Boaz - A success story

This series is called “Redemption Stories”.

God is all about redemption.

Understanding the Bible centers around reading it with the plan of redemption in mind.

It is also the key to navigating life and circumstances: to know that God is redeeming the world and you too!

There is a short book in the Old Testament called “Ruth” which tells the stories of the ancestors of King David.

More specifically, it tells the story of King David’s great-grandparents and how they met.

Two weeks ago we heard the tragic story of Alimelech and Naomi, how they were about to loose everything. So they moved to Moab where they actually lost everything except that their sons married wives, one of which came back to Bethlehem with Naomi - that was Ruth.

Last week was Ruth’s story of meeting Boaz. It is a love story about being noticed covered and cherished. That’s the kind of love the God has for us.

This week we want to take a closer look at Boaz.

Who is this man who would take in a dead cousin’s wife and raise up an heir for Alimelech?

Boaz shows up in this story as the hero, the good guy and the savior.

He’s what every man should be.

That’s why I call him a success story. Let’s see what makes Boaz successful?

A successful man genuinely cares

Ruth 2:1–9 ESV

1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”

A caring person knows how to bless people.

The first time we see Boaz in this story, he is blessing his workers who bless him in return.

What does that say about a person?

I once had a boss who would show up on the job site each morning an immediately start complaining about the money that he is losing and the work not being done fast enough. The crew leader took him aside one day and explained to him that this hurts the morale of the workers who are really trying hard to do their best work. Cost overruns and delays are just part of the business.

“What do you want me to say then?,” the boss thought he would put his foreman on the spot.

“Just say ‘Good morning!’” before you say anything else, just acknowledge your workers and wish them a good day.

That little piece of advice actually made a big difference for the crew. It set a completely different tone each day.

Boaz seemed to know that this was important.

How you approach people sets a tone for the interaction.

Blessing is actually a very important theme in the Bible.

When God created the world, He began by blessing creation.

How about starting your day with blessing? How do you greet your spouse? Your children? Your co-workers?

Let’s try greeting each other the way Boaz greeted his workers.

For those watching at home, turn to the others in the room.

If you are watching alone, try texting someone and see what comes back.

Let’s use the word’s that Boaz used, “The Lord be with you!”

And you can reply, “The Lord bless you!”

How does that feel? Good! Right?

A caring person is attentive to people’s needs.

The next thing that we see Boaz doing is attending to Ruth’s needs.

He knew his workers well enough to notice someone different.

He asked about her. He gathered information so that he could act appropriately.

He anticipated her needs:

He invited her to eat with the workers.

He told her she could drink from the water jugs.

He gave instructions to his workers about her safety.

And he told her what she needed to know so that she would not be intimidated.

Everyone around you has needs.

You can assume that most everyone you meet has some burden that they are carrying.

When you realize that, you can deal gently with people, anticipating what their needs may be.

We all want people to be kind an merciful with us. Why not be that person for someone else?

A caring person deals personally with people.

The last thing we see in this passage is Boaz interacting directly with Ruth.

We will see in the next passage that Ruth is surprised that Boaz is even talking to her.

Unless you have some understanding of the culture and the history you might not appreciate how this is significant.

In that culture, as in many cultures of the world today, men don’t generally interact with women unless it is their own relatives at home.

Ruth is a widow and a foreigner, that makes her especially vulnerable and more likely to be ignored.

We see this in the Gospel of John when Jesus is talking with the woman at the well. She is surprised that Jesus would even talk to her, a woman and a foreigner.

But like Jesus, Boaz is more interested in the person than his own reputation.

People appreciate when you recognize them and talk to them directly.

Jesus gives guidelines for handling conflict in Matthew 18 and the first step is to go to a person directly.

By talking to a person instead of about a person we honor people’s wills and choices.

We let them speak for themselves.

A successful man is a safe person

Ruth 2:10–18 ESV

10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” 14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.

A safe person sees God’s image in others.

We talked about this last week that Boaz saw Ruth, not as a foreigner, a widow and an outcast, but as a person and treated her as an equal.

We know that everyone has value because we are all made in God’s image.

Before mankind sinned, we were made in God’s image.

Sin has tarnished the image of God in each of us.

Jesus is the exact image of God by which we can be restored.

God’s ultimate plan is to redeem and to restore humanity, not to judge them.

You all know John 3:16, but do you know John 3:17?

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Dictators, terror groups and other kinds of people who carryout atrocities need to first dehumanize their enemy to achieve their objective.

We can disagree with people, even find their behavior to be very objectionable, but we should never forget that even our enemy is a person who God would wish to redeem.

I always say that a safe person is a person who knows God’s mercy and forgiveness in their own life.

They don’t judge others because they know how much they themselves have been saved from.

I am no better than any person that I sit across from because I know that who I am is because of God’s mercy and grace.

A safe person is inviting rather than controlling.

True, he is giving orders to his workers and even giving instructions to Ruth, but his tone is kind and gentle as even Ruth notes.

Boaz wants to bless Ruth and be generous toward her, but if he were to just give her grain that would be less than a blessings.

In most cultures of the world, if someone gives you something you are obligated to give something in return.

This fact was often exploited by wealthy people and rulers who would give extravagant gifts, but then expect unconditional loyalty in return.

Boaz tells his workers to leave some extra stalks of grain behind.

Ruth will find the extra grain and therefore have “earned” her bonus.

This strategy helps Ruth keep her dignity and avoid the pressure of obligation.

Jesus taught his followers to be this way.

Luke 6:32–36 ESV

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

As followers of Christ we approach people with an open hand.

You are free to receive, but no one is obligating you.

Salvation is a free gift, your response is out of gratitude, not obligation.

A safe person is kind and generous.

We talked last week about generosity, but let me say more.

Generosity is God’s nature.

Generosity flows from an unlimited source of supply.

If you believe that your resources are limited to what you currently have, you will find it difficult to be generous.

But if you believe that what you have received comes from a limitless supply (from God) you will find it difficult NOT to be generous.

It is normal human behavior to reciprocate, but it is God’s nature to go above and beyond.

The law tells us “an eye for an eye” or “do unto others as they do unto you.”

Jesus said, “do unto other as you would WANT them to do unto you.”

In other words, take the initiative to go above and beyond.

You can give because God is your provider.

You can forgive because Christ has forgiven you.

We are not reacting to what the world throws at us, we are taking the initiative, setting the tone and reaching the world for Christ.

A successful man assumes responsibility

Ruth 4:1–12 ESV

1 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. 2 And 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 redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 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.” 5 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.” 6 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.” 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “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. 10 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.” 11 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 in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

To be successful, you need to be willing to be inconvenienced.

This part of the story makes more sense when you have some Biblical context.

Boaz, as the next-of-kin (or next to-next-of-kin) is the designated “redeemer” for Naomi and Ruth.

In Deuteronomy there is a law of “levirate marriage”.

Basically it ensures that a man who dies without children has an heir that can take possession of his inheritance.

A man is supposed to marry his brother’s wife (or cousin in this case) and the child will be considered the child of the deceased.

This law also obligates a relative to buy land that is being sold to pay a dept or if a person is being sold into slavery to pay a debt.

It’s all about keeping the families assets in the family and being able to pass it on to the next generation.

We don’t have many examples of this in the Old Testament. But there was apparently little incentive or motivation to do things solely on another’s behalf.

When Boaz invokes the law of levirate marriage on Ruth’s behalf he seems to have counted the other kinsman redeemer’s unwillingness to do his duty.

Boaz first mentions a field that belonged to Elimelech. It is likely that whatever property the family had was sold when family moved to Moab, but Boaz is right in insisting that it ought to be bought back so that Naomi and her descendants will continue to have an inheritance in the land which God gave to them.

Along with the land there needs to be an heir to inherit it. That would only be possible by levirate marriage to Ruth the widow.

Keep in mind that if Ruth had not followed Naomi back to Bethlehem, none of this would be possible. Even if the land were redeemed for Naomi, it would revert to whoever redeemed it when Naomi dies.

The nearest relative doesn’t wish to redeem the land because there is nothing in it for him. If he succeeds in creating an heir with Ruth, the property will go to the heir and not be part of his estate.

In addition to that, he’s already married with children and polygamy, while legal at the time, is also very complicated.

That raises another question. What about Boaz? Where was his family?

While it isn’t stated directly, commentators suggest that Boaz is older and perhaps a widower himself.

This would make the whole situation more palatable to our sensibilities. However, if he did already have a family then it makes his sacrifice even greater.

He doesn’t seem threatened by having Ruth join his household. In fact, he seems flattered that she would have shown interest in him?

People like to focus on the love between Boaz and Ruth, but I think for Boaz, it was simply a matter of doing what is right.

To be successful, you need to know what is your purpose.

What do I mean by doing what is right? In order to do what is right you need to know your purpose.

We said in the first sermon that Elimelech had a prophetic destiny. His name meant “Our God is King” and he lived in a the time of the Judges when there was no king and “everyone did as he saw fit.”

Elimelech’s sons were Mahlon ad Kilion. Their names means something like “sickly” and “weakling.” Ruth was Mahlon’s widow.

So what does Boaz mean? It means “In him is strength.”

By acting as the redeemer, Boaz enables Elimelech’s line to continue, from which would come King David and eventually Jesus Christ, King of Kings!

Though, is interesting to note, that even though Boaz is raising a child who is not to bear his name, Boaz is the one mentioned as the ancestor in Mathew’s genealogy.

Boaz takes up his God-given responsibility and helps accomplish God’s destiny for Ruth, for Naomi and for Elimelech.

Boaz’ purpose was to demonstrate what it really means to be strong in the Lord.

To be successful, be strong in the Lord!

The world promotes strength as the ability to dominate; God defines strength as the ability to lift others up.

The world says that, “nice guys finish last.” But Boaz shows us that by genuinely caring, nice guys finish well!

The world will tell you that if you are strong, people will fear you. But Boaz demonstrates that if you are really strong, you can be a safe person for people who might otherwise be afraid.

The world admires success. But Boaz’ story has a twist to it. Instead of doing what is in his own best interest, Boaz does the right thing and accomplishes something much greater than his own success.

So in the end, Boaz’ success story is about redemption. Not just for him, but for everyone else in the story. It’s about accomplishing God’s purpose in God’s strength.

Questions for reflection:

How do people know that you genuinely care? Does someone have to sneeze to get a blessing from you? How can you practice showing people that you value them?

Do people feel safe with you? How would you know if they did or if they didn’t? What does it look like for you to share the gospel with an open hand?

Are you successful like Boaz? How does your life and your story fit into God’s plan of redemption? How can you be strong in the Lord?