Road To Revelation: Ruth

Aka: A New Hope

Aka: Can anything good come out of Moab?

 Having just read the book of Judges you may have given up all hope that any of the Israelites still believe in the Lord, let alone follow him.  After all Naomi’s husband gives us little hope; he abandoned the promised land when it was suffering famine (under God’s discipline) to try to find a better life for his family.  Instead of a better life in Moab he and his sons died there and his wife was left to fend for herself.  She returned to her home village in Israel to find that the Lord had rescued his people and all is well again.  But she is a destitute widow AND has a foreign daughter in law to try to feed and marry off.

Her Moabite daughter in law is with her because she has faith in the Lord and refused to stay in unbelieving Moab (1:16-17).  Another Gentile believer brought into the people of God!

Ruth “accidentally” ends up in the fields of Naomi’s relative, Boaz, a kinsman redeemer of Naomi’s family.  A kinsman redeemer was responsible for financially caring for his relatives should they fall on hard times and for keeping their land in the family so the children would inherit their father’s land. (Lev. 25:24-30)  Boaz proved to be a kind relative and treated Ruth very well so Naomi hatched a plan...

Naomi told Ruth to go and visit Boaz secretly after he had finished threshing the grain.  She was to ask for his hand in marriage.  This would provide children to look after Naomi and Ruth and also to return Naomi’s land back to her family (it is assumed Elimelech either sold or just abandoned his land when he left).  Ruth, the obedient daughter in law, did as she was instructed and Boaz accepted!!  BUT there is a problem…

There is another… kinsman redeemer that is… one closer than Boaz.  Boaz met with the village elders and the other redeemer the next day and announced that Naomi wished for her land to be redeemed.  The other redeemer was happy to buy the land back (and reap the profits) thinking that the land was safely his (after all who would marry Ruth?  The filthy foreigner?).  But Boaz reminded the other man that taking on Naomi’s land involved finding a husband for Ruth so that Naomi could have children to carry on Elimelech’s inheritance (as the law in Numbers states (ch. 36—Zelophehad’s daughters).  Boaz showed by this gentle reminder that there were indeed a remnant of believing Israel in this dark time of the Judges.  He understood the law and was eager to uphold it to the letter.

 

The other redeemer decided he didn’t want to put the work into land which would be given to someone else, so he declined.  Boaz then announced his engagement to Ruth.  Mic Drop!  He mentioned that Ruth’s children would inherit Naomi’s land and carry on the family of Elimelech (4:10).  They marry and Ruth has a child, who has a child, who has a child… whose child is… King David!  A King is Coming!  The hopes of the despairing author of Judges is kindled!

Takeaway: Boaz is SUCH a good guy hero figure in this book we can only come to one conclusion; he is a type of Christ figure.  Why?  Because he kept the law (of property rights) perfectly, he rescued the weak, he loved the outcast and he redeemed the widow.  Boaz could not save all of Israel, only Naomi and Ruth, but through him came Jesus who would do all that Boaz did and more.  And who would redeem Boaz, Naomi, Ruth and all of us from the debt of sin and death forever (Gal. 3:13-14).  Jesus the eternal king, greater than David, and our great hope in our own time.