In the story of Ruth we have no come to the part of the story where Ruth proposes to Boaz at the threshing floor, wanting him to claim her as her redeemer. And he wants to; and promises to do so if he can. But there is a problem. He says in…Ruth 3:12-13 (ESV)— 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will ...
In the story of Ruth we have no come to the part of the story where Ruth proposes to Boaz at the threshing floor, wanting him to claim her as her redeemer. And he wants to; and promises to do so if he can. But there is a problem. He says in…
Ruth 3:12-13 (ESV)— 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
Order of relations-- Now what Boaz is saying is that the man who is the closest in relation gets to have first dibs on being the redeemer. And [The order of these relations is: brother, uncle, cousin, or close clan relative (Lev. 25:48–49; Num. 27:11;] And so although Boaz is a close clan relative, apparently there is somebody who is even more closely related. And so after Ruth returns to Naomi, Boaz (as Naomi predicts) takes immediate action to try to secure Ruth as his wife. That very day it says…
Ruth 4:1a ESV— 1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there.
The City Gate-- Now the city gate was more than just an entrance to the city. [The gate served as a combined town hall and courthouse (2 Sam. 15:2; Job 29:7–17; Prov. 22:22; 31:23; Amos 5:10).] where the [Elders witnessed transactions (Ruth 4:4, 9–11; cf. Deut. 25:7) and decided cases (cf. Deut. 21:19; 22:15).] So Boaz naturally comes here. And it says…
Ruth 4:1b-4a ESV— 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 Ruth2 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.”
An Unwanted Obligation— Now this redeemer apparently is really excited at the opportunity of gaining this extra land. It is a good thing for him. More land means more harvest. It would also increase the inheritance he could pass down to his children. [However, when he learns that Ruth will become his wife as part of the transaction, he changes his mind,] And he says he can’t do this lest I impair my own inheritance. In other words, he was [concerned that any son born to him and Ruth would share the inheritance already planned for his present children.] So this man is all about the property redemption because the land will benefit him, but he doesn’t want to deal with this whole “levirate” marriage business because he knows that if he provides Ruth with a son, that son will share in his inheritance but will do absolutely nothing to perpetuate his name. Ruth’s son would carry the name of her dead husband Mahlon in order to preserve his name. That’s the point. So this redeemer’s estate would (should Ruth bear a son) be divided between two names and he doesn’t want that. If Ruth wasn’t involved, he would accept. But things being the way they were, he will have nothing to do with it. And so he says to Boaz, Take my right of redemption yourself.
Not Willing-- Now I said before that the closest in relation gets to have first dibs on being the redeemer. And while that is true, I don’t want you to think that the redeemer who is the closest was allowed to just arbitrarily pass off the responsibility to someone else as we see here in this passage. It was more than just a bonus he could turn down. It was his responsibility; his obligation to produce an heir for the deceased’s wife so that that man’s name might not die out. But this other redeemer, we see, isn’t willing to fulfill his obligation. He passes. And some speculate that this is why his name is not mentioned anywhere in the book. It’s interesting. I was reading a commentary on this section by Dr. Victor Hamilton. He was one of my professors at Asbury University. And he makes the point that many of our translations, when Boaz first calls out to this man at the gate, say that [Boaz introduces this closer redeemer as “friend” (NRSV; NIV). {But} The Hebrew is peloni almoni, which cannot mean “friend.” Many commentators render {(more accurately)} something like “Mr. So-and-So.” Perhaps it is the Hebrew equivalent of “John Doe” (Pardes 1992: 107). {So the fact} That the closer redeemer is denied a personal name and identity may be the narrative’s way of pronouncing a condemnation upon him for withdrawing from his (levirate/go’el) responsibilities.]
A Sharp Contrast— And in doing so […this unnamed man marks himself as dramatically different from Ruth in {regards to} their respective scale of values. For Ruth, loyalty…stands head and shoulders over everything else. {But} For this person, loyalty is expendable, especially when it may mean sacrifice.]
God’s Khesed Love— Now in thinking on a larger scale about God, I am very thankful that we have the love of a God who is faithful and loyal to us no matter what it costs Him. Even though it cost His own son, our Redeemer remained faithful to redeem us; not because He was obligated to (because He wasn’t); but because He (like Boaz) wanted to take us under His wing and make us His bride. His love for you stretches beyond what you and I can fathom. His loyalty; His love never fails or falls short.
Ruth 4:7-16 ESV— 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.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
God’s Restoration-- Now the women are blessing Naomi. Why? Because God has made her rich again. She came to Bethlehem empty and “bitter” (calling herself Mara). And she did so in front of this same group of women. But now the lord has shown her the rich overflow of His blessing and has restored her to being Naomi (which means “pleasant”). God has become new life for her.
More Than 7 Sons-- Now I like what Edward F. Campbell said about the women’s blessing to Naomi: for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” He says “What more appropriate way to praise Ruth than to say she is worth seven times what the story has made such an absorbing concern—a son!”
A Restorer of Life-- Now the women describe the child born as a restorer of life, which is an interesting phrase which in Hebrew means [Lit., “he who causes life to return [Hb. shub],”]. They are pronouncing that life has returned to Naomi. And interestingly it is not Boaz or Ruth (or even Naomi) who names the child. It is the women of the town. And keep this in mind it is this group of women that Naomi had mourned to upon her return to Bethlehem. So perhaps in order to serve as a lasting reminder to Naomi of the faithfulness of God, it says in…
Ruth 4:17-22 ESV-- 17 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.18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Our Redeemer-- And this genealogy is especially important to us because it connects us with our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is our ultimate “restorer of life.” He is the one who takes us when we are empty and makes us full. He takes us when we are bitter and makes us sweet.
No Concept of a Loving God-- Naomi thought she had no hope. She thought that God had turned His back on her because she had to go through some difficult trials and circumstances. Ruth had no concept whatsoever of a God like the God of Israel; a God who cares for her as a person. And she certainly doesn’t get that idea from Naomi, who is struggling with bitterness and blame towards God for her situation. Yet in this story Ruth discovers for the first time that God is a God who will reward her; who will bless her; and not just sufficiently but abundantly; with fullness and overflow. Why? Because to God Ruth is NOT Ruth the Moabite. She is Ruth the daughter (as Boaz calls her); Ruth the bride; Ruth the one that He greatly loves.
And Christ loves each and every one of us in the same way. He doesn’t want us as mere servants or slaves. He wants us as sons and daughters. He wants us as His children on whom He can shower an eternal outpouring of His love, dwelling in us even as we dwell in Him. And this Advent season, I want to encourage you to remember that no matter what you are going through, what you’ve done, or where you’ve been, Christ longs for you as a man longs for a bride. He has laid claim to you. He has paid for your soul and has bought you at a great price. Why? So that we might share in that richness of life that is found only in Him. If you don’t have that life today, ask, and He will pour it abundantly upon you. Amen.
