Ruth 6
Ruth: Ruth 4: 4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, [a]my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 Then 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 kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also [b]acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” 6 So the kinsman redeemer 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 the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. 10 And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11 And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall [c]achieve [d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall [e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”
The world we live in has its heroes. Of course, maybe the first thing we think of when we think of heroes are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fireman, police, soldiers. Then we might think of the ordinary guy some stranger who jumps in front of a bus to grab a kid in the street or the woman who covers her child with her own body during a tornado or earthquake. Then, of course we have more frivolous heroes actors, singers, fictional characters like Thor, Captain America, or Iron Man. But, as we come to day to the book of Ruth I want to ask,
Who is the hero of this story? Some might say that it is Ruth. She is remarkable. Devoted to Naomi. Willing to leave her native land of Moab where she probably could have lived A good life. She chose Naomi and God over herself. Expressing that devotion in those immortal words; “Do not press me to forsake you in turning back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me.” And the book is named after her. Surely she is the hero of this story. Of course, we can’t overlook Naomi as a heroine either. She did leave Israel with her family, and by her own account, she left full, but God brought her back empty. But, despite her dark mood at the start, Ruth must have seen something in her. Her faith must have inspired Ruth's. she does work to find rest for Ruth. And in the end, it is not only Ruth who is redeemed, it is it is Naomi who will hold Ruth’s baby in her arms. Maybe she is the hero of this story.
But, there are other heroes in this story. Boaz is a great hero here. He takes Ruth under his wing. He provides and protects her and Naomi. He steps up when it has to be the kinsman Redeemer. Yes he's a hero. He goes to the city gate and works out the redemption of Ruth. And we could also point to another as the hero of this story; David. He is the king that this whole story points toward. He is the descendant of Boaz and Ruth. The book of Ruth is the connection story between the book of Judges and the coming of the Kingdom of Israel. One could say that probably the whole reason this book was written was to serve as a backdrop for the story of David. Surely he is the hero of the story.
But as I have said in the previous messages, ultimately this story, and every Old Testament story has one Primary hero. Sure there are secondary characters who do brave and heroic things, but there is just one primary hero. And that hero is God. Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, or David are no more the primary heroes of this story than David is the Primary hero of the story of David and Goliath, or Joshua is the hero of the battle of Jericho. God slew Goliath. Brought down the walls of Jericho . God is the unseen power and Sovereign behind every Old Testament story. And though God doesn’t get much ink in this book, He is present and at work At all times to accomplish His will.
And this final part of the story is Really God’s vindication. Remember that this story started with a very dark view of God. Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon and Chilion left Israel during the bad days of the Judges in Israel, when everyone was just doing whatever was right in their own eyes. And they left during a time of famine, most likely a punishment from God for Israel’s disobedience. But rather than escape the death of famine, By going to Moab they experience death in threes; Elimelech dies. And after taking wives, before they have children, the two sons die. There are 10 years of darkness. And who is to blame? Naomi says ,” For I went out full, but God has brought me home again empty.” Upon returning to Israel, Naomi places these horrors in her life flat at the feet of God. God did this to me. She says, don’t call me Naomi, pleasant, call me mara, bitter.
That is how the story started, and if that was where it ended we might have doubt and questions for God along with Naomi why didn't God step in? Naomi might have said, why am I still here? She could have echoed the words of job expressed while he was in the middle of his despair. It would have been better if I had never been born. But the story doesn't end in darkness god does step in he has a plan and a purpose for all of it
By the end of this story, God has taken the story and flipped the script. We're going to see that. He Flips the script by His provision. We will look at God's provision today . God provides 4 glorious blessings in the end of this story. The first is that God provides a son for Boaz and Ruth.
Prayer
The Christian life is an exercise in putting your trust in God. I use the word exercise purposely. Why do we exercise? Because we know that if we don't our muscles will atrophy and die. The same goes for brain exercise. After a math lesson this week, a student said to me, my brain hurts. I said, that's good. Because we know that exercise, effective exercise, pushes the limits of our abilities. And because it does so it makes us sore, it causes pain. But we know that out of that pain comes growth, strength, and endurance. And those same principles apply to our spiritual lives. God pushes us beyond our limits so that we will grow. So that we will see much fruit. After the pain, we see the gain.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son.
So, Boaz took Ruth: This is just another way of saying that he married her. He took her as his wife. He took her to his home . So, it says he took her, but then it says and she became his wife. Why did the author add that? Isn’t it redundant? He already said he took her. Well, what The author wants to convey is the change in status that Ruth has experienced. This is a glory to God moment. You see, from the start, Ruth Has been called a lot of things . She was called a Moabite woman, or a Moabitess. When Boaz first takes notice of her In the field Calls her daughter., she calls herself a foreigner and a servant woman. On the night at the threshing floor, When she asked him to act as her kinsman Redeemer she calls herself a maidservant. But now she will be called the wife of Boaz. This, my friends, is a Cinderella story. But it is not a fairy godmother who spells end at midnight. God brought Ruth to the position of wife. I think she could have hardly dreamed that this pathway Leading her to Israel would end this way.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son.
And Yahweh granted her conception
Yahweh gave her pregnancy. She got pregnant and had a son A couple things here. First, this is the second divine intervention in the book of Ruth. Remember that we were told in the early part of the story that God visited the people of Israel by giving them bread. That is what drew Naomi back to Israel; the 10-year famine was over. Now, this is the second time God steps into the story. Now, it might imply that Ruth had been unable to have children before now. We don't know. We know she was married for possibly 10 years , without children. Don't know if it was her husband who was infertile. But we do know this scripture says that God is the one who gives the ability to have children.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” — Psalm 127:3
“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!” — Psalm 113:9
“He who gives you breath… and in whose hand is all your ways…” — Daniel 5:23. While not specifically about childbirth, it affirms that life itself is in God’s hand.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” — Psalm 139:13
Second, what does “And Yahweh granted her conception” remind you of? Or a better question would be, what would the listeners to this story have thought of when they heard, “And Yahweh granted her conception?” Where else had they heard those words ? They had heard those words in the stories of Sarah and Rachel and Rebecca . They would have thought of Sarah, who was barren and God granted her conception, and Rebekah, and Leah, and Rachel. and Everyone in these Old Testament stories have things in common.
They all had A struggle with barrenness, They all prayed for the intervention of God, and the birth of a son who would play an integral part in the covenant history of Israel. The listener to this story would surely think as the neighbors of Zachariah and Elizabeth thought , when John the Baptist was miraculously conceived and born , what kind of child is this going to be? I also can't help but think, if it was Samuel who recorded this story, about his conception . His mother was Hannah who also was Baron . And when he was born she dedicated him to the Lord . In that story the readers would also ask what kind of child would this be , who God interceded in betterness to bring a son into the world? And This is God stepping in as the hero of this story. He is doing what Ephesians 3, So God is called,,
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or understand,
And he is answering prayer. Does God answer prayers? Maybe not like how we have it planned. We would pray with Naomi, save my husband, save my children from death, we need rain lord, get Ruth a husband, and we might add thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, to your glory.
God is answering the prayer of Naomi For Ruth in chapter one, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May Yahweh [e]show lovingkindness with you as you have [f]shown with the dead and with me. 9 May Yahweh grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”
God is answering the prayer of Boaz For Ruth in chapter two, “12 May Yahweh fully repay your work, and may your wages be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
God is answering the prayer of the elders at the gate 4 Ruth and Boaz in chapter 4; “11 “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall [c]achieve [d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall [e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.”
God is answering prayers. He provides a son for Naomi. But he also
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And Yahweh granted her conception, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a [f]kinsman redeemer today, and may his name [g]be proclaimed in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [i]and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
So A baby is born Immediately. “14 Then the women said to Naomi” What women are we talking about? Remember at the start of the story, when Naomi returned to Bethlehem Ephrathah that there was a furor in town because of her return. Chapter 1“19 Then they both went until they came to Bethlehem. Now it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and [h]the women said, “Is this Naomi?” Remember that they hadn't seen her for 10 years. She left as a woman named pleasant. He left as a vibrant positive and energetic woman.
When Naomi returned it was in emptiness and in bitterness. They said is this naomi? Can't this be the same woman . Now these same women Come to her at the birth of Obed. And they are now saying, “You are blessed by Yahweh with a kinsman redeemer.” we can imagine these women being present at the birth of Ruth’s child, Or shortly after the birth and the Picture is of them bringing that child to Naomi. and They praise God for providing Naomi, that day, Not just a baby a kinsman redeemer. The baby is described as the kinsman Redeemer. We know that her kinsman redeemer was Boaz, but here they transfer the title to the child.
14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a [f]kinsman redeemer today, and may his name [g]be proclaimed in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [i]and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The child is now considered the kinsman redeemer. They anticipate a redeemed life for Naomi. Look at what they anticipate about this child.
May his name be proclaimed in Israel. This sounds Very much like what was said to Boaz earlier.
11 and....the elders, said, ....May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah, ....and so you shall [c]achieve [d]excellence in Ephrathah and shall [e]proclaim your name in Bethlehem.
They prayed that Boaz’ name be famous in Bethlehem Ephrathah. Boaz did become famous in Bethlehem Ephrata and the baby did become famous in Israel . But the women, speaking of the baby, pray that the baby’s name be proclaimed in Israel. And his name will be proclaimed in Israel. He becomes famous because he will be the grandfather of David.
But God has provided a redeemer for Naomi. And listen to what they say this redeemer will do for her.
15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age;
May this child restore your life, your vitality. This child is going to breathe new life into you. And he will be a sustainer in your old age. He will take care of your needs. From the start of the story, the needs of Naomi were food and an heir. She had to leave Israel for food, she left Moab for food. She lost her heirs in Moab. This child will provide both.
Now How do these women know this child will do this? How can they be so sure?
15 May he also be to you a restorer of your soul and a sustainer of your [h]old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [i]and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Their confidence that this child will restore and sustain Naomi is because of Ruth, Her daughter in law.. They are confident in this child because of the child’s mother Ruth. Your daughter-in-law loves you. She is excellent. Is a hard worker. She is a woman of faith. She was faithful to Naomi and to her deceased husband and then they say this.
And she is better to you than seven sons. Now that's a compliment For any woman to be considered better than a son in this society was a remarkable thing. This was a very patriarchal society. Remember the story of Leah the least favorite wife of Jacob after she had borne him another son she said he will love me now because I have given him sick sons. Especially in a story where seeking a son was so key. But to be considered better than seven sons was saying a lot. And now ruth has a baby And it is given to Naomi as an heir to eliminate Obed is Naomi's kinsman Redeemer.
16 Then Naomi took the child [j]and put him on her bosom and became his nurse.
God is the hero. She lost her two sons at the start and now she has another baby And that baby is her Redeemer.
But as much emphasis is put here on Ruth, Naomi and the baby Oped, God is still the hero. They are in a great moment here. New baby, recent wedding, harvest, celebrate good times come on. Sometimes in the good times we forget God. When times are bad we blame God. Times we take credit for ourselves. But think of all that God did to get them to where they are.
All that God has done, restoration of the land that drew Naomi back. Ruth’s chance meeting of Boaz. The midnight proposal. The court setting at the city gate. The other kinsman steps aside.
God provided a redeemer.
17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Obed beget Jesse beget David. This lineage, this genealogy elevates this story beyond just a simple narrative about life in Israel in the time of the judges. It takes it into one of the most important and monumental cultural shifts in the nation.
This genealogy tells us that This story is not just about two desperate widows. It is about a desperate nation on the brink of destruction. Remember that this is the time of the judges. There is no king. It’s no coincidence that the first name in the book Of Ruth is Elimelech, Which means “my God is King.” Then in the first verse, “my God is King” dies. And Then the last name in the book is David; Israel’s greatest King and Redeemer. Boaz may Have become famous in Bethlehem, his child Obed becomes famous in Israel. He is the ancestor of David. Dynasty built on a king after God’s own heart. let's look for a moment at Obed
The name Obed means servant. It may sound familiar because you remember the name Obadiah . Obediah means “servant of Yahweh.” Obed lived up to his name . He was a servant to Naomi in that his birth and life redeemed her out of poverty , obscurity and death of a family line. This word servant is an interesting one especially as we follow this genealogy to David. David was a man with a servant spirit . But he doesn't just serve his family or even the nation of Israel he is called a servant of Yahweh almost 30 times In Scripture. Do you know who else is called the servant of Yahweh?
Also Christ is called the Servant of Yahweh. The clearest Old Testament prophecy directly applied to Jesus is Isaiah 42:1:
“Behold, My servant, whom I uphold…”
Matthew 12:17–21 quotes Isaiah 42:1–4 and says it was fulfilled in Jesus. The broader Servant passages—especially Isaiah 49, 50, 52:13–53:12—are likewise fulfilled in Christ, with Isaiah 53 describing His suffering and substitutionary death.
Jesus is explicitly called God’s servant in Acts:
In In this story god provides a king to Israel.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, 19 and Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of [k]Salmah, 21 and Salmon became the father of Boaz,
and Boaz became the father of Obed, 22 and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.
10 generations why why does this genealogy take the line back to Perez? Remember who the mother of Perez was. Tamar a disreputable woman a Canaanite during a time when the line of Judah was in jeopardy. And through her the family was saved. Remember also rehab who was a Canaanite she also was drawn into the Covenant family of Israel. This genealogy is a picture of what God intends to do with the greater kinsman Redeemer. Ruth was drawn into the covenant people of Israel though she was a moabite a Gentile.
If you are a Christian, this is your story, these are your people.
God is the hero. Is God's vindication. God's faithfulness and purposes are questioned at the start. The beginning of this story is very painful a painful chapter in the life of Naomi but this book teaches us to not judge God’s providence by one painful chapter. The God who quietly worked through famine, loss, gleaning, a marriage, and a child was bringing forth the line of David—and, in time, the Savior of the world.