"Redemption" Ruth 4 Jul 20 2025

Intro, & Scripture

Good morning

We’ve come to the last chapter in the Book of Ruth - chapter 4

This chapter:

Boaz Redeems Ruth

Boaz Marries Ruth

The Genealogy of David

You may be surprised that there is a short genealogy in this story

But it is so very important

Not only does it give credibility to the story - but it displays the inexplainable and mysterious providence of God

How he weaves his will into this story of tragedy that turns to redemption and blessing

How this outsider and Moabite woman, Ruth becomes the great grandmother of King David

And how she ends up in the genealogy of Jesus - a distant descendant of Ruth

God demonstrates his grace, will, and power of redemption in this short story

This story is also about Naomi - it’s a story about her and how God never forgets her

The picture of her at the end, sitting down with little baby Obed in her lap - is one of the most tender scenes in the entire Bible

Naomi goes through incredible struggle throughout the story, but she too is redeemed and blessed by God and even affirmed by the women of the town

Most of Chapter Four describes Boaz redeeming Ruth

Let me read a portion

Verse 1 -

Ruth 4:1–6 ESV

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

(Pray...)

Recap

As I was studying for this message this week, I was overcome with how much this little book has to offer

I wrote this earlier this week:

That all Scripture has limitless depth and meaning is readily apparent

Similar evidence for this in Ruth is deceptive

This quaint little love story certainly grabs your attention at first -

But then slowly draws you deeper into the depths and richness of God’s infinite and compassionate grace, his wonderful redemption, and the powerful hand of his providence

The undercurrent of theological depth is actually hard for me to put into words

Let me first give a quick recap of the story so far:

The story begins and ends in Bethlehem

The story starts off with a famine in the land

Naomi and her husband leave Bethlehem for Moab with their two sons

They are there at least ten years - during that ten years:

Naomi’s husband dies

Her two sons each take a wife

Then both her sons die - leaving three widows in Moab

Naomi is quite depressed - but determines that she will return to Bethlehem

Her daughters-in-law insist in coming with her

She convinces one of them to stay in Moab, but Ruth - Ruth clings to Naomi

"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. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.”

Tired and depressed, Naomi returns home with Ruth

They come back at harvest time - there is once again, food in Bethlehem

As it turns out - the entire town became excited to see Naomi - they all know the story

Naomi’s late husband is related to the town’s most eligible bachelor, Boaz

And Ruth, who is poorer than dirt, goes to glean in the fields - so the two women can eat!

And the Bible, in a sarcastic tone says she just so happened to glean in the field of Boaz

What we know is that the Lord led her there and guided this story all along

And the two of them meet - and Boaz has an eye for Ruth and tells her that she can glean from his field anytime she wants

And that she’ll be kept safe if she never gleans from another field

He gives her strict instructions to glean only from his field

Why? Because as long as she stays in his field, he can protect her

As soon as she wanders off - his hand of protection falls away from her

Just like what God instructs us -

As long as we glean in his field, so to speak

As long as we walk closely with him in obedience he can protect us

But when we wander, we run the risk of encountering the consequences of sin

Anyhow, evening comes, and Ruth comes home to her mom with all this food she gleaned from the fields

Mom says: “Where did you glean today?”

And just like a curious mom, who’s also sensing romance in the air says in a sly tone, “So - so, a man noticed you huh? Well bless his heart!”

Ruth: “Yes, momma - and his name is Boaz”

Naomi: “Boaz - he’s the nicest man in town - he’s also a close relative of ours - and he’s also one of our redeemers.”

“He’s also single!”

The Bible doesn’t say that, but it almost does

So Naomi comes up with a plan for Ruth to go and propose to him

And Chapter Three goes into detail about all of that

Boaz Redeems Ruth

Now we come to Chapter Four - Boaz Redeems Ruth

Keep in mind, Boaz is a wonderful picture of Christ

Boaz is the clearest and most detailed example in the OT of a formal kinsman-redeemer — he follows the letter of the law and models the heart of it too, which makes him a beautiful picture of Jesus

How Boaz redeems Ruth is like how Jesus redeems us

For one, Boaz loves Ruth

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”

Rom 5:8 says, “...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We did nothing to earn God’s love for us

To redeem something is really to make something valuable - or to put value into something

If I have concert tickets for Billy Joel - they have redeeming value

But they have no true value, sitting in - my drawer - they’re just pieces of paper

But when I take my wife to Bridgestone Arena and hand them to the guy - I’ve now redeemed those tickets into something very valuable

That’s how it is when Jesus redeems us

Aside from the fact that we’re all made in the image of God, our true value comes when God loves his elect

We have value because God loves us

We must have been pretty valuable for Christ to die for us

We have infinite value because Christ died for us - he forgave us, redeemed us, and restored us

And we, as a church, are the Bride of Christ - and we will be presented to him in heaven

We’ve done nothing to gain our own value in God’s eyes - but he chose us and loves us

Boaz loved Ruth and wanted to marry her

But first, he had to redeem the land Naomi’s husband left behind

Naomi, as Elimelech’s widow, still had a claim on it and was likely offering it up to support herself and Ruth

Back then, land couldn’t be sold off for good — it belonged to God, and families were just stewards

But a close relative could step in and redeem it to keep it in the family

That’s what Boaz does

He redeems the land, marries Ruth, and restores Naomi’s family line

In that moment, Ruth is redeemed — and so is Naomi

If it were today, and Naomi abandoned her land for that long, squatters would have moved in and claimed it

But back then, no one truly owned land - God owned the land - Naomi, and her husband were its stewards

And now, after more than ten years, Naomi is back

But Ruth is young enough to have kids - and she’s a perfect match for Boaz

Ruth technically has no claim on the land - but Boaz included her because she was married to Mahon, who was Elimelech’s son

In essence, Boaz chose to redeem both the land and the family name through Ruth

Boaz tells everyone present at the city gate, that Naomi intends to sell her parcel of land

Boaz is also sure to say that she is selling the parcel of land, “that belonged to our relative Elimelech”

Boaz is leaning on Jewish/Mosaic law which allows for him as a redeemer to redeem the land

He’s very shrewd here - almost like an attorney

Boaz is a relative of the late Elimelech - but he’s reminding the other redeemer, and everyone else, that Naomi was married to him

Anyone who purchases this parcel of land will make her wealthy

The Nameless Redeemer

Boaz did his homework - he knows that there is actually another redeemer

He mentions this other redeemer to Ruth, back in Chapter Two

He describes him as “a redeemer nearer than I.”

Meaning, a closer relative

He tells Ruth: “Look, I’m going to redeem you. But I have to follow the law. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the city gate and wait for that other redeemer. And in the presence of all the elders, I’ll ask him if he wants to redeem the land.”

So the next day, Boaz does exactly that - he goes to the city gate - sort of like the steps of the courthouse - where business is conducted among the people

So Boaz goes to the city gate - probably very early, before dawn - so he doesn’t miss that other redeemer

Boaz just sits there with his coffee and a bagel with lox

Here comes the other redeemer - and Boaz says, “Hey man, sit down here.”

Then he grabs ten elders and says, “Have a seat.”

He mentions the parcel of land, blah blah blah - and he asks the unnamed redeemer, “Look, you got first shot. If you’re gonna redeem it, redeem it. If not, let me know.

And the dude says, “Yes. I’ll redeem it”

And Boaz says, “Just so you know - when you buy this land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite - she comes with the deal. You gotta marry her.”

So then the other redeemer says, “No way man - if that’s the case, I’m out.”

And in ancient tradition, the other redeemer takes off his sandal and gave it to Boaz

Then Boaz says this to everyone there:

Verse 9 -

Ruth 4:9–12 ESV

“You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily...because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

The elders accept this - and they honor Ruth - and did you catch that?

Even the late Elimelech and his dead sons are honored

This is a happy, happy ending - but there’s more happiness in this story for Naomi

Naomi is Blessed

So the story ends with Boaz marrying Ruth - and the Bible says that, “the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.”

Then the women of the town come to Naomi and bless the Lord who has blessed Naomi with her with her grandson

And they go on about how this grandson will be a nourisher of her old age

Then they say something very sweet to her

They mention how Ruth loves her and who is worth more more than seven sons, gave birth to this little baby

After losing her husband, Naomi loses both her sons - that must have been devastating to her - but the women are saying that Ruth is more valuable to her than seven sons!

And then this tender scene

Verse 16 -

Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Imagine a young Naomi, back in the day, before all of this, how proud she was with her two sons

Because back then, women were considered very blessed if they had at least one son

Much of a woman’s status hung on if she had a son or not - but imagine two sons!

Folks would ask her, “Do you have any children?”

And every time, she would proudly say, “Yes! I have two boys!!”

And then imagine the bitterness and hopelessness she felt when the Lord took away her husband and her two boys

She was stripped of that honor

How anything good could come out of that??

But then - in verse 16, in her lap, she is holding the future grandfather of King David

God often blesses us in ways we can’t even imagine

The redemption of Boaz made this happen - through the providence of God

And through God’s providence, Jesus redeems us

Like Boaz, Jesus conducted business to redeem us

Boaz sealed his transaction with a sandal; Jesus sealed ours hanging on a cross

The cross, which was meant to end Jesus, became the business-end of his redeeming work for us

And I’m not the only one who thinks that the other nameless redeemer that Boaz dealt with - represents the Mosaic law

The law is not personal - it doesn’t love us like Jesus loves us

To redeem like Jesus redeems, you need his love

His love for us, gave Jesus the willingness to save us

The law was never willing to redeem us - all the law did was reveal our sinful nature - and made us stand condemned

The law could never save us

The law can’t justify us - it can’t make us right with God

Gal 2:16 says

...a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Jesus not only saves us, he redeemed us, and made us right with the Father

Closing

I have to be careful in my message here

I don’t want to leave you with the idea that if you follow Christ, he’ll redeem you and make sure your life is a happy ending with no bad things ever

That’s not the Gospel

For one, we’re promised persecution and suffering

So what’s the point??

The world preaches fame and fortune - it preaches success and pleasure

Let’s hear from a few who obtained all of what the world offered them

Jim Carrey (Actor & Comedian)

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

Despite his comedic success and wealth, Carrey has been open about his struggles with depression and the illusion of fame.

2. Anthony Bourdain (Celebrity Chef & TV Host)

Bourdain seemed to live the dream: traveling the world, eating amazing food, and being admired by millions.

Yet he struggled with depression for years and tragically took his own life in 2018.

In a 2016 interview: “You’re probably happier in your life than I am in mine.”

3. Robin Williams (Actor & Comedian)

Universally beloved and wildly successful, yet he battled severe depression and ended up killing himself

“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is end up with people who make you feel all alone.”

I can tell you this - of all the Christians in the world

Those who are true followers of Christ - never say things like that

We’re not better than the people in the world!

We struggle just like everybody

We fail and we’re imperfect just like everybody

Some of us even struggle with anxiety and depression just like a lot of other people

The difference is Jesus!

Despite our circumstances - we have true joy - because Jesus forgave us and redeemed us

We have joy because we’ve been made right with the Father

And in the end, we have eternal life to look forward to

The problem with being rich & famous without Christ, and without eternal life - is that your fame and wealth will seem like your biggest accomplishment

And then it’s all downhill from that point

That’s why the world has no hope without Jesus

They’re chasing world value and acceptance

To the Christian, this is all just the beginning

We have been redeemed and we have true value in the eyes of God - which will last forever

(Pray...)

Communion

(Pick one…)

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he com