Redemption in Ruth (2)

Work + Flirt

I will share 7 things about Boaz

(guys learn how to flirt from Boaz)

I will share 10 things about the work.

Ruth 2:1 NKJV

There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.

1. About Boaz

v.1 He is “great wealth” - mighty man of valor (Josh 6:2, 2Kings, 5:1) also can mean great ability or wealth (1 Kings 11:28; 2 Kings 15:20)..

This word suggests that he was wealthy enough to afford his own place to live and had his own weapons of war.

this fits the context because this story takes place in the time of Judges when there was often times a need to call people for military duty (Judges 3:31; 4:10; 7:1,32)

v. 1 - Boaz owned a farm:

Bible nerd: show slide of stone

In Gezer in 1908 they found a small stone inscription dating from ca. 925 b.c.

with a sort of calendar poem geared to harvest expectations.

Albright suggests that it may have been a school writing exercise.

The tablet says:

His two months are (olive) harvest,

His two months are planting (grain),

His two months are late planting;

His month is hoeing up of flax,

His month is harvest of barley,

His month is harvest and feasting;

His two months are vine-tending,

His month is summer fruit.A-17

The tablet does not refer to the months by calendar names but by the time expectations

probably because the lives of the people so heavily depended on the yield from the soil.

Teaching us before you start flirting be able to provide

Ruth 2:2 NKJV

So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

1. About the Job

4 things about the Job

Egyptian image of reaping a harvest

2. About the Job

Mosaic law had decreed that landowners were not to harvest the full extent of their fields,

but they were to leave produce in the hard-to-reach areas.

The remaining harvest was for the poor and foreigners who might be in the land (Lev. 19:9–10; Deut. 24:19–22).

Ruth expects to gather the cut remnants that the reapers have accidentally dropped

3. About the Job

What Ruth says “let me go to the fields” implies not only an awareness of etiquette to request permission,

but also the danger to herself,

esp. as a foreigner.

The prophets reveal that the Israelites did not always follow God’s Word to the poor and oppressed (cf. Isa. 1:17; Amos 5:10–15; 8:4–6; Mic. 3:1–3),

Isaiah 1:17 NKJV

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

This abuse would often end up becoming into the refusal to allow foreigners or widows to glean.

There is even an Egyptian instruction from the Ramesside period: that says:

“[Do not] pounce on a widow when you find her in the fields. And then fail to be patient with her reply.”1

4. About the Job

The Bible notes that natives and foreigners might hire themselves out for work (Deut. 24:14),

either on a daily basis (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15; cf. also Matt. 20:1–16) or annually (Lev. 25:53)

Harvesting crops was not a favored position (Job 7:102;14:6)

The quality of life/of the work enciroment was at the mercy of the overseer (Jer.22:13; Mal 3:5)

Ruth 2:3 NKJV

Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech.

5. About the Job

The harvesters used flint sickles to cut the grain.

Numerous flint sickle blades have been discovered at sites all over Israel from the Iron Age I period (i.e., 1200–1000 b.c.)

show one

Ruth 2:4 NKJV

Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

2. About Boaz

One greeting in the Hebrew Bible was simply “shalom” (šālôm), meaning “peace” (cf. Judg. 6:23; 1 Sam. 25:6; 2 Sam. 18:28)

but Boaz in the time of Judges when it was cultuarlly acceptable to worship whoever you wanted.

while Boaz has all he needs, all he wanted could be his, Boaz has respect, Boaz has influence

He chooses “the Lord be with you”.

maybe he acknowledged Gods presence with him,

maybe he realized the importance of people realizing their need for God

whatever the reason

Boaz go against all odds by mentioning God

Teaching us: before you flirt have a godly reputation

Ruth 2:5 NKJV

Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

3. About Boaz

He had a man in charge:

The Hebrew word naʿar is sometimes translated “young man,”

but the term encompasses much more.

Ugaritic and Egyptian sources use a cognate word to refer to people of military rank.

Also, people in the Bible who are called Na’ar are often servants of some kind (cf. Num. 22:22; Judg. 7:10–11; 19:3; 2 Kings 4:12)

or military personnel (Gen. 14:24; 1 Sam. 25:5; 2 Sam. 2:14; 1 Kings 20:14).

The term can apply to someone who manages an estate, as was the case with Ziba, who had custody of Saul’s estate (2 Sam. 9:9; 19:17 [19:18]). i

if that is the case he is probably 20 ( Ex. 30:14; Num. 1:3, 18);

for Levitical service outside the Tent of Meeting it was twenty-five (Num. 8:24);

and for service in the Tent of Meeting it was thirty (see Num. 4).

So boaz asks this man about this woman,

of all the woman who must have passed through...

he sees her <3

*the flirting will begin*

Ruth 2:6–7 NKJV

So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”

6. About the Job

Farmers typically rise at or before dawn to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures.

In hot climate like Israel’s, it would be normal to take an afternoon break or siesta during the heat of the day

and resume the field work in the later afternoon.

This is part of the tradition behind David’s late afternoon walk on his roof after his rest (cf. 2 Sam. 11:2).

So what we just read likely happened during the afternoon siesta

Ruth 2:8–9 NKJV

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

7. About the Job

Normally the men and woman are separated

In the division of labor, the men did the cutting (2:15) and the women (neʿārôt, feminine plural form of naʿar) did the binding (2:8–9), although this separation is not necessarily absolute.

8. About the Job

However in this day and age even though they were seperated:

Ruth’s presence on the field as a stranger and especially as an immigrant (from Moab)

would naturally draw attention and almost invite abuse by some in society.

The word “touch” (nāgaʿ) carries several nuances, including :

to strike (Gen. 32:26, 33 [32:25, 32]; Josh. 8:15; Job 1:19),

to inflict injury (Gen. 26:11, 29), and

to have sexual relations (Gen. 20:6; Prov. 6:29).

teaching the fourth thing about Boaz is

4. About Boaz

he is trying to protect her

*be able, and when you can protect her

9. About the Job

she is told she can get water when she is thirstu:

to work in the field the workers needed water supply in the field,

so to prepare for the day’s activities, they needed water often from a well

in this story

The water source was likely the well at the gate of Bethlehem

The location of the well has not been identified.

It was a woman's job often to get the water ((Gen. 24:11, 13; 1 Sam. 9:11)

however The Israelites sometimes coerced foreigners into the job (Deut. 29:10; Josh. 9:21–27).

So we should note a beautful picture of God’s grace:

Ruth should have been drawling the water as a woman, and as a foreigner

instead of doing this job she is on the other side benefiting from their work

She went from the worse job to having a status.

Like us we deserve the worse.... however God has changed things to where we have status,

from separated from God to sons and daughters of God

Ruth 2:10–12 NKJV

So she fell on her face, bowed down 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?” And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

*Ruth’s response to Boaz should be our response to Gods grace.

5. About Boaz

He is representing God to her.

He is blessing her for what she has done on behalf of God.

Guys we are to represent God to our wives.

Ruth 2:13–14 NKJV

Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.” Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.

6. About Boaz

He takes care of her.

He made sure she was well fed.

Ruth 2:15–17 NKJV

And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

one ephah:

10. About the Job

To thresh this harvest for her and Naomi,

Ruth beat the grain with a stick to separate the grains from the chaff (cf. Gideon in Judg. 6:11).

It would be necessary then to winnow it as well.

Her take for the day was impressive—an ephah is an exceptional quantity

This was the same amount that Jesse instructed David to deliver to his three brothers serving in Saul’s army (cf. 1 Sam. 17:13–17).1

Ruth 2:18–20 NKJV

Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”

7. About Boaz:

he is a kindmen redeemer:

The kinsman-redeemer’s role was to help recover the families losses,

whether those losses were human (in which case he hunted down the killer),

judicial (in which case he assisted in lawsuits)

or economic (in which case he recovered the property of a family member).

Since Yahweh had granted the land to the Israelites as tenants, they could not sell it,

and if they mortgaged a portion of it to pay debts,

it was considered very important to regain ownership as soon as possible.

A kinsmen redeemer was a family member that can get what a family member once sold back to the family.

Ruth 2:21–23 NKJV

Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

It is encouraging to see the changes that have taken place in Naomi

because of what Ruth did.

God used Ruth to turn Naomi’s bitterness into gratitude,

her unbelief into faith,

and her despair into hope.

One person, trusting the Lord and obeying His will, can change a situation from defeat to victory.

Ruth’s faith in God’s Word led her to the field of Boaz.

The love of Boaz for Ruth compelled him to pour out his grace upon her and meet her every need.

(Grace is love that pays the price to help the undeserving one.)

Ruth’s experience of grace gave her new hope as she anticipated what her kinsman redeemer would do.