Ruth 3-4
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
I said I have come to believe a deep study through the book of Ruth is a necessity and is so good for our soul
God’s sovereignty in all circumstances
God sovereignly working in and through all things to show his lovingkindness (hesed), especially to those who cannot rescue themselves
Chapter 1 & 2
We met the characters of the story: Naomi, Orpah, Ruth, and Boaz
One of the things I’ve seen is the need throughout this story to pay attention to the assumptions you make about everything: people, their motives, their character, all of them! An example:
Ruth 2:1–2 “1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter
We’re introduced to Boaz but Ruth asks to just go out and glean. I think Ruth knows the thoughts about her and may be coming to believe she’s as worthless and they think she is. She just asks to go glean anywhere she might find some man that will let her.
We see, and understand, that with all that’s happened Naomi has lost most if not all of the hope she had. We can picture her saying “sure, whatever”.
And we learn that it wasn’t a specific plan to go to Boaz’ field in Ruth 2:19 “19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.”
This is the turning point for the whole story. It’s easy to see the turning point for Ruth but also for Naomi’s faith Ruth 2:20 “20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.”
The rest of chapter 2 gives a the hint that even though she sees that lovingkindness of Yahweh, maybe she sees how she can help God along and sets the wheels in motion to get Ruth married
But that’s us assuming. The rest of the book could be Naomi trusting he plan and the nature of a man or fully trusting God and the character of man
Ruth’s Appeal to Boaz
Ruth’s Appeal to Boaz
1 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
Vs. 1 What was the rest she wanted for Ruth?
Ruth 1:8–9 “8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.”
Vs. 2-4
Ruth the orphan has been practically adopted by Naomi the widow and Naomi has been trying to figure out how to keep her safe and find her rest in Israel
Reminder of what the Israelites remembered about Moabitess women:
Numbers 25:1–3 “1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.”
Genesis 19:36–37 “36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.”
How are those assumptions?
Our clue that Naomi is trusting God and the character of Boaz was back in Chapter Two.
Ruth 2:9 “9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.”
Ruth 2:21 “21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.”
We know what Naomi thinks about the nature of men: Ruth 2:22 “22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.”
Vs. 5
Ruth agrees to follow Naomi’s plan and ask yourself what you assume about Ruth
6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
If you assumed Ruth was a Moabitess the same way those in Israel probably did, you think she went there to take advantage of the baser passions of Boaz. Understandable since if we close our eyes and are honest this is how we think every lost woman in the world looks for a husband and we sure the temptation of Boaz here
Depending on if the Lord saved you out of the same depravity he save me out of, when we read skirt it might even sound like it depending on how we hear skirt
But when Boaz is startled awake and asks Ruth “Who are you?” Ruth says “let me stop you right there… My name’s Ruth and I’m asking you if you would consider marrying me as you’re our near kinsman redeemer.
How in the world do we see that?
skirt is kānāp̱
We see in 1 Samuel skirt is the corner of a garment 1 Samuel 15:26–27 “26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.”
We see “spreading the corner” was an Israelite idiom for entering into a covenant or marriage Ezekiel 16:8 “8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.”
Quickly kinsman redeemer:
The kinsman-redeemer (Heb. goel) was the nearest relative who had both the right and responsibility to “redeem” a fellow Israelite—buying back sold land to preserve the family inheritance and marrying a childless widow to raise up offspring for a deceased kin (Lev. 25:25–28; Num. 35:19–21).
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. 12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. 13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
Boaz tells her “don’t be afraid, I’ll redeem you” and know you’re not here with sinful motives; the whole city of Jerusalem has seen you are not like the other Moabite women and are virtuous
He also tells her “but let me stop you right there… I am your near kinsman but there’s another closer than me and if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it the right way!”
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. 15 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. 17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. 18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.
Ruth 1:20–21 “20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?”
Not How’d it go in vs. 16 but “Who are you?”
Same question Boaz asked
Here we see Ruth going out empty and coming back full! 6 measures is nearly 80 lbs. that Boaz filled her cloak with and puts on her back. How does that fact go with the physical image you’ve had of Ruth through the whole book. God gave her strength and grace just to get it back to Naomi’s!
Ruth and Boaz Marry
Ruth and Boaz Marry
1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: 4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
the man says “I’ll do it” when he thinks it’s just an old woman’s land
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
He changes his mind when he hears it means marrying Ruth and he was paying to redeem land that would not be his but go to the descendants of Elimelech and not his descendants
7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
In ancient Israel, property rights and duties were often conveyed by giving over a physical object—here, the sandal—so that all witnesses could recognize and remember the binding transaction.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
The removal and handing over of a sandal served as the formal token in kinsman-redeemer and levirate transactions (Ruth 4:7; Deut. 25:9–10), since the sandal—being the instrument by which one “walked” the land—embodied the right to occupy or redeem property. By transferring his own shoe before the town elders, the near kinsman publicly and tangibly renounced his claim, ensuring the agreement was binding and witnessed.
Boaz has never looked out for himself. If we were reading this as a romance novel we were wrong. Boaz is pointing out he was doing this not for his own gain, but for the name of the dead to not be cut off from among his brethren
Tamar’s story is recorded in Genesis 38. Tamar pretended to be a prostitute in order to trap her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her, so that she might have a child. In the genealogy of Jesus Matthew 1:1–3 “1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
God has sovereignly worked to bring together marriages that lead to the birth of Jesus through the line of David
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I can’t help but see each of us in this book, The funny thing is, we see ourselves in the place of Boaz if we’re men (fine upstanding and honorable, ready to care for the weak and follow God in our duty to family) or Ruth if we’re women (faithful, innocent and working hard to take care of all in the home)
The fact is every one of us are Ruth from the beginning… homeless, alien foreigners coming from a race of spiritual harlots, who are as hopeless as orphans unless someone takes us in and washes and feeds us and ultimately redeems us to give us life out of the death we are walking in every day!
Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
1 Peter 1:18–19 “18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Romans 5:9 “9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
1 Peter 1:3–5 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
