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“From Rags To Riches” • 11.16.14 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Divine providence is the doctrine of God's
intervention in the affairs of human lives. The bible is clear on this subject.
God is both aware and active, working to bring His good pleasure to pass.
- The book of Ruth is a shining example of that
truth. When everything fell apart in Moab, a rumor of bread brought Naomi back
to Bethlehem with her Moabite daughter in law.
- Ruth went out searching for a place to find
favor and found herself in the field of a near redeemer, who showed her great
kindness.
- When we come to chapter 3, everything seemed
to line up, but there was one item that had not been accounted for by Naomi:
There was a closer relative!
- Was God's providence threatened or was this
hiccup also a part of His plan? This chapter perfectly illustrates that the
bumps in the road are all prescribed! Let's find out why.
Text
• Ruth 4:1,2 : "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. And
he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, 'Sit down here.' So they
sat down.'" :
There is an immediacy to this text, as if no time elapsed between Ruth's
departure and his venture to the gate.
- Boaz sought to directly complete this
business that was before him, which meant that he had to place himself where
that could be transacted.
- In any given city, the gate was the center of
business negotiation. It was not a simply constructed swivel gate, but a series
of booths funneling people into the city.
- Boaz went down and sat there. Though he was
unsure how his venture would fare, he knew he needed to be in the right place.
- This is often a surprising fixture in
Christian work, as many times, God's people relay a struggle with knowing God's
will and yet, fail to prioritize what they already know will aid them.
- They know, or should know, that God won't
speak to them apart from His Word. "God hasn't spoken to me," they
complain. My simple reply is, "Have you picked up His Word?"
"Well, no!"
- They decry a failure to grow and mature and
yet cannot remember the last time they attended a meaningful, participatory
fellowship meeting, where they were accountable to likeminded believers.
- In this simple statement before us, Boaz
illustrates that the believer is to be where the desired action will occur. Do
what you can by being where you need to be!
- Discipline yourself and watch the Lord work,
for in the moment that he sat down, the near relative that he spoke to Ruth
about came by! "Behold," the author writes, as if it was a surprise!
- God is providentially working. Boaz is in the
right place and the near relative, who we are about to discover, had no real
knowledge of the situation, "happened by."
- When Boaz began to talk with his relation, either
an older brother or cousin, he spoke in a way that was common to business folk.
- The author goes to some length to keep this
man's name from becoming public record. According to those with greater
knowledge of Hebrew, Boaz calls him "Mr. So and So!"
- The other man was not taken aback. I imagine
his delight at this business transaction. "It's my lucky day!" he
thought. Boaz gathered the elders to make the meeting official and binding.
• Ruth
4:3,4 : "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. 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.'" : Boaz lays it on his relation. He tells of Naomi's return and
the land which had been in the possession of Elimelech.
- He wanted to inform, the KJV uses the word
"advertise," it's availabilty. He had the first right of refusal and
it was now in his court to take or reject the offer.
- His presentation is interesting, as he
focuses entirely on the property, which was the actual value of the
transaction. He does not mention Ruth or the necessity of providing an heir.
- As presented, this is a sweet deal! A
discounted piece of property! There is a lot of potential in this for this
relative. It's no wonder that he quickly responded that he would redeem it!
- In that moment, as he pulled out his
checkbook, it was his! This was a win for everyone! He was so quick to answer,
but Boaz hadn't finished.
• Ruth 4:5 : "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.'" : Boaz
just loved doing this! He did it to Ruth earlier that morning! "I'll do it
for you, that is, if the other redeemer doesn't!"
- I can see Boaz, quickly moving the deal
forward, shuffling the title deed papers and saying, with pen in his hand,
"Congratulations on the land and your new wife! Just sign right here. .
."
- The purchase would now be completely for the
family, as any male child would then be guaranteed the possession of the
property beyond the man's life.
- In essence, the man would take on the debt of
the property until another man could be raised to take over the responsibility
of the property. This presented a problem.
•
Ruth 4:6-8 : "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.' 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. Therefore
the close relative said to Boaz, 'Buy it for yourself.' So he took off his
sandal." : From what we see here, it's
difficult to ascertain what the real reason was for his refusal.
-
There is a targum, a non-inspired Jewish document which captured cultural
paraphrase or expansion of the text of scripture, that mentions an existing
wife. The targum reads:
˚ "'I cannot redeem it, because I have a wife already; and it is not
fit for me to bring another into my house, lest brawling and contention arise
in it; and lest I hurt my own inheritance. Do thou redeem it, for thou has no
wife; which hinders me from redeeming it.'"
-
Before we move on, please note the criteria we discover from this response. The
Kinsman Redeemer first, needed to be a relative, then he needed to be
financially able.
-
Finally, he needed to be willing. This was the point that stopped the deal from
progressing. Boaz is now in the clear, but still needs to make it thoroughly
official.
-
The custom before them involved the exchange of sandals, a common practice
among the people of the city gate. There are various thoughts on the reason for
the sandal.
-
Some have noted that the sandal pictured the walk which took place upon God's
land and that as such, the land could only be "owned" secondarily.
-
I'm of the mind that they just wanted to get off on the right foot!
Interestingly, there were other parts of this transaction that were at the
least minimized.
-
Deuteronomy 25:9 and 10 describes
the responsiblity of the spurned widow to grab the sandal and then spit in the
face of the one who refused the duty.
- From that point, the man was to be
identified as "Shoe Untied!" None of this happens and in fact, Boaz
pushes things along quite quickly.
•
Ruth 4:9,10 : "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.'" : In the light of day, Boaz
confirmed that he had purchased the entirety of Elimelech's estate.
-
Consider Naomi's heart at this moment. She had lost her husband and children.
Without hope of ever recovering from this financially, here she stands, graced
by another!
-
The property notwithstanding, the marriage of Ruth brought the greatest joy to
her heart, in that now, her family name would continue and be counted among the
people of God.
-
In contrast to the nearer redeemer, who refused to buy the field on account of
the bride, Boaz bought the field that he might take the bride! Ruth was not the
deterrant. She was the reason!
-
This was done legally, with all attention to detail in the statement before the
elders.
•
Ruth 4:11,12 : "And all the people who were at the
gate, and the elders, said, 'We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to
your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may
you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of
Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young
woman.'" : The elders bless Boaz in the form
of recollection. Their own history could be traced back to Rachel and Leah, who
bore Jacob 12 sons.
-
Genesis 29:31-Genesis 30:24 details
the way in which the tribes came into being. While there were actually 4 Ladies
involved, neither Bilhah or Zilpah are mentioned.
-
Their prayer is not for a sordid repeat of that chapter, but that their union
would be fruitful. Israel never saw children as a curse as the surrounding
nations often did. They celebrated them!
-
They pray that Boaz will rise to prominence among his peers in Bethlehem. Boaz
is taking on the expense of a land and a new family for the sake of another's
family.
-
This might drain other men, so the prayer is that God would strengthen and make
his name famous for the sacrifice that he was about to make.
-
Finally, they recall the story of Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute
in order to become impregnated by her Father in law.
-
Judah was reluctant to give Tamar Shelah, his youngest son, on account of the
fact that Tamar had out lived both of Shelah's older sons.
-
When she realized that he wasn't going to live up to his side of the bargain,
she tricked him into sleeping with her and gave birth to Perez. (Genesis 38)
-
In both instances, the births of the children were neither orthodox or
conventional. Neither could it be said that God approved of the plans employed.
-
But He did extend a righteous line leading to the Messiah through these strange
situations. The elders of the city, unlikely to know the ramifications of their
proclamation, spoke prophetically.
-
They spoke thus in the actual birthing of the child, which was certainly no
foregone conclusion given Boaz' advanced age. How many girls would they have
before they had a boy?
-
They also spoke in faith knowing that the circumstances surrounding their
coupling indicated a baby of a significant messianic proportions!
-
Boaz was doing far more than bringing a male heir into Elimelech's family. When
we respond to the Lord in faith, we can be certain that much more is being
accomplished than we can see!
•
Ruth 4:13-16 : "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. 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! 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.' Then Naomi took the child and laid
him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him." : What a beautiful ending to a wonderful, God-ordained match.
Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife.
-
Consider Naomi on that day, as pleasant as she had been in years, potentially
even more happy than the day when her son had taken the heathen Ruth to be his
bride.
-
This Ruth had professed faith in the God of Israel. She had traversed national
lines and had begun a life lived before the Lord. She was now a woman after
God's heart.
-
When they came together, the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son! That
is never guaranteed in a relationship and when it happens, it's the Lord
allowing the process to work.
-
Gratefully, she bore a son, who in that day would have become the heir and
beside Ruth, Naomi was now the happiest person in the crowd!
-
The women who had watched Naomi since her return, glorified the Lord's Name,
who had given Ruth a close relative. "Look at what He has provided for
you!"
-
She had a close relative in Boaz, a grandson to bring back that which had been
lost. There was going to be great joy in this child, a joy that would be a
payment for what she had suffered.
-
He would be a joy in his youth to her, as one of her own sons had been in their
early life and then we she got old, the women prayed that he would help
maintain her health in her old age.
-
Their blessing upon her was a source of rest for her throughout the rest of her
life.
-
Not to diminish Ruth at all, who had been to her better than seven sons could
have been!
-
Naomi took her grandmotherly place, raising him with a knowledge of her story
that would be told for years and indeed, through time.
•
Ruth 4:17-21 : "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. Now this is the genealogy of Perez:
Perez begot Hezron; Hezron begot Ram, and Ram
begot Amminadab; Amminadab begot Nahshon, and
Nahshon begot Salmon; Salmon begot Boaz, and
Boaz begot Obed; Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse
begot David." : The ladies who blessed
Naomi also had the privilege of offering a name to this son of Naomi's. They
called him "Serving."
-
From here, we are given a series of names, many of which hold no meaning for
us, but as we see, becomes increasingly relevant to our interests.
-
If the end of the book of Judges brought us to the life of Saul, the end of the
book of Ruth brings us to the greater King, the one after the Lord's heart,
King David!
- For the Naomi's listening who have been dealt
a difficult blow in life. Remember that God writes the last chapter!
- God never stopped working and in the end,
Naomi can't even raise a bitter note for the joy that the Lord dropped into her
lap, the grandfather of King David, the descendant of Jesus Christ!
Conclusion
- What a profoundly beautful story. Like Ruth,
we were once foreigners, strangers to the life of God. We hoped simply for
scraps of mercy and charity until we met Boaz, Jesus.
- His grace, kindness and mercy overflowed
toward us until we were overwhelmed. When we finally approached Him, seeking
His protective wing, He acted on our behalf.
- He did not merely steal us away from the
enemy of our souls, but in the light of day, standing before the elders of
Israel, the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world on a Roman cross.
- As God incarnate, He was our relative. Not
having any sin debt, He was able. And having stayed on the cross until it was
finished, He proved that He was willing to redeem us!
- Like the man who found the treasure in the
field, Boaz bought it legally to get the bride! That's what Jesus did! He paid
for the sins of the World, so that the Bride would be legally His!