Legit Redemption

: Legit Redemption

IMAGE: play familiar song out of tune.

[SOME THINGS MUST BE DONE THE RIGHT WAY, EXAMPLE OF THE RIGHT THING DONE THE WRONG WAY THAT NULLIFIED THE OUTCOME]

NEED: REDEMPTION…THE RIGHT WAY.

SUBJECT: BOAZ IS NOT ONLY INTERESTED IN MARRING RUTH, HE IS INTERESTED IN HONORING GOD IN THE PROCESS.

CONTEXT: BOAZ IS NOT THE FIRST IN LINE, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO SWEEP IT UNDER THE RUG, HE LAYS HIS CARDS ON THE TABLE.

TEXT:

PREVIEW: REMEMBER, RUTH AND NAOMI ARE SITTING AT HOME, WAITING. RUTH PUT BOAZ ON NOTICE…AND NOW SHE IS WAITING. BOAZ IS NOT WAISTING ANYTIME IN SETTLING THE MATTER. NAOMI WILL BE REDEEMED, AND BOAZ IS MAKING SURE THAT RUTH DOESN’T FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS.

BODY:

PREPERATION:

Boaz goes to the gate because that is where people pass on the way back home from the fields. If Boaz was out at the threshing floor all night…the other redeemer probably was too.

Boaz settles in and waits, he does what he can to ensure that this matter is handled quickly. And God’s providence is on display yet again in this story. Boaz does not have to wait long for the other redeemer. Things are escalating quickly.

Boaz gathers the right people, not just to cover himself, but this action becomes clear as we read along.

PROCEDDINGS:

The translation is interesting here. It says Naomi is selling the land, but the truth is, according to the Law, she didn’t really own it. What Boaz is really saying is Naomi is ready to authorize the next in line to assume the property.

This is really tricky because we don’t know what happened to the land that Elimileck owned when they went to Moab. We assume he sold it to someone outside the family. We know that it didn’t just sit there for 10 years because Boaz is trying to get it back into the family.

He lets everyone know that he is not first line, but he is next in line. Meaning that the land is being made available and only certain people have the right to posses the land. Now, if it’s just land, I’d have to imagine that anyone of standing would take on as much land as he could. The more land you have, the larger your crop is, the larger your crop is, the more money you make…

And it was the right thing to do, the Israelites understood that their land was a gift from God to each family. It was shameful to sell off your land because it wasn’t just yours. It belonged to all that came before you…and should be preserved for all those to come after you. You were a caretaker, God owned the land and He gave it to your family to look after.

The guy says, sure, I’ll take it…but there’s more…

Boaz lays it all out there. If you want the land, you have to take Ruth also. I’m not insinuating that this other guy would have tried to cheat Ruth, but Boaz makes it clear that its not just land that needs to be redeemed.

It’s not just the land that needs to be restored, but the line of Elimelick. This was not required by the letter of the Law, but Boaz is making it know that his objective is to marry Ruth and provide an offspring. And if you are going to get the land, the least you could do is reestablish Elimelech’s name. It’s a moral obligation, it’s the decent thing to do. Boaz is imploring him, in front of the group of elders to ensure that Ruth has a future, even if it’s not with him.

Also, he was like, this story is complicated, you should know what your getting into here…

Israel was an honor culture. If you dishonored yourself, especially publicly, it would be really hard to live it down. It would cost you in other business dealings if you didn’t do all of your business above the table. Boaz is an honorable man, he does conducts his business in the open. He sought out the nearer redeemer, brought it before a council, and now he is giving this man the chance to honor God, himself, Ruth, Naomi, and his own future.

This is complicated. This man has a lot to consider. What if Ruth has a son and that son gets all of his land and then his name disappears like Elimelech’s name is in danger of?

He says, thanks but no thanks. I don’t really think it’s dishonorable to just say no. It would have been dishonorable to take the land and not Ruth, or take the land and Ruth and then kick Ruth to the curb…instead he just says, no thanks, it’s all yours Boaz.

PROUNOUNCEMENT:

Boaz claims Ruth in front of God and everybody. He stands there with some other dude’s saddle in his hand. Probably lifted high for all to see, as his claim to Ruth. Boaz wants everyone to know, if you ever question how I got Ruth or Elemelech’s land, if you ever try to say that I swindled this guy or tricked him, here is his sandal as proof and if that’s not enough, go ask the council of elders that I called…they will tell you the whole story.

A quick glance at this passage and it seems a little extra…but Boaz is not only taking care of Ruth now, he is setting up her potential children with an honorable future in Bethlehem with land that belonged to their family.

It’s worth noting that the land was probably in someone else care at the time of all of this and Boaz still had some work to do in order to redeem the land. This was about the right to redeem the land.

PREDICTION:

The elders bless Boaz and predict a fruitful marriage to believe they are recognizing the fact that Boaz has gone above and beyond to ensure everything has been done above reproach and Ruth isn’t even an Israelite. Boaz is a good dude and everyone knows it.

He mentioned a few names at the end. Rachel, Leah, and Tamar

SUMMARY:

RE-IMAGE:

Tune guitar and play song again.

QUESTIONS:

CONCLUSION