Ruth: Redeemed
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The Story So Far
The Story So Far
Ruth 1 - Story opened with Naomi loosing everything (land, husband, kids)
Ruth 2 - Ruth Gleans in the Fields of Boaz (kindness, mercy, compassion)
Ruth 3 - Naomi has a plan - Boaz is a redeemer
Go to the threshing floor (end of harvest)
Let Boaz know you are available (mourning, need, interested)
Boaz is honored, but someone else has rights to the land.
Ruth relays all of this to Naomi who now waits to see what will happen next.
Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
Legal matters often handled in front of city elders at city gates. (courtroom)
Boaz calls this redeemer to come to (court) in front of the elders (witnesses)
To be a redeemer required three things.
The Right to Redeem
The Resources to Redeem
The Resolve to Redeem
The Right to Redeem
Based on Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25
Required a close relationship, most often brother of deceased
It could have been one of Elimelech’s brothers
Boaz calls him “friend” —> Mr. So and So
We don’t know who, but closer relation than Boaz
Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
The Resources to Redeem
If the poor sold land, a redeemer could buy it back for them.
If a husband died - his wife retained rights, but only until she died. If she had no son, the land went to the closest relative of the husband.
If Elimelech leased land out… Naomi had ownership but no ussage.
The redeemer could purchase the land and when Naomi died, he would keep the land since there was no heir.
But to do this, he would have to have the funds to redeem it.
So here we see this man has both the right and the resources
One more thing is required, the resolve to redeem
At first this man is willing
This is a no brainer, the man could raise livestock or food on the land and pass it down to his son… it would provide a huge return on investment.
Original audience might be wondering why Boaz would lay this offer out there, but Boaz is about to read the fine print of the contract...
Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
The Resolve to Redeem
Boaz here is saying, if you are going to serve as the redeemer
Your obligation is not just to redeem this land
It will also be to redeem Naomi’s family (her people)
Required to take Ruth as a wife
Provide and heir for Naomi who would keep their name alive for generations to come and keep the land as inheritance.
The redeemer had this responsibility, but he could turn down the offer.
The man might refuse to purchase the land or to marry the widow if he believed if would not be in his families best interest.
This action was frowned upon, especially in refusing to marry because the brother is refusing to provide an heir to carry his deceased brother’s lineage.
The widow would spit in his face and curse him before the elders for refusing to fulfill his responsibility before God.
This redeemer here says, “now hold on just a minute”
Originally a good return on investment…increased his son’s inheritance.
But now with Ruth in the picture, if he provided an heir for Elimelech’s family line he would see no return he might actually loose money.
There would be money used to buy the land
There would be money spent on keeping the land up
His own children’s inheritance could be damaged
On second thought, I think I will pass…you do it.
Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”
Boaz speaks for the last time
He purchases the land from Naomi
He takes Ruth to be his wife
Chapter 1 - Ruth the Moabite (Despised)
Chapter 2 - Ruth the Slave (Dependent)
Chapter 3 - Ruth the Servant (Seeking)
Chapter 4 - Ruth the Bride (Cherished)
To “Perpetuate” the name of the dead
Perpetuate - to give rise, to give enduring life
Intention to provide an heir so the family would not be cut off
The Family name was about to die out....but now, new life!
Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
The people bless Boaz and Ruth
Rachel/Leah - Jacob’s wives
Sons were the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.
May your family be this significant, that something great will come
Tamar - a Caananite woman that God used to continue the house of Judah
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and 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 redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
An Heir is Born
Just as God provided rain, harvest, arranged the meeting of Boaz/Ruth
He gives Ruth/Boaz a son - The whole story God is moving/working
They rejoice with Naomi
Bless the Lord - He has provided your family a redeemer
Not speaking of Boaz but the child
May his name be renowned
He will restore to you your life
They call him Obed - worshipper
Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
This story moves from despair to hope, and from hope to a kingdom. This child would become the greatest king of Israel in Old Testament history.
But there would be a day for an even greater King, an even greater redeemer.
As Naomi held Obed in her arms, this future king (Jesus) would also...
Bring his people from life to death
Bring them from curse to blessing
From bitterness to happiness
From emptiness to fullness
From being cutoff to having an eternal heritage
In the New Testament the the story begins...
To a people in spiritual famine.
You were adulterous, rebellious, stiffnecked
I despised your sacrifices and feasts
Their is coming a day of judgement
Then silence for 400 years, no new word from God
But then God again, visits his people in Bethlehem, this time he would he would not only provide a redeemer…he would BE the redeemer!
The New Testament is the Story of our Redeemer Jesus who would redeem his people from the despair (curse) of sin and death!
We are people who need Redemption
The fall of Adam and Eve severed the relationship between God and man
We would not have done better… we prove that with our choices
We are spiritually dead in our trespasses and sin
Trespasses -
We have tried to take someones territory
We have all said…I’ll be my own God
Sin -
We have missed the mark
We are bent towards rebellion, towards treason
We can’t fix the problem by our own behavior, by our own good deeds
If we think that it’s like we have severed an artery, bleeding out…put a band-aid on it…death!
Hopeless… but if, we had a redeemer… Jesus
The Right to Redeem
Requirement of relationship - kinship
The debt of sin is death for mankind, a man must serve as our redeemer!
Hebrews 2:17
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
So Jesus humbles himself, empties himself (Philippians 2) taking on the form of man in order to redeem us.
The Resources to Redeem
The Sacrifice of Jesus was adequate for our redemption
The sacrificial system of OT required a perfect lamb to be offered every year to atone (pay for) the sins of the people.
Hebrews 9:28
so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Jesus was sinless, he was perfect, our “lamb without blemish”
He was fully man and fully God, an infinite perfect sacrifice that would only be required once to pay for the sins of his people.
The Resolve to Redeem
He had the right, and the resources, and the resolve
John 10
I am the good shepherd, I lay down my life for the sheep
No one takes it from me, I lay it down
John 12:27-28
“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
The story of Ruth is a foreshadowing of Jesus showing us.
The Sovereignty of God
The Faithfulness of God
The Compassion of God
The Provision of God
The Promise of God
The Redemption of God
The question is this: Is He your redeemer?
Have you ever come to Jesus realizing you have nothing, and asked to take refuge under his wings?
It doesn’t mean your life will be fixed, that there won’t be pain now, suffering now, struggles now, sin now…but it does mean that there is hope for the future.
It does mean that He will meet us in the field, invite us back to His table, share a meal with us, have conversation with us… take us under the refuge of His Wing…
If he is your redeemer, my prayer is that through studying Ruth that we have again tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and as we approach a time of year when we focus on giving thanks to God for his provision that we are already more aligned to worship him.