Ruth 4

            Verses 1-2: In the ANE, the city gate is where public civil and legal matters were dealt with. The elders of the city, as well as other men of the community, would gather there regularly, and Boaz wastes no time in getting to Bethlehem’s gate the morning after his encounter with Ruth on the threshing floor. (v.1) As soon as he spies his older brother passing by, Boaz calls to him and tells him to have a seat. Boaz also summons ten of the city elders to serve as judge and witness to this legal matter. (v.2) Jews today have a rule of ten, known as the “minyan”, or quorum, which requires a minimum of ten men for congregational prayer and other important religious ceremonies, according to the Moody Bible Commentary. This passage here in Ruth, as well as others in the OT (Genesis 18:32, 42:3, Numbers 14:27) is the source of that tradition. (The two from Genesis make sense, but that reference from Numbers regarding the ten spies that turned the nation against God seems contradictory to the first two references. Why would today’s Jews want to honor and recognize ten disobedient and rebellious men?)
           
            Verses 3-12: Notice that Boaz doesn’t start the conversation by talking about Ruth. Instead, he informs his brother about the land that was inherited by Naomi that belonged to Elimelech. (v.3) Boaz’s brother has first choice to redeem the land because he’s older than Boaz and, thus, first in the line of succession of inheritance according to the law of Moses. (v.4) The brother readily agrees. Only then does Boaz tell him that he must also inherit the daughter-in-law of Elimelech as part of the deal. (v.5) This, too, is a requirement of the inheritance law, and Boaz makes a specific point of referring to Ruth’s foreign bloodline when quoting that portion of the law.
            Now his brother is in awkward position, especially in the presence of the ten elders and the others gathered at the gate to witness this transaction. He wants the land, but he’s unwilling to pollute his bloodline with a non-Israelite. (v.6) He is, in other words, racist! He tells Boaz to redeem the inheritance for himself. Boaz, of course, immediately agrees to this, and his brother removes one of his shoes and gives it to Boaz. (v.7-8) As verse 7 explains, this was a tradition derived from the Mosaic Law, a sign and symbol of sealing a deal between men, similar to our ritual today of a handshake.
            Boaz accepts the shoe and turns to the elders and witnesses, calling on them to confirm this this transaction, according to the law of Moses. (v.9) He is the legal heir and owner of all that belonged to Elimelech and his sons, and that includes taking Ruth as his wife. (v.10) Boaz again quotes the law here, and the elders and other witnesses all confirm it. (v.11) The elders also perform a blessing, calling upon the LORD to “…make the woman that is to come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel…”. (v.11) They also mention Pharez, the son of Tamar who was the daughter-in-law of Judah. Boaz and Elimelech are direct descendants of Pharez. (v.18, 21)
 
            Verses 13-17: Ruth was married to Mahlon for ten years, yet they had no children. This, too, was all in God’s plan. Verse 13 makes it clear that God has sovereign control over all of His creation, including that moment of conception. It’s the LORD that now opens Ruth’s womb, and she gives birth to a son, Obed. (v.13, 17) Both Naomi and Ruth are richly rewarded for trusting God, and for waiting on Him and His timing. (v.14-15) In a patriarchal society and culture, it’s the sons that carry on the family name as well as provide for, care for, and protect their families. Thus, the women of Bethlehem celebrate and bless Naomi for all that God has given to her in her old age. She and Ruth will be sheltered, protected, and provided for for the rest of their days! Naomi, in turn, becomes a nursemaid to her grandson, as was often the case in the cultures of the ANE. (v.16) It doesn’t mean that she literally nurses the child, but is instead more of a guardian, helper, and teacher.
           
            Verses 18-22: Like Naomi and Ruth, Boaz is also greatly blessed and rewarded for his faithfulness to the LORD. Because he waited for God’s timing, Boaz secures a place in the genealogy of the Messiah. There is no higher honor in scripture than to be named in the lineage of Christ, and both Boaz and Ruth have the additional honor of being great grandparents to King David, a man after God’s own heart.
           
            Among the many spiritual and allegorical applications of this account of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz is the picture of Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. We who are gentiles, who are not of the seed and blood of Israel, God’s chosen people, are still grafted into that vine by our marriage to Christ, the perfect and holy bridegroom. He is our kinsman redeemer, but only to those who, like Ruth, are willing to forsake all and believe on Him in faith alone. Ruth left her old life behind for a new life in a promised land that she knew nothing about. And so it is for the believer today. At the moment of salvation we are transformed into new creatures in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The old life is passed away, and the new life begins, born again by the blood of Jesus Christ! Ruth was greatly rewarded and blessed for her faith, and the same holds true for us today. If we put all our faith and trust in God, submitting humbly to His divine will and plan for our lives, and wait patiently on His timing, He will never leave us destitute and poor. He desires nothing but good for His children. Just as Boaz loved, sheltered, cared for, provided for, and protected Ruth, so God does the same for those whom He loves and who has accepted the redeeming work of the precious blood shed by His only begotten son on the cross at Calvary.
            Boaz and Ruth is also a simple and beautiful love story, an ideal picture of what God intended for marriage between a man and woman to be. Boaz is the masculine protector, defender, and provider for his wife and children, and Ruth is the feminine submissive, loving wife who honors, cherishes and obeys her husband whom God has given to her. (1 Peter 3:5-6) Boaz loves and cherishes Ruth, honoring her as the “…weaker vessel…”. (1 Peter 3:7) While all of that is not explicitly described on the page, we can clearly see it between the lines when we connect this account with other passages of scripture that describe God’s desire and plan for marriage. (Genesis 2:23-25, Proverbs 31:10-12, Ephesians 5:22-28)
          Boaz and Ruth found true, lasting love and happiness together because they each surrendered to God and waited on Him and His timing. And then, after committing to one another in God-honoring, biblical marriage, they each willingly fulfilled the roles every day that God created for man and woman within that holy union. When we choose to follow God’s design instead of our own selfish, prideful desires, we will experience that same joy, happiness, and spiritual fulfillment that Boaz and Ruth display here. Scripture is replete with examples of the consequences of not obeying God and surrendering to His will, but it also gives us just as many accounts of the opposite. The love story of Boaz and Ruth, as well as the account of the faith of Naomi, is a perfect example of what God desires for all His children, especially for those who also long to fulfill His command in Genesis 1:28.