Ruth: Redeemed!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Woman of Character
Woman of Character
Ruth’s noble choice (1:1-22)
Her love, dedication, devotion to Naomi
She gave up home, religion to adopt Israel and the true God
Ruth’s humble service (2:1-23)
She exercised her right as a widow to glean providing sustenance for herself and Naomi
She found favor with Boaz
Ruth’s tender plea (3:1-18)
Made to Boaz, a near kinsmen
All a part of a careful plan by Naomi, with a small hiccup, there was a redeemer closer.
Noteworthy things about Boaz
He was a kind man
He was a hospitable man
He was a known man to not rest until the matter was concluded.
(Transition) In our closing chapter we see the fulfillment of the redemption of Ruth and the fulfillment of Ruth’s marital joy, the birth of a son.
A quick reminder where we ended last week.
18 Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.”
The request of the kinsmen to redeem
The request of the kinsmen to redeem
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. 2 He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
3 Then he said to the closest relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 “So I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.” 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.”
Anything, or any word stand out to you in this passage?
Maybe better define redeem:
Cambridge dictionary: to buy back something, or to exchange something for money or for goods or services:
Merriam-Websters: to free from the consequences of sin.
KJV Bible Dictionary: 1. To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge. 2. To repurchase what has been sold; to regain possession of a thing alienated, by repaying the value of it to the possessor.
What steps did Boaz make toward’s Ruth’s redemption (vv.1-2)?
Asked the close relative to sit at the gate with him
Took ten men of the elders and had them sit with him.
What was Boaz request of the close relative (vv.3-4)?
Buy back, redeem the land that belonged toe Elimelech
Why was Ruth the Moabite made a part of the redemption (v.5)?
The land was in Elimelechs family and he would have to keep the family line going.
What was the close relatives response, and why (v.6)?
I cannot redeem, would jeopardize his own inheritance.
You redeem yourself.
At the city gate, the place where the men, the leaders would gather, this is where many business transactions would be made.
Place where judges and officers were found (ref: Deut16:18)
And elders frequented (Pro31:23)
23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
Naomi had just sold the land or was in the process of selling the land that Elimelech owned, as was her right since she was poor (ref: Lev25:25)
It was important that the land stay within the family (Lev25:23-28)
23 ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. 24 ‘Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.
25 ‘If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. 26 ‘Or in case a man has no kinsman, but so recovers his means as to find sufficient for its redemption,
27 then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property. 28 ‘But if he has not found sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall revert, that he may return to his property.
It looked like the close relative was willing to redeem it until (v.5)
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.”
Ruth had to be a part of the deal so the family name could be perpetuated. This too can be seen in Deut25:5-6)
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.
The close relative refuses to redeem (v.6).
Boaz Redeems!
Boaz Redeems!
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the closest relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 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.”
11 All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 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.”
Anything prominent stick out to you in these verses?
What was the custom described and acted on (vv.7-8)?
Man removed sandal and gave it to another, it was called a manner of attestation in Israel.
Boaz makes claim now to the land, and Ruth, What is the purpose of the claim (v.10)?
To raise up the name of the deceased so not to be cut off.
From the witnesses came an exampled blessing using who as the illustration (vv.11-12)
Rachel and Leah
Rachel and Leah gave birth the the son’s if Israel (Jacob) who would become the tribes of Israel
Tamar and Judah
Tamar who gave birth to Judah, in which Elimelech (Naomi) came from and by having Ruth would be in that line.
The former times, the recorded law as we read (Deu25) and “it was believed that the custom was for the person to take possession of the land by walking the land that is being claimed (Expositors bible dictionary).
The refusal to redeem would be the taking off the sandal for refusing to walk the land, the claim the land and in this case Ruth too.
It was witnessed by the all the people and the elders there at the city gate that he bought the land from the hand of Naomi. He redeemed it, paid the price for it.
(Transition): With the prayer for blessings it was now time for Boaz and Ruth to have marital joy.
Marital Joy
Marital Joy
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 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.
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.
17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
From redemption you can see the marital joy(vv.13-14)
Redeemed and conceived a son.
If you notice that now the blessing is on Naomi (vv.14-15).
Then we get to the line of David, which leads to Christ.
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab,
20 and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21 and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed,
22 and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.
Ruth would be the grandmother to David.
So Naomi, who wanted to be called Mara for she believed the Lord dealt bitterly with her, now is very blessed, more than if she had seven sons.
Maybe you notice it was the neighbor women gave him the name; and they say it was born to Naomi, not to Ruth, but because Ruth gave up everything in Moab, she became everything to Naomi, and Naomi line carried on through Ruth.
Application: Ruth was a woman of character
Willing to give up life as she knew it, even before she was redeemed.
Willing to serve to provide for herself and Naomi. She was a humble servant.
Then Ruth made a tender plea, leading to her redemption by a man of Character, Boas, a kind man, a strong man, a hospitable man, and a determined man.
You make a tender plea for a good conscience when you are baptized (1Pt3:21)
21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
May we be people of character, like Ruth, like Boaz and remember our appeal for a good conscience we have made, and live today as redeemed people.
(Prayer)