Written by: Richard Prescott - CPAS
Ruth 2 v 19-22
Naomi asked her, “Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work?
Blessed be whoever noticed you!”
Ruth told her mother-in-law whose field she had worked in. She said, “The man
I worked with today is named Boaz.”
Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “The LORD bless him! He continues to be kind
to us—both the living and the dead!” Then Naomi told Ruth, “Boaz is one of our
close relatives, one who should take care of us.”
Then Ruth, the Moabite, said, “Boaz also told me, ‘Keep close to my workers until
they have finished my whole harvest.’”
But Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is better for you to continue
working with his women workers. If you work in another field, someone might hurt
you.” So Ruth continued working closely with the workers of Boaz, gathering grain
until the barley harvest and the wheat harvest were finished. And she continued
to live with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
Notes
It was during a terrible famine that Naomi and Elimelech had travelled to Moab
from their home town of Bethlehem in Israel. Their two sons had married Moabite
women (Ruth and Orpah). Elimelech died and, about ten years later, both his
sons died too. Naomi decided to return to Israel and urged her daughters-in-law
to return to their roots in Moab. Orpah decided to take Naomi’s advice. Ruth,
on the other hand, insisted on staying with Naomi.
Ruth spent her days gathering the grains that were left over from the harvest. (Old Testament Law stated that a portion of every harvest was to be left for “the poor”.) She ended up in a field owned by Boaz, a rich relative of her deceased father-in-law.
The whole book of Ruth is about loyalty, respect and inetgrity. Ruth made a conscious decision to stand by her mother-in-law. Her relationship with Naomi must have been an unusual one, because the Moabites and the Israelites were people who were enemies historically. Boaz was a noble and godly man who took his responsibility for his family seriously, even his most distant relations. Ruth was to be in safe hands.
It has always been God’s plan for his people to live in covenant relationship with him and in community with one another. It’s easy to see how far we’ve come from God’s design for human relationships when we take stock of our attitude to other people. We need only look at the statistics for family breakdown, for example, to view the trend of continually broken promises in today’s society.
But God is faithful. And Christians can make a difference in this world by living as people of integrity. God has promised that if we live his way, we will bring blessing to generation after generation.
Prayer
Father God, you have never let me down. Help me to live with integrity so I
can be a faithful demonstration of your covenant promise. Amen
Ruth 3 v 1-7
Then Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a
suitable home for you, one that will be good for you. Now Boaz, whose young
women you worked with, is our close relative. Tonight he will be working
at the threshing floor. Wash yourself, put on perfume, change your clothes
and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you’re there until
he has finished his dinner. Watch him so you will know where he lies down
to sleep. When he lies down, go and lift the cover off his feet and lie down.
He will tell you what you should do.”
Then Ruth answered, “I will do everything you say.”
So Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did all her mother-in-law told
her to do. After his evening meal, Boaz felt good and went to sleep lying beside
the pile of grain. Ruth went to him quietly and lifted the cover from his feet
and lay down.
Notes
What was Naomi up to? The first impression you get here is that Naomi appears
to be a “right little schemer”. But her situation was a desperate one. With
her husband and both sons dead and gone, she’d effectively been left with
nothing. Who was going to look after her in her old age? What was to become
of her family and their heritage?
Naomi wanted to make sure that she and Ruth would have a secure future, so she came up with a plan to ensure that Boaz took notice of his new worker.
Naomi seemed to know quite a lot about Boaz and his routine (given that he is described as a “distant relative”) and she knew that Boaz would respect Ruth and do what was right by her. So she urged Ruth to present herself to Boaz and gave her a clear set of instructions on how to do it (strange as they might seem). Ruth did exactly what she was told to do. Why was this? It was because of her devotion to Naomi and her trust in the fact that Naomi wanted what was best for her.
How often do you take God at his word? Is your relationship with him one that allows you to trust him completely? The prophet Jeremiah explained why we should trust God: “’…I know what I am planning for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future’” (Jeremiah 29 v 11).
Prayer
Father, help me to trust you in all things. I know that you want the very best
for me. Help me to listen to you, and to learn to follow you in everything
I do. Amen
Ruth 3 v 8-13
About midnight Boaz was startled and rolled over. There was a woman lying near
his feet! Boaz asked, “Who are you?”
She said, “I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me, because
you are a relative who is supposed to take care of me.”
Then Boaz said, “The LORD bless you, my daughter. This act of kindness is greater
than the kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning. You didn’t look for
a young man to marry, either rich or poor. Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid.
I will do everything you ask, because all the people in our town know you are
a good woman. It is true that I am a relative who is to take care of you, but
you have a closer relative than I. Stay here tonight, and in the morning we
will see if he will take care of you. If he decides to take care of you, that
is fine. But if he refuses, I will take care of you myself, as surely as the
LORD lives. So stay here until morning.”
Notes
There are loads of little incidents like this in the Bible. I like to think
of them as “comedy moments”. You can imagine Boaz’s surprise when he woke
up to find a total stranger at his feet!
Ruth explained that she was his servant, who also just happened to be related to him. Boaz obviously knew all about Ruth’s loyalty and kindness to Naomi, because he told her that people knew about her devotion to her family – coupled with the fact that she hadn’t gone off to find a husband outside the family line.
You see, the marriage laws in Ruth’s time stated that when a family member died, the closest relative could marry his widow. But the relative would be obliged to carry on the family line of the deceased, which included sharing wealth and looking after any extended family, as well as children that might result from the union. A lot to take on board, right?
Boaz told Ruth that he was not the closest relative, but in the same breath he committed himself to her, should “the other relative” reject her. It’s not clear what Boaz’s motives were, but he meant what he promised. But why would he do so much for a stranger? We’re reminded constantly throughout this story that Ruth was a Moabite – a foreigner!
It seems that what we see here are echoes of the fact that no one should ever be excluded from God’s family. And God’s plan to rescue his people involves ordinary people like you and me. What will you do today that will help someone realise that God loves them?
Prayer
Thank you, Father, that I play an important part in bringing your kingdom to
the people I live and work with every day. Help me to be an example of your
love – so that others might know that they belong to you too. Amen
Ruth 3 v 14-18
So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too
dark to recognise anyone. Boaz thought, “People in town must not know that
the woman came here to the threshing floor.” So Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring
me your shawl and hold it open.”
So Ruth held her shawl open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it.
Boaz then put it on her head and went back to the city.
When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did you do, my
daughter?”
Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz did for her. She said, “Boaz gave me these
six portions of barley, saying, ‘You must not go home without a gift for your
mother-in-law.’”
Naomi answered, “Ruth, my daughter, wait here until you see what happens. Boaz
will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do today.”
Notes
Ruth crept back home under cover of darkness. You can imagine the gossip if
people had found out about Ruth and Boaz’s midnight encounter. Indeed, some
would argue that the whole story about Ruth lying at Boaz’s feet is another
way of saying that they had sexual intercourse. But when has the Bible ever
been coy about people having sex? In the context of the corrupt society that
Ruth lived in, it would seem that she acted most honourably.
Boaz was obviously a wise man. He knew that Ruth was respected in the town and took care to ensure that their meeting was kept private. So, in an attempt to disguise her as a field worker, he filled up her shawl with six portions of barley – that’s a massive amount of grain for someone who had up until then been scratching around the threshing floor. Ruth made it home and explained to Naomi that the gift of grain was for her.
How’s that for a display of kindness? Ruth and Naomi must have been overwhelmed with Boaz’s generosity. However, it’s clear from what Naomi says in the closing words of this passage that she knew all along that Boaz would “come up with the goods”. She put her trust in him and, as a result, she and Ruth were more than just well looked after – at last they had hope.
Just take a moment to look beyond the words of this touching story. What might its deeper message be? Who is it that offers an eternal promise that his people will prosper? Who is it that goes out of his way to restore relationships?
Who is it that promises that he’ll be as good as his word?
Prayer
Lord, you are the same yesterday, today and for ever. Help me to always take
you at your word. I want my faith in you to grow stronger every day. Amen
Ruth 4 v 1-6
Boaz went to the city gate and sat there until the close relative he had mentioned
passed by. Boaz called to him, “Come here, friend, and sit down.” So the
man came over and sat down. Boaz gathered ten of the elders of the city and
told them, “Sit down here!” So they sat down.
Then Boaz said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country
of Moab, wants to sell the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
So I decided to tell you about it. If you want to buy back the land, then buy
it in front of the people who are sitting here and in front of the elders of
my people. But if you don’t want to buy it, tell me, because you are the only
one who can buy it, and I am next after you.”
The close relative answered, “I will buy back the land.”
Then Boaz explained, “When you buy the land from Naomi, you must also marry
Ruth, the Moabite, the dead man’s wife. That way, the land will stay in the
dead man’s name.”
The close relative answered, “I can’t buy back the land. If I did, I might
harm what I can pass on to my own sons. I cannot buy the land back, so buy
it yourself.”
Notes
Ruth. Moabite. Totally reliable. One previous owner…
Okay, so the intricacies of an Old Testament marriage are pretty hard for us to understand. Our western culture is so vastly different to that of Boaz, Ruth and Naomi. We only have a very narrow view of what it might have been like to be part of a family in this context.
But it’s quite obvious as to what’s going on here. The first in line for the land that belonged to Naomi’s husband Elimelech was, at first, quite taken by the idea of owning it. But when the full extent of his responsibilities was explained, he quickly declined the offer to marry Ruth. Indeed, this unnamed man was more concerned with the effect that such a marriage might have on his own sons and their future inheritance – and he didn’t hide his concern, even in front of the elders of the town.
This part of the story only serves to highlight the fact that Ruth’s potential suitor was the wrong man for the job. Boaz was obviously keen that what was done in the name of the law was right by Ruth. In his view, there was more at stake than the ownership of Elimelech’s land – he would fulfill his promise to take care of Ruth and Naomi.
Was Boaz simply a good bloke? I suspect that there’s more to it than that. Boaz was a man who upheld God’s law, not only in his head, but also in his heart. It was by doing things God’s way that things would turn out for the best.
Prayer
Lord, your ways are the best ways. I know that in my heart. Help me to seek
your guidance in all the decisions I have to make. Amen
Ruth 4 v 7-12
Long ago in Israel when people traded or bought back something, one person
took off his sandal and gave it to the other person. This was the proof of
purchase in Israel.
So the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy the land yourself,” and he took off
his sandal.
Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today.
I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion and
Mahlon. I am also taking Ruth, the Moabite who was the wife of Mahlon, as my
wife. I am doing this so her dead husband’s property will stay in his name
and his name will not be separated from his family and his home town. You are
witnesses today.”
So all the people and older leaders who were at the city gate said, “We are
witnesses. May the LORD make this woman, who is coming into your home, like
Rachel and Leah, who had many children and built up the people of Israel. May
you become powerful in the district of Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. As
Tamar gave birth to Judah’s son Perez, may the LORD give you many children
through Ruth. May your family be great like his.”
Notes
It’s official. Sandals are a proper biblical sign of God’s people…
Joking aside, this seemingly bizarre act of swapping footwear was a symbol of a humble contract between two parties. Here, Boaz made an “honest woman” of Ruth, and publicly announced that the family line of her former husband would continue.
And in this very special act of marriage, the elders of the court and the witnesses from the town blessed the couple with some amazing words. They told Ruth and Boaz that they would be blessed with children and that their family would become powerful and famous!
In the New International Version of the Bible, Boaz is described as a “kinsman-redeemer” (Ruth 2 v 20). What a great way to describe Boaz’s role – a man who was in a place to rescue Ruth from a seemingly hopeless future.
In the light of this story, it’s not too difficult to see the link between God’s law in practice among his people, and God’s ultimate decision to send his only Son, to be born as a “kinsman” and the redeemer of the whole of the human race.
Prayer
Father, thank you for sending your Son to rescue me from a hopeless future.
Help me to remember that Jesus died in my place and paid the price, so that
I can live with you for ever. Amen
Ruth 4 v 13-22
So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife and had sexual relations with her. The LORD
let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. The women told Naomi,
“Praise the LORD who gave you this grandson. May he become famous in Israel.
He will give you new life and will take care of you in your old age because
of your daughter-in-law who loves you. She is better for you than seven sons,
because she has given birth to your grandson.”
Naomi took the boy, held him in her arms and cared for him. The neighbours
gave the boy his name, saying, “This boy was born for Naomi.” They named him
Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.
This is the family history of Perez, the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father
of Ram, who was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon,
who was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz, who was the father
of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.
Notes
So Ruth and Boaz began their married life and they had a son together – providing
a family for Naomi and continuing Elimelech’s line. Naomi would be looked
after in her old age.
The women in the town exclaimed, “This boy was born for Naomi”, and they spoke some amazing (prophetic) words over the child: “May he become famous in Israel.”
Well, God did say, “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55 v 9). We will never know what would have happened if Ruth hadn’t been loyal, obedient and faithful, but we do know that God’s perfect plan included her – even in her simple, poverty-stricken existence.
And this heartwarming story has the greatest “happy ending” ever. Check out the incredibly long list of family names here! Ruth’s actions brought about a whole line of descendants, including David – the greatest king in all Israel – and resulted in the birth of Jesus, born to humble parents in the strangest of circumstances.
God’s story goes on and on. God’s purpose is still the salvation of his people. God needs people who are willing to be obedient, loyal and faithful. And he needs you, whoever you are.
What might your part be in his great plan for the world?
Prayer
Lord, I give myself to you. I don’t know what my future holds, but I want to
be in a place where you can use me to make a difference. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes