, 2018

Location: WSCC

Proposition: