Ruth part 7 "Boaz, God's man for the day!"

25^th November 2018

P.A.Thatcher

The Mustard Seed Evangelical Church.

Series: “The best is yet to come!” {Lessons from the book of Ruth Part 7}

God's man for the day!: Ruth 3:1-4:12

One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, ‘My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing-floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing-floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.’

‘I will do whatever you say,’ Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing-floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned – and there was a woman lying at his feet!

‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘I am your servant Ruth,’ she said. ‘Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.’

‘The Lord bless you, my daughter,’ he replied. ‘This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.’

So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognised; and he said, ‘No one must know that a woman came to the threshing-floor.’

He also said, ‘Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.’ When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, ‘How did it go, my daughter?’

Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, ‘He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, “Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.”’

Then Naomi said, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.’

Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, ‘Come over here, my friend, and sit down.’ So he went over and sat down.

Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, ‘Sit here,’ and they did so. Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, ‘Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’

‘I will redeem it,’ he said.

Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.’

6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, ‘Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.’

(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalising transactions in Israel.)

So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his home town. Today you are witnesses!’

Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Now we come to this wonderful character Boaz. Boaz of course means swiftness, and as we have read he was certainly swift to act once Ruth had made her intentions known. But, there is another meaning to his name, it can also be; strength is within him. This suggests that not only can he be swift but that he also has the authority to do so. So what can we learn from this passage? The book of Ruth is often referred to as a great love story, that is a fair assessment, but, it is so much more than the Romeo and Juliet of the bible. This love story is a most incredible insight into the great love that God has for His people. We can learn so much more from Boaz than we have time for in our studies on Sunday morning.

With that in mind we will today consider the topic of God's man for the day! Boaz, just as it happened was a close relative to Elimelek, who was Naomi's deceased husband. Within Hebrew law, God had made provision for the family line to continue, when disaster happened in families. He had proclaimed that as in the case of Naomi and Ruth, a close relative, known as the kinsman redeemer could buy into the situation and relieve the family of their poverty. We are told that the closest relative of Elimelek, was another man. Protocol had to be followed, and so it was necessary for Boaz to give that man the opportunity to redeem Naomi & Ruth's problem. As we have read that man was happy to but land and property but not to take responsibility for Ruth. That left the door open for Boaz to go on and buy all of Elimelek's property, and land. He was also free to marry Ruth and to be the father of her children, who would then continue both the family name of Elimelek and also Boaz. That as we shall see next time is exactly what happens.

What can we learn for our encouragement this morning?

• Boaz was God's wonderful provision.
• Boaz was Ruth's provision.

Boaz was God's wonderful provision: We could look at Boaz's fine character and be inspired by that alone. But. Let us consider for a few moments that God had made provision in His law for such a time as Naomi and Ruth were experiencing. What a wonderful truth that is! It is almost as if the law was tailor made just for this occasion, and in one respect it was. But, God,s grace extends far more than one example. It is fair to say that this law had benefited many people in such circumstances both before and after this event. I cannot think of any examples given in scripture, other than one where it did not work out as God intended. The abuse of this law resulted in judgement and death of Onan son of Judah. It is recorded in Genesis 38, his sister in law Tamar had become widowed. Judah instructed Onan to do the right thing, but Onan was disobedient, God was angry with his wicked deed and Onan died for not doing as God demands. Shela, Judah's youngest son was too young and so Tamar found herself disappointed. You can read the whole grim story at your leisure.

Suffice it to say that Boaz was not such a man, but the closer relative was. For a moment just think of him. Just consider for a moment what a privilege that God was offering the kinsman redeemer. What a treasure Ruth really was! What wonderful prospects were available for the faithful servant of God. In this there is grave warning to us as Christians today. We are not bound to Levirate law, but there are many Christian laws that God has given that we are called to fulfil. We might not die for disobedience as did Onan, but disobedience is nonetheless wrong in God's eyes. So what are some of these Christian laws?

• Offering a sacrifice of praise: do we really worship God, with all of our very being? Sacrificially?
• Forsaking the gathering together of the saints? Can you really say that you attend the gathering of the church as you ought. You may well be in attendance but are you really here. It is often said of somebody that “the lights are on but there is nobody ate home!” It is easy for the body to be in church, but the worship is elsewhere!
• Being a true ambassador of Christ Jesus, being His person in the situation, this is what Boaz was portraying, he had a Godly perspective, he was in the right place at the right time and was willing to do just as God commanded.
• Encouraging all of the saints and as such building them up, restoring and redeeming their own personal difficulties. Boaz restored both Naomi and Ruth in their situation. The other redeemer let them down, but Boaz was there for them. Are you there for those who are in difficulty in our Mustard Seed or are you more like the other redeemer? That is of no use at all.

Back to Boaz, what an example of Godliness, he was. He was kind in business, he was caring in charity towards a desperate family. He was clearly older and therefore surprised when Ruth made her intentions known to him. He was clearly humble in every way. He was also Godly, he not only knew God's law but he lived by it and demonstrated it in all aspects of his life. Look at how he worked with his workers. How they respected him. How they also allowed the foreigner to work alongside them. He protected them and those who gleaned, he was caring and generous in all things. We could say so much more, but I think that the scene is set. We are not here to adore Boaz, but to see Him whom Boaz adored. Boaz was a servant of God, who was like God in so many ways. So much so that we see him as a prototype of the Great Redeemer. We will return to that in just a few moments.

Let us apply the testimony of Boaz to ourselves today. If God was to make a record of our lives and dealings just now, I wonder how inspiring that might be to others. Boaz, I am sure would be surprised at the way that we look up to him. What do we do that is as commendable for the cause of the gospel today?

Apply!!!

Boaz was Ruth's provision: His purpose was immediate, but the implications are eternal. I wonder do we really grasp this truth today. There are always immediate benefits or problems by all that we do. There are also eternal consequences involved. As with Boaz we do not know what will transpire from what and who we are today. I once read a short story by Isaac Asimov, it was about a man who went back in time to the beginning of history. He was taken to a swamp to have a look ate what it was like. His instruction was to stay on a specially devised walkway, but he erred and stepped off it because he wanted to feel what it was like. Unfortunately he stood on a butterfly. Inconsequential? When he returned to the 20^th century he found that Hitler had won the war. Small things make large differences over time was the lesson. This is even more so if the church, because our dealings have eternal significance!

What we do today shapes the future of heaven, let us get it right!

I am fascinated by the happening with Ruth at the threshing floor. If you want to see how man's mind goes into fantasy, just read some of the modern commentaries on this passage. What is the truth of what is going on here? We need to learn a small amount of Hebrew, to shed light on the reasons for what Ruth did.

The Hebrews are Semitic in their ways, one of which is unlike us as Hellenists (Greek descent). We are scientific or forensic in our thinking. The Hebrews are more artistic, or pictorial than we are generally. They think and understand in parables, pictures and types. Ruth plays out a parable to Boaz, as she lifts up the corner of his sheet and sleeps at his feet. She is in effect saying, I want to come under your redeeming care.

Her request to "spread the corner of your garment over me" (Ruth 3:9, NIV) had several meanings, each of which highlighted her desire to be a faithful part of the community of God's people. The word for "corner" in Hebrew also means "wings," so Ruth was asking Boaz: "Protect me like a bird protects her young; be my redeemer as God commanded in the Law so that in your actions, your provision and your family, I will find God's protection. And take me as your wife, for in your protection I will find God's provision and protection."

This story portrays the love and faithfulness Boaz demonstrated for God who, out of His love for all humankind, commands His people to care for the poor and thereby make His name known. We also see Boaz display what is in Hebrew called hesed (a merciful, compassionate, grace-filled loving-kindness) toward a foreign Moabite widow. We see Ruth's growing love and commitment to Naomi and to the God of Israel, whose amazing love was drawing Ruth into His beth ab, "the father's house."

Boaz and Ruth are a beautiful example of the way that redemption worked in a patriarchal culture. God included the practice of redemption, common in ancient Near Eastern culture, in His instructions to the Israelites. In so doing, He explained His role as "Father" (or patriarch) of all and His desire to redeem family members and the entire creation, restoring them fully in relationship to Him and to each other. Thus the righteous and faithful character of Boaz is a picture of God himself in His work of redemption.

After God used Israel to bring Ruth fully into His community, she joined in the mission to redeem others. She became the great-grandmother of Israel's king David, demonstrating that a foreigner could be completely brought into God's people and become His instrument for redemptive purpose. Jesus' descent from David's family in both blood through His mother, Mary, and legal kinship through His father, Joseph, gave Him legitimacy as Messiah to Israel among His first Jewish followers. Jesus' descent from Ruth made it clear that the Messiah would redeem all humanity, not only the Jews.

For Christians, the book of Ruth represents an early sign that the Messiah would liberate all of humankind, not solely Jews, bu that Gentiles such as Ruth would join God's community of redeemed. That is the church.

Boaz is such a wonderful forerunner to the Lord Jesus who in heaven was our redeemer but who condescended to come to earth and become a man. The result of this is that our heavenly redeemer is also a kinsman, who fully understands us and cares for us even better than did Boaz for Ruth. Jesu Christ is the Great Redeemer.