Heroic Women of the Hebrew Scriptures Week 4 – Ruth Part 2

Heroic Women of the Hebrew Scriptures Week 3 – Ruth Part 2

I. Ruth Chapter 3

a. Set up for the rest of the story – it is a story about redemption.

i. Redemption - returning something to its rightful owner. Our lives do not belong to us; they belong to God. God redeems us in that our lives are returned to him.

1. Since Genesis 3, human lives were taken out of God's position and are now in the possession of disobedience and death: the will of the snake and the will of the humans.

ii. Redemption is:

1. Taking that thing back

2. Exchanging something of value for that thing (ransom)

iii. The land of Israel belonged to YHWH, but he allowed the Israelites to possess it and cultivate it.

iv. Certain plots of land belonged to individual families, and those families used that land as collateral for debt.

v. The year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25), every 50 years, was a reminder that YHWH owns the land and all land used as debt collateral is returned to the family.

vi. The גָּאַל gaal is the family redeemer who takes possession of that land and cares for it.

vii. The whole story of Ruth is about the loss of the land and the loss of human life and the redemption of life and land due to the character and the obedience of a Moabite woman.

viii. It is a message to Israel that when they remain in obedience to YHWH, they will have blessing, and when they go and worship other gods, they will receive famine, desolation, and death.

b. Vss. 1-6 Naomi has a plan.

i. Vs. 2 Naomi calls Boaz מֹדַעַת modaath, which is a direct bloodline relative

ii. Her plan:

1. In the evening, he will be “winnowing barley in the threshing room.”

a. This was done in an open area with a constructed floor. In the late afternoon, when there was a breeze, the winnower would use a pronged pitchfork to toss the grain in the air. The husks would blow a short distance away, and the seeds would fall to the floor. The husks were used later for animal feed. After the work was done, a party was usually held by the workers.

2. She was to wash and put on perfumed oil.

3. Go to the threshing floor.

4. Don’t let Boaz see you.

5. When he gets “tired,” she was to go and uncover his feet and lie down at his feet.

a. “Uncover his feet” could have several meanings:

i. Feet = gentiles – an overtly sexual act.

ii. Lower legs – still sexual, but not as provocative.

iii. Symbolic gesture letting him know she is ready for marriage.

6. Subtly wake up Boaz

7. Let him know she is available.

8. When he wakes, he will give you further instructions.

c. Vss. 7-15 Ruth and Boaz have a moment

i. Vs. 7 - “After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits,” – he tied one on and was drunk.

ii. Vss. 8-9 – Ruth does what Naomi told her to do, and Boaz wakes up.

1. He is startled, as it is in the middle of the night and very dark.

2. Ruth requests that Boaz take her:

a. Under his wings – CSB

b. Spread your wings over your servant – ESV

c. Spread your garment over me – NASB

d. Spread the corner of your garment over me – NLT

e. This is a request for marriage. (Ezekiel 16:8).

3. Ruth names Boaz as גָּאַל gaal.

iii. Vss. 10 – 12 Boaz agrees, but there is a problem

1. Vs. 10 – Boaz reveals that he is a much older man

2. Vs. 11 – Boaz agrees to marry Ruth

3. Vs. 12  - there is a problem, Boaz is a gaal but not the gaal. There is a closer relative – unnamed.

iv. Vss. 13-15 Boaz has a plan

1. If the other gaal wants to redeem Ruth and Naomi, that is good. But if not, Boaz vows he will.

2. Ruth is to stay until morning.

3. Getting up while it was dark, so nobody would see, guarding her dignity.

4. Boaz gave her six scoops of barley to bring back to Naomi.

5. Further provision.

d. Vss. 16-18 – Ruth reports everything back to Naomi.

II. Ruth Chapter 4

a. Vss. 1-12 – Boaz makes a deal

i. Vs. 1 – Boaz went to the gate of the town.

1. The gate of the town is where all legal business happens.

2. Town leaders would be there to witness agreements and authorize deals.

ii. Vss. 2-4 Boaz lays out the situation to the unnamed gaal.

1. The unnamed gaal initially wants to redeem the property, but he only gets half of the news.

iii. Vs. 5 – You get the property, but you also have to marry Ruth and care for Naomi.

1. “Acquiring Ruth” means he will have to marry Ruth and continue the family line.

iv. Vs. 6 – the other gaal declines the redemption of Elimelech’s land.

1. Marrying Ruth and continuing that family line would in some way mess up his inheritance.

2. He gave the rights to Boaz.

v. Vss. 7-12 – A little cultural background and a deal is made.

1. Sandals were symbolic of the property of the owner.

a. Property was measured out in the size of a triangle that an owner could walk in an hour.

b. Sandals became the type of title to the land.

c. If a widow removed the sandals of a gaal, she would remove his authority to administer the estate of her late husband.

vi. Vss. 10-12 - Boaz acquired the land, Ruth, and Naomi. The town Elders bless the deal and the marriage.

b. Vss. 13-17 Boaz and Naomi marry

i. Vs. 13 – Ruth is blessed with a son.

ii. Vs. 14-16 – Naomi, who once thought she was cursed, is now blessed with a new, redeemed life.

iii. Vs. 17 – Out of a decimated family arises a king.

c. Vss. 18-22 Genealogy

i. When there was no hope for the family line to continue, God redeemed an unredeemable life and turned the desert into Eden.