4. Boaz the Kinsman-Redeemer in the line of David (Ruth 4)

Introduction

‘Hey baby, this thing is bigger than the both of us’. Such a statement might be corny and clichéd, but there is truth in it. There is something bigger going on when a man and a woman come together. There is a powerful thing going on, primeval forces are awakened. It cannot be explained merely rationally. The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.

The writer of Proverbs chapter 30, Agur, agrees: He says in Proverbs 30:18-19:

¹⁸ "There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: ¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden. (NIV)

Agur cannot understand the way of a man with the woman he loves. The power of that love changes both, and brings something bigger than the both of them.

Solomon declares in his Song of Songs the power and strength of human love. Song of Solomon chapter 8 verses 6 to 7:

…For love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. (NIV)

Love awakened has great power in God’s world, for good or evil. No wonder, for the power of the creator God is unleashed. It is nothing less than the ‘two becoming one flesh’. This is the way God made it.

In chapter 4, Boaz has declared his thanks for Ruth’s invitation of marriage. He didn’t need to think about it, probably because it was his secret wish. But there is a hurdle.

Many matches have prospective hurdles. Romeo and Juliette have family opposition. Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy have their great difference in income and family status. And Boaz and Ruth have to await the decision of another Kinsman-Redeemer.

Context

Boaz hadn’t acted on his feelings for Ruth in the first three chapters. A big part was probably because he didn’t like his chances. But with such an invitation as ‘spread your wing over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer’, Boaz springs to life. Now Boaz is the man of action.

Redemption at the City Gate (verses 1-4)

Early in the morning, after no doubt several sleepless morning hours, Boaz went to the town gate and sat there. Again, co-incidentally, accidentally, it seems, along comes his rival. The nearer Goel, the other kinsman redeemer comes past. And again, we remember, ‘there are no accidents’. God’s providential hand is guiding this match made in heaven. The 10 witnesses are gathered. And Boaz straightforwardly informs his relative of his rights under Israel’s law[1]. The relative has first right of refusal. He can increase his holdings in Bethlehem’s fields. And so the other Kinsman Redeemer declares his intention to redeem. ‘I will redeem’, he says. And if Ruth was there watching all this, her heart must have sunk.

And then Boaz lets the other Goel know about the fine print. See, there is one of those little asterisks in the contract. Conditions Apply. They are often mentioned really fast at the end of radio or TV ads, or the very small print at the bottom of the contract. Yes, you have the right to redeem the fields. But there are strings attached. Verse 5:

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy[2] the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property." (NIV)

Boaz is saying, ‘This is not just an opportunity to increase your land holdings. There are important family responsibilities that come with this property.’ Deuteronomy chapter 25 verses 5 to 6 says:

‘If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. ⁶ The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. (NIV)

This is not just buying a man’s land. This is buying a man’s life, a man’s responsibilities, a man’s wife and mother- in-law, a man’s name, and the firstborn child born of the marriage will be considered as the dead man’s. The unnamed potential Kinsman-Redeemer has a right to purchase Mahlon’s problems as well as his privileges. And the rival understands this. Verse 6:

At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it." (NIV)

He wanted the rights but not the responsibilities nor the relationships. He wanted the land, not the ladies. Perhaps he was already married with children. Perhaps he didn’t like the prospects of the barren widow Ruth bearing more than one son. Perhaps he was worried about his estate going to offspring with Moabite connections. Whatever his thinking, the nameless rival refuses to redeem, and takes off his sandal to prove it[3].

And, of course, we all cheer. Because that is exactly what we want as readers. We want the nameless rival to quietly fade away, and not to stick his oar in. We want our two worthy heroes, the noble Boaz and the faithful Ruth, to marry.

And we are not denied. Verses 9 and 10:

⁹ Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, 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 the town records. Today you are witnesses!" (NIV)

God is behind this union of Boaz and Ruth. God has providentially brought it about the righteous way. Everything has fallen into place. Boaz has a blend of nobility and shrewdness in dealing with his relative. The rival quietly disappears. Boaz is triumphant. And the happy ending ensues. Both are free. They can now be married, legally, properly, in the sight of everyone. They waited and did their marriage the right way, in the sight of their community. As we should, too.

Friend, if you are wanting to get married, do it properly, God’s way, the way God’s word allows. If God wants it to happen, he will remove whatever obstacles that he himself has put there. Friends, marriage and sex is important, so important that we need to do it properly. Not to sneak off and elope, or to take the benefits of marriage without it’s responsibilities, in de facto relationships and pre-marriage sex and cohabitation. Do it right, and receive the blessings of marriage as a result.

Notice the way the elders bless Boaz and Ruth. Verses 11 to 12:

¹¹ Then the elders and all those 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 house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. ¹² Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

The blessing of God’s people is a wonderful strengthener of marriage. God’s people gather around and say, ‘Yes, this is good. We will support you in this marriage. We recognize your new relationship and pray for you.’ That is what the congregation at the gate of the city did.

And Ruth, the poor foreigner, is given the same standing as Rachel, Leah and Tamar, the Matriarchs of Israel and Judah. Ruth, the foreign Moabitess, is another foreign women welcomed into God’s family, through whom Yahweh built up his people.

Our society is individualistic. ‘I can do what I like with sex and marriage – the community of faith has nothing to say to me’. But the reality is that individuals exist in communities. None of us lives to himself alone. What I think and do effects you, and what you think and do effects me.

Marriage builds up society. And the types of marriages that build our society affect our society. Yet another reason to protect and preserve marriages, and be careful in entering them.

Notice, that the blessings placed on Boaz and Ruth are very similiar to those given to Abraham. May Boaz become famous, as Abraham became famous. May childless Boaz and Ruth have offspring, just as the childless Abraham and Sarah were promised offspring.

And notice, too, that children are part and parcel of the purposes of marriage. Children are the fruit and wealth of marriage. A childless marriage is a tragedy to be grieved, not a lifestyle choice to be embraced in an endeavor to become wealthy or famous. This is God’s perspective on marriage.

Three Climaxes to the Book of Ruth

Sometimes an epic story as a number of climaxes. Think of the movie, Lord of the Rings. Jack Nicholson said that he couldn’t watch to the end of Return of the King. He left the cinema and sat in the car, waiting for the kids. Why? Because there were too many endings. (http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/woods-uncomfortable-meeting-with-nicholson). He obviously never read the book, because the book has even more endings than the movie.

The fact is, a story following a number of characters has a number of endings. If the ending is simple, you are only looking at the story from one person’s perspective. But if you want to tell a number of different stories, there will be different endings.

To use the cliché, ‘This thing is bigger than the both of us’. And I can see three endings to the book of Ruth.

From the Perspective of Boaz and Ruth (verse 13)

First, let’s look at the climax, or ending, from the perspective of Boaz and Ruth. Verse 13:

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. (NIV)

Boaz and Ruth get married and have children. And this is a happy ending. Ruth’s future among God’s people is secured. She has a kind and noble husband. And Boaz has a worthy and loyal companion, worth more than gold and rubies, who will bring him good, not evil, all his days. Marriage was God’s idea, for it was not good for man to be alone. And Proverbs chapter 18 verse 22 reminds us:

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the LORD. (NIV)

But not just have they found each other, but they also have a child, a Son. It is God who enables the barren woman to conceive, just as he did Sarah. Again, God is sovereign in giving children.

And this is an opportunity for rejoicing. Not just because the birth of a child is a happy thing in and of itself, though that’s true. But more than that, the birth of a boy kindles hope for the future. Not just because this son will provide for them in their old age, although that’s true. But because of where Ruth is in salvation history. For in the time of Judges, we still haven’t found the serpent crusher. Way back in Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent,

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

If he is not the serpent crusher himself, maybe the serpent crusher will come through this ‘seed of the woman’.

From Naomi’s perspective (verses 14 -16)

This thing is bigger than Ruth and Boaz. Let’s think of Naomi, too. She has a happy ending, too. And we need to see her ending. Verses 14 to 16:

¹⁴ The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth." ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. ¹⁷ The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

It is not only Ruth who has a kinsman-redeemer. Naomi is likewise redeemed by Boaz. Her hopes are pinned on Boaz and on this child too. Verse 15:

He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.

Obed is Yahweh’s gift to Naomi. He is Naomi’s pension and superannuation. But more than that, here is the hope of redemption from more than just poverty and barrenness. Here is the hope of the serpent crusher, who will redeem from sin and death and hell.

And notice Ruth’s vindication. In chapter 1, Naomi came back to Bethlehem empty, or so she thought. She only had this Moabite daughter-in-law tailing after her. Her husband and sons were dead. And, it seems, Naomi never did quite appreciate Ruth. At least, her appreciation was never articulated. But here, the women now articulate what we as readers have already seen. Ruth loves Naomi, and her steadfast loyalty is better than seven sons.

From our perspective

So for Ruth, Boaz and Naomi, this is a happy ending. But it is bigger than even that family. For we have a great interest in the outcome of this marriage. Indeed, our eternal lives depend on it.

For we too long for the birth of the Son that will crush the serpents head. And at the very end of Ruth, we see this child’s part in God’s plan to undo sin and death and hell.

Verses 17 to 22:

… And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David’.¹⁸ This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, ¹⁹ Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, ²⁰ Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, ²¹ Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, ²² Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. (NIV)

The book of Ruth is not just a kind and gentle love story, although it is that. The book of Ruth tells us where the Messiah comes from. Remember the town in which all this happens: Bethlehem. The birth of a much looked for son in Bethlehem is cause of rejoicing in Ruth. And every Christmas, the birth of a much anticipated son in Bethlehem brings us rejoicing. For Boaz is a forefather of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the Son of David, and Boaz was the forefather of David.

And so Matthew in his Gospel reproduces the genealogy found in Ruth. But Matthew extends it a thousand years further.

Matthew chapter 1 verses 5 and following recites and extends this genealogy of the tribe of Judah found in the book of Ruth. Matthew 1 verses 5 to 15:

⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, ⁷ Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, ⁸ Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, ⁹ Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, ¹⁰ Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, ¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. ¹² After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, ¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, ¹⁴ Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, ¹⁵ Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, ¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

The line of Boaz and Ruth boasts great Kings of Israel: David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah. But it also boasts the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The trajectory of the book of Ruth is to take us to Jesus Christ. He is the great descendant who comes from this line of the tribe of Judah.

Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, born of woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, so that we might receive the full rights of sons. For Boaz’ greater descendant, Jesus Christ, is in the business of being a kinsman-redeemer. He is our kin, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. And he is our redeemer. By Jesus’ sinless life and sin-bearing death, Jesus bought and acquired us. He redeemed us from sin, death and hell. His name shall be Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Dear friends, keep trusting in Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-redeemer.

Let’s pray.

[1] Note in verse 3 that Boaz considers Elimelech ‘our brother’ and thus that Levirite obligations apply.

[2] D I Block makes a good case that the transaction was not a sale as we understand it but a request from Naomi (and Ruth) to perhaps reacquire a right of usufruct over the property until the next Jubilee year: Block, Judges, Ruth: NAC, 709-10

[3] Ruth 4:7-8, perhaps based in part on Deuteronomy 25:7-10.