Ruth and Boaz

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, 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 close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! ¹⁵ And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. ¹⁷ Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
(Ruth 4:13-17, New King James Version)

Ruth and Boaz

As we come to the end of the book of Ruth, we learn that Ruth and Boaz were married and were blessed with a son whom they named Obed. Look at the blessing that the women of the village spoke to Naomi.

“Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Did that blessing come true? Yes, in more ways than they ever thought possible! Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, making Naomi King David's great-great-grandmother. Through this same David, the Christ child would come, who would truly be the restorer of life everlasting.

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful story showing us the way that God works among His children in the normal circumstances of life. There was nothing in this story that was unusual for the culture of that time. Yet, every single detail was ordered by God, who preserved the bloodline of Christ who would be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary, a descendant of David.

Sometimes we tend to take the work of the Lord for granted. Maybe we are expecting a big display to show forth the greatness of God. Perhaps that is why is was so difficult for the Jews to understand that Jesus was (and is) the Messiah. He did not come in great splendor, but rather he came to live in the humble home of a carpenter and his wife.

Do not despise the work of the Lord in your own life. Do not think that what you do is unimportant or less worthy because you are not showered with public attention. God does His work in the lives of His people who are living out their ordinary, day-to-day lives.

As we think of the story of Ruth and Boaz, let us pray that God will be gracious to us and that we will be faithful in all of the little tasks He gives us to do.

God Bless You,
Linda

At the City Gate

¹ Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came 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 close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’”
And he said, “I will redeem it.”
⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
⁶ And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
⁷ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.
⁸ Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. ⁹ And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”
(Ruth 4:1-10, New King James Version)

At the City Gate

Boaz was true to his word; early in the morning he went to the city gate and waited for the close relative, of whom he had spoken, to walk by. Gathering 10 elders from the city as well as his close relative, he presented his case. At first the relative agreed to purchase the land Naomi was selling, but when he heard it included taking Ruth as his wife, he declined.

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

As was the custom, the close relative took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz to confirm his denial.

And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

Imagine how much money we could save if that was all it took to purchase land and a marriage license? Boaz became the kinsman redeemer of Ruth so that he could perpetuate the name of Elimelech and Mahlon.

Before we become to concerned that he bought a wife, we must remember that he bought the land which included the widow of the dead. Think about it for a minute, because that is exactly what Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer, did for us. As children of the Father, we are the bride of Christ whom He bought with His own blood.

Could there not have been an easier way for Christ to redeem us? No! Only Christ, the perfect, sinless man could fully keep God's commandments and redeem us with His blood. By one man, Adam, all were cursed, and by one man, Christ, redemption was purchased for all of God's children by His shed blood.

Amazing love,
How can it be,
That Thou my God (Christ),
has died for me!

God Bless You,
Linda

A Man with a Purpose

⁷ And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
⁸ Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. ⁹ And he said, “Who are you?”
So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”
¹⁰ Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. ¹² Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. ¹³ Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.”
¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city.
¹⁶ When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?”
Then she told her all that the man had done for her. ¹⁷ And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”
¹⁸ Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”
(Ruth 3:7-18, New King James Version)

A Man with a Purpose

Ruth has done exactly as her mother-in-law Naomi advised her to do. When she noted that Boaz was asleep on the threshing floor, she quietly lay down at his feet. When he awoke during the night he was alarmed to discover a woman lying at his feet.

And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”

How did Boaz respond to Ruth?

Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.

Boaz was impressed with the Godly character of this young woman; being an honorable man himself, he was careful to preserve Ruth's reputation. Early in the morning, before it was light, Boaz sent Ruth back to her home with a gift of barley for Naomi. Boaz, being a man with a purpose would seek to settle this matter before the day's end.

I love reading Lori Wick books; as a Christian writer she uses people with real Christian character, and is very gifted in her development of unusual plots. However, I have yet to read any Christian fiction writer who has used a plot such as this! It is easy to see God's hand guiding Ruth and Boaz throughout this book. This same God guides our lives in the same way!

Reading Bible stories such as this gives us a definite advantage, because the entire story, beginning to end is laid out before us. Remember, however, that was not true for the characters in the story. We, like the characters in the story, do not know our own future, but we are not left to wander aimlessly through this life. We know that our God loves us, keeps us, and guides us in the path that we need to go. What a comfort!

Ponder that as you go about the duties of this day.

God Bless You,
Linda

Kinsman Redeemer

¹ Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? ² Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. ³ Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
⁵ And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
(Ruth 3:1-6, New King James Version)

Kinsman Redeemer

Because our culture is so very different, this passage is a little hard for most of us to understand. What is the significance of Naomi's question in verse 1?

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

This is more than just a simple question. Naomi was fulfilling the duty of the parent for Ruth; it was her responsibility to seek out a husband for her. Observing the events of the past few days, Naomi realized that the answer was right before her very eyes. Not only have Ruth and Boaz met, but Boaz has shown a special kindness to her.

When a man died childless, it was the custom of that time for a brother or closest relative of the deceased to marry his widow so that his line would not end in his death. The first child was considered to be a descendant of the deceased man. Boaz just happened to be a very close relative of Naomi's son.

When Naomi requests that Ruth go and lay at the feet of Boaz, she is asking Ruth to assert her right as a widow to claim Boaz as her kinsman redeemer. Naomi understood the Godly character of Boaz, and knew that no harm would come to Ruth.

This is a beautiful picture of our Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to secure a Bride for Himself. Nothing we can do or say gives us the right to even do as Ruth did with Boaz, but our Lord came to this earth to a people not worthy of Him, and chose a people (a bride) for Himself!

When you think of Ruth and Boaz, just think of the beautiful picture it paints, where Boaz is a type of Christ, and Ruth is a type of the church of God. What an amazing God we have, who has sent His only Son as our Kinsman Redeemer, that we may have life everlasting in the arms of our Lord.

God Bless You,
Linda

Not Forsaken!

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ 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.
¹⁹ 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.”
²⁰ 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.”
²¹ Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’”
²² 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.”
(Ruth 2:17-22, New King James Version)

Not Forsaken!

As we continue to go through the story of Ruth, I was particularly struck by Naomi's words in verse 20.

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.”

Naomi had come back to her country bitter and discouraged, but now we see a turning point. The Lord has not forsaken her! How often do we feel as though God has forsaken us when everything around us is falling apart. In dark days, we often cannot understand how the Lord is working in our behalf. That was certainly the case for Naomi, but we see her beginning to have a glimmer of hope.

Look at the blessings God is pouring upon Naomi and Ruth. First, He is providing them with sustenance, second, He has shown kindness and protection to Ruth, and third, the man whom God is using to show kindness to Ruth is a close relative.

I am sure that Naomi was concerned about these very things. How would God provide for them? She could see that the diligence of her daughter-in-law was being rewarded when Ruth returned with grain. But, what about safety for Ruth? Knowing the vulnerability of Ruth, a foreigner, I am sure she was very concerned about her. Then, Naomi was overjoyed when she heard that Ruth had gleaned in the field of Boaz, and that he had showed kindness to Ruth. Boaz was a close relative! What significance did that have? We will find that out as we continue through the book of Ruth.

The book of Ruth is encouraging to us, as believers, on so many different levels. Just as God kept Ruth and Naomi in the shelter of His wings, so He does the same for us today. We often take these things for granted, but how do we react when we lose our job, or become ill, or are cast out by family members?

We may forget God or take Him for granted, but He never forgets His own. As children of God, we are not forsaken, but will always be kept in the hands of our God. Faith shines through when we are able to look at everything falling down around us and still say, "I am not forsaken by God!"

God Bless You,
Linda

The Flu Bug Bites

Just an update. The flu has come to visit, I am sorry to say - so it was necessary to take some days off. Hope to be back soon!

Under His Wings

¹⁰ 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?”
¹¹ 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. ¹² 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.”
¹³ 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.”
¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”
(Ruth 2:10-16, New King James Version)

Under His Wings

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.”

I do not know which impresses me more in this passage, whether it is the humility of Ruth or the generosity of Boaz. Ruth's character is highlighted in Ruth 2:10, and the grace of Boaz is shown not only in his kindness to Ruth, but also in his words to his men in verses 15 and 16.

What picture is God showing us through this Bible couple? Ruth represents the attitude that should be evident in all Christians. Is heaven the land of our birth? Moab may have been the land of Ruth's birth, but God had a better country waiting for her. We were born into this world, but God has a better country waiting for us as well. How should we respond to such love? We should pray that God would grant to us the humility shown in the character of Ruth. We certainly do not deserve His love; nothing in us qualifies us for life with God. Only in Christ can we boast.

Boaz is a picture of Christ, who looks upon us who are foreigners, totally undeserving of His love, and surrounds us with His grace. Look at the kindness and grace that Boaz showed to Ruth. First he spoke kindly to her and encouraged her to only glean in his fields. Then, he provided for her in including her in the food and drink which was supplied to his workers. Last of all, he spoke with his men, telling them to let grain from the bundles drop purposely for Ruth.

Compare that picture to Christ, who shows us His undeserving love, cares for our daily needs, and blesses us above what we could ever hope or think. What an amazing Savior we have!

Take some time today to fellowship and pray with Christ, and rest all of your cares upon Him. Under His wings will you find hope, joy, and peace, as well as life everlasting!

God Bless You,
Linda