Ruth for Expositors and Counselors

Home , Orpah, Ruth 2, The Story of Ruth

Expository Counseling Series ______

The Romance of Redemption: Ruth for Expositors and Counselors

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by Tom Sugimura 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION: A NOTE TO THE READER ...... 1

BEST LAID PLANS: COUNSEL FOR THE SUFFERING (1:1-5) ...... 3

A Dark Setting (1:1a) ...... 5

A Difficult Situation (1:1b) ...... 6

A Dangerous Sojourn (1:1c-2) ...... 9

A Deadly Summation (1:3-5) ...... 13

A Divine Solution (Rom 5:8) ...... 16

AT THE CROSSROADS: COUNSEL FOR DECISION-MAKING (1:6-22) ...... 20

Facing a Dead End (1:1-5) ...... 20

Making a U-Turn (1:6-7) ...... 21

Choosing at the Crossroads (1:8-18) ...... 24

Coming Home (1:19-22) ...... 35

THE ART OF CHIVALRY: COUNSEL FOR YOUNG MEN (2:1-23) ...... 40

Grace for the Gleaning (2:1-4) ...... 41

Love at First Sight? (2:5-7) ...... 47

Chivalry not Chauvinism (2:8-17) ...... 49

A Mother’s Intuition (2:18-23) ...... 58

HE SAID, “YES!”: COUNSEL FOR COURTSHIP (3:1-18) ...... 62

Mourning No Longer (3:1-5) ...... 65

Widowed No Longer (3:6-15) ...... 70

Empty No Longer (3:16-18) ...... 79

A SANDAL AND A BRIDE: COUNSEL FOR COMMUNITY (4:1-12) ...... 84 ii

The Court Convenes (4:1-2) ...... 85

The Kinsman Convicted (4:3-8) ...... 88

The Crowd’s Commendation (4:9-12) ...... 94

THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE: COUNSEL FOR PARENTING (4:13-22) .102

A Family Treasure for Naomi (4:13-17) ...... 104

A Family Tree for David (4:18-22) ...... 111

THE WORTHY MAN AND WOMAN: COUNSEL FOR MARRIAGE ...... 123

Godly Virtues Displayed in Proverbs 31 ...... 124

Godly Virtues Displayed by Naomi ...... 124

Godly Virtues Displayed by Ruth...... 124

Godly Virtues Displayed by Boaz ...... 126

PRAYER IN THE BOOK OF RUTH: COUNSEL FOR INTERCESSION ...... 128

Naomi’s First Prayer (1:8-9) ...... 128

Boaz’s First Prayer (2:12) ...... 129

Naomi’s Second Prayer (2:20) ...... 130

Boaz’s Second Prayer (3:10) ...... 130

The Community’s Prayer (4:11-12)...... 131

The Women’s Prayer (4:14-15) ...... 131

APPENDIX 1: COUNSELING THEMES IN THE BOOK OF RUTH ...... 133

Bitterness ...... 133

Diligence ...... 133

God’s Providence ...... 133

God’s Sovereignty ...... 133

Grief; Loss ...... 133

Kindness; Lovingkindness; Favor ...... 134

Marriage; Courtship ...... 134

Prayer; Blessings ...... 134

iii

Protection; Provision; Rest ...... 134

APPENDIX 2: NAMES IN THE BOOK OF RUTH ...... 135

APPENDIX 3: ALLUSIONS TO GENESIS IN THE BOOK OF RUTH ...... 136

APPENDIX 4: RUTH IN THE CONTEXT OF GOD’S COVENANTS ...... 139

The Noahic (or Noachian) Covenant ...... 139

The Abrahamic Covenant ...... 139

The Mosaic (or Sinaiatic) Covenant ...... 141

The Davidic Covenant ...... 143

The New Covenant ...... 144

APPENDIX 5: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO RUTH ...... 147

Our Sin in Elimelech (1:1-5) ...... 149

Our Despair in Naomi (1:6-13) ...... 149

God’s Faithfulness in Ruth (1:14-22) ...... 150

God’s Grace through Boaz (2:1-23) ...... 152

God’s Sovereignty over Naomi (3:1-11) ...... 156

God’s Salvation in the Kinsman Redeemer (3:12-4:22) ...... 157

God’s Redemption in Christ ...... 159

APPENDIX 6: EMPTY, THEN FULL ...... 162

APPENDIX 7: COMPARING PRAYERS IN THE BOOK OF RUTH ...... 163

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 164

INTRODUCTION: A NOTE TO THE READER

Suppose one day you open your front door to find on your doorstep a brown paper package. As you unwrap it, you discover an anonymous manuscript for a story so good you cannot put it down. The characters are well-defined with multiple layers of intrigue. The plot twists and turns like a high-speed roller coaster in the kind of story you can read over and over and always find something new. As any curious person, you would be driven to find out who had written this marvelous piece of literature. You would want to know the author.

In the book of Ruth, you hold in your hands one of the most delightful narratives ever written. The human author is unknown, although traditionally, many think him to be Samuel.1 Regardless, the divine author is the sovereign God who reveals himself to us in the pages of holy Scripture (see 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21). So I pray that as you immerse yourself in this fascinating story, you will discover the Author of Scripture himself.

1 “Samuel was the last of the judges and actually inaugurated the monarchy in Israel by anointing Saul as king over Israel (1 Sam 10:1ff), and later David (1 Sam 16:6-13). As well, the mention of “David” in 4:17 and the genealogy of 4:18-22 may give a clue as to the time period that the book was written. It would seem that it was written when “David” was prominent in Israel—thus sometime during or after his reign. Yet the absence of Solomon in the genealogy may indicate that it was written before Solomon came to power. David reigned in Israel from 1011-971 B.C.” (Brad Brandt and Eric Kress, God in Everyday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors [Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications, 2007], 13).

This resource has been written for small group leaders, disciplers, counselors, and parents who are studying Ruth in the church or in the home. Each chapter includes an introduction (HOOK), an exposition of the biblical passage (BOOK), and discussion points for application (LOOK). Leaders are encouraged to read each chapter on their own before facilitating the group discussion. For an abridged exposition, please see Appendix 5. The book of Ruth also contains many application insights for counseling.1 Two chapters will address “Prayers in the Book of Ruth” and godly virtues displayed by “The

Worthy Man and Woman.” Counseling case studies and application assignments from the book of Ruth may be found in a companion resource by Brad Brandt and Eric Kress, God in Everyday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors (Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications, 2007).

1 Select topical counseling themes may be found in Appendix 1.

BEST LAID PLANS: COUNSEL FOR THE SUFFERING (1:1-5)

A. Read Ruth 1 aloud.

The story of Ruth begins with Naomi’s suffering. At times, we may suffer because of our personal sins and failures. Other times, we suffer because of the sins of others or as the result of living in a fallen world. Naomi’s life presents the question of how to counsel a suffering loved one.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Describe a period in your life when you experienced the greatest suffering. How did you respond in that situation? What biblical counsel did you find (or would you have found) most helpful?

2. What was God doing in the midst of your suffering? Or what is he doing if you are experiencing the trial now?

3. How would you respond if the same trials that happened to Naomi also happened to you? How would you counsel a friend struggling like Naomi?

HOOK: Case Study1 Bob is a 55-year old member of your church. He and his wife, Sally, raised three children, all college graduates with honors. The children are now living, working, and raising their own families in other parts of the country. When the children were younger and at home, Bob and Sally never missed any of their school functions (Bob coached their Little League teams, Sally was a den-mother, and so on). The couple team-

1 Brad Brandt and Eric Kress, God in Everyday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors (Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications, 2007), 47-48, 173-76. This is the only case study included in full.

taught a teen Sunday School class for the past eight years. Nine months ago, Sally suddenly died of a stroke and Bob understandably hasn’t been the same since. He continues to attend church regularly but sits by himself, often cries as the hymns are sung, and leaves quickly once the service ends. He asked for a break from his Sunday School teaching the week after the funeral, and hasn’t shown any desire to resume since. You approach him after the service one Sunday, affirm your love and express your desire to help Bob. He breaks down and begins to sob, saying, “I just can’t live without Sally. I need her. We did everything together. Why does God seem so distant from me?”

1. What insights from Ruth 1 should affect the way we view and seek to help Bob?

2. In light of these biblical principles from the book of Ruth, what can the church do to help Bob?

3. Suppose you offer to meet with Bob for counseling and he agrees…

a. What would you want to accomplish in the first session?

b. What practical homework assignment(s) might you give Bob to help him?

c. Suppose you meet weekly with Bob to pray with him and provide biblical encouragement and counsel, yet in the fifth session he is still saying, “I must have Sally back. I just can’t live without her.” What biblical truth might you share with Bob to help him think differently? What homework might you give Bob at this point to transform his thinking?

BOOK: Biblical Exposition We embark on a love story between a man named Boaz and a woman named Ruth. It is an unlikely romance, but just the sort of thing you’d expect in the Bible. For the Bible tells the grand story of God’s unexpected romance with his people. This is the romance of redemption which rescues a people from their sin.

A Dark Setting (1:1a) Our story begins in Ruth 1:1, “In the days when the judges ruled…” These were uncertain days in Israel—the dark middle ages between the Exodus from Egypt and the monarchy of Israel.2 To gain a picture of this period, just turn in your Bible one page to the left and read the final verse in the book of Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). Everyone did whatever he felt like doing and there was chaos without a king.

Yet that was not the way God had designed it. For God, the loving Ruler and Creator of the world, had set Israel apart to be his covenant people. He desired to demonstrate his love toward them, and in return, would receive their honor and allegiance. He had led his people out of Egypt and into the promised land—out of slavery to a life of freedom. He had appointed himself King to rule over them, yet they rebelled against his authority. They intermarried with pagans, worshipped false gods, and disobeyed the law of Moses. They rejected God as their Ruler and tried to live life their own way without him.

Application Insight: Life falls apart when we exalt the creation as king instead of our Creator (Rom 1:25). Societies crumble when everyone does what is right in his own eyes instead of seeking the will of God. Counselors aim to expose self-centered thinking and to exhort sinners to live for God’s glory alone.

2 Approximately 1370-1050 B.C.

A Difficult Situation (1:1b) God determined to end Israel’s rebellion, so he sent a famine on the land as his judgment on a fallen people (v. 1).3 Now famine was not uncommon in this part of the world4 and the Lord often caused such famine by natural means. For Bethlehem sat on a pronounced ridge some 2400 feet above sea level. So its sustenance was more dependent on rainfall, than irrigation. To the east, stretched the Judean desert and to the west, the prominent heights of Har Gillo, cutting off the town from rains that watered the western slopes. Therefore, in times of drought, the desert conditions would soon creep upward to the little town Bethlehem. Also, in the days of the judges, invading armies would often destroy the crops before the harvest to further subjugate the people. According to Judges 6:3-5,

For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.

Although Bethlehem had experienced famine many times throughout its history, famine still came as a shock to God’s covenant people (like going down to your local McDonalds and finding out they’re out of French fries). For in seasons of plenty, the soil in this area was unusually fertile for harvesting grain. In fact, Beth-lechem actually meant “House of Bread” (perhaps the equivalent of a granary), for the town had been named after all the extra grain it collected. So ironically, famine made this bread basket into a dust bowl. The narrator wants us to know that Bethlehem isn’t living up to its name (like gang warfare in Philadelphia—the city of brotherly love or demonic activity in Los Angeles—the city of angels). Sadly, there is no more bread in the “House

3 Moab’s prosperity only sixty miles away highlights God’s judgment against Israel. 44 From Genesis, we learn that famine altered the lives of Abraham (12:10), Isaac (26:1), Jacob (42:5; 46:1-7), and Joseph (41:56).

of Bread.”

Application Insight: God does not always meet our expectations. As Christians, we are tempted to believe that if we take care of our relationship with God, he will fulfill our every desire. However, we must not treat the God of the universe like the gods of the pagans. He certainly promises to provide for us, but not always in the way we expect.

Now whatever secondary causes there might have been, God was the primary cause of famine. For God may use famine (like other forms of suffering) to arrest the attention of his people. When God’s people choose not to obey, he may choose not to feed them. In his parting words to Israel, Moses even prophesied that the people would one day fall into idolatry and bring a famine of judgment upon themselves.5 Moses told them, “When you forsake your God—When you turn to idols—When you fall into sin, famine will be one of the signs of God’s anger.” Famine was far-too-often God’s judgment for sin. In the same breath, however, famine was also God’s kindness to lead his people to repentance. For God is so good that he opposes all sin, even the sin in us. It may sound harsh, but sometimes the thing we most need is a swift kick in the pants. As Moses prophesied to Israel, “You are going to fail one day and God will be angry. He will send judgment against you. But if you turn and repent, he will surely forgive. He will restore you once more and bless you as his covenant people.”

Application Insight: God lovingly disciplines his children for the purpose of restoration (Heb 12:6). So ask yourself when facing a trial: “Is God trying to get my attention? Is he seeking to restore me to himself?” Not every trial directly relates to God’s discipline, but we must be open to the possibility.

It can be easy to forget about God when life is comfortable. Yet there is something about not having enough food in the cupboard or water in the well that jogs your memory. As C. S. Lewis writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures . . . but shouts

5 Deut 28:15, 17, 23-24, 38-40, 42; see Lev 26:18-20.

in our pain.”6 You know how it works. You’ve got a test coming up at school or you’re going through a difficult time in life or you’ve hit a period of spiritual dryness, and right then you realize that your relationship with God is not where it needs to be. This doesn’t mean that God is upset with you every time you face a trial, yet a good place to begin is by examining the sin in your life: “God, what are you trying to teach me? What can I learn from this sanctified affliction?” William Cowper was a man who struggled mightily with depression. So his pastor and friend, a man named John Newton, encouraged him to write hymns which would focus his thoughts on Jesus. In one of those hymns, God Moves in a Mysterious Way,7 Cowper wrote these lyrics:

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sov’reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;

6 C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), 91. 7 William Cowper, God Moves in a Mysterious Way (1774).

The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

God, in his grace, will often use the difficulties of life to bring you back to him. Even when it seems like God is angry, he is merely trying to draw you to himself. So the proper response should be repentance, not relocation. Sadly though, difficulties may drive us further from the Lord. Ask yourself: “Have you ever grown bitter over a broken relationship or blamed God for the death of a loved one or complained about your current situation?” We do not always respond to our trials in life with pure joy, but instead with pure hatred toward the God who is the first cause.

Application Insight: You respond to each trial differently based on the spiritual condition of your heart. The very same trial can lead you to greater faith in God or turn you away from trusting God. Your heart, therefore, is not shaped by trials, but rather revealed.

A Dangerous Sojourn (1:1c-2) In the story of Ruth, a certain man named Elimelech responds in the wrong way. He sees the famine and surrenders his faith. He fears there is not enough food to feed himself and his family. He has no prospects for the future, so he panics. It wasn’t that God hadn’t blessed them, for “they were Ephrathrites from Bethlehem in Judah” (v. 2). Bethlehem was the town which would birth the Messiah (see Mic 5:2) and Judah the tribe from which the scepter would not depart (see Gen 49:2). Ephrath was the clan later- to-be identified with King David (1 Sam 17:12; see Gen 35:19; 48:7) and also an earlier name for Bethlehem8—probably with reference to the upper crust of society. This was a clan of high standing—the older usage pointing to a family of some establishment. The

8 Ephrath was the wife of Caleb (1 Chr 2:19) who gave birth to Hur who was the grandfather of Bethlehem (vv. 50-51; see Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2, 1 Sam 17:12).

Jewish Midrash even interprets Ephrathah to speak of the local aristocracy. They were the royalty in that part of the world, so it wasn’t like God had never blessed them.

Application Insight: We often fear our circumstances when we lose our faith in God and we often lose our faith when we forget the God we serve. Although we must sometimes teach people who God is and what he has done, more often we are simply reminding them of God’s faithfulness in Scripture and in their past experiences.

The man’s name, Elimelech, means, “My God is King,”9 yet God was not the King of his life. Instead of viewing the famine as God’s merciful hand of judgment and leading his people (or at least his own family) to repentance (Deut 30:1ff), he runs away. He shirks responsibility. He comes up with his own clever plan to circumvent God’s call. Matthew Henry comments, “It is evidence of a discontented, distrustful, unstable spirit to be weary of the place in which God has set us, and to be leaving it immediately, whenever we meet with any uneasiness or inconvenience.”10 Though God’s providence through prayer permeates this story as a major theme, this first section mentions neither God nor prayer. Elimelech starts to feel the pressure of providing for his family. Yet instead of calling out to God or trusting in God’s promises, he runs away.

Application Insight: Some problems never seem to change. Where are the men in our churches today? Why do we have so many fatherless families and dads who check out when times get tough? Why so many homes where the husband is not the spiritual leader—so many young men who are growing old, but not growing up? The church needs men who will claim, “My God is King,” then live like they believe it.

These were troubled times in Bethlehem (Judg 17:7-10; 18:27-31; 19:1ff) and Elimelech failed in his leadership as a husband and a father. It is clearly his decision to go—almost like he was going by himself while his family simply followed after: “And a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1b).

9 For more on the meaning of names in the book of Ruth, see Appendix 2. 10 Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706).

Application Insight: No mention is made that the Elimelech sought wise counsel before making this decision. The text implies that he made the decision on his own without even the input of Naomi. God often provides wisdom, however, through the counsel of family (Prov 31:10-11), friends (15:22), and spiritual leaders (11:14).

Elimelech was leading his family, but in the wrong direction. Perhaps he only intended to sojourn for a short while until the famine subsided. The word, “sojourn” (Ruth 1:1) describes him as a “resident alien”—a status somewhere between native and foreigner. He crossed the border with a working visa, then pitched his tent without pegs—renting on a month-to-month lease. It sounds temporary, “to sojourn,” yet by verse

2, they have “remained,” and by verse 4, “They have lived there about ten years.” Elimelech’s dangerous sojourn calls to mind Abraham’s disobedient sojourn during another famine (Gen 12:10) and Lot’s ill-fated sojourn in Sodom (19:9).11 Elimelech uproots his family and leads them away from the covenant land and away from the covenant people, thinking that he can provide for them better than God. Sadly, while seeking to save his family and his life, he loses both (Ruth 1:3-5).

Application Insight: In a spiritual sense, most of us never intend to stay very long in sin. We just want a taste: a click of the internet—a clinging to anger—a time of rebellion with the wrong friends. Yet one decision leads to another until our sojourn in sin has led to slavery. According to James, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (1:14-15). “We all stumble in many ways” (3:2a), so the most important decision is the decision we make after we have already made a bad decision. For “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (4:6).

Now of all places, why Moab? Moab was a hated people—Israel’s neighbors to the southeast (Deut 32:49) and a constant thorn in their flesh.12 Not only that, but Moab was a nation spawned from incest. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had escaped from

11 See Appendix 3 for a list of allusions in the book of Ruth to the Genesis narrative. 12 Israel stomped on them repeatedly, but this rebel nation would lash out at them whenever possible (see Judg 11:17). One time, the Moabite king, Balak, even hired the false prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel (Num 22-25). Because of this, the Moabites were not allowed to enter the worship assembly of Israel even to the tenth generation (see Deut 23:3-6; Neh 13:1). During the early days of the judges, the Moabite king, Eglon, invaded Israel and pressed them into slavery for 18 years (Judg 3:12-30). Saul defeated the Moabites (1 Sam 14:47), while David seemed to enjoy a peaceful relationship with them (1 Sam 22:3-4). Later, Moab again troubled Israel (2 Kgs 3:5-27; Ezra 9:1).

God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1-30). But then after a night of drunkenness, Lot slept with his own daughters resulting in his progeny of the Ammonites and (you guessed it) the Moabites (vv. 31-38). Worst of all, by intermarrying with Moabite women, Israel embraced idolatry (Judg 10:6). The chief Moabite god was a vile fertility god named Chemosh13 to whom the people sacrificed their firstborn sons by placing them on his hands of stone to be burned alive by the fire in his belly. Now to be fair, God never explicitly forbade his people from taking Moabite wives as he had warned them against the Canaanites (Deut 7:1-3). Yet Moses had cited idolatry as the reason for abstention from foreign wives: “For they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly” (v. 4). God’s warning about mixed marriage was not about race, but religion. It wasn’t about the color of their skin, but the condition of their hearts. Sadly, the Moabites enticed God’s people into their disgusting idolatry: “The people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel” (Num 25:1-3).

Application Insight: God’s rules are for your good (Ps 119:165). So when he says, “Don’t!” he means, “Don’t hurt yourself!” For his commands are not meant to limit your freedom, but to keep you from enslavement to sin and idolatry. Flee the famine in Bethlehem and you may end up in Moab (i.e., substance abuse, gluttony, materialism). Defy the Lord today and you will encounter worse dangers tomorrow.

So why, in God’s good world, does Elimelech move his family to Moab? We don’t really know. What we do know, however, is that he wasn’t living up to his name. Perhaps he only moves for pragmatic reasons. Elimelech looks around at barren

13 They were sometimes referred to as “the people of Chemosh” (2 Kgs 3:27; Num 21:29; Jer 48:46)—also known as Molech to the Ammonites. Chemosh, the chief Moabite deity, required child sacrifice. Because of Moab’s idolatrous worship of Chemosh (1 Kgs 11:7, 33; 2 Kgs 23:13) and its opposition to Israel, God cursed Moab (Isa 15-16; 25:10-11; Jer 48; Ezek 25:8-11; Amos 2:1-3).

Bethlehem and compares it with the fruitful fields of Moab which he can just make out beyond the Dead Sea. As Erma Bombeck jokes, “The grass is always greener over the septic tank.”14 The problem with temptation is that it always looks good. If it didn’t, then it wouldn’t be temptation.

Application Insight: Although we live in a material world, we must beware of ignoring the spiritual impact of our decisions. Men, consider that where you live will influence your family for or against Christ. With whom will you and your wife fellowship? Who are the role models your children will follow? What about their peers or their future spouse? Very often, the decisions you make will influence your entire family, so do not sacrifice your family’s spiritual well-being on the altar of material prosperity.

Elimelech’s two sons, were named Mahlon and Chilion, which mean “sick” and “dying” (good biblical names I’m sure, but about as kind as naming your sons Cancer and Bubonic Plague. This was just another one of Elimelech’s poor choices.) Both sons made Moabite friends and married Moabite women (which was inevitable considering the circumstances). Elimelech placed his sons in a precarious spiritual position, then consented to their pagan marriages.

Application Insight: Young person, you might choose a college for any number of reasons: cost, class size, school colors, sports program, social networking (another way of saying “party scene”), distance from home, distance to the beach, your parent’s alma mater, or a school with friends attending. Of course, you may hope that any school will accept you. But have you considered where you will best be cared for spiritually? Once you narrow down your choice to just a few, have you researched each area to find a good church? Are there faithful Christians with whom you can immediately connect? As a young believer, the most important factor in choosing a college should be its spiritual impact on your life.

A Deadly Summation (1:3-5) Elimelech then dies in the land of Moab—a land which proved more hostile than the famine they had fled. This too was judgment from God for an Israelite to be buried in a foreign land (see Amos 7:17). “And [Naomi] was left with her two sons” (Ruth 1:3). Husbandless, she “remained” (shaar). Fatherless, they were “left over.” The

14 Erma Bombeck, The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (1995).

word often speaks of bereavement, for when a loved one dies, you are the one who is left behind. Naomi had lost her home (vv. 1-2) and now has lost her husband (v. 3). She is a single mother raising her sons in a foreign land without a male role model. She will watch her sons make foolish decisions (v. 4) and eventually lose their lives as well (v. 5).

Application Insight: Do you know the pain of losing a loved one? It hurts more to be the spouse who remains alive, because the dead do not grieve or experience loss and the ache of loneliness. The dead need not “get on with life.”

Even in death, however, God remains merciful. For those left behind are also those who were spared. For instance, in the flood, “[God] blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left [shaar], and those who were with him in the ark” (Gen 7:23). When the Red Sea covered the Egyptians, “The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained [shaar]” (Exod 14:28). All throughout the Old Testament, God preserved a remnant of faithful Israelites who clung to the covenant when all others fell away.15 Therefore, the narrator highlights God’s mercy in Naomi’s grief at the same time he reveals God’s judgment: “And she was left with her two sons.” Naomi stands alone, but at least she still stands. And now she takes center stage. She is never again called “the wife of Elimelech,” but in fact, Elimelech becomes “the husband of Naomi” (Ruth 1:3a). The sons are no longer

Elimelech’s children, but hers (v. 3b).

Application Insight: Those grieving the loss of a loved one often feel hopeless in times of grief. We must love them well and keep reminding them of the grace and mercy of God. There is a time in the present to mourn (see Eccl 3:4), but also a time to look forward with hope (see 1 Thess 4:13). Counselors guide others to wisely navigate grief.

There is still hope! For we learn that both sons have married (v. 4). Naomi

15 See Lev 26:36, 39; Deut 4:27; 28:62; 2 Chr 34:21; Ezek 6:12; 9:8; Zech 11:9.

expects grandchildren, so that Elimelech’s line will live on. The narrator, however, clues us in to God’s continued disfavor against this family by specifying that Naomi’s sons took for themselves Moabite wives. There’s a definite note of disdain, for these pagan practices led God’s people into idolatry. In fact, marriage to foreigners in a land of exile was also considered a judgment of God: “Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless” (Deut 28:32). Interestingly, the narrator employs an uncommon expression to announce these marriages. They “took wives” (Ruth 1:4) literally means in the Hebrew that they “lifted” or “carried” these women away (and not in the Western custom of lifting a bride over the threshold of the doorway). The idiom, “to lift a wife” occurs only nine times in the Old Testament and each time with negative connotations.16 For instance, in the nearest context of Judges 21:23, the Benjamites, who were being punished by God, literally picked up wives and abducted them. It’s kind of an odd story: Some women were dancing at a party when all these men rush from the vineyards and carry them off like cavemen. (This puts a new twist on picking up women.) So even in his choice of words, the narrator has subtly expressed the illegitimacy of these marriages. These were not marriages blessed by God.

Application Insight: God instructs believers to marry within the Christian faith (2 Cor 6:14). He will still recognize such a union as marriage and may even redeem it as in the case of Ruth. Yet he does not bless such a marriage and will often allow negative consequences for disobedience.

What then was the result? Naomi’s sons did not have children. Their wives remained barren, though they were married for as long as ten years.17 This too was punishment for disobedience as God had declared: “Cursed shall be the fruit of your

16 Judg 21:23; Ruth 1:4; 2 Chr 11:21; 13:21; 24:3; Ezra 9:2, 12; 10:44; Neh 13:25 (see the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 2.726). 17 Rabbinic law stated that a man could rightfully divorce his wife if she did not bear children after ten years.

womb” (Deut 28:18a). Eventually, “both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband” (Ruth 1:5)—no children, no husband, no more family line.18 Naomi stands alone, watching as the proverbial caskets are carried away by the pallbearers. This mother’s pain is greatly pronounced by the Hebrew word yeladim, “young boys,” instead of merely “sons” as they are called elsewhere (vv. 1-3, 11-12). Nowhere else in Scripture does yeled refer to a man who is already married, for here Naomi has lost both her babies. At their funeral, this grieving mother remembers how she once held those infants in her arms, when they took their first steps, and cried in the crib. Imagine the pain of our own children leaving this world before us. We can sympathize with Naomi as she buries her baby boys. Again, she is the one left behind in grief, but strangely also spared by God’s mercy. This flash back of holding her baby boys is also a flash forward to the day she will hold another child in her arms (4:16).

Application Insight: The past is often filled with deep sadness, heartbreak, and regret. You might be tempted to stop trusting God and to take matters into your own hands (Prov 3:5-6). Or you might despair that your life is hopelessly beyond repair. Do not lose hope (1 Thess 4:13)!

A Divine Solution (Rom 5:8) The sin of Elimelech leads us to the gospel. For like the gospel, we can only understand the goodness of the good news when we have acknowledged the badness of the bad news. These opening verses in the book of Ruth depict with horrifying reality the sinfulness of man and the holiness of God. Perhaps, like Elimelech, you have made some wrong choices and are now reaping the consequences. Or perhaps, like Naomi, you have lost someone close whom you dearly loved. You have lost hope for the future now that nothing has worked out like you planned. As Steinbeck wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry.”19 You feel like even God is against you—every difficult

18 Ironically, Moab was a land known for worshipping fertility, but Elimelech’s family experienced only barrenness and death.

19 John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men (1937).

circumstance placing more and more burden upon your life.

Judgment for sin The gospel tells us that in the midst of trouble we must turn to Jesus. For the trouble in our lives reminds us of the trouble all around. Our trials teach us that we live in a sinful world whether it is the days of the judges or the presidents or the prime ministers. When we do whatever is right in our own eyes—When we do not submit to the authority of a holy God, it is called sin. And when we sin, we hurt ourselves, our family, and friends. Sometimes, as with the atrocities of unjust rulers or unjust laws, we hurt people that we don’t even know. Sin always brings with it a measure of sorrow. Yet the judgment we experience in this world is merely a pinprick compared to God’s final judgment. For sin against an infinitely holy God will separate us from him eternally.

Salvation for sinners The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ depicted in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Our God grieves over this fallen world as his children suffer the consequences of sin. He sees the famine, barrenness, and death that all result from sin, and he is grieved. So God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who unlike Elimelech, was perfectly obedient as he went to the cross. God was pleased his Son should die, unlike Naomi, who only questioned, “Why?” For upon the Son of God, our sin was laid. On his shoulders, God’s wrath was placed. When he died, Christ took our judgment. And when he rose, he claimed our victory.

Application Insight: If you do not know Jesus today, you face a judgment which cannot be paid for by an eternity in hell. Yet Jesus has already paid that penalty for sin, making salvation like a gift already picked out and purchased, wrapped in shiny paper with a ribbon and a bow. It is being held out to you this day, such that all you must do is receive it. Will you accept the gift of Jesus?

Naomi does not even know it, but she is about to receive the gift of Jesus. For

looking ahead we read, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab” (Ruth 1:6a). Although her husband had gone to sojourn in Moab, Naomi now returns from Moab. He had fled from Israel, presumably without listening to the Lord, “but she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people” (v. 6b). Instead of judgment, she would experience mercy. Instead of punishment, grace. Instead of famine, there now was food and the House of Bread was filled. Soon, by a divine miracle, Naomi would hold another child in her arms (4:16).

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Read Judges 2:6-23 to get a feel for the times in which Ruth and Naomi lived. Read Deuteronomy 28 and discuss the obedience God promised to bless and the disobedience he would curse.

2. Why did Elimelech take his family to Moab? Was this an act of wisdom and obedience or a demonstration of a weak faith? Why was Moab not a suitable place for an Israelite family to live?

3. Why was it significant that the sons of Elimelech married Moabite women?

4. Describe Naomi’s plight, in the cultural context of the ancient Near East, after her husband and sons all die.

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. Do you think it is right that God judges sin? What if the sin is yours? 18

2. How can famine (or your own difficult situation) ever be considered good? Write down one or two instances from your own life in which difficult circumstances were God’s way of bringing about spiritual repentance and growth.

3. Discuss the biblical role of men in the family and in the church. Men, identify one specific area in which you would like to grow as a man of God.

4. How does the place where you live impact your family spiritually? What choices can you make today for your family’s spiritual well-being?

AT THE CROSSROADS: COUNSEL FOR DECISION- MAKING (1:6-22)

HOOK: Introduction

A. Read Ruth 1 aloud.

We face choices every day in life. Some are seemingly insignificant, whereas others may be life-changing. Believers seek to follow God’s will by applying biblical principles, trusting in God’s providence, and courageously stepping out in faith.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. How does God’s providence play out behind the scenes in Ruth 1?

2. How would you describe Naomi’s mood upon her return to Bethlehem? Were her complaints legitimate?

3. What is the proper way to express frustration, sorrow, fear, even anger with God?

4. Describe a memorable example of loyalty or commitment from your own life.

BOOK: Biblical Exposition

Facing a Dead End (1:1-5) The book of Ruth, one of only two books of the Bible named after a woman,1 is a love story with multiple layers. On the earthly plane, there’s a man named Boaz and a woman named Ruth. In fact, Ruth’s vows have been quoted at many a wedding ceremony (often in the King James Version), “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou

1 The other is the book of Esther.

lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (v. 16, KJV).2 Yet this story also reveals a divine romance between the sovereign God and his covenant people. The Lord now begins to show how far he will go to demonstrate his love. In Ruth 1:1-5, we began our journey only to find ourselves at a dead end. A certain man named Elimelech had fled to Moab because of famine in Bethlehem—which ironically means, “The House of Bread.” He had intended to sojourn in Moab for a short while, but his temporary stay turned into long-term settling until long-term became permanent. For Elimelech died in that land with his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion (biblical names, but weird since they meant “sick” and “dying”). Thus Naomi, his widow, was left without a husband, without her sons, and without any hope. We do learn, however that before her sons died, they had married Moabite women. So it is these three women (Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah) who now take the stage.

Making a U-Turn (1:6-7) Suppose you’re driving along and making good time when all of a sudden you miss a turn. You start kicking yourself under the dashboard as you pull into the far left lane. Then as you approach the next stoplight, you see a sign that makes your heart sink: “No U-Turn.” So you keep driving until the next intersection and again you see that sign: “No U-Turn.” You are frustrated at not being able to turn around, headed in the wrong direction, and feeling helpless to change.

We discover in the Bible, however, the God of second chances—the God of U- turns who calls for repentance and even sacrificed his beloved Son to make that possible.

In fact, the theme in verses 6-22 is returning: “Then [Naomi] arose with her daughters-in- law to return from the country of Moab” (v. 6a). Twelve times in this section, the word, “turn, return” (shuv) is used.3 Often, it speaks about the physical movements of these

2 Note that these words are Ruth’s pledge of loyalty to Naomi, not Boaz. 3 See 1:6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15 (twice), 16, 21, 22 (twice).

women, yet theologically, throughout the Old Testament, the same word means “repentance.” For just as you make a U-turn when traveling in the wrong direction, so also the sinner must turn 180-degrees away from sin and toward Christ. Naomi is turning from Moab to Bethlehem. She is turning from death in the far country to life in the promised land. She is turning from the consequences of sin to the place where God will bless.

Application Insight: If your life is going in the wrong direction, repentance is the only way to turn around. Repentance is the doorway to change as you turn from sin and turn to Christ. You cannot escape from the consequences of your sin until you return to the place of God’s blessing.

“For she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food” (v. 6b). The graciousness of God is overwhelming! It is the grace of God that Naomi even hears this news, for communication between Moab and Israel was infrequent when the two nations were in opposition. Moab was not the destination where Israelites travelled for Spring break and news was pretty sparse. Yet perhaps Naomi had overheard a conversation from the mouth of a Moabite: “Those stinking

Israelites aren’t buying our overpriced food anymore. I wish their God would just stay angry at them.” Perhaps she put the pieces together and began to long for home. It is also grace that Naomi hears this news even in the midst of her grief and pain. For in times of suffering, we can close ourselves off from the world to hide behind a gruff demeanor, imprison ourselves in isolation, or drown ourselves in drink. Sorrow shuts our eyes and ears to the sovereignty of God until we cannot recognize his hand at work.

Application Insight: If you have suffered depression or deep sorrow, you know how debilitating it can be. God might be pouring down his blessings, but you don’t even feel it when overwhelmed by sorrow. Counselors must patiently massage the truth of God’s Word into people’s hearts until they are ready to take it in.

God, in his grace, reaches down to pull us up. God, in his grace, makes himself known to us, even in the dark. As David writes,

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD (Ps 40:1-3).

In a spiritual sense, it is only by grace that we heard the gospel call when we were dead in our sin—only by grace that we turned to Jesus when all we wanted was to serve ourselves. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Notice that God’s grace does not result from Naomi’s repentance or changed behavior. God’s grace comes first. Not until after God shows his favor, does Naomi turn to him in faith.

Application Insight: We are saved by grace through faith alone, for God reaches out to us before we ever reach out to him. Thus repentance shows our humble faith in God and any transformation depends on his sovereign, unfailing power.

It is grace that Naomi hears good news in the fields of Moab, but grace as well that “Yahweh had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6b). In the Bible, “to visit” (paqad) rarely spoke of a casual encounter as in our sense today of briefly paying someone a visit.4 Here, Yahweh has visited his covenant people to bring them good (see Luke 1:68). Amazingly “the house of bread” has been restocked.5

Application Insight: The sovereign God “visits” his people even today. He has not left this world spinning on its own, but remains actively present to sustain and to bless. Our fear of God deters us from meriting his judgment, but our love for God seeks his blessing. How will God respond as he “visits” you today?

“So [Naomi] set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in- law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah” (Ruth 1:7). This was a one- way trip—no turning back. Naomi packed all her valuables (which wasn’t much) and set

4 Paqad was often used of divine activity either to punish or to bless, depending on the situation. Suppose you leave your kids at home and you find the house a mess when you return. Though it is your desire to always bless your children, that situation requires a reprimand. So also God delights in blessing, but brings judgment when he must. 5 The alliteration at the end of the sentence, lah-teth lah-hem lah-chem, emphasizes the giving of bread.

out for home with her two daughters-in-law who are grieving as well. They walk with Naomi a short way—a gesture of hospitality. For throughout the ages, to walk with a loved one partway home would show how hard it was to say, “Goodbye.” Yet as they keep on walking beside her, Naomi realizes that they’re not turning around. They’re not planning to go back. They don’t intend to say, “Goodbye.” So they stop to have a conversation, which is what happens with a group of women. They need to talk things out. If this were a bunch of guys, they might knock it out in a few verses and go their way, but these women need to verbalize their thoughts. In fact, that’s the beauty of this book. Instead of giving us play-by-play what the characters are thinking or feeling, the narrator communicates their emotions by letting us hear them speak. Over half the book is dialogue, thus the subtleties and intricacies of life dance across their lips as they stand and talk at the crossroads.

Application Insight: We communicate emotions by verbal expression, but also by non-verbal actions. Think about the last highly emotional conversation you had. What were you and the other person trying to communicate? How did you rightly or wrongly perceive their words and emotions?

Choosing at the Crossroads (1:8-18) Naomi begins by urging Ruth and Orpah to return home: But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go, return each of you to her mother’s house’” (v. 8a). “Go back,” she insists, “Return!” Being a stranger in a foreign land for the past ten years,

Naomi knows the hardship these women will face without prospects and without husbands. Now uniquely, she sends them back to their “mother’s house,” and not their father’s.6 Most likely, she refers to their “mother’s house” for the association with love and marriage (see Gen 24:28; Song 3:4). So in the context, Naomi releases her daughters- in-law to remarry: “Go back. Find yourself a nice, young Moabite man and start your life anew.”

6 One’s “father’s house” is the customary Old Testament phrase (see Gen 38:11; Lev 22:12)

Application Insight: Out of concern for Ruth and Orpah, Naomi urges them to return home. For Naomi has resigned to be alone in her suffering. Certainly God can minister to us in isolation, but he loves to use other people to care for us personally. Ruth will one day be God’s servant to help Naomi heal.

Naomi then prays for her daughters-in-law: “May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me” (Ruth 1:8b). Naomi’s faith peeks out as she invokes the name of Yahweh—the covenant God of Israel who is God even in the Moabite territory of Chemosh. Now she does not pray for herself, but on behalf of Ruth and Orpah. And God will hear her prayer. Refreshingly, all throughout this book, every prayer is offered for another person and every prayer is answered by God.7

Application Insight: Counselors must learn the discipline of intercessory prayer, for we can minister to others by praying for them and allowing God to work. Through prayer, God takes action. Through prayer, others hear our heart desires for their good. Through prayer, their heart desires may be shaped by Scripture.

Naomi recognizes Ruth and Orpah’s kindness toward her and her family. And she exalts this as a model of Yahweh’s own kindness. This is the first occurrence in Ruth of the Hebrew word, hesed. There is no parallel word in English, though it is often translated with the compound word, “lovingkindness.” Hesed is a term God uses for his covenant people, melding together love and mercy, grace and goodness, loyalty and devotion. “Hesed is one-way love. Love without an exit strategy. . . . Your response to the other person is entirely independent of how that person has treated you. Hesed is a stubborn love.”8 It is God being totally for us regardless of what we can ever do for him.

“This word combines the warmth of God’s fellowship with the security of God’s faithfulness. The New Testament counterpart to this word is agape, describing the self- giving love of God for his people, and the love he delights they show in return.”9 As we

7 See the chapter on “Prayer in the book of Ruth.” 8 Paul E. Miller, A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 24. 9 David Atkinson, The Message of Ruth: The Wings of Refuge, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1985), 44.

read in 1 John 4:10-11, “In this is love [agape], not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Take note that God’s lovingkindness toward us is not based on our love for him. It is not based on any merit of our own, for “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8) that we might know God’s love and demonstrate his love toward one another.

Application Insight: Do you know the lovingkindness of God? Do you recognize his grace and mercy in your life? Do you rejoice that your sins have been paid for by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross?

Naomi does not know the cross, but she does know her Creator. She doesn’t yet understand these truths, but she knows the love of God and when God-like love has been shown to her. So Naomi blesses her daughters-in-law: “May the lovingkindness that God shows you match the lovingkindness you showed to me” (see Ruth 1:8b). Then she adds a second prayer (a mother’s prayer): “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” (v. 9a). When Naomi prays for rest, she isn’t praying for freedom from work, but for security and satisfaction. She doesn’t expect them to be watching soaps and eating Bon-Bons all day. She just wants them cared for in a happy home: “God, find them husbands.”

Application Insight: When a person loses an idol, worldly counsel urges them to transfer their idolatry to something or someone else. For example, the world may counsel a person who has lost a spouse to focus on the children. Such counsel may help them overcome their grief, but does not show them how to rest in God. Unlike Naomi, we must not pray for loved ones to find rest and peace in idolatrous pursuits. Finding a husband, bearing a child, or receiving prosperity are infinitely less important than a relationship with God. That same kind of reasoning trapped Elimelech’s family in the first place.

“Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept” (v. 9b). Out of genuine concern for their welfare, Naomi pronounces a benediction, then kisses them farewell. One of them to starts to sniffle, then another one starts to snuffle. Soon all of them are weeping and wailing at the top of their lungs. This farewell is so heart- wrenching, that both Ruth and Orpah plead with Naomi to let them come along. They 26

refuse to leave her: “And they said to her, ‘No, we will return with you to your people’” (v. 10). Naomi now realizes this parting will be more difficult than she thought, because of their deep love for one another. So Naomi drops the “in-law” and simply calls them “my daughters,” since that is what they are to her. They are the daughters she never had—the only link to her now-deceased sons. She has grown attached to them during the many years they lived together in the same home.

Application Insight: Parents often build their identity on their children, such that when the child leaves the home (or sadly dies) they have difficulty with the loss. They may be adversely affected as children go away for college, leave the home, or get married to a spouse. Parents will always grieve over loss, but they will struggle to regain balance if their children had been an idol or their basis of identity.

Naomi knows, however, that if they follow, there is no earthly hope for them. So instead of benediction, she now tries a bit of tough love. First, she rebukes them: “But Naomi said, ‘Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me?’” (v. 11a). She essentially says, “It is foolish for you to come with me. Don’t throw your lives away. Think about what you’re doing. You’ll be much better off if you stay at home.” Secondly, she cuts them down with sarcasm: “Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands” (v. 11b)? The obvious answer is, “No!” Ruth and Orpah get the drift. Naomi’s been a widow for over ten years. There’s not a husband in sight.10 But even if it were possible (for the sake of argument), it would still be foolish for them to stick around. Even if Naomi had a husband and could still bear sons, it would be foolish for

Ruth and Orpah to wait until those sons were of marriageable age (see vv. 12-13a). Naomi emphatically answers her own rhetorical question, “No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me” (v. 13b). “Don’t come near me. I’m poison. I’ve got too much bitterness. Don’t come too close. I’m a lightning rod for pain. You might get struck by the judgment of God.”

10 Naomi would have been at least 50 years old by this time.

Application Insight: Depression is often overwhelming human sadness because of loss (i.e., dreams, career, family, health).11 Despairing people share similar symptoms. Like Naomi, they are blind to the people and the blessings in their life. Even normal sadness can morph into bitterness and bitter people are never fun to be around. They often drag down the people who seek to save them from drowning.

Naomi theologizes that the hand of God is against her—the divine hand that had struck Egypt with plagues (Exod 9:3)—that destroyed a generation of Israelites in the desert (Deut 2:15)—that punished the nation of Israel when they embraced Canaanite gods (Judg 2:15) is now stretched out against her. Naomi’s theology is correct to acknowledge God’s judgment, but incomplete in forgetting God’s mercy. The very God she had just called upon to bless Ruth and Orpah, she now accuses of making her life bitter. She does not repent or turn from her sin. She does not accept the human causation. She simply blames God.

Application Insight: Perhaps you’ve thought like Naomi at one time. Like a faithful Christian, you trust that God is sovereign. But somewhere along the way, you forgot he is also loving. You are angry at God or distressed by your circumstances or frustrated by the way someone else has treated you. The more you hear yourself vent, you know that it’s not true. Turn your heart to meditate on God’s love and mercy, for you cannot worship a partial view of God.

Naomi argument has no logical structure. Her outburst is emotional as she answers her own rhetorical questions and raises absurd impossibilities. Her words are laced with a bitter sarcasm as she cries out against the Lord for the last ten years of her life. She’s expressing her grief, having lost her husband and two boys. She’s distressed at the thought of parting from her precious daughters. Yet strangely, her rant is rooted in love. For she knows that the plight of the widow is desperate. Without a husband or sons in a male-dominated society, she has few rights of her own. She has given up hope for herself, but not for her daughters. So although she is helpless and hopeless, lonely and abandoned, she pushes her daughters away. Then they all pull out the Kleenex as they

11 Depression can sometimes be caused by sin (e.g., Ps 32) or by medical issues, but most often arises because of sadness over loss. Note that there is a difference between normal sadness (i.e., grief) and disordered sadness which does not have a clear cause (i.e., physically-induced depression). Normal sadness may become disordered sadness over time, even if it begins with a known cause.

begin to cry again (v. 14a).

Application Insight: People overwhelmed by grief and sorrow often speak out of their emotions. Counselors must recognize when this is happening. Then instead of immediately rebuking or confronting wrong theology, we must patiently and gently restore the person to a right view of God.

Somehow through her manic diatribe, Naomi convinces Orpah to turn around. So as Naomi had kissed Orpah goodbye (see v. 9), Orpah now kisses her in return: “And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (v. 14b). Orpah loves Naomi, but she cannot leave her parents, her country, and her gods. She’s loyal to Naomi, but she desires to remarry. Based on the marital customs of that day, she was likely still a young woman—perhaps in her early twenties. So she’s doing the sensible thing. She’s doing what most of us would have chosen. Later tradition would condemn Orpah, depicting her as an ancestor of Goliath—the giant whom David killed (see 1 Sam 17). But in this story, she receives no criticism from either Naomi or the narrator. For Orpah is simply a foil to display the extraordinary faithfulness of Ruth. Even the altered word order reflects this truth. The subject and object are reversed to strongly contrast the two decisions: “Kissed did Orpah, but Ruth clung.” One wished to be a wife again, the other to remain a daughter. One showed her love by obedience, the other by her devotion. Therefore, one was saved, that none might despair; But only one, that none might presume.

Application Insight: Do not counsel people to return to their idols or offer lesser gods when only Jesus is sufficient. For trials are an opportunity to present the gospel for those who are suffering. Christ-less counsel may help people learn to cope or live a happier life, yet lose their soul for all eternity.

Ruth clings to Naomi. This word davaq means, “to hold fast and never let go.”

Like superglue, it describes the loyalty of marriage: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast [davaq] to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). It also speaks of God’s covenant allegiance to his people and the allegiance they should have in response to his saving grace: “You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast [davaq] to him, and by his name you shall swear”

(Deut 10:20). Thus by clinging to Naomi, Ruth, the Moabitess—the former worshiper of Chemosh, displays a faithfulness only ascribed to the people of Yahweh.

Application Insight: Be thankful for the people in your life who remain loyal no matter the circumstances. These may be cherished family members, but often they are friends without blood relation (Prov 18:24). Seek to find such relationships in the church which spur you on to greater love for Christ (Heb 10:24-25).

Naomi is running out of ideas. Gentle love didn’t work and tough love didn’t work, so now she tries peer pressure. She points to Orpah’s disappearing figure on the horizon: “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law” (Ruth 1:15). In a strange sort of reverse evangelism, Naomi is telling Ruth, “Maybe Yahweh’s not for you. If Chemosh is your God, then worship him in Moab—in the place where he is venerated.” She’s testing the faith of Ruth. It’s like questioning your friend, “Are you sure you want Jesus? Have you considered Buddha or maybe Krishna?” This woman is trying everything to push Ruth away. Yet Ruth is not dissuaded as she expresses some of the most memorable words of Scripture—words of poetic beauty and extraordinary courage: “Do not urge12 me to leave you or to return 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. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried” (vv. 16-17a). “I’ll go with you to Bethlehem. I’ll stay where you stay. As in the ancient custom, we’ll be buried together in the same family tomb.13 I’ll be with you in life and with you in death. I’ll be with you at all times in between.” Then most importantly, Ruth recognizes that committing to Naomi’s people meant committing to Naomi’s God.14 For that was the essence of the covenant

12 The same word paga is used in 2:22 to describe an “assault, attack” (see Jer 7:16; 27:18; Job 21:15). Ruth resists Naomi’s forceful attempts to turn her away.

13 The place of a person’s burial indicated their home (see Gen 23; 25:9-10; 50:1-14, 23-25; Josh 24:32).

14 Verses 16b-17a reveals a chiastic structure with the focus on Ruth’s declaration: “Your people . . . my people and your God . . . my God.” This central phrase does not include a verb in the Hebrew to indicate Ruth’s conviction regardless of the circumstances. She clings to Naomi’s people and Naomi’s God, come what may, and bases her surrounding “I will” promises on this firm foundation. 30

relationship: “I shall be your God and you shall be my people.”15 So to demonstrate her conviction, Ruth invokes the name of the covenant God: “May [Yahweh] do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (v. 17b). “If I am unfaithful to you, then may Yahweh be unfaithful to me and much more.” By swearing to Yahweh, Ruth makes clear the allegiance of her heart.

Application Insight: Consider some basic principles for decision-making: 1. Survey the land (Prov 18:13). Ruth grasped the desperate situation and knew she would need to make a decision quickly.

2. Identify your options (Prov 4:18-19). They were clear for Ruth: Moab or Israel. She could not remain at the crossroads. 3. Examine God’s Word (Ps 119:105). Ruth had listened to God’s Word at the feet of Naomi. She believed Yahweh was the one true God and rejected the idolatry of Chemosh. 4. Seek wise counsel (Prov 15:22). Ruth listened to “sweet” Naomi instead of “bitter” Mara. Surely, in her better days, Naomi had spoken of her people, her God, and the land of Israel. 5. Count the cost (Luke 14:26-33). Ruth understood the consequences of either decision. If she went to Israel, she would be giving up her people, her land, her gods, and the promise of security in marriage. If she stayed in Moab, she would be giving up Naomi and Naomi’s God. 6. Choose in faith. If you doubt, don’t (Rom 14:23). Yet eventually, you must decide. Ruth believed with absolute certainty that she should cling to Naomi. Her solemn vows reveal no hint of wavering. 7. Trust the Lord (Prov 3:5-6). Ruth throws herself upon the mercy of Yahweh. She does not lean on her own understanding, for human reason could not navigate the perils ahead. In all her ways, she acknowledges him as he smooths out the path before her.

In this romance of redemption, Ruth is the first character to demonstrate a love that doesn’t make sense. She loves the very one who is trying to push her away, for Naomi is unlovable—her feathers far too ruffled to provide sufficient shelter. Ruth becomes the first glimpse of God’s intervention in the sad life of Naomi, though in

15 See Gen 17:7-8; Exod 6:7; Deut 29:13; Jer 24:7; 31:33; Hos 2:23; Zech 8:8; 2 Cor 6:16; Rev 21:7.

retrospect we see that God was always present. Like the backside of a tapestry, Naomi only sees mottled threads and loose ends. Yet as this masterpiece is woven together, the narrator gives the reader a glimpse of God’s loving hand of providence.16 And isn’t that just like God to provide for Naomi in ways she did not understand even in the face of her complaining? God used a famine to move a family from Bethlehem to Moab, just as one day he would use a census to move another family from Nazareth to Bethlehem (see Mic 5:2). If there was no famine, there would be no Naomi. Then somewhere in those ten dry years, Naomi’s imperfect testimony impressed Ruth so much that she was willing to forsake her land and gods and family for that of Naomi’s. There was no other reason for Ruth to go. If there was no Naomi, there would be no Ruth. Not only that, but God brought death to the men in Naomi’s life in order to send her back to Bethlehem. If there was no death, there would be no Boaz (as we will soon find out). God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we live on the backside of God’s tapestry. Yet consider that we only perceive God’s grace in the book of Ruth because, in God’s kindness, he wrote it all down. It often takes divine revelation to recognize where God is working.

Application Insight: Sometimes you live on the backside of God’s tapestry. You trust God is working, but you don’t know how. In fact, it seems like he is making a mess of your life. Yet that’s the way God often works, providing in ways we do not understand.

Naomi tries to send Ruth home in a strange sort of anti-evangelism because she doesn’t know if she can provide for herself, let alone another person. Yet instead of Ruth becoming a burden to Naomi, we will see how she actually ends up providing for her.

Application Insight: Perhaps today, you’ve never considered your own spiritual need for a Savior. You don’t know that you’ve been rebelling against God though he has been pursuing you. You don’t know that he wants a relationship with you and has provided for you in ways that you do not understand. Your lack of knowledge does not make your need for a Savior any less real. My prayer is that you will be overwhelmed by the surprising kindness of God.

16 God’s sovereignty may be defined as he predetermined plan in all circumstances, whereas providence is his working out of that plan in everyday life.

“When Naomi saw that [Ruth] was determined to go with her [that she had set her face with determination], she said no more” (v. 18). This is not the silent treatment. Naomi’s not angry at Ruth. There’s simply nothing more for her to say. She’s out of ideas. She can’t push her away any longer, for Ruth has invoked the name of Yahweh to witness her radical commitment. She has counted the cost and paid in full. Perhaps Naomi’s silence also speaks to her despair. For despite Ruth’s impassioned plea and demonstrated devotion, Naomi cannot be grateful. Instead of an embrace, a joyful response, or show of thanksgiving, she plods ahead in silent acquiescence.

Application Insight: Your generosity toward others may not immediately be met with gratitude. Depressed people, especially, are rarely ever thankful. So remember that your reward for doing what is right must come from the Lord and not the applause of men. Rejoice when people recognize your efforts, but rejoice all the more that you have done the work of God. Hesed love does not demand repayment, because it pursues relationship regardless of response.

Christians believe that life begins at the cross, for our sin against a holy God was paid for by Christ’s death upon the cross. We all must make a choice at the crossroads of life: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). So also, in this Old Testament story of Ruth, three women stand at the crossroads—three women with different views of God. Which one of them represents you?

Naomi: the discouraged

Are you discouraged like Naomi? Although there was once a time when your faith was strong, now you only talk about “back then” or “how it used to be with God.”

Along the way, life happened and left you in the dust. You have suffered disappointment and made some mistakes of your own. Now you’re just a bitter, old woman or a bitter, old man. You believe in God, but just enough to blame him for your trouble. My prayer is that you step out from behind the tapestry and study Naomi’s story until God brings you alive to his glorious providence. Discover that he is not a cruel, hard Master, but a

gracious and loving Father. There’s hope for Naomi at the foot of the cross.

Application Insight: How do you help a despairing person? 1. Show her compassion and handle with care (Prov 18:14). 2. Help her remember who God is and what he has done (e.g., Exod 34:6-7). Remind her of who she is in Christ (e.g., Eph 1). 3. Thank the Lord for the many blessings in her life that she did not notice in her despair (Phil 4:4; Col 3:16). Remind her of God’s past faithfulness (e.g., Ps 78:11-16) and his good and perfect gifts (Jas 1:17). 4. Help her think long-term about her situation. Despair is a temporary valley (Ps 23), but eternal life is forever. 5. Teach her to take every thought captive (2 Cor 10:5) and replace despairing thoughts with hope in God (Phil 4:8). What biblical truths counteract the lies she has been told by herself or by others (John 8:31-32)? 6. Don’t let her pull you down into her despair. Instead, keep pointing her to Jesus as her Savior (Col 1:13-14).

Orpah: the sensible Or perhaps as you stand at the crossroads, you are like Orpah who went “back to her people and to her gods.” You have made the sensible choice to stay at home with the gods of your choosing. You seek comfort or peace, marriage or children, idolatry or sin, more than you seek the Lord. Many of these are good desires, but you have made them your demands. So you pursue the things of God for a time, but then fall away under pressure. Like Judas, Orpah kisses her loved one away (Luke 22:47-48).

Application Insight: Are you tempted to choose the sensible choice over following God? God grants us common sense to make wise decisions, but he gives us his Word as well. Sometimes obedience does not make sense to the human mind, but you cannot go wrong by obeying God’s Word (Prov 16:9).

Ruth: the redeemed Finally, perhaps you have responded like Ruth. You are following hard after God and his people. You have received the redemption of Christ by clinging to his promises.

The choice is yours In this romance of redemption, the Author of Ruth is pursuing you with love. So will you complain, will you kiss, or will you cling to Jesus Christ? These three women reveal the different destinies of mankind.

Coming Home (1:19-22) “So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem” (Ruth 1:19a). Not much is said about this journey, but the road from Moab to Judah was treacherous for two unaccompanied women.17 This journey of over sixty miles might have taken up to a week, descending over four thousand feet into the Jordan River valley, crossing the Jordan at flood stage,18 then climbing back up again before reaching Bethlehem in Judah. Again, we see God’s hand of protection guiding them toward their destination.

Application Insight: We don’t always recognize God’s hand of protection in our lives during the midst of a trial. Naomi certainly did not thank the Lord for guiding them safely back to Bethlehem, Ruth’s conversion, and the recent provision of crops. We may need the perspective of others to remind us of God’s faithfulness.

When Naomi and Ruth arrive, the whole town is abuzz. The Hebrew verb is hūm, which sounds like what it means.19 The women of the city are humming with excitement as Naomi shows up unannounced. It’s like the shock you receive at your high school reunion when everyone arrives with a few more pounds and a few less hairs, some with spouses—some without—most with kids. There’s always that table of women jabbering about whatever happened to “most popular” or “most likely to succeed.” So also, the women of Bethlehem are swimming with emotion: “Is this Naomi!” (v. 19b).

It’s not that they don’t recognize Naomi, though certainly she has aged with hardship and grief. It’s just that they are simultaneously surprised by joy and filled with concern and

17 Bandits were the greatest concern (see Ezra 8:22, 31; Jer 3:2; Luke 10:30). 18 Just before the barley harvest would have been early-mid April, so even crossing the Jordan may have been a dangerous endeavor. 19 This is a literary device known as onomatopoeia.

shocked by her appearance. Notice also that the women do not even mention Ruth the Moabitess. Naomi’s name meant “pleasant” or “lovely” or even “sweetness.” Her husband didn’t even need to give her a pet name because he could simply call her by her given name: “Sweetie-pie.” Yet something triggers in Naomi’s mind when she hears her name happily called out by long-lost friends, “Can this be ‘Pleasant?’ Why, it’s ‘Loveliness’ herself!” For in Bible times, a person’s name often reflected their character. The irony is too much for Naomi to bear: “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (v. 20). “Don’t call me Pleasant; call me Bitter.” Then Naomi makes a statement encapsulating ten years of frustration: “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty” (v. 21a).

Application Insight: Naomi implicates herself as complicit in her husband’s sinful departure from Israel. Earlier, the narrator had implied it was Elimelech’s decision alone (1:1). Yet here, Naomi admits that she also “went away.” This conviction is an evidence of grace. For “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov 28:13).

Naomi spits at her cronies: “The last time you saw me I was upper class. I was married with children. I was voted, ‘Most likely to live happily ever after.’” So again she adds, “Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Ruth 1:21b). “Why call me, ‘Pleasant,’ since like a witness for the prosecution, Yahweh himself is declaring my guilt. El Shaddai has afflicted me. He has brought calamity upon me. He has taken away my husband and my sons and here I am empty-handed.”

Application Insight: Believers overwhelmed by suffering make poor evangelists, so counselors must recognize the importance of restoring fellow Christians to a right relationship with God. At stake is their testimony to others about the glory of God. Once a believer returns to Christ, however, God’s grace in the midst of suffering gives their testimony even more credence.

At this point, Ruth might have been over in the corner clearing her throat. For imagine how she must have felt. She had just left her homeland and family and

everything she ever knew to follow this woman she loved only to hear Naomi say, “I have nothing. The Lord has left me empty-handed.” “What am I,” Ruth thinks, “Chopped liver? God may not brought you back pleasant, but he didn’t bring you back empty.” So much for a gracious introduction. Naomi does not say, “Oh, have you met Ruth, my faithful daughter-in-law?” Her reckless comments, surely speak more to her own state of mind than Ruth’s lack of worth. So absorbed is Naomi by her bitterness and pain that she fails to even acknowledge Ruth’s presence. Even in her speech, Naomi only uses first person pronouns: “I, me, my.” She has not recognized that Ruth is suffering as well. Thankfully, Ruth has chosen to love Naomi warts and all (see 1 Pet 4:8).

Application Insight: Hurt people hurt people and a person’s pain will be transferred unless it is transformed. So when you minister to the suffering, be prepared to suffer as well. This may be as dangerous as secondary traumatic stress or as basic as weeping with those who weep (Rom 12:15b). At times, loving others well means sacrificing your personal comfort and peace (2 Cor 1:8-9).

In all of this, Naomi’s one virtue is her honesty before the Lord. She doesn’t hide her feelings from God or from the gathering of God’s people. She doesn’t pretend that all is well when things are not or put on a false face at the reunion. Naomi is brutally honest in her lament. Instead of trying to make her faith attractive, she shoots straight from the heart. Now she probably wouldn’t be your first choice as a women’s retreat speaker, but you might welcome her into your small group as a model of genuine transparency. For you want friends who can openly express what God is doing in their trials because hypocrisy is not the path to healing. Thankfully, Naomi recognizes God still remains in control of her life. For even as she blames the Lord, she testifies he still exists.20 And as the reader is aware, God has not given up on her.

Application Insight: Find good friends who will listen to you and stay with you even when you are not at your best. Learn to go deeper into community with fellow

20 She even calls him “the Almighty” (Shaddai) to speak of God’s power and strength.

believers, so that in times of hardship you can share in one another’s suffering (e.g., 2 Tim 1:8; 2:3). God created you for relationship, so take joy in the blessing of community.

The chapter then concludes with a bit of a teaser: “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest” (Ruth 1:22). In this short verse, we find three proofs of God’s unfailing love: First, “Naomi returned” (v. 22a)—her life spared. Secondly, she brought “Ruth . . . with her” (v. 22b)—a testimony of God’s saving grace. Third, “they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest” (v.

22c). Barley and harvest meant good times for God’s people. He was faithful even in Naomi’s despair. In the next chapter, we’ll meet another one of God’s blessings in a man named Boaz.

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s thoughts

1. Naomi’s return to Bethlehem is similar to that of the prodigal son. Compare and contrast her story with Luke 15:11-32.

2. How did Naomi discourage Ruth and Orpah from accompanying her to Judah? Why did she try so hard? Discuss whether Orpah was wrong for leaving Naomi.

3. How does Ruth’s commitment to Naomi stand in contrast to the spirit of the times? How is Ruth’s personal spiritual journey different than the religious trajectory of the nation of Israel?

4. What evidence is there that Ruth had become a believer in the one true God?

5. How do names in the book of Ruth play an important role in describing character?21

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. Do you know the covenant lovingkindness of God? How did God demonstrate this love (Rom 5:8)? How does God’s love for us motivate our love for others (1 John 4:10-11)?

2. Describe the thoughts and feelings associated with hopelessness. Which verses from Scripture personally give you hope?

3. Have you ever had to say, “Goodbye,” to someone you dearly loved? What emotions did you feel? What words and actions did you use?

4. Describe the sacrifices Ruth made when choosing to leave Moab with Naomi. How can you imitate Ruth’s loyal love in your own relationships with your family members?

5. Rewrite Ruth 1:16-17 as an expression of your intended faithfulness to God.

21 See Appendix 2 for more insights.

THE ART OF CHIVALRY: COUNSEL FOR YOUNG MEN (2:1-23)

A. Read Ruth 2 aloud.

Young men need godly role models to lead well in the home, the workplace, and the church. Men like Boaz display the godly character qualities which every man should seek to emulate.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Recall the greatest kindnesses you have ever received from another person. What kindnesses have you received from the Lord? How have those examples of unmerited favor impacted your life today?

2. Describe some character qualities that you admire in others. Which character qualities would you like to develop in your own life? Compare this with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

HOOK: Case Study1

BOOK: Biblical Exposition The book of Ruth is a wonderful story of love between God and his people as shown in the lives of Ruth and Boaz. I pray that it continues to minister to you as God works behind-the-scenes in your own life. This story began with one family leaving behind God’s promised land for the promise of food in Moab. The husband, Elimelech, did not live up to his name, which meant, “My God is king.” Unfortunately, his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, did live up their names, which meant, “sick” and “dying.” This made his wife, Naomi, whose name meant “Pleasant,” decide to call herself Mara or

1 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 80-81, 177-79.

“Bitter,” to reflect the way she felt about life when the rest of her family died. Her two sons had left behind two widows, Ruth and Orpah, so the three women then decided to return to Bethlehem. Along the way, Naomi urged them both to turn back. So Orpah kissed, but Ruth clung; Orpah turned back, but Ruth continued on. In time, Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Application Insight: Names are important. We today do not assign as much meaning to names, but we sometimes attach unfair labels to ourselves and others. We might call a person, “bipolar, manic-depressed, mentally ill, socially anxious, an addict, a victim.” Instead, we should see all people as both sinners and sufferers who live in a fallen world. People should not be solely categorized by labels or identified by their suffering.

Grace for the Gleaning (2:1-4)2 “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz” (2:1). This opening verse introduces us to a man named Boaz: a man worthy of honor and respect whose name meant, “in Him is strength.”3 “To be worthy” often spoke of great wealth, valor in battle (e.g., Judg 6:12;

11:1), or even noble character. So this worthy man would make a suitable match for an excellent wife (see Prov 12:4; 31:10, 29).4 Such is the nature of biblical narrative to state

2 The NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 363 provides a helpful summary of the steps involved in harvesting grain: 1. Cutting the ripened standing grain with hand sickles (Deut 16:9; 23:25; Jer 50:16; Joel 3:13)—usually done by men; 2. Binding the grain into sheaves—usually done by women; 3. Gleaning, that is, gathering stalks of grain left behind (Ruth 2:7); 4. Transporting the sheaves to the threshing floor—often by donkey and sometimes by cart (Amos 2:13); 5. Threshing, that is, loosening the grain from the straw—usually done by the treading of cattle (Deut 25:4; Hos 10:11), but sometimes by toothed threshing sledges (Isa 41:15; Amos 1:3) or the wheels of the carts (Isa 28:28); 6. Winnowing—done by tossing the grain into the air with winnowing forks (Jer 15:7) so that the wind, which usually came up for a few hours in the afternoon, blew away the straw and chaff (Ps 1:4), leaving the grain at the winnower’s feet; 7. Sifting the grain (Amos 9:9) to remove any residual foreign matter; 8. Bagging for transportation and storage (Gen 42-44). 3 Ironically, the name of Ruth’s first husband, Mahlon, meant “sick” or “weak.”

4 This word described Boaz’s strength of character and not merely his physical strength because the same word would be used to describe Ruth’s character (3:11).

at the beginning what we will later learn as the story unfolds. The tension remains thick for Naomi and Ruth, yet the reader is in the know from the very beginning. For we are told that Boaz is from the clan of Elimelech—an Ephrathite. The narrator mentions this family tie multiple times throughout the passage as he emphasizes the importance of family.

Application Insight: We do not ever know the full story while we are living in the midst of it. Only the sovereign God sees all of life, so we must have faith that he is working behind-the-scenes despite our limited human perspective.

Ruth does not know Boaz from Adam. Verse 1 is simply a note from the narrator to help the reader understand the situation. So when we are told that Ruth intends to glean in the fields, she’s not headed to any field in particular. In fact, her words to Naomi are like a prayer that she could very well have whispered to God: “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor” (Ruth 2:2a). That word, “favor” (cheyn), is the same Hebrew word for, “grace,” because Ruth recognizes that she, as a poor, defenseless Moabite widow, needs grace for the gleaning.

Application Insight: Those seeking employment often need someone to look on them with favor. For most jobs are not found because of merit, but because you know someone or were able to make a good impression. Remember to bathe every job search in prayer and ask God for favor to be shown.

Notice that Ruth does not sit on her hands, waiting for God to drop a message from the sky.5 She discerns God’s will by going out and doing something. So we can learn from Ruth about how to make decisions. Instead of being paralyzed by all the options: “Do I date this guy or not? Do I take that job? Do I go to this school?”

Overwhelmed by all the options, we might end up not doing anything because we are

5 Naomi remains at home instead of going into the fields with Ruth. She may be physically unable to work, but is more likely emotionally distraught and bitter at God. Once again, Ruth shows her loyal love despite the response of others. Ruth does not judge Naomi for her inactivity, but resolves to work as unto the Lord. Her risky love is an act of faith, for love is foolish apart from the guiding sovereignty of God.

afraid to make a mistake. That’s exactly what Ruth did not do. She put her trust in the Lord as her Provider, as she had earlier claimed: “Your God shall be my God” (1:16). She sought refuge in the Almighty (see 2:12), for in God, she trusted.

Application Insight: Waiting on the Lord is wise, but indecision is wrong. If you are carefully weighing your options, that’s not indecision. But if you are sitting at home with the barley harvest in full swing because you’re not sure which field to enter, that’s indecision. God often works through our work. For example, if you need a job, go out and look for one.

Ruth has used her common sense to think carefully about the situation and has sought God’s Word for guidance. She then asks for godly advice from one who loves her and knows her best. She goes first to Naomi, her mentor and mother (v. 2), and remembers the Word of God which Naomi had taught her.

Application Insight: God’s will is never too hard to find because he has written it down in his Word. For example, God desires your purity (1 Thess 4:3) and your thankfulness (5:18). His will is that you be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:17) and trust him in your suffering (1 Pet 4:19). You don’t need to go much farther than God’s Word to find his will.

God’s Word shows Ruth that there is grace for the gleaning (see Lev 19:9-10;

23:22; Deut 24:19-21). So she acts in obedience and boldness—likely the very next day after arriving in Bethlehem. She doesn’t even have time to get the lay of the land, for the barley harvest had already begun (1:22b). The land, however, belongs to God. The lives of Ruth and Boaz belong to God. The timing of circumstances belongs to God.

Grace in God’s fields It used to be that panhandlers would hold up signs that read: “Will work for food.” Now many are just looking for a handout. That was not the case in the Old

Testament, however, for gleaning in the fields was hard work for a meager return (see Isa 17:4-5). It meant following after the harvesters and scavenging any grain they left behind in the corners or the borders of the field. If you were fortunate, you might find sheaves they had dropped on the ground, but this Old Testament welfare system wasn’t a freebie. The work itself was back-breaking: bending over, picking up sheaves, carrying heavy 43

loads. It was a bit like collecting aluminum cans, warding off starvation one knee bend at a time. But better this than begging. Gleaning was no glorious occupation, but at least it gave people the dignity of working for a living.

Application Insight: Work is a gift of God given to Adam before the fall (see Gen 2:15). So seek to be generous with those in need, but also look for opportunities to restore their dignity by offering them work to do (see 2 Thess 3:10). You can often serve others by allowing them to serve you. Offering work also helps us to discern whether people are poor because of calamity or because of laziness (Prov 6:9-11).

Grace in God’s law

God’s law allowed the poor to glean in the fields as he commanded the Israelites: “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God” (Lev 23:22). “Don’t reap the corners or the edges of the field. If you drop some, don’t go back and pick it up.” God’s law showed his concern for the poor and the sojourner, while also reflecting his character: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deut 10:18-19). God’s people were to give grace for the gleaning because God had been gracious to them.

Application Insight: Our lovingkindness to others flows from God’s lovingkindness to us (see 1 John 4:19-21). Reflect on God’s grace to you and you will become a more gracious person to others. If you are a graceless person, however, you reveal a feeble understanding of God’s grace to you.

Grace in God’s church

The land belongs to God, so he can command its use in any way. So as Christians, this must be our attitude regarding earthly possessions. God owns everything and has appointed us as stewards. When people ask why our church offers so many events for the community, we always tell them: “We have been blessed steward God’s resources and want to use them to serve others.” One Thanksgiving, a family called our

church and asked for help because they were celebrating Thanksgiving, but didn’t have a turkey. It just so happened that one of our elders had a turkey with all the fixings, so we brought it over to the family just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. We are gracious to others because God has been gracious to us.

Application Insight: The church believes that everything we have belongs to God. So the more we give, the more we show others what the generous God is really like (2 Cor 8:9). Not only that, but God generously gives to those who are generous to others (9:6-11).

Grace in God’s man Ruth qualifies to glean on three accounts: She is poor, a widow, and a foreigner. Yet this was in “the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1a) and landowners were not always cooperative, being more concerned about the bottom shekel. So in a day when everyone did as they pleased, Ruth recognizes her need for grace. She realizes that the rights promised to her by the law of God are privileges granted to her by the grace of God. She needs someone in a higher position to look upon her with kindness and to clothe himself with the very nature of God. We, as readers, already know who this kind and gracious man would be, but Ruth only knows it by her faith in Jehovah Jireh—“The God who Provides” (see Gen 22:8, 14).

Application Insight: God may sometimes provide miraculously as he sent quail and manna to his people in the wilderness (see Exod 16). At other times, God provides by putting a principle in his Word that he knows one of his children will read and obey. For instance, the commandment: “Love your neighbor” (Matt 22:39) has motivated many to serve with Christ-like love.

Boaz is a godly man who cherishes God’s Word. He knows the character of

God as kind and loving and compassionate even to the poor and the stranger. Thus this law-abiding man is God’s way of providing for Ruth: “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). “She happened to

come” literally means, “Her chance chanced,”6 or in modern-day parlance, “As luck would have it.” Yet if we know anything about the sovereignty of God, we know there’s no such thing as luck (see Prov 16:9). The narrator pens these ironic words with a knowing smile, for nothing happens by chance when God is in control. Even our “accidents” are in the hand of God.7 In ancient times, farmers simply owned portions of the field on a large tract of land. There were no fences or boundaries markers, so the field looked like one large conglomerate to an outsider. Of all the portions in the field which

Ruth might have gleaned, she chooses the portion belonging to Boaz, a worthy man, who happens to be related to Elimelech. This is not luck, but just as Ruth had prayed for: an act of divine favor (see Ruth 2:2).

Application Insight: God’s sovereignty removes our need for luck. For God has ordained every circumstance in your life, whether good or bad. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). We may not know his good purpose in the moment, but we can trust that God does.

God, however, was just getting started. For “behold,” in the providence of

God, “Boaz came from Bethlehem” (Ruth 2:4a). Ruth’s first day on the job just happens to be the day that Boaz visits. We might picture Boaz like a modern-day businessman as he rolls up in a sleek, black limo—stepping out in his designer suit and shades, attendants hanging on his every word. Boaz is not only a worthy man, however, but also a kind and God-fearing man as shown by the way he treats his employees.

6 The King James Version translates this phrase, “Her hap happened.”

7 “One of the most important features of faith in God’s providence is that it teaches us that even our accidents are within his care” (Atkinson, The Message of Ruth, 59). “No accident can happen to a child of God. He may be in a car wreck or he may be killed instantly; but for the child of God that cannot be finally defined as an accident. Nothing can come to a Christian that does not first receive the permission of God. Chance is removed from the child of God, for he is like Job of whom Satan said, ‘Hast not thou made an hedge about him?’” (J. Vernon McGee, In a Barley Field [Glendale, CA: G/L Regal Books, 1968], 65). “Yahweh does not guide human affairs through intermittent miracles followed by long periods of apparent retreat. Rather, his activity is hidden behind the actions of human agents, yet he is presumed to be the implicit, immanent cause of events. Hence he is the cause of even the smallest ‘accidental’ details of life. . . . One theological foundation on which the book of Ruth firmly rests is belief in God’s hidden but continuous all-causality” (Robert L. Hubbard, The Book of Ruth, New International Commentary on the Old Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988], 70).

Application Insight: If you want to know the true measure of a man, do not simply observe him at church, but learn how he interacts with his coworkers. See how he treats his family and his neighbors. “He must manage his own household well” (1 Tim 3:4a) and “be well thought of by outsiders” (v. 7a). That’s the true measure of a man.

Boaz “says to [his] reapers, ‘The LORD be with you!’8 And they answer, ‘The LORD bless you’” (Ruth 2:4b; Ps 129:8). Imagine the first thing your boss saying when he walks into the office: “May the Lord be with you!” Then you all pop out of your cubicles: “May the Lord bless you!” Boaz is well-loved by his employees because he treats them right and leads them to work as unto the Lord (see Col 3:23). He is not afraid to show his faith in public and keeps the Lord at the center of his life. For why else would Boaz mention the Lord so freely unless he spent regular time with him? Here is a man who lives a worshipful lifestyle—just the kind of man God seeks (see Mic 6:8). As it turns out, Ruth is just the kind of woman whom Boaz seeks (see Prov 31:30).

Application Insight: You cannot fake a relationship with God forever. You might fake it for a time, but not all the time. The only way to be genuinely godly in your relationship with others is to dwell with God in your personal time with him. For godliness is not an artificial veneer, but should flow naturally from your heart.

Love at First Sight? (2:5-7) Scripture does not explicitly state that Boaz was smitten at first sight, but the narrator leaves us plenty of clues as God uses Boaz’s interest in Ruth to get things going. Imagine how many times in their happy marriage that Boaz and Ruth would answer that question, “So how did the two of you meet?” Each one of these intricate details would bring a smile to their lips. It all started that day when Boaz noticed a young woman in his field and wanted to learn more about her. Out of all the workers in his field, his eye landed on her. Some deny, of course, there was any physical attraction because women back then wore clothing which covered everything but the eyes. So we don’t know exactly what Boaz noticed about Ruth, but we do know that he noticed her. Perhaps we

8 This alludes to Immanuel: “God with us” (see Isa 7:14; 8:8; Matt 1:23).

can chalk this one up to divinely-inspired curiosity as Boaz inquires about Ruth: “Say, who’s that woman over there? I never hired her. To whom does she belong? Does she have a master? Does she have a husband?” (see Ruth 2:5). Again, the reader knows, yet Boaz does not. He simply knows that woman does not belong in his field or with his workers. The reader knows she doesn’t even belong in Israel.

Application Insight: Physical attraction is often the first motivation to pursue a spouse, for you cannot know their character or their love for God until you spend time with them. Yet you may not spend time with them, unless you are first attracted to them. God designed physical beauty and attraction both to motivate you toward marriage and to keep you focused on serving your spouse within the marriage (see Prov 5:18).

The foreman’s good report only increases Boaz’s interest: “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest” (Ruth 2:6-7). The foreman twice emphasizes that she’s a foreigner: “She’s a Moabitess from the country of Moab.” Like most Israelites of that day, he may have been strongly prejudiced against foreigners. Yet in all fairness, he does uplift Ruth’s virtue. She had asked his permission to glean, instead of assuming that the law allowed her to go into whichever field she chose. She certainly was not loafing around waiting for a handout, but hard at work all day. Boaz had not met Ruth previously, yet in a town as small as Bethlehem he had surely heard about her kindness to Naomi as she followed the Lord in faith to a land unknown (see Gen 12:1). Iain Duguid asks some penetrating questions:

Do we welcome outsiders like Ruth, the non-kosher people, the people who do not naturally fit in our community, the way that Boaz did? It is doubtful whether many rich men in Bethlehem would have looked over the laborers harvesting their fields, instantly picked out a single foreigner, and identified her as someone new. So also, perhaps many of us scan the rows of people in our church and completely miss all the Ruths in our congregation because we are only looking to make friends with people who are like us. We cast an eye over our neighborhood or community and completely overlook those who are outcasts and strangers, the immigrants and the homeless, the poor and the needy. We have eyes but do not easily see what Boaz saw, because we are not looking for the poor and the outcast. . . . Do we have a similar

heart of compassion for those who seem to have little or nothing to offer us in return?9

Chivalry not Chauvinism (2:8-17) Boaz, now intrigued, goes to speak with Ruth himself. Here is a man with initiative—bold enough to make the first move. He opens with words of kindness, granting Ruth special provision and protection not given to every gleaner. For just as Ruth offered specific help to Naomi (Ruth 2:2), so also Boaz was a man with a plan who instructed others wisely.

Boaz’s Instructions Passage Recipient Instruction v. 8 Ruth “Do not go to glean in another field . . .” v. 8 Ruth “. . . or leave this one, . . .” v. 8; see Ruth “. . . but keep close to my young women.” v. 21 v. 9 Ruth “Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them.” v. 9 Ruth “And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” v. 14 Ruth “Come here . . .” v. 14 Ruth “. . . and eat some bread . . .” v. 14 Ruth “. . . and dip your morsel in the wine.” v. 9 Young men “Have I not charged the young men not to touch you?” v. 15 Young men “Let her glean even among the sheaves, . . .” v. 15 Young men “. . . and do not reproach her.” v. 16 Young men “And also pull out some from the bundles for her . . .” v. 16 Young men “. . . and leave it for her to glean, . . .” v. 16 Young men “. . . and do not rebuke her.”

Application Insight: Don’t make the person in the midst of hardship do the hard work of figuring out what they need. Give them options with the freedom to decline. For example, instead of asking, “How can I help?” or “Call me if you need something,” say, “Can I bring over a meal tomorrow?” or “Do you need help with the kids?”

9 Iain M. Duguid, Esther and Ruth (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005), 161.

Love is generous Boaz first entreats Ruth not to glean elsewhere: “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one” (Ruth 2:8a). He wants her to know that he wants her to stay—that showing generosity truly is his pleasure. Boaz does not allow Ruth to wallow in ambiguity, but makes absolutely clear that she is welcome.

Application Insight: The chivalrous man considers it an honor to care for others and provide for the needs of the underprivileged. Instead of regarding it as a nuisance, he welcomes and encourages the needy to receive his help.

Love is protective Boaz also cares for Ruth’s safety as he tells her, “Keep close10 to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them” (vv. 8b- 9a). During harvest time, the men would move through the field, cutting down the grain with sickles while the women followed after, tying the sheaves into bundles. By law, the gleaners had to wait until even the female workers had cleared the area. So by allowing Ruth to stay with his young women, Boaz has heaped great blessing upon her to glean before any other gleaners. By raising her status, Boaz illustrates what he had already instructed his young men: “Have I not charged the young men not to touch you?” (v. 9b). “Don’t even think about touching her because if you do, you will answer to me. Just because she’s poor and a foreigner—Even if you are racist, you have no right to abuse her either physically or verbally.” Here is the first anti-harassment policy in history. As

Paul Miller writes,

Boaz doesn’t trust young men. In fact, no one in the ancient world trusted young men. Traditional culture protected young women’s purity like a precious jewel. A young woman only offered herself sexually when a man had committed himself publicly to hesed love—in other words, marriage. Being sexually intimate outside of marriage is like giving a stranger the title for your car and hoping he will eventually

10 The same word davaq is used here to describe Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi (1:14).

pay the cost. We would never do with a car title what many young women do with their bodies. Sexual intimacy is not a path to love; it is a seal for love.11 Application Insight: Men should be actively aware that women are vulnerable in today’s society. For example, try to name one movie where marriage came before sex. Instead of preying on women, chivalrous men look to protect them from harm. This requires both being aware of the dangers and proactively minimizing the threat. Like Boaz, a virtuous man must be fully aware of society’s ills in order to counteract them.

Love is considerate Boaz then offers Ruth a drink: “And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn” (v. 9c). This may not seem like a big deal to us— like pointing her to the drinking fountain should she get thirsty. Yet understand that ancient farmers did not have our modern system of pumps and pipes. Every morning before coming to the fields, Boaz’s workers would draw water from the well and haul the heavy jars from the well to the workplace. Yet this hard-earned drinking water was rarely offered to the gleaners. Also in that culture, the women would draw water for the men (see Gen 24:10-20; 29:9) and foreigners for Israelites (e.g., Josh 9:21-27). So Boaz breaks all the rules in his kindness to Ruth.12 By considering even the smallest of details, he spares Ruth the long walk home or the time it would take her to draw water from a distant well. Boaz adds abundantly to Ruth’s blessing by personally approving her request to glean in his field (see Ruth 2:7) and imploring her to stay until the end of the harvest (vv. 8, 21, 23).

Application Insight: Peter instructs husbands: “Live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel” (1 Pet 3:7). This does not imply that women are lesser than men, but that women are often physically weaker than men. So chivalry involves carrying the heavier load, taking

11 Miller, A Loving Life, 81-82. Miller helpfully contrasts the secular view of intimacy with the godly view: • Secular view = feeling love → sexual intimacy → loss of feeling → discarded relationship • Godly view = feeling love → public commitment → sexual intimacy → enduring love

12 Note that Boaz already has the young men drawing water instead of the young women as an act of chivalry (see 1 Pet 3:7).

on the more difficult task, and patiently considering the physical limitations of one’s wife.

Love is gracious Ruth recognizes grace when it is offered, but does not think herself worthy to be noticed. So she falls on her face and worships Boaz—an Ancient Near Eastern sign of respect (not because he’s God, but because he’s godly in the way he has treated her). She exclaims, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10). That word “foreigner” (nakari) carries the connotation of one who is conspicuous or noticeable (nakar), so she speaks here with a play on words: “Why have you noticed me (in a good way) since I am so noticeable (in a bad way)?” Ruth is a poor, widowed, childless, Moabite woman—noticeable for all the wrong reasons. Yet Boaz has noticed her and shown her favor. Here is more grace that doesn’t make sense.

Application Insight: Chivalrous men are not prejudiced against others because of their lower station in society. Instead they seek to honor others because God considers every person worthy of human dignity. Each person we encounter has been made in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and will live for all eternity.

Love is observant Ruth recognizes that she has found favor in Boaz’s eyes (Ruth 2:10; see v. 13). As Boaz then explains,

All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told13 to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay14 you for what you have done, and a full reward15 be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge! (vv. 11-12; see Ps 36:7).

13 The Hebrew literally states for emphasis: “Being reported, it has been reported.” We can assume that Naomi has begun to tell the townspeople of Ruth’s steadfast love, for they would not have heard the report from Ruth’s own lips.

14 This verb “to repay” is derived from the Hebrew word shalom—“to be complete, to be at peace, to be whole.”

15 Literally, “may your wages be full” (see Gal 6:7). “Behind Boaz’s blessing is a sense that Ruth’s love is a weight on God’s heart that has accumulated like a divine debt, a debt so large that only God can repay it” (Miller, A Loving Life, 87). 52

Boaz does not say, “I was required by law to let you glean.” He does not say, “It was my duty to care for the daughter-in-law of Elimelech, my kinsman.” He does not say, “It’s because I’m such a nice guy.” No, even in his answer, he honors Ruth and he glorifies God. Although he had not recognized Ruth by sight, he had heard about her kindness to Naomi, her faith like Abraham, and her allegiance to Yahweh. Boaz is now smitten by Ruth’s character, but his attraction began by seeing Ruth with eyes of grace.16

Application Insight: Godly men notice godliness in others, including a potential wife. So if you desire to be wed, then be observant. Consider the believing sisters God has place in your life and sphere of ministry in order to find a suitable spouse.

Love is prayerful Boaz not only honors Ruth, however, but also glorifies God in prayer: “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12). This is surely not the first prayer he has ever prayed, for he sounds familiar with prayer and will even pray for strangers. He prays that Yahweh would repay Ruth for her kindness to

Naomi and give her back everything she had sacrificed and more (v. 12a). He also prays for Ruth’s protection using the vivid picture of a baby bird snuggling beneath its mother’s wings (v. 12b). As the mother’s wings protect her baby from the wind and rain and enemy predators, so also God’s people take shelter beneath his wings of refuge.

Application Insight: A chivalrous man is a man of prayer who spends time talking with God on his own and lifting up others as well. He recognizes that faith in God builds character and accomplishes the will of God. So if you desire to marry a godly spouse, then continue talking with God in prayer.

As the story unfolds, Boaz will turn out to be the answer to his own prayer. Through Boaz, Ruth will be nourished and refreshed. She will come to a place of rest in the joy of marriage (see 3:1). She will receive the hope of a new home and a family name

16 Hesed often follows this path of seeing, feeling compassion, then acting in love (see Exod 3:7-10; Matt 9:36; Mark 6:34; 10:21; Luke 7:13; 10:33-35; 15:20; 19:5, 41; John 6:5; 11:33; 19:26).

as she takes refuge under her husband’s covering (see v. 9). All throughout the book of Ruth, no one ever prays for themselves. Yet every prayer is answered by God and often by the very person who was praying.17

Application Insight: Prayer is the flipside of providence, therefore God may use the one who prays to help the people for whom they are praying. If you know a family going through a hard time, pray for them, then do something about it. If you see an immature believer, pray for them, then offer yourself as a spiritual mentor. If your husband or wife needs support and encouragement or a little bit of love, certainly pray for them, but don’t wait for backup. You are God’s answer to your own prayer.

Boaz prays for Ruth and Ruth responds in gratitude. Once again, she uses the word, “favor,” or, “grace,” to speak of his actions toward her: “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly18 to your servant,19 though I’m not one of your servants” (2:13). She expresses humble gratitude and calls him, “My lord”—a Near Eastern term of respect. Guys eat that up. They want to be respected and admired. They want their wife to call them a hunk, even for nothing more than popping the lid off the pickle jar or killing a spider: “My strong provider. My brave protector.”

Both Boaz and Ruth are able to love others because they know they are loved by God. They can risk in love because God’s love for them is absolutely sure.

Application Insight: Ladies, if a gentlemen opens a door for you, don’t glare at him. Instead, say, “Thank you.” If he speaks “kindly” to you, don’t pull an Elizabeth Bennet and assume he’s making fun.20 It may be necessary at times to ask a man his intentions, but a true lady should expect to be treated as one.

Love is hospitable Things are going pretty smoothly, so Boaz invites Ruth to lunch. His private

17 See “Prayers in the Book of Ruth” (Appendix 7). 18 Literally, “words from the heart.”

19 Ruth humbly uses the word shipkhah, a female servant of the lowest rank—even lower than Boaz’s “young women” (naarah) (v. 8). She recognizes her status at the bottom of society. She does not even consider herself worthy of being one of Boaz’s slaves. 20 Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813).

chef has prepared a picnic spread for all his employees and Boaz invites Ruth (the temp girl who just started that day) to join them. “Come here,” he says, “and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine. So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed21 to her roasted grain” (v. 14a-b). They prepared this roasted grain by plucking fresh stalks of grain and holding them over a blazing fire (like roasting marshmallows) until the chaff burnt off. They would then peel the husk and eat the fruit of their labor, dipping the grain in a little oil and wine vinegar as you might eat bread at an Italian restaurant. It was actually quite delicious.22 Now this noon meal was communal—not exactly a first date and not exactly by candlelight. But we do learn several things from this: First, Boaz is not put off by eating with an outsider. During working hours, everyone would have been occupied in the field. Yet during the lunch break, Ruth’s loneliness becomes apparent. In her humility, she stands far off from the buffet until Boaz invites, “Come here and eat” (see Prov 25:6-7; Luke 14:7-11). Boaz does not succumb to the ethnic and social divisions which everyone else thought were important. Secondly, he considers Ruth’s needs. She probably didn’t come out to the field with a lunch pail. Naomi did not pack her a bologna sandwich and a juice box, yet Ruth must have been famished after working all morning. So Boaz doesn’t simply toss her a crust of dry bread, but gives her the good stuff: “Dip your morsel in the wine. Spice it up a little.” She would have been willing to lick the crumbs from the table like the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7, but Boaz says, “No, you’ll eat what I’m eating. There’s no economy class on this plain.”

21 The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, suggests that Boaz “heaped” or “piled up” food on Ruth’s plate like a Middle Eastern grandma.

22 W. M. Thompson describes the roasted grain: “A quantity of the best ears, not too ripe, are plucked with the stalks attached. These are tied into small parcels, a blazing fire is kindled with dry grass and thorn bushes, and the cornheads are held in it until the chaff is mostly burned off. The grain is thus sufficiently roasted to be eaten, and it is a favorite all over the country” (Arthur E. Cundall, and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, vol. 7. [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968], 278).

Application Insight: One of the best ways to show honor is to share a meal with another person (see Acts 2:42, 46). It allows you the chance to serve them, bless them generously, and practice hospitality (e.g., Gen 18:1-8; see Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2; 1 Pet 4:9). So cultivate a regular discipline of eating fellowship meals with others.

Boaz is skilled in the art of chivalry and most impressively serves Ruth himself: “He passed to her roasted grain” (Ruth 2:14b). This may describe a ceremonial gesture of the master serving the servant, but note the family resemblance to another Master who would one day wash the feet of his disciples (John 13:1-5; see Luke 12:37). “And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over” (Ruth 2:14c). For the first time in quite awhile, Ruth’s stomach is full. Boaz then demonstrates even more generosity by not only satisfying Ruth’s hunger, but also giving her extra to take home to Naomi—the first doggy bag in history. They would have had dinner to eat without the usual time-consuming preparation.

Application Insight: Young man, when you court a woman, you should also court her mother (or else your name might become Mara). Therefore, seek to honor your mother-in-law as you would your own mother (see Eph 6:2-3). Love your future spouse by loving her family.

Love is kind Dan Block concludes: “From the time Boaz opens his mouth until the last words he utters (4:9-10), his tone exudes compassion, grace, and generosity. In the man who speaks to this Moabite field worker biblical hesed becomes flesh and dwells among humankind.”23 Boaz has taken a simple meal and transformed it into an opportunity to model the extraordinary compassion, kindness, and acceptance of the Lord. As the harvest demanded, however, there was always work to do. Lunch eventually had to come to an end. So as Ruth went back out into the fields,24 Boaz instructs his young men: “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from

23 Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth. New American Commentary, vol. 6 (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 667. 24 This implies Ruth was the first one back to work—another hint of her diligence.

the bundles for her. And leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her” (Ruth 2:15-16). Boaz waits until Ruth is gone so as not to embarrass her. But again, he shows grace beyond what the law required and models the lovingkindness of the Lord. He allows Ruth to glean alongside his reapers. Even before the young women tie the sheaves into bundles, she can just pick them off the ground. Not only that, but Boaz tells his workers to intentionally pull out stalks for her that are already cut, so she doesn’t have to uproot them herself. He also anticipates potential jealousy and heads it off: “Do not reproach her in disdain. Don’t shame her. Don’t rebuke her.” Miller writes, “He wants the women to enter into his welcome of Ruth. He pushes the men away from her and the women toward her. By publicly giving Ruth food, he gives her not only food but also friends, thus covering her with his wings.”25

Application Insight: Keep in mind that not everyone you help will be as kind and grateful as Ruth. We often assume that the “Ruths” we encounter should be lovely, faithful, loyal, humble, grateful, and kind. Those in need, however, are often more like Naomi: bitter, angry, entitled, and foolish. God-like kindness reaches out to both the fair and the foul.

Boaz wants to reward Ruth for her kindness to Naomi, but also wants to give her the dignity of working for a living. He is impressed by her diligence and resourcefulness, for she has certainly worked hard—laboring all day beneath the hot sun: “So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley” (v. 17). When she has finished gleaning, she must still beat out the grain with a large stick. The chaff would blow away and she would collect the heads of grain. Due to Boaz’s kindness, Ruth gleans an ephah26 of barley—an impossible amount to glean in a day, but enough to feed her and Naomi for several weeks. Just think if your kid went out to look for a job and came back at the end of the day with a few

25 Miller, A Loving Life, 99.

26 An ephah of grain was about 22 liters (between 30 and 50 pounds). It amounted to half a month’s wages and could feed these two women for several weeks (a typical ration was 1-2 pounds per person per day).

thousand dollars and no warrant for an arrest. At this rate, with just seven weeks until the end of the harvest, Ruth would make what the average worker made in a year.

Application Insight: Chivalrous men show honor to all women whether romantically interested or not. They also show honor by allowing women the freedom to exercise their gifts. Chivalry does not mean that a man does everything to serve the woman, but that he treats her respectfully as one created by God: equal yet unique (see Gen 1:27).

A Mother’s Intuition (2:18-23) Boaz blesses Ruth with an abundance of grain “and she took it up and went into the city” (Ruth 2:18a). As Ruth staggers home with a heavy sack of grain upon her head, Naomi has been anxiously waiting and perhaps praying that some worthy man has shown her favor. O, how Naomi’s prayers had been answered: “Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied” (v. 18b). Ruth’s success so astonishes Naomi that her words tumble out in quick succession: “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked” (v. 19a)?27 Not only that, but Naomi blesses the man without even knowing his identity:

“Blessed be the man who took notice of you” (v. 19b).28 She realizes that this result is truly remarkable.

Application Insight: Despairing people are blind to God’s gracious blessings, so you can tell a person is pulling out of despair when they start to notice evidences of God’s grace. Counselors labor to help despairing people find hope in God’s past, promises, present blessings, and future grace.

“So [Ruth] told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, ‘The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz’” (v. 19c).29 On hearing the name of

27 “The double use of the term ‘where’ is interesting in the Hebrew, in that the term ephah and ‘where’—ephoh sound quite similar” (Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 62).

28 Naomi’s blessing reveals her real question. She was not so much concerned with where Ruth gleaned, but in whose field.

29 The narrator heightens this dramatic revelation by having Ruth save the name of her protector until the very end of her sentence: “The man's name with whom I worked today is . . . Boaz!” Notice that instead of answering Naomi’s question about “where” she had worked, Ruth replied by saying “with whom” she had worked. The Lord had shown her favor through a person (Boaz) not a particular portion of the field.

Boaz, Naomi now blesses him again: “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” (v. 20a). Yet this time she also invokes the kindness (hesed) of the Lord, for God’s people are only good because God himself is good. It is the lovingkindness of the Lord that flows from the hand of Boaz—even toward Ruth the Moabite (v. 21).30 “This speech represents a total turnaround from her despairing and accusatory words in 1:20-21.”31

Application Insight: Trust in Jesus, for he promises to never leave you nor forsake you (see Deut 31:6, 8; Matt 28:20; Heb 13:5). He is the ever-present God who delights in pouring forth blessings on his children.

Already the wheels are turning in Naomi’s head. Like Yenta, from Fiddler on the Roof, she has marriage on her mind.32 She excitedly informs Ruth: “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers” (Ruth 2:20b). Now a redeemer could buy back persons or property that had been forfeit, thus restoring them to the family. Naomi is already making plans should Boaz be the one, but to Ruth she simply says, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted” (v. 22; see v. 21). Naomi observes how the Lord has shown favor to Ruth through Boaz. “So [Ruth] kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law” (v. 23). Thus the kindness of Boaz supports Ruth and Naomi all throughout the barley and the wheat harvests (about seven weeks in total from late April to early June) and Ruth kept her promise to dwell where Naomi dwelt (1:16).

Application Insight: You have a choice to look at your circumstances through the lens of God’s providence or to look at God through the lens of your circumstances. The former will increase your faith in God, whereas the latter will result in a distorted theology. Let God transform the way you view your life.

30 The narrator most likely refers here to Yahweh, however, the intentional ambiguity shows that this kindness (hesed) could have come from either the Lord or Boaz (or both).

31 Block, Judges, Ruth, 673. 32 Fiddler on the Roof (1971).

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Read 1 Timothy 5:3-16. How does God instruct his people to treat widows? What should be the relationship between older and younger women?

2. What specific acts of kindness to Boaz perform toward Ruth? Which blessings did he invoke in his prayer for her (2:12)?

3. What does Naomi mean by calling Boaz a kinsman redeemer (2:20)? How does she hope that Boaz will help them? How does Boaz foreshadow Christ’s work as the greater Redeemer for sinners (Rom 3:1-26)?

4. Meditate on the Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness in Psalm 91:1-4.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. Paul Miller identifies five bad moves that our hearts can make when life is not fair.33 Are any of these true of you? a. Self-pity. Nourishing an internal-felling world of victim; compassion turned inward. b. Bitterness. A simmering demand that God make my world just.

33 Miller, A Loving Life, 110, emphasis in original. “The cure for a cranky soul begins by repenting, by realizing that my moodiness is a demand that my life have a certain shape. Surrendering to the life that my Father has given me always puts me under the shelter of his wings. That leaves me whole again, and surprisingly cheerful.”

c. Cynicism and mocking. Restoring balance by mocking the other person. d. Gossip and slander. Creating a community of empathizers who see my pain. e. Emotional revenge. Withdrawing my heart to punish the other person.

2. Which blessings from God did Naomi and Ruth know of before they arrived in Bethlehem? What other blessings did God have in store after their arrival?

3. What are some reasons we fail to see God’s providence in our lives? Make a list of everything which God has allowed to “happen” in your life. Share these with a friend as an occasion to give thanks to God.

4. Whom has God used to minister to you in your life and to whom has he ministered through you? How can you be an instrument in God’s sovereign hand to bless others in need?

5. Think about the widows in your local church (or others in need). How can you specifically help them in practical ways? Make an offer to help this week.

HE SAID, “YES!”: COUNSEL FOR COURTSHIP (3:1- 18)

A. Read Ruth 3 aloud.

All of Ruth’s excellent virtues are displayed even as an unmarried woman. Scripture celebrates singleness, honors marriage, and provides wisdom for the path in- between.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. If you are unmarried, what spiritual blessings are you able to give and receive in this season of singleness?

2. If you are married, how did you meet your spouse? Describe the proposal.

HOOK: Case Study1

BOOK: Biblical Exposition

Act One In Ruth 3 we come to the third act in this romantic drama of Scripture. As each act unfolds in a different setting, the curtain drops between the chapters. Act One took place “at the crossroads”—somewhere on the road from Moab to Bethlehem. For a family from Bethlehem had run away to the land of Moab—away from famine—away from God’s judgment—away from God’s people, God’s land, and God’s blessing. They failed to understand, however, that God was everywhere present at once. By running away from death, however, Elimelech actually ran into death—he and his two sons. By running away from the people of God, he subjected his family to living in a pagan culture

1 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 112-13, 179-81.

where Yahweh was dishonored. He gave his sons limited options in marriage, such that they married Moabite women who worshipped the vile god, Chemosh. By running away from the promised land, he left his widow, Naomi, in a foreign land without resources— without a protector—without provision. Thus in the providence of God, three funerals later, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. Yet as she sets out on the way, her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, begin to follow after. At the crossroads, Naomi turns to them and implores them to return home. She prays that they might find rest in remarriage. She pushes them away from her, for she is bitter—claiming to be afflicted by the almighty hand of God. After this moving, emotional outburst, Orpah returns home. Yet Ruth continues on with Naomi to the town of Bethlehem and the curtain falls as they enter the city.

Act Two Act Two takes place in the field of Boaz, where very early in the morning, we find Ruth preparing to glean—to provide food for her and Naomi. In the providence of

God, Ruth just happens to come to the field belonging to Boaz—a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech—a God-fearing man who spends time with the Lord in prayer and treats his employees with grace. In the providence of God, this just happens to be the day that Boaz visits his workers, such that he notices this woman gleaning in his field. Boaz inquires about her and learns that she is the young Moabitess he has heard so much about for her kindness to Naomi. So Boaz shows Ruth the kindness of God—a kindness well-beyond duty. He blesses her and even prays over her: “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (2:12). He invites her to sit with him at the noonday meal and he serves her graciously with his own hand. He treats her as his equal. Then when she is satisfied, he makes sure she has plenty to take home to her mother-in-law. Instead of simply permitting Ruth to glean, he allows her to harvest alongside his maidservants

and even tells his young men to occasionally toss out some freebies. Knowing how rough it can get in the fields, he uses his authority to protect her from any physical or verbal abuse. He also lets her drink from the vessels of water that the young men have filled, so that she doesn’t have to go all the way home when she is thirsty. The kindness of Boaz models for us the kindness of God—who not only gives us what the law demands, but also grace overflowing. So Ruth staggers home beneath an ephah of barley—an amount which would usually take 2-3 weeks to glean. When Naomi sees this, she recognizes both the kindness of God and the kindness of Boaz. Duguid comments:

What seems to have happened is that over the course of these chapters, as she experienced God’s goodness and continued faithfulness (hesed) to her, her heart began to soften. Through the hard work of Ruth and the generosity of Boaz, she found new hope. Perhaps she even began to see that she had been too quick to blame God and to assume that when things went badly in her life it was because God was out to get her. Perhaps she began to recognize her failure to take responsibility and to repent of it. Repentance inevitably draws our attention away from ourselves and out toward others. Bitterness drives us inward in self-absorbed despair, while true repentance enables us and motivates us to start to serve other people’s needs.2

The curtain then falls on the field of Boaz.

Act Three We now come to the threshing floor for Act Three as the drama unfolds the climax of this story. Chapter three begins with Naomi giving instructions to her daughter, Ruth. She has already prayed that the Lord might grant Ruth rest (or security) in the home of a husband (1:9), so her mind is on marriage as the best future hope for this young widow. Boaz’s kindness has started the matchmaking wheel in her head to spin, for it was often the parents in the Ancient Near East who made marital arrangements (e.g., Judg 14:2; Gen 24:3-4; 34:4.). Naomi has not ever stopped seeking rest for Ruth: “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?” (Ruth 3:1).

2 Duguid, Esther and Ruth, 169.

By God’s grace, she focuses her love on someone other than herself.

Application Insight: Parents, you should be involved in helping your children choose a spouse. You may not live in a time or culture where arranged marriages are the norm, but seek to influence your children to make wise choices. Instruct them from Scripture what to look for in a godly spouse. Teach them how to make good decisions based on biblical principles. Then pray for them regularly and for their future choice in marriage.

Seven weeks have passed through both the barley and the wheat harvests since Ruth enjoyed that first promising conversation with Boaz. But since then, he hasn’t called. He hasn’t sent flowers or chocolates or even a greeting card. There were no long conversations as they watched the sun set in the fields of Bethlehem. Like a typical guy, Boaz hasn’t closed the deal. Yet Ruth’s clock is ticking, for this is only a temp job. After the harvest, there’s no more work (and perhaps no more Boaz). Ruth might not be getting nervous, but that is not the case for Naomi.

Application Insight: If you are a single person desiring to be married, be patient. You are in a season of waiting on the Lord. Like Ruth and Naomi, it’s good to pray while trusting in the sovereignty of God. Yet there are also actions you can take to take part in God’s plan. Trusting God does not mean sitting on your hands.

Mourning No Longer (3:1-5)

Advice for young men Boaz is an older gentleman. Most of his friends are married—always the groomsman, never the groom. He’s wealthy. He’s worthy. He’s kind and God-fearing.

You wonder why he isn’t married. He wonders why he isn’t married.

Application Insight: Young men, learn from Boaz. Get a job. Love Jesus. Then look around you. The woman God has for you is probably somewhere in your field. She’s in your small group or your ministry or your sphere of friends. This is one instance where you want to pray with eyes wide open.

Advice for young women Young women, consider Ruth. She about to make a risky proposal. Yet what do you do if you don’t have a godly daddy to ask the man his intentions? What do you do

in a society where it was hard for men and women to even have a simple conversation, let alone a D.T.R. that defines the relationship? Trusting in the sovereignty of God should motivate you to action. When you know that God works all things together for good (Rom 8:28), you won’t stand paralyzed—afraid to make a mistake. So Naomi says to Ruth: “Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor” (v. 2). “What about Boaz? He’s a nice man. Why don’t you pay him a visit tonight? I hear he’s winnowing barley at the threshing floor. So here’s what you need to do: “Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor” (v. 3a). “First, take a bath. Until now, he’s only seen you grungy and grimy in the fields, your hair up in a ponytail. We need to work that Cinderella magic. I know that women don’t sweat; They glisten. But still, take a bath! Then, anoint yourself with some of that Moabite madness perfume.3 Finally, put on your cloak.” The word here speaks of a heavy, outer garment— a mantle. Some translations call it her “best clothes” (see NIV, NASB) although it’s unlikely the impoverished Ruth had any kind of wardrobe—let alone an evening gown. Unlike today’s Western fashion, the intent of this garment was not to reveal, but to conceal. This garment would have been a long cloak which the poor often used as a blanket when they slept outside at night (see Exod 22:25-26). Ruth here just wants to keep warm and perhaps the cloak would also help her travel incognito.

Application Insight: There’s nothing wrong with a woman accentuating her beauty, for God designed women to be attractive as image-bearers of his glory. Beauty can be perverted, of course, into all kinds of idolatry, yet beauty in its purest form honors the Creator. Women should select their wardrobe based on what will honor God and not themselves.

Now some have taken Ezekiel 16 (where God covenants his love toward Israel) as a parallel passage to say that Ruth is like a bride preparing for her wedding. Yet

3 It was common practice in those days for both men and women to anoint themselves with olive oil as a natural deodorant (e.g., Deut 28:40; Mic 6:15; 2 Sam 12:20; 2 Chr 28:15).

consider how such forwardness might turn Boaz off completely. Guys, imagine if you showed up to a blind date and there she is decked out in a bridal gown, veil and all. You’d be kind of freaked out and would be well-served to run out the door in the opposite direction. A better explanation is found in 2 Samuel 12 where the same three words are used to “wash” (raqatz), “anoint” (suk), and to change one’s “cloak” (simlah) (v. 20). David had been mourning over the promised death of his son—the fruit of an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba (vv. 14-17). Yet when the Lord took his son to heaven, David ceased his mourning (vv. 18-23). In the same way, it is likely that Ruth had been mourning the death of her husband. As today, when people dress all in black, there were special clothes designated for mourning and for widowhood (2 Sam 14:2; Dan 10:3; see Gen 38:14, 19). Keep in mind, Ruth may have only been a widow for less than a few months. This may explain how Boaz had noticed her in his field that day (2:5), for the garments of widowhood would have been striking. Perhaps it also explains why he did not pursue the relationship further—out of respect for her grief.

Application Insight: Just as Ruth needed time to grieve the loss of her spouse, it is also unwise to jump into a new relationship too quickly after a break up. Take time for your emotions to settle and for your heart to think rightly instead of making a hasty decision you will soon regret.

Ruth’s changed appearance, out of her mourning clothes, would now indicate to Boaz both her availability for marriage and the seriousness of her intentions. It didn’t hurt, of course, to make herself a little more attractive. So Naomi, in the manner of a Jewish matriarch, says to Ruth, “Go on, girl! It’s time to turn up the heat. Get yourself down to that threshing floor” (see Ruth 3:3b).4 Threshing floors were often made of stone or hard-packed soil to keep the grain from getting dirty and to make it easier to sweep up the finished product. The grain was trodden by animals to break up the husk. Then with a

4 Remember, Bethlehem was situated on a hill and the threshing floor was situated somewhere near the field of Boaz, so Ruth had to descend from the city to get there.

large pitchfork, it was tossed in the air so that wind would carry away the lighter chaff, while the heavier kernels fell to the ground.5 Boaz not only threshed grain during the day, but would also sleep at the threshing floor that night to guard the grain from thieves and predators. So Naomi says to Ruth, “Listen up, honey. Pay very close attention to what I have to tell you.” “Go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until [after] he has finished eating and drinking” (v. 3b). At the completion of the harvest, Boaz and his workers would throw a party to celebrate with thankfulness the Lord’s provision. For harvest was a happy time, especially following ten years of famine.

Application Insight: God’s people should be the most joyous of all when it comes to throwing a sanctified party. Learn to express gratitude for the Lord’s provision. Practice thankfulness every day and intentionally celebrate major milestones to acknowledge God’s faithfulness in your life.

Naomi pictures the scene: Boaz would probably have a little wine—not enough to make him drunk (see 1 Sam 25:36), but enough to make him merry. So she tells Ruth, “Don’t interrupt the party, but wait until after.” Most people are in a better mood after they have had some food and wine.

Application Insight: Sometimes it is best to minister to people physically before trying to minister to them spiritually. For example, God gave Elijah, his despairing prophet, a good nap and a good meal, before confronting him about his fear of man (e.g., 1 Kgs 19). So also, some people may need medical help or physical sustenance before they are ready to receive spiritual counsel.

Naomi tells Ruth: “When he lies down, observe6 the place where he lies” (3:4a). You don’t want to get the wrong man in the dark. “Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do” (v. 4b). Naomi has essentially told Ruth to crawl into bed with an older man who’s had a few drinks. Such behavior would resemble

5 Boaz may have done this work in the afternoon when the strong west winds picked up for several hours. However, he may have waited until the evening when the winds subsided right before sunset to create the perfect conditions for threshing grain. 6 Literally, “know” where he lies down to sleep.

prostitutes doing the same on threshing floors all around the city.7 What kind of advice is this? No mother should ever give this counsel to her daughter which reeks with the appearance of evil. So let me carefully point out that this passage is descriptive, not prescriptive. It tells us what happened on a certain threshing floor over 3000 years ago, but not what you should be doing with your life today.

Application Insight: Dating and courtship should never be practiced horizontally. If you’re sleepy, go home. If you plan to be alone together, make sure you have accountability. God’s will is your sanctification (1 Thess 4:3), so you honor him by abstaining from sex until marriage and remaining pure within marriage. Even the appearance of evil can cause a fellow believer to stumble (5:22).

There is considerable risk in Naomi’s plan. What if Boaz misreads Ruth’s intentions and takes advantage of her? What if he misreads her intentions and sends her away in shame? What if she is seen by someone in the village and her reputation ruined? The reader silently pleads with Ruth: “Don’t do it! Don’t go!” as in a horror movie in which the heroine opens a door that you know the killer is hiding behind. Miller writes,

Naomi’s brilliant multipart plan minimizes all those problems. By having Ruth go at dusk and approach Boaz only after he is asleep, she eliminates the possibility of Ruth being seen. By having Ruth carefully observe where Boaz lies down, she avoids the problem of going to the wrong person. By letting him sleep, Naomi reduces the risk that others would hear their conversation. By telling Ruth to curl at his feet, she reduces the risk that he would not notice her. And finally, Naomi counts on Boaz’s character to not abuse Ruth. The only remaining problem is that Boaz might turn down Ruth’s offer.8

7 The words uncover (galah), foot (regel), and lie down (shakhav) are rife with sexual innuendo and would remind the Israelites of the incestuous origin of the Moabites during Lot’s drunken orgy in the dark (see Gen 19:30-38). Sexual sin often happened on the threshing floor as ancient fertility rites (see Hos 9:1-2). The words “to know” (yada) and “to go” (bo) are also euphemisms for intercourse (see Gen 4:1; Ruth 4:13). Block explains in further detail: “First, the root glh, ‘to uncover,’ is often used in sexual contexts of ‘uncovering someone’s nakedness’ (a euphemism for exposing the genitals [fn: Lev 18:6–19; 20:11, 17–21; Ezek 22:10]) or of ‘uncovering someone’s skirt.’ Second, the final verb, šākab, ‘to lie,’ is often used to denote sexual relations [fn: Except for Gen 30:15–16 and 2 Sam 11:11, the relations are always illicit (incest, homosexuality, bestiality, rape, seduction): Gen 19:32–33; Lev 20:11–13, 18, 20; Deut 22:25; 27:20–23; 15:22]. Third, the noun between these verbs, margĕlôt, derives from regel, “foot,” the dual and plural of which may be used euphemistically for the genitalia [fn: Exod 4:25; Judg 3:24; 1 Sam 24:3 [4]; Isa 7:20 (all male); Deut 28:57; Ezek 16:25 (both female); Isa 6:2 (heavenly creatures). Occasionally urine is called “water of the feet” (2 Kgs 18:27 = Isa 36:12)]. Not surprisingly, therefore, some interpret Naomi’s scheme as delicate and dangerous, charged with sexual overtones. . . . What is one to think of a woman who bathes, puts on perfume, and then in the dark of night goes out to the field where the man is sleeping and uncovers his legs? Under ordinary circumstances these look like the actions of a prostitute” (Block, Judges, Ruth, 685-86).

8 Miller, A Loving Life, 120. 69

Ruth, however, replies obediently: “All that you say I will do” (Ruth 3:5).

Widowed No Longer (3:6-15) “So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry,9 he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain” (vv. 6-7a). Providentially, Boaz lies down to sleep at a secluded distance from his servants. “Then she came softly10 and uncovered his feet and lay down” (v. 7b). After Boaz has fallen asleep, Ruth sneaks up like a Navy

SEAL, uncovers his feet, and lies down (v. 7b). Who knows how long she lies there, wondering, “When is this loafer ever going to wake up?” Finally, “at midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!” (v. 8). Perhaps his feet were cold.11 The man shivers in the middle of the night, turns over, and behold, to his surprise, there’s a woman lying at his feet! “By calling Boaz and Ruth a ‘man’ and a ‘woman,’ the narrator lets us experience the confusion and ambiguity Boaz must feel. All we see is a man and a woman together. Emphasizing their gender further heightens the sexual tension.”12 Out of the darkness, “he said, ‘Who are you?’” (v. 9a).13 It speaks to God’s grace in this man’s life that he responds to crisis in such a measured way. Any one of us who woke to find a strange woman sleeping in our bed might say something slightly more colorful than, “Who are you?” Most men are not exactly coherent when startled awake in the middle of the night. So it is a miracle in itself that Boaz retains his presence

9 Literally, “good was his heart” (see Judg 18:20; 19:6, 9; 1 Kgs 21:7; Eccl 7:3).

10 The word speaks of stealth and secrecy (e.g., Judg 4:21; 1 Sam 18:22; 24:5). 11 Those of you who are married know what it’s like when your spouse pulls on the comforter a little too hard. Your toes get cold! 12 Miller, A Loving Life, 123.

13 Boaz uses the feminine singular pronoun for “you” (attah), revealing he was at least aware it was a woman lying at his feet. Perhaps he smelt her perfume.

of mind: “Who are you?” he asks, for it is much too dark to recognize her face.

Kanaph She replies with humility: “I am Ruth, your servant” (v. 9b)—not Ruth, the Moabitess; not Ruth, the widow of Mahlon, but Ruth, your servant.14 It’s funny, at this point, Ruth was supposed to keep her mouth shut and let Boaz do the talking, as Naomi had instructed (v. 4). But instead, it is Ruth who lectures Boaz—the servant to the master—the Moabitess to the Israelite—the impoverished woman to the wealthy man:

“Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (v. 9c). This idea of “spreading one’s wings” is a Hebrew idiom for comfort and protection which Boaz himself had used when he prayed that Ruth might find refuge under the mighty wings of Yahweh, the God of Israel (2:12).15 So Ruth reminds Boaz of his very words: “Be the answer to your own prayer. Be the servant of the Lord by protecting me.” The word kanaph refers not only to the wings of a bird, but also to the corners of one’s flowing garment: “Quit hogging the blankets. You’re not the only one who’s shivering.” But there’s more to it than this. A lady doesn’t wear a man’s coat just because she’s cold. It also shows that they belong together when she accepts his covering. Likewise, in the Ancient Near East, throwing your blanket over a woman was akin to putting a ring on her finger—a symbolic declaration by the husband to care for his wife. As God says to Israel, “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment [my kanaph—my wing] over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the

Lord GOD, and you became mine” (Ezek 16:8).

14 “When she first met Boaz, she called herself a shipkhah or ‘lower-level servant.’ This time she uses the word amah or ‘handmaid,’ which is someone who is eligible for marriage. Ruth emphasizes the word by repeating it twice in her request to Boaz” (Miller, A Loving Life, 124). 15 See Deut 32:11; Pss 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4.

Application Insight: Many women desire the protection and covering of marriage and it is the man’s honor to do so. Like God who protects his people, a husband takes joy in protecting and providing for his wife. Such responsibility requires courage and strength from the Lord, but infuses the marriage with blessing.

Ruth is not exactly proposing, but she is proposing that Boaz propose. Again, ladies, I am not advocating that you chase after your man, but sometimes you might want to sidle into his line of sight. As my lovely wife so delicately puts it, “Men are dense.” The typical guy may notice every woman except the one who wants his attention. So in this case, Ruth clearly requests Boaz to act as her redeemer.

Goel Before we go any further, there are two Old Testament cultural customs that we need to understand. First, is the goel—the kinsman redeemer (see Lev 25, et. al.). When Ruth asks Boaz to redeem her, she calls him a goel (Ruth 3:9) as she had learned from Naomi (2:20). The goel was a redeemer of persons or property—whatever was needed to preserve the family’s well-being. As we’ll soon find out, however, Boaz was not the nearest kinsman and had no legal obligation to act as redeemer.16 Therefore, Ruth calls on him to act out of grace for the sake of Naomi. Brad Brandt explains:

Ruth didn’t live by her natural desires but with a supernatural ambition. She made choices based on what was right rather than based on emotion or some personal whim. She could have married someone else, but then Naomi would have been left homeless and her family name would have died. Yet if she married a kinsman of Elimelech, then she would have a husband and Naomi would have a kinsman redeemer. Ruth is asking Boaz to marry her because he is qualified to care for both Ruth and Naomi. Again, there were other eligible bachelors for Ruth to marry, but Boaz was a goel who could care for Naomi and preserve the family name.17

Levir

16 The kinsman redeemer had four legal obligations: To avenge a murder (Num 35:12, 19-27), make restitution for a debt (Num 5:8; see Ps 119:154; Jer 50:34), re-purchase family property (Lev 25:25- 30), or buy a relative out of slavery (Lev 25:47-55). Nowhere is the kinsman redeemer connected to levirate marriage, so Boaz had no obligation to marry Ruth. Boaz will assume the role of kinsman redeemer not because of the law’s demand, but as an expression of grace. 17 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 104.

The second custom regards the levir—a Latin word which translates the Hebrew term for brother-in-law (yavam). For according to Deuteronomy 25, if a man died without having children, the widow’s brother-in-law was to take her as his wife (v. 5). Their firstborn son would then carry on the name of the deceased brother (v. 6) and all subsequent children would belong to the living brother. It was a strange custom, but that’s the way they did things back then. By the letter of the law, the responsibility of levirate marriage first fell upon Mahlon’s brother. Yet Mahlon’s brother, Chilion, had also died in the land of Moab, so the responsibility fell upon the next closest kinsman (v. 12). Again, this was not Boaz. Therefore, just as Boaz had no legal obligation to act as Naomi’s redeemer (goel), neither did he have a legal obligation to marry Ruth (levir). Again, Ruth calls on him to act out of grace: “I know you are not legally bound to marry me, but I call on you as kinsman to redeem me in marriage (levir) and to care for my family as a gracious goel.” Amazingly, God wrote these obscure laws into existence hundreds of years before Boaz met Ruth in order to effectively preserve the lineage of his promised Seed.

Application Insight: At times, when God’s law explicitly states the right thing to do, we trust in God by obeying his commands. At other times, however, we might only know the right thing to do by wisely considering biblical principles. Boaz demonstrates the principle of asking, “What is the best way I can show steadfast lovingkindness to this person in need?”

Hesed

Boaz responds to Ruth’s request: “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter” (Ruth 3:10a). Even with the startling turn of events, he has the presence of mind to pray for her. So the tension is broken. We can all take a breath. For he has said, “Yes!” to her request. He even adds, “You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.” Boaz indicates by his words that Ruth was a free agent to go after any of the young men in the city, whether for love or for money. She was not bound by levirate marriage, yet it was her choice to

perpetuate the line of Elimelech, such that Naomi as well might be cared for. So Boaz exults, “You have made this last kindness—[this latest hesed] greater than the first18 in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich” (v. 10b). Boaz lauds Ruth as so appealing that she could have married any of the men in Bethlehem. He thinks she is out of his league, so he praises her kindness in appealing to him as a kinsman redeemer. Now we do not know, apart from the providence of God, why Boaz stayed unmarried all these years, but surely it was not for want of trying.19 Perhaps he had hesitated to pursue a relationship with Ruth because he was a much older man:20 “Why would this attractive, young woman want anything to do with an old codger like me?”

Application Insight: Young man, the fact that any woman might be attracted to you is indeed the providence of God. You should have the courage to initiate the relationship, but also the humility to know that romance happens only by God’s grace. Trust the Lord in your pursuit of a spouse and rejoice if you find a good one (Prov 5:18).

In fact, however, the opposite is true. Like any good love story, Ruth is thinking the same about Boaz: “Why would this wealthy, well-respected Israelite want anything to do with a peasant like me?” Repeatedly, the narrator reminds us that Ruth is a Moabitess (1:4, 22; 2:2, 6, 10, 21; 4:5, 10). She had not been raised in a godly family and had likely worshipped Chemosh. She did not have a Yahweh-fearing daddy. In fact, her father was nowhere to be found when her husband had died or when she had departed Moab with Naomi (1:6). Ruth did not even stop to say goodbye though her parents were still alive (2:11; see 1:8), for she knew the life she was leaving behind.

18 “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before” (2:11).

19 It is also likely that Boaz may have been a widower, though a previous wife is never mentioned. Jewish tradition holds this view because most wealthy landowners would have no problem securing a wife in marriage.

20 Boaz had called Ruth, “My daughter” (2:8; 3:10, 11), so he may have been nearer to Naomi’s age than Ruth’s (see 2:2, 22; 3:1, 16, 18).

Application Insight: Many enter into marriage with a soiled past: ungodly parents, idolatry, sexual sin, barrenness, poverty, shame. Yet a difficult past does not preclude you from finding a godly spouse and raising a godly family. For past sins are forgiven and past suffering redeemed when you commit yourself to the Lord (e.g., 1:16-17).

Ruth may have felt like damaged goods. As a widow, she is no virgin, yet she had been barren for as much as ten years. She may not even have been a virgin prior to marriage, considering the culture of Moab—a perverted nation born out of incest. She’s new in town and doesn’t have connections. She’s possibly homeless and gleaning in the fields, like a vagrant collecting aluminum cans. She also has a mother-in-law with a streak of bitterness. So Ruth is thinking, “There’s no way!” And Boaz is thinking, “There’s no way!” The reader is left wondering if they’re ever going to get together (much like your parents may be wondering about you). Marriage is what happens when two sinners say, “I do.”21 Therefore, in some sense, every marriage is redemptive: A prideful person must learn to be humble; a selfish person must care for another; a wounded person seeks to forgive; an abandoned person accepts true love. God’s greatest agent of sanctification is often the person you marry.

Application Insight: Young man, perhaps you have a list of what you desire in a future wife. Yet what if you meet a girl who does not come from a godly Christian heritage, who has had a history of abuse, or who lived a hard life before she met Jesus? What if she has some skeletons in her past that don’t show up on your “list”? If God places a woman in your life, are you willing to act as her redeemer like Boaz did for Ruth? Are you willing to love her completely as Christ loves his church?

Boaz is smitten by Ruth, but her inner beauty seals the deal: “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask” (3:11a). In essence, he promises to become her servant as hesed love competes to outdo the other in showing honor (Rom

12:10b). “For all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman” (Ruth 3:11b).22 He calls her “a worthy woman”—an excellent woman—a Proverbs 31 woman.

21 See Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say, “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2007).

22 Literally, “for all the gate of my people know what a worthy woman you are.” The gate of the city represented the leaders of the people.

She’s the perfect match for Boaz who himself was described as “a worthy man” (2:1). They are two-of-a-kind in regards to character. Block summarizes:

What an amazing turn of events this declaration signifies! Ruth had arrived in Bethlehem a few short weeks ago as a destitute widow, a foreigner at the mercy of the locals. And [1:22-2:23] had demonstrated that this was how she perceived herself. She was the lowest of the low, with no recourse but to scavenge in the fields behind the servants of the landowners. But because of her devotion to her mother- in-law and her willingness to abandon all for her, the townspeople knew her true character. But she did not gain this reputation by trying to be somebody, by associating with the important people. On the contrary, it was her self-effacing embodiment of Israel’s lofty covenant standards, her ḥesed, her kindness and loyalty to the family of her deceased husband, especially her mother-in-law, that has won her the praise of all. Boaz could have treated her as Moabite trash, scavenging in the garbage cans of Israel, and then corrupting the people with her whorish behavior; but with true ḥesed of his own, he sees her as a woman equal in status and character to himself.23

Marriage is not a matter of social status like the Hindu caste system, for Paul writes that we are to be “equally yoked” (2 Cor 6:14). We are to seek a spouse of godly character who loves our Lord as well.

Application Insight: If you desire to find a godly spouse, then grow in godliness yourself because like attracts like. You will notice the inner beauty of the person who seeks first the kingdom of God and they will notice you. You still need to be physically and emotionally attracted to your future spouse, but seek first a person of godly character.

Boaz has found a godly woman and Ruth has found a godly man. Yet as they are about to fade into the sunset and live happily ever after, Boaz reveals there is just one problem: “And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I”

(Ruth 3:12). Boaz had done his homework and he knew the biblical teaching from Scripture that a closer kinsman had first dibs to marry Ruth. Perhaps that was another reason Boaz had kept his distance—out of respect for his fellow kinsman. Even in love he is a worthy man, not willing to circumvent the law: “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as

23 Block, Judges, Ruth, 694-95.

the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning” (v. 13).24 “Don’t worry,” he tells Ruth, “The Lord will take care of this. If my kinsman redeems you, then good, you’ll have a redeemer. But if he does not redeem you, then even better, I will delight25 to take you as my wife.” Like Ruth (see 1:16-17), he takes an oath to Yahweh that he will see this through.

Application Insight: Instead of circumventing the law or societal norms, Boaz trusts in the Lord for his future marriage. He refuses to let the ends justify the means and submits his noble desire of pursuing a godly wife to the sovereignty of God. So also, do not idolize romance or marriage or you will be devastated when the relationship fails. God must be your ultimate good and your marriage built on him.

It seems a bit scandalous that Boaz urges Ruth to stay the night as the entire passage is rife with innuendos and euphemistic phrases. Yet nothing in the context indicates anything immoral or illicit in their behavior. In fact, we are told repeatedly that Boaz and Ruth are virtuous in character, so we have no reason to think the worst. Also, if Boaz had taken advantage of Ruth that night, he would not have kept up the appearance of purity. Perhaps the narrator has purposely created this tension to highlight their integrity in the midst of temptation. Here is a man and woman attracted to each other like all the rest. It’s pitch dark. They’re secluded by themselves. No one will ever know and everyone else is doing it, yet they have made a choice to honor each other and to honor the Lord. Again, young person, don’t try this at home.

Application Insight: Purity is a choice you make before the choice is required. Choose to be a man or a woman of integrity before you come to that place of testing. For it is much more difficult to choose purity if you have not established your convictions in advance.

Boaz is a man of character, but also wisdom. He asks Ruth to stay because he doesn’t want her wandering about in the dark of night when there are less virtuous men

24 The pronoun is repeated twice in the Hebrew for emphasis: “I myself will redeem you, as the LORD lives.” 25 The word “willing” (chephetz) is more commonly translated, “to delight in.”

between her and the city. He asks her to stay not to take advantage of her, but to guard her chastity.26 “So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor’” (3:14). Boaz guards Ruth’s safety by protecting her during the night, then he guards her reputation by sending her off in the morning. For although they did nothing wrong, Boaz knows how tongues will wag if Ruth is seen. He sends her on her way before her face was recognized in the dawn’s early light. Miller summarizes:

Prudence shapes how Boaz loves Ruth. Because men have a problem with sexual lust, he cautions his male workers not to touch her. Because people have a problem with jealousy, he cautions his workers not to belittle her. Because people have a tendency to judge, he gives her a sack of grain as cover. The right caution frees us to love without abandon.27 Application Insight: Minimize gossip and slander, by being wise with whom and how much you share about your romantic relationship. You should be able to talk with trusted friends and family who will seek your welfare and keep you accountable. Yet not everyone will handle your relationship with loving care.

Boaz also knows that any gossip about this late-night visit might throw a wrench into his plans. According to later Jewish tradition, a man suspected of having relations with a Gentile woman was excluded from offering levirate marriage.28 In addition, if the closer kinsman knew of Boaz’s feelings for Ruth, he might drive a harder bargain. So although their secrecy was not sinful, it was shrewd. Boaz then gives Ruth another gift to take back home: “And he said, ‘Bring the garment29 you are wearing and hold it out.’ So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on

26 “When Boaz tells Ruth to ‘lie down until morning,’ he deliberately uses a nonsexual word, which simply means ‘lodge.’ Even though the atmosphere is sexually and romantically charged, the narrator makes it clear that Boaz and Ruth are chaste. The Hebrew word for lodge is the same word Ruth used when she told Naomi, ‘Where you stay, I will stay’” (Miller, A Loving Life, 128, emphasis in original).

27 Miller, A Loving Life, 146, emphasis in original. 28 See Morris, Judges and Ruth, 293.

29 This is not the cloak (simlah) which Ruth had worn to the threshing floor (v. 3), but something more like a shawl (mithpachath).

her.30 Then she went into the city” (v. 15).31 We already know Boaz to be a generous man, so this gift doubles as a promise that he will be good to his word.

Empty No Longer (3:16-18)32

God’s gift to Naomi Boaz’s gift is not primarily for Ruth, however, but rather for Naomi33 who has stayed up all night wondering if her advice was sound. It wasn’t, of course, but God still has a way of working things out. “And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, ‘How did you fare, my daughter?’” (v. 16a).34 Then Ruth told Naomi “all that the man had done for her” (v. 16b).

Application Insight: Young ladies, beware of doing anything you wouldn’t want your affectionate mother to know. If you’re not sure whether to engage in a certain activity, ask yourself two questions: Would I do this if God were watching? Because he is! And can I share the details with my mother when I get home tonight? Because you know she’s going to ask. You can almost picture Naomi squealing with delight as Ruth tells her every juicy detail about her night with Boaz.

Then Ruth says to Naomi, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law’” (v. 17). Surprisingly, Boaz had used the same word, “empty” (reqam), that Naomi had used when she cried out bitterly, “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty” (1:21). Boaz had not been present when Naomi spoke those words, so this was the kind

30 If this measure was a seah, it would have weighed about 88 pounds (not quite as portable as a diamond engagement ring). At least Boaz helped to position the bulky present on her head. 31 The Hebrew uses the masculine pronoun, “he” went into the city, so perhaps Boaz accompanies Ruth back to the city since it was still dangerous to travel in the dark. She returns to Naomi, while he takes care of business at the city gate.

32 See Appendix 6 for further insights on the themes of emptiness and filling. 33 Some speculate the grain provided a cover story to appear that Ruth was returning from a long night of winnowing. Others suggest this was a down payment on a dowry—the price to purchase a bride from her family. This seems unlikely, however, since Boaz does not yet retain the right of kinsman redeemer. Perhaps he is merely showing gratitude to Naomi for introducing him to Ruth.

34 Literally, “Who are you, my daughter?” In other words, “Do you now belong to Boaz or are you still a Moabite widow? Tell me all the juicy details.”

and gracious God speaking to Naomi through the words of Boaz: “Naomi, my daughter— my pleasant one, my sweetheart. I have never left you empty. I have held for you so many blessings in the palm of my hand until you were ready to receive them.” Again, Naomi witnesses the kindness of the Lord in the kindness of Boaz (see 2:19-20). So she assures Ruth, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today” (3:18). This Jewish matriarch with all her scheming plans instructs Ruth to be patient—to rest in the Lord (see Heb 4:9-10). She knows now that “for those who love [Yahweh] all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). She also knows they can rest because Boaz would not. In fact, he truly will “settle the matter day” and make Ruth his bride in less than 24-hours.

Application Insight: “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom 2:4). So repent of any times you doubted God’s faithfulness or accused him of failure. Then remember his evidences of grace in your life and you will be more prone to trust him with every successive trial.

Boaz is a man of action and also a man of his word. He rises early in the morning, though perhaps a bit bleary-eyed from talking with Ruth late into the night. Some question whether he left the grain that he so carefully guarded the night before, but think about it! This man’s just been engaged to the girl of his dreams. He’s not thinking about wheat and barley. He will not rest until he carries out his purpose.

Application Insight: Young man, the prospect of marriage should drive you to become the man God wants you to be. Learn to keep your word and take practical steps for the good of your family. The responsibilities of marriage should cause you to grow up into the husband and father required by God.

The romance of redemption This charming romance between Boaz and Ruth reveals a much deeper story. For the Old Testament describes the covenant God, Yahweh, as the goel of his people,

Israel.35 Although Boaz and Ruth did not know it at the time, the Spirit of God intended to give us a glorious picture of our gracious goel—our kinsman redeemer—the Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ was under no legal obligation to redeem us, yet he was both able and willing (Luke 22:42; John 6:38-40). While we were stained and undeserving sinners (Rom 5:8), he considered our interests above his own (Phil 2:4). He became a man and took on flesh to be our related kinsman (vv. 5-8a). He brought hope where once there was despair and fullness where we once were empty. He began a new family in place of barrenness and death by paying a heavy price to be our redeemer (vv. 8b; Mark 10:45). For he himself did not rest until he bore our sins upon the cross and was able to declare, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). This is the romance of our redemption by which Jesus wed the church and brought her to himself (Eph 5:31-32). And unlike earthly marriage, not even death will separate us from our bridegroom, Jesus Christ (Rom 8:38-39).

Application Insight: Perhaps today you see yourself in Ruth. There’s an emptiness in your life. The past is shameful and the future is bleak. Throw yourself upon the grace and lovingkindness of the Lord, for he is willing and able to redeem. He is willing to draw you into relationship with himself—to make the church his bride. He is willing to protect you and provide for you and give you security. In fact, has already paid that costly price with his own life. Will you come to him today?

35 See Exod 6:6-8; see Isa 41:14; Jer 50:34; many others in Isa 40-55 and in the Psalms.

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Literary parallels not only advance the narrative in a creative and memorable way, they also illustrate the amazing providence of God. Discuss the following parallels between Ruth chapters 2 and 3.36

2:1-23 Comparisons/Contrasts 3:1-18 Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz Characters Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz Start of harvest Time/Season End of harvest Boaz’s field/ Primary Setting/Activity Threshing floor/ harvesting grain protecting grain God guides Ruth’s “luck” Front-End Perspective Naomi plans Ruth’s strategy Ruth present, Boaz arrives Initial Interplay Boaz present, Ruth arrives Asking to glean (Deut 24:19) Ruth’s Question Asking to marry (25:5-10) He agrees Boaz’s Answer He agrees Fully reported to him Boaz’s Knowledge of Ruth From all his people in town No apparent Looming Question Closer kinsman/redeemer kinsman/provider Her physical need Boaz’s Protection of Ruth Her good reputation Working all day Scene Duration Waiting all night Boaz: man of excellence Description of Character Ruth: woman of excellence (2:1) (3:11) An ephah of barley What Ruth Takes Home to Six measures of barley Naomi Naomi’s question Hinge to Final Mini-Scheme Naomi’s question Naomi’s wisdom Parting Thought Naomi’s wisdom

2. How does levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10) play a part in this story? How is the levir distinct from the goel?

36 This chart has been adapted from Boyd Luter and Richard Rigsby, JETS 39:1 (March 1996), 16.

3. In what ways did both Ruth and Boaz demonstrate integrity and character in the events of this story?

4. How do we see hesed love displayed in each relationship: Naomi to Ruth, Ruth to Naomi, Ruth to Boaz, and Boaz to Ruth?

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. How are the actions of Boaz for Ruth similar to that of Yahweh for Israel (Ezek 16:8-12) and that of Jesus for believers today?

2. How do you think Naomi felt when Ruth shows her Boaz’s gift and uses the very word “empty” Naomi had used in 1:21?

3. Identify a situation in your life where you are at the same time trusting God’s providence as participating in his plan.

4. If you are married, share with your spouse ten qualities about them that you admire. If you are not married, list five qualities from Boaz and five from Ruth that exemplify a godly man or a godly woman.

5. Make a list of practical ways you can serve your spouse in marriage. Choose three of these ideas to practice this week.

A SANDAL AND A BRIDE: COUNSEL FOR COMMUNITY (4:1-12)

A. Read Ruth 4 aloud.

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov 18:22). In Bible times, a man found a good wife through the wisdom of his parents (31:10-31), his community (12:4), and his God (19:14). So also, today, a married couple should be supported and commended by the wisdom of the church.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you pray for other families in your church? Do you pray for their marriages and their children? Write down a list of biblical principles you can pray for other families, then pray!

2. To what extent should the church be involved in life-on-life community? Why are we hesitant to go deeper in relationship with others? What should motivate us to do so?

HOOK: Case Study1

BOOK: Biblical Exposition We have arrived at chapter four, having walked with Ruth from the outskirts of Moab (ch. 1) to the barley fields of Boaz (ch. 2) to a midnight rendezvous on the threshing floor (ch. 3). We now arrive at the city courthouse, but you need not be a lawyer to understand these proceedings. You must simply be a student of God’s Word. Thus far, women have been the main actors in the story. Like many men, Boaz was slow to get involved. Yet when he finally steps in, he’s in full bore (3:10-15). It was Naomi who had decided to return to Bethlehem and Ruth who rose early to glean in the

1 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 141-42, 182-84.

field where she made an impression on a wealthy bachelor. It was Naomi’s hare-brained scheme that Ruth carried out on the threshing floor and Ruth who proposed that Boaz propose. Ruth returned from the threshing floor with a sack full of barley on her head and Naomi had rejoiced: “Thank you, Lord. My work here is done.” She then assured Ruth, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today” (v. 18). Naomi certainly knew her kinsman well, for Boaz wastes no time. Picture him striding quickly up to Bethlehem in the cool mist of the morning air. The early dawn breaks forth to reveal a love-struck man who doesn’t believe in long engagements. Boaz is thinking, “A whole year? How about a day? Forget the cake and the photographer and the centerpieces that people put on the floor anyway to make room for the food. Let’s just get married!”

Application Insight: If you have found a godly person to marry, then consider a short engagement—less than a year. Take time to make a wise decision, of course, but don’t delay because you fear commitment. Once you find a person God would be pleased for you to marry, then take a step of faith.

The Court Convenes (4:1-2) “Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there” (4:1a).2 Apparently, he’s in such a hurry, he doesn’t even bother to go home. He sits down right when he arrives, for the city gate is where all such business was conducted.3 In a city with narrow streets and crowded corridors, it was the main place where people would congregate— serving as both marketplace and civic center. Often the gate opened into a large passageway flanked by chambers on either side. Each chamber might have plastered benches running along the three inner walls with enough room to comfortably sit twelve

2 The syntactical sentence structure places the emphasis on the person of “Boaz.” His actions are purposeful and his intentions clear, for he is a man who keeps his word.

3 See Gen 19:1, 9; 23:10, 18; 34:20, 24; 2 Sam 15:2-6; Prov 22:22. Remember this was in the day before email and cellphones, so the city gate was the best place to wait for an appointment.

men. So perhaps Boaz catches his breath as he takes a seat on one of these benches, reserving his spot in the town “community center.” Yet he does not wait for long because in the providence of God, the other kinsman just happens to pass by almost immediately. Perhaps he was on his way to work in the field: “And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by” (v. 1b). “And behold” expresses the suddenness of his coming. It’s like when you check into Urgent Care and the receptionist tells you, “Take a seat. The doctor will be right with you.” Then just as you settle into the waiting room chair—before you can even pick up a magazine to pass the time, she calls out again, “The doctor will see you now.” We might be surprised by the Lord’s timing, yet Boaz is not. For he had vowed to Ruth (taking an oath to the Lord) that he would settle the matter quickly (3:13). The same Lord who had orchestrated circumstances such that Ruth just happened to glean in the field of Boaz (2:3) and Boaz just happened to visit during her first day on the job (v. 4) has now caused this other kinsman to show up at just the right time. Isn’t God amazing?

Application Insight: God ordains the movements of people and events. We can certainly take responsible steps to pursue a spouse (i.e., ask a girl out, accept a blind date, use an online dating service), but we must not try to play God in our relationships. He will override both our scheming and ineptitude (Prov 16:9; 19:21).

So Boaz calls out to the man, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here” (Ruth 4:1c). “I know you’re on your way to work, but I’ve got urgent business with you. Have a seat, friend.” Now the Hebrew does not actually call this man a “friend,” but rather peloni almoni (a fun phrase to say).4 This rhyming idiom might best be translated as “Mr. So- and-So.” Boaz certainly knows the man’s name, for this was a close relative whom he had recognized by sight. Yet in the story, the narrator deems it unnecessary to state the

4 See 1 Sam 21:2; 2 Kgs 6:8. “This raises an important question: Why would the narrator, who is otherwise so careful with names, keep this character anonymous? Whatever the motivation, the effect is to diminish our respect for him. To be sure, nothing overtly negative is said about him, but like Orpah, who serves as a foil for Ruth in chap. 1, this man presents a contrast to Boaz. He may be the gōʾēl, but he will shortly be dismissed as irrelevant to the central theme of the book: the preservation of the royal line of David” (Block, Judges, Ruth, 707).

man’s name for two reasons. First, the narrator casts judgment: “This man’s name is not worthy to remember.” We’ll soon find out he only wants to make a name for himself. He doesn’t care that Ruth and Naomi are living from soup kitchen to soup kitchen. In a small town like Bethlehem, he must have known their situation, yet he never even lifted a finger to help. He neglected his duty, though he was the nearest kinsman. So the judgment is fitting: His precious name is blotted out from history. But secondly, the narrator extends mercy. His name is changed to protect the guilty, so as not to further embarrass him or his descendants. It’s bad enough to miss out on being ancestor to the Messiah, but even worse for your name to be dragged through centuries of mud. This man will act as a foil to Boaz as Orpah was a foil to Ruth.5 His unworthiness will exalt the worthiness of Boaz.

Application Insight: Only what’s done for Christ will last, so do not spend your life on earthly pursuits with nothing to show for eternity (Matt 6:19). Instead, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (vv. 20-21).

Boaz implores the man to sit down, then rounds up ten elders6 of the city (Ruth 4:2). Apparently, ten was the prescribed number to convene a proper ceremony, for Boaz calls them to witness the case he is about to present.7 These men leave their fields and their families to preside at the city gate, which incidentally, speaks volumes about Boaz’s character. As a worthy man, people listen when he speaks. So Boaz convenes the court and then he makes his case.

5 “In this closer relative we have a sudden pale reminder of Orpah. Like Orpah, he has only the usual order of courage. He avoids risk, the unexpected, the lightning move into imagination. He thinks of what he has, not of what he might do. He is perfectly conventional and wants to stick with what is familiar. Then let him go in peace—he is too ordinary to be the husband of Ruth” (Cynthia Ozick, Metaphor and Memory [New York: Vintage, 1991], 264).

6 Literally, “men with beards.” Every young man need a few greybeards in his life.

7 Ten men later became the prescribed number to convene a synagogue or to bless the bridegroom at his wedding (Midrash Rabbah), yet in Boaz’s day only two or three witnesses were needed for a legal decision (Deut 17:6; 19:15).

The Kinsman Convicted (4:3-8)

The challenger offers Boaz informs his fellow kinsman: “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech” (v. 3). Notice how he subtly reminds his kinsman of their family ties: “our relative” (literally, “our brother”). Keeping land within the family was of crucial importance in Jewish culture, so Boaz urges the man to make a decision: “So I thought I would tell you of it8 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” (v. 4a-b). “Redeem the land,” he says, “But if you don’t want it, let me know so I can redeem it.” Like a skilled negotiator, Boaz plays his cards close to the vest (see Prov 12:23) and indicates his willingness to walk away from the table.

Application Insight: Boaz had several options. He could have married Ruth without redeeming the land for Naomi or he could have allowed Mr. So-and-So to redeem the land without marrying Ruth. Boaz’s love, however, focused on others and acted for their good (1 John 3:18), so he sought to care for both Ruth and Naomi. The world tells you that love is finding someone who will give you what you want, whereas godly love focuses on what you can give away (e.g., John 3:16).

Our minds instantly flood with questions: Where did this land come from and why haven’t we heard about it? Why are Ruth and Naomi living like paupers, scavenging for food, when they have this land holding? The only thing we know for certain, however, (because Boaz tells us) is that Naomi has the rights to the land.9 So let us propose a possible scenario. We can speculate that moving to Moab was a last resort for

8 Boaz uses the idiom, “I myself thought to uncover [galah] your ear.” Ruth had uncovered his feet and now Boaz uncovers his kinsman’s ear. 9 Although Numbers 27:8-11 seems to indicate that widows could not inherit land from a deceased husband. “Strictly speaking, as a widow, Naomi had the right neither to buy nor to sell the land outright. However, she could potentially control the right to use the land until the next Jubilee year” (Duguid, Esther and Ruth, 181, n2.

Elimelech. The Moabites were hated by Israel as a nation spawned from incest and steeped in idolatry. They sacrificed their children to the vile god, Chemosh, and did not worship the one, true God, Yahweh. So perhaps Elimelech had first sought other alternatives to provide for his family, which included selling his land to an outsider. Dire times called for dire measures. This would have been the equivalent of taking your wedding ring down to the pawnshop. Then once that money ran out, his only option would have been to sell himself into slavery. Faced with that fate, he chose instead to sojourn in Moab. So when Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she truly does have nothing to her name—not even the land which once belonged to her husband. So she and Ruth are forced to rely on the lovingkindness of others. Only Boaz’s generosity provides sufficient food for livelihood so they can focus on other matters like redeeming the land. Now the land belonged to God, so it could never be permanently sold (see Lev 25:23). In fact, every fifty years on the Year of Jubilee, all the land reverted to its original ownership regardless of how often the title had changed hands (v. 28). Yet even before the Year of Jubilee, the kinsman redeemer could buy back the land for his relative and redeem what his brother had sold (vv. 24-25). The wording in Ruth 4:3, “Naomi . . . is selling,” could be interpreted this way. So Naomi would not be selling the land if it had been previously sold by Elimelech. Instead, she would be surrendering the rights to redeem the land to her nearest kinsman.

Application Insight: God built the principle of redemption into his law to show that we are all tied to one another as if by an invisible rope. If our brother (i.e., parent, child, spouse, friend) makes a foolish decision, we suffer the consequences as well. Since Adam sinned, “death spread to all men” (Rom 5:12). Yet because Christ died, we have received “righteousness leading to eternal life” (vv. 17-21). Adam fell off the cliff and pulled us down who were tied to him, yet Christ threw us a lifeline and pulled us to safety.

The kinsman accepts Boaz exhorts the redeemer: “Here’s an opportunity to play the man—to be a hero by rescuing a widow whose husband left her in the lurch: no life insurance, no land

holdings, nothing to provide for her needs” (see Ruth 4:4a-b). Now it may seem a strange custom that the widow comes with the land. Imagine if you were house-hunting and found the perfect place for a steal, but then your agent says, “Ahhh, there’s just one thing. Upstairs in the master bedroom is a bitter, old hag. She stays.” That kind of added bonus makes you think twice. For Boaz knows this relative of his and understands basic human nature. This guy doesn’t see “true religion that is pure and undefiled” (Jas 1:27). He sees shekels in his future. He sees a nice plot of land for a bargain price—no strings attached, except maybe taking care of this widow for a few years. He thinks, “She’s just an elderly woman who’s past having kids. When she kicks the bucket, I’ll get the land.” So he says, “Yeah, I’ll redeem it!” (Ruth 4:4c).10

Application Insight: Wise people are not only able to discern God’s will, but are also able to discern sinful human nature. For God’s Word reveals both human depravity and godly virtue (see Gal 5:16-26) and illuminates the destination of each path (Prov 4:18-19). Jesus told us to be shrewd about human nature and not naïve: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt 10:16b).

The challenger counters

By this time, a crowd of more than just the ten elders has begun to gather at the city gate (see Ruth 4:9-12). The narrator increases the tension by allowing the crowd to gradually grow: First Boaz, then Mr. So-and-So, the ten elders, and now many townspeople who were passing by. So Boaz, still poker-faced, pulls out his trump card and plays the old switcheroo by inserting Ruth with Naomi: “Then Boaz said, ‘The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you11 also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance’” (v. 5).

Finally, Mr. So-and-So blinked. The pot was sweet for just Naomi, but Ruth plus Naomi

10 The repetition of the pronoun, “I myself,” reveals his decision to be emphatic. He could not pass up such a lucrative opportunity.

11 There is a textual difficulty as to whether this pronoun is first or second person (see Block, Judges, Ruth, 713 for the discussion). We will take it as second person singular referring to Mr. So-and-So. Either way, it would place his inheritance in jeopardy.

was too rich for his blood. Boaz’s trickery reminds us of that old devil, Laban, who slipped his elder daughter Leah into the bridal chamber with Jacob instead of his youngest daughter, Rachel (see Gen 29). Yet Boaz is not being sinful, but shrewd.

Application Insight: For our family’s protection, we need to test people’s motives since many business deals are driven by selfish greed. Although we should not become like the world, but must be able to understand them. For example, ask yourself why you receive so many credit card offers in the mail. If you are buying online, make sure the company is legitimate. Patiently seek wise counsel when an opportunity looks too good to be true. Shrewd business sense is one of the ways God provides for you and your family.

Suddenly, we learn why Boaz chose the most public arena to present a case that seemed to gain him nothing. For in the presence of many witnesses, Mr. So-and-So has been publicly snared by an ethical dilemma. He’s already shown a willingness to redeem the land when the action profited himself (Ruth 4:4c). Yet Boaz has now tied to the land the responsibility to redeem Ruth as well. Although the kinsman was not legally bound to redeem Ruth (since he wasn’t Mahlon’s brother), Boaz has bound him morally to do the right thing for a widow in the family. He calls Ruth “the widow of the dead” to remind the man of his filial duty to rescue the line of Elimelech.12 Boaz then increases the pressure still more by reminding his kinsman that Ruth is a Moabitess, perhaps to expose any latent racism. Ruth’s ethnicity does not matter to Boaz who admires her character immensely,13 but he hopes it will deter his kinsman. It’s like saying to a friend about a woman you both like, “You know if you date that Christian girl, she plans to stay pure for her marriage.” Redeeming the land has now become more an act of self-sacrificial love than a means for personal profit.

Application Insight: The righteous man can endure the fire longer than the wicked (see Ps 1), so press the situation far enough and the man with less scruples will get

12 Deuteronomy 25 describes this responsibility of the levir to continue the family line of the deceased. Scripture doesn’t specify the legal extent of this obligation.

13 Keep in mind that Boaz descended from a Canaanite harlot, Rahab, who had likewise turned in faith to the one true God (see Matt 1:5; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25).

out of the way. God will ultimately reward those who consistently live uprightly (Prov 2:7).

The kinsman folds If Mr. So-and-So takes the land, but leaves the widow, then everyone will know his selfish motives. Yet if he takes the widow with the land, it will endanger his own inheritance by having to care for not just one widow, but two (see Ruth 4:6a). He would have to fork out part of his own inheritance to redeem the land, knowing he might not ever recoup his losses since the land would go to his firstborn son with Ruth (see v. 5;

Deut 25:5-6). That’s his dilemma. He’s okay with being a scumbag, but just doesn’t want the world to know it. His only option now is to relinquish the right of redemption to Boaz. By doing so, he will lose the land, but will spare his inheritance and hopefully his reputation. For since Boaz has already promised to redeem Ruth, Mr. So-and-So’s rejection will actually improve her situation. The question is not, “Will Ruth be wed?” but rather, “Which man will be the one to wed her?”

Application Insight: In the absence of gospel-centered change, moral accountability is a viable option. For example, Alcoholic’s Anonymous may help a person remain sober until he is willing to seek out Christ. The legal authorities may help to restrain an abusive husband. Peer pressure and internet filters can be used to shut down pornography. A wise counselor may introduce these safeguards until the person is ready for heart repentance and change.

Knowing he’s been played, Mr. So-and-So resigns: “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it” (Ruth 4:6).14 Again, we see the practical importance of Boaz being a man of character and more established. He offers stability because he has done something with his life. He has a business and a bank account. He’s put away for a house and maybe even the education of his future children, so that he can be ready when the right woman

14 Again the repeated pronouns, “I, myself, my,” reveal the emphasis on self. As certain as he was before (v. 4c), he is now unwilling to redeem: “It will cost me too much.” He then switches the emphasis to Boaz with the repeated pronouns, “you, yourself.”

comes along.15 The other redeemer was not ready, but God had been preparing Boaz long before he would ever meet Ruth.

Application Insight: Young man, stability will attract the woman you are wooing. So your singleness is not the time to extend your adolescence, but a time to please the Lord (1 Cor 7:6-8). Start preparing for marriage now by asking the Lord what it means to mature into manhood. For one day, that lovely lady might walk into your life—a worthy woman like Ruth. Yet what if she’s drowning in student loans? What if she’s a single mom with a couple of kids? You don’t want to say to her, “Sorry, I can’t afford it.” If she talks about starting a family, you don’t want to plead, “Can you wait a few years while I grow up?”

The challenger wins The deal is done. The land is redeemed. The bride is spoken for. In today’s world of business, all that’s left is a handshake. So imagine how surprised you’d be if you extended your hand, only to have the other party give you his shoe. This “ceremony of the sandal” is not a custom with which we’re familiar. Apparently, it was somewhat removed even from the readers of that day, for the narrator includes a parenthetical explanation: “Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel” (Ruth 4:7). This custom probably arose from the ancient practice of claiming land by walking around the borders of a property.16 Thus removing one’s sandal and handing it to another became the symbol of transferring land: “No cash, no credit, but we do take leather.” In this case, however, it is not the transfer of property, but rather the transfer of the right to redeem. So as the redeemer takes off his sandal and hands it to Boaz, he says, “Buy it for yourself” (v. 8). “Redeem the land and redeem the woman.” With this act, Mr. So-and-So fades from the story. As a foil to Boaz, he finishes just as he began: without a name, since he refused to

15 Realize that these examples are not necessary prerequisites for marriage nor absolute indicators of maturity. The main requirement of a godly husband is that he provides for his family (1 Tim 5:8). How that looks in every family will change based on the context and the culture. 16 See Gen 13:17; Deut 1:36; 11:24; Josh 1:3; 14:9.

restore the name of the dead to his inheritance. There he goes, exiting stage left, hobbling along on a solitary sandal.

Application Insight: Many of today’s marital customs are not prescribed in Scripture, yet they present a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for the church. For example, asking your future bride’s father for her hand in marriage is a way to show honor to her parents (Eph 6:1-3). The engagement ring is a promise to wed, just as the Holy Spirit is “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (1:13-14). The elements in a traditional wedding ceremony are also embedded with biblical meaning and point to Christ’s love for his church (5:31-32).

The Crowd’s Commendation (4:9-12) The scene now turns entirely to Boaz, who delivers his third and final speech:

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 (vv. 9-10).

“Today—this day” highlights Boaz’s promptness to fulfill his promise to Ruth (3:13) and to fulfill Naomi’s words (v. 18). Boaz had two items on his honey-do list: The first was to redeem the land—a right he purchased from Naomi. Yet the second item strikes to the heart of the matter, for in redeeming the land he also obtains Ruth to be his wife. “Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon” stands first in the clause, thus receiving emphasis.

Application Insight: Have a plan to wisely address the sin or suffering in your future spouse’s past with a premarital counselor. Boaz acknowledges that Ruth was a Moabite, the widow of Mahlon. Today, you may need to address issues of abuse, addiction, promiscuity, pornography, divorce, etc. You must be honest with one another (1 John 1:5-8, 10), then move forward in the Lord with forgiveness and healing (v. 9; Prov 28:13). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

Sometimes in premarital counseling, I ask the enthusiastic young man why he wants to get married and he usually hits the ball out of the park: “I’m desperate to marry her. I will delight to make her my wife.” He may go on to explain in detail many of her virtuous qualities. But occasionally, he bunts: “Well, you know, we’ve been dating for

awhile and she thinks it’s time.” And unfortunately, he sometimes takes a swing and a miss: “Once we get married, we won’t have to pay rent on both apartments.” At first glance, Boaz seems to whiff like Mr. Practical when he gives his reason for marriage: “It is my heart’s desire to preserve the name of the dead. May the deceased be honored and not cut off” (see Ruth 4:10).17 His answer may not melt your heart, ladies, but consider his actions: Boaz is redeeming land which will never be his. He gives up part of his own inheritance to purchase Naomi’s land for the sake of another. He also does what the other kinsman would not by lovingly marrying Ruth at great personal cost to himself. Remember that Boaz is under no legal obligation to act as Ruth’s levir. The story of Ruth reveals lovingkindness (hesed) which motivates her redeemer beyond the letter of the law. As Jesus would one day express, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Likewise, Boaz sacrificially laid down his rights to redeem the rights of Ruth and Naomi.

Application Insight: Every relationship, especially marriage, involves sacrifice. You must give of your time, energy, thoughts, and resources to maintain a healthy relationship. You may suffer unjustly or experience sorrow when you are bound to your spouse. Relationships, however, are a mess worth making.

Boaz concludes his final speech and says to all the crowd, “You are witnesses this day” (Ruth 4:10c). For witnesses were vital in the days before sales receipts and electronic property records. “Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said,

‘We are witnesses’” (v. 11a) and their first response is to pray for Boaz:

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” (vv. 11b-12).

Remember that every prayer in this story is offered for someone else and every

17 Elimelech’s lineage is restored. Truly God is King!

prayer is answered by God.18 So the townspeople pray a blessing over three aspects of Boaz’s life: his wife, his works, and his whippersnappers.

A prayer for Boaz’s wife First, they pray for his wife, “May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel” (v. 11a). This truly is a fertility prayer—a plea for lots and lots of kids. Some of you women are thinking, “Keep that prayer away from me!” But not so for the Jews who believed,

“Children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Ps 127:3). The twelve sons of Rachel and Leah were the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel, so every Jew in some way descended from these two women (see Gen 35:22b-26). It might seem amazing that the childless Ruth would be compared with them, since she had been barren for over ten years and women in that culture did not decide to be childless. There was no birth control—no waiting until you bought a house or finished your education. Ruth simply could not have children, so we see here the power of prayer.

The people call upon the God of the universe who formed a man from dust (2:7) and would one day become humanity himself in a virgin’s womb (Matt 1:23). Remember also that Rachel was barren before the Lord had “opened her womb” (Gen 30:22). Thus the people pray to God for the fertility of Boaz’s wife. Picture with sanctified imagination as Boaz runs to the home of his beloved.

Naomi and Ruth hear an urgent knock at the door. They open it to find a breathless Boaz who pulls out from behind his back a well-worn sandal which declared to Ruth everything which she desired. Without a word, Boaz smiled with his eyes: “I have redeemed you.”

Application Insight: Infertility brings great sorrow to the couple who desires to have children. Instead of insensitively asking when they will have kids, pray for

18 See Appendix 7 for “Prayers in the Book of Ruth.”

them to receive the miracle of fertility. Humbly remember it is God who opens and closes the womb (see Gen 4:1; 21:2; 25:21, 29:31; 30:22).

A prayer for Boaz’s works The people also pray for Boaz’s works: “May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11b). These are parallel statements since Ephrathah was the ancient name for Bethlehem, so the people pray that Boaz might be blessed with fortune and fame. Again, “worthiness” can refer to “wealth” and, “May you be renowned,” is literally, “to call a name.” In the context, it’s a good name. For when the people call the name of Boaz, it’s like a marching band, cheering crowd, and confetti have fallen from the sky. He’s famous—a local hero! Although Boaz’s noble intention had been to perpetuate the line of Elimelech, it is actually Boaz’s name that becomes famous and his house that is built up.

Application Insight: It is tempting to envy the success of others, so pray for your neighbor’s business to prosper, his reputation to flourish, and his family to increase. Praying that God will bless your neighbor staves off the monster of jealousy.

A prayer for Boaz’s whippersnappers The people’s final prayer for Boaz is for his family-to-be (all those little whippersnappers his wife will bear): “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” (v. 12). Perez, the most prominent of Judah’s offspring, will be further described in the next chapter. By referencing the kingly line of Judah (see Gen 49:8-12; 1 Chr 5:2), we now witness that this love story points forward to David and then to the Messiah. The reason we are told about Ruth and Boaz is not because it’s such a nice story. Rather, it displays the glorious love of God who not only preserved the family line through which his Son would come, but also sent his Son to be our Kinsman Redeemer at the cost of his very life. This is the romance of redemption that God himself, who was in no way obligated, purchased us from slavery to sin and redeemed us from spiritual poverty. He made the 97

church his bride that we might fully enjoy the eternal benefits of his covenant.

Application Insight: Matthew 1:1-17 records five women in the genealogy of Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.19 All five retained a sexual stigma and four of them were likely foreigners. Therefore, Christ’s own genealogy reminds us that God sent his Son to redeem sinners and “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Women in the Genealogy of Christ (Matt 1:1-17) Passage Person Ethnicity Sexual Stigma Gen 38 Tamar Unknown Acted the harlot with her father- in-law Josh 2:1-7; Rahab Canaanite in Jericho Former harlot 6:17-25 Ruth 1-4 Ruth Moabite Formerly barren; Midnight rendezvous with Boaz 2 Sam 11 Bathsheba Gilonite (2 Sam 23:34) Adultery with King David Luke 1:26-35 Mary Israelite Virgin birth

A prayer for your redemption To redeem another requires both desire and ability. So we observe certain qualifications in Boaz which we shall later see in Christ—our final kinsman redeemer.

First, the kinsman must be related to the one he redeems. In Jewish culture, you didn’t just go around redeeming every poor widow and orphan on the street. For this reason, Christ willingly took on flesh to relate to us as human beings (Heb 2:14-18; Phil 2:5-8). He joyfully went to the cross (Heb 12:2) and one day, his name will be exalted far above the earth (Phil 2:9-11). Ruth’s redeemer, however, was not only willing to help, but also able. For only a sinless Savior was able to redeem. Boaz was a “worthy man” (Ruth 2:1), which meant, among other things, that he was wealthy. He possessed his own field and employed his own servants (v. 4). So also, Christ bestows “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3b) and from his immeasurable riches, Christ paid the greatest price. As

19 Note that Matthew intentionally did not include more traditionally heroic wives: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.

we read in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Knowing that you were ransomed [or redeemed] from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Application Insight: Christ is both willing and able to save. He has already come in the flesh and died on a cross. If you have never experienced the redemption of Christ, will you claim him as your kinsman redeemer today?

In the transaction at the city gate, Ruth did nothing while Boaz did everything. So also, Christ redeems us through no merit of our own (Eph 2:8-9), for salvation is a costly gift which Christ alone could afford. His sacrifice was an act of love: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). Boaz modeled our Lord’s lovingkindness by redeeming Ruth. He saw her in his field though she merited no favor. His prayers of intercession revealed long hours spent with the covenant God. He intimately knew God’s character and sought to keep God’s law. So take joy that if a mere man could love an outcast, redeem her, and bring her into fellowship with himself, then surely the Lord can do the same for us.

Application Insight: Like Boaz, the people of God are called to demonstrate God’s love toward others. We are called to be Jesus to others to bring others to Jesus. We are called to pray over them and speak words of kindness to them. We are called to be generous, even to the point of sacrifice. For the more true we are in representing Jesus, the more others will desire to know him.

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Why did Mr. So-and-So change his mind after initially claiming to redeem the land (4:1-6)? What qualities did Boaz possess that this man did not (vv. 8-10)? Which blessings came about because of Boaz’s decision (vv. 11-16)?

2. What was the significance of exchanging the sandal as part of a legal transaction (v. 7; Deut 25:5-10)?

3. What do you learn from the genealogy included at the end of this story (Ruth 4:17-22)? How does the book of Ruth point forward to God’s covenant with David (2 Sam 7:1-17)? To the good news of Jesus Christ?

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. How might Ruth’s life have turned out differently had she made different choices at each crossroad? How has God used both your right choices and your mistakes to work all things together for good (Rom 8:28)?

2. Consider one person or family in the church with whom you would like to grow deeper in Christian fellowship. Take practical steps to strengthen that relationship today.

3. Meditate on the lyrics of this hymn:

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus, No language my rapture can tell; I know that the light of His presence With me doth continually dwell.

I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long: I sing, for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song.

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I know I shall see in His beauty The King in whose law I delight; Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps, And giveth me songs in the night.

I know there’s a crown that is waiting In yonder bright mansion for me, And soon, with the spirits made perfect, At home with the Lord I shall be.

Redeemed, redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed, redeemed, His child and forever I am.20

20 Fanny Crosby, Redeemed (1882).

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THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE: COUNSEL FOR PARENTING (4:13-22)

A. Read Ruth 4 aloud.

God often uses ancestors to bless descendants and descendants to bless ancestors, since God often blesses us through family relationships. God also chose to send his Son into the world by way of a human family (Gal 4:4) in order to bring sinners into his family (v. 5). Thus God presented the greatest Christmas gift of all in earthly wrapping.

B. Count your many blessings. See what God has done.

1. List God’s blessings in Naomi’s life (Here are some to get you started): a. God spared Naomi’s life, even as her husband and two sons died (1:3, 5). b. God visited Bethlehem with harvest (1:6). c. God provided Naomi a godly daughter-in-law through Ruth (1:16-17). d. God protected Naomi and Ruth with safe travels along the dangerous road from Moab to Judah (1:22). e. God established the law of gleaning to protect the poor, widows, and foreigners long before Ruth and Naomi were ever in need. f. The Lord also provided levirate marriage in the law as a protection for widows. g. The Messiah will eventually come through Naomi’s family (4:17-22).

2. List God’s blessings in Boaz’s life:

3. List God’s blessings in Ruth’s life:

4. List God’s blessings for the community of Israel as a whole:

5. List God’s blessings in your own life:

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HOOK: Case Study1

BOOK: Biblical Exposition As we conclude the Old Testament book of Ruth, we reflect on the startling romance between a guy named Boaz and a gal named Ruth. Imagine the classified: “Widowed Moabite Female with no future prospects and crazy, angry mother-in-law seeks Aging Jewish Farmer with funny name.” This is a love story to beat all love stories.

But even more so, it is a love story between God and his people—the romance of redemption. The story began with a famine in Bethlehem from which a man named Elimelech fled with his family to the pagan country of Moab—a rocky plateau just across the Dead Sea. It was there that his sons married Moabite women, who probably worshipped the false god, Chemosh. It was there that he meant to sojourn for only a short while, but one year turned into ten and ten into forever. Elimelech died in that foreign land, as did his sons. His wife, Naomi, now bereft of her husband and two sons, decided to return to Bethlehem. Both daughters-in-law wanted to come along, but Naomi convinced one to return to her home, her family, and her gods. Only Ruth remained, clinging to Naomi with the kind of stubborn love that God has for us. These two women stumbled through the gates of Bethlehem, with Naomi crying out to her friends: “Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:20b-21a). These women were homeless and hungry, penniless and without prospects. Yet Ruth was a woman of faith. The next morning, she rose early to glean in the field (the equivalent of collecting aluminum cans) and just happened to come to the

1 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 169-70, 184-87.

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field of Boaz. He just happened to show her favor and over the next seven weeks of harvest, she gleaned enough grain to feed herself and Naomi for a year. Yet after that first promising conversation with Boaz, there was no follow up—no second date. He didn’t call. He didn’t text. The man had no game. We surmised that Ruth had been wearing the garments of mourning, so he was giving her room to grieve. Yet whatever the case, Naomi told Ruth, “Tonight’s the night! Make sure you get in the man’s way. Make sure he notices you.” So they crimped and curled, perfumed and pedicured. Then Ruth replaced her garments of mourning in preparation for marriage. She went down to the threshing floor and uncovered the man’s feet. Then when he woke up at midnight, she proposed that he propose by symbolically shielding her with his blanket. Yet just as we started to hear wedding bells chime, we learned there was a nearer kinsman—a Mr. So- and-So—who had first dibs on redeeming Ruth. So Boaz approached him at the city gate and asked, “Do you want the land?” The guy replied, “Yes!” Then Boaz added, “It comes with a widow.” So the guy said, “No!” Boaz then received both a sandal and a bride.

A Family Treasure for Naomi (4:13-17)

A husband and child for Ruth “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” (4:13).2 These nine months of gestation pass more quickly than the usual travail of pregnancy, for the narrator is not concerned about morning sickness and elbows to the bladder. In fact, he barely mentions the festive Jewish wedding which would kick off the marriage or the procession in which the groom would take his bride from her mother’s home into his. He simply states in a few succinct statements that Boaz and Ruth got hitched and had a baby.

2 Ruth’s status progressed from “foreigner” (2:10), to lower than the lowest slave (2:13), to “maidservant” (3:9), then “wife.” Boaz “took” a wife as Abram “took” Sarai (Gen 11:29) and as Isaac “took” Rebekah (Gen 24:67) and never once complained about fulfilling this aspect of his levirate “duty.” Both Ruth and Boaz felt like they married up.

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Application Insight: God naturally orders marriage, intimacy, then children in Scripture. There are exceptions, of course, but the disordering of God’s pattern can be cause for suffering. Intimacy before marriage is fornication (1 Cor 7:2) and yields harmful consequences. Marriage without intimacy (or intimacy outside of marriage) reveals brokenness (vv. 3-5) and intimacy without children may point to the suffering of infertility (e.g., 1 Sam 1) or the self-focused pursuits of the couple (see 2 Tim 3:2). Only once has a child been born without intimacy prior to marriage and that miracle turned out pretty well (Matt 1:23).

For only the second time in this entire story, the Lord supernaturally steps out of the shadows to act on behalf of his people. The first was to address the barrenness of famine (1:6) and here the barrenness of infertility.3 Pregnancy itself was a miracle from the Lord considering that Ruth had been childless for about ten years.4 Thus Boaz becomes the answer to his own prayer for Ruth: “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (2:12). By following Naomi, Ruth had left behind her family, her home, and the prospect of marriage. Yet by clinging to Naomi, she also clung to Naomi’s God who now repaid her loyalty with his exorbitant kindness. God gave Ruth a husband and a home. He gave her a son to call her own. She took refuge under the mighty wings of Yahweh and found that they belonged to Boaz. In marriage, you leave, cleave and interweave (Gen 2:24). “To leave” very strongly means “to abandon” or “to forsake” your parents to start a family of your own. You then cleave to one another (like Superglue) with covenant love that will not let go no matter the circumstances. You choose your love, then you love your choice. As you cleave, your lives begin to weave together in such a way that is beautiful and right. For

3 The Lord enabling Ruth to conceive would have alerted the Jewish listeners that the covenant blessings promised to the barren wives of the patriarchs were being carried on in Ruth (see Appendix 3). Later Christians would have understood Mary’s virgin conception of Jesus as also continuing God’s promised lineage (Matt 1:18, 20).

4 In God’s sovereignty, he also granted their first child to be a son as opposed to a daughter. For only a son could inherit the land and carry on the family name. Only a son could propagate the promised seed which would usher forth the King of kings. Miller explains why God rarely intervenes in the book of Ruth: “Once before, in the beginning of the story, we glimpsed God’s direct intervention: when Naomi hears that ‘God has visited his people and given them food.’ This inclusion subtly underlines that God has been orchestrating every detail in between” (Miller, A Loving Life, 149).

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the mystery of marriage displays the unparalleled love of God for his people.

Application Insight: If you are married, have you “left” your family in the sense that your marriage is now your primary earthly relationship? Are you cleaving to your spouse by delighting in them daily? Have your lives been woven together more intricately every year since you were married?

Marriage is more than simply two people’s love for one another, but also a picture of Christ’s love for his church (Eph 5:31-32). Thus a Christian wedding should be celebrated in the corporate gathering and put on display. For marriage is more than a piece of paper at City Hall or an Elvis chapel in Las Vegas. It is a public declaration of love for one another. The church stands as witness to the covenant and provides accountability within the wider Christian fellowship. So those who attend your wedding not only witness that the wedding took place, but also support and encourage you when that commitment is tested.

Application Insight: Do not feel guilty if you went to City Hall or eloped for your wedding. Instead, commit your marriage to the Lord from this day forth. For more than how you start, it matters how you end. If you have a sense of shame or regret about a past divorce, know that the Lord can redeem any situation. If there was sin in your past, God has promised to forgive. If you were sinned against, he has promised to empower forgiveness. If you feel a sense of loss, the Lord gives you himself fully and completely, for his love is greater than any human love and worthy to be celebrated.

A restorer and nourisher for Naomi Boaz and Ruth are doing marriage right, but they are only the subplot in this romance of redemption. For as the neighborhood women bestow a blessing, the narrator reveals the primary human character is not Ruth, but rather Naomi. In this final section, God reveals that he did not leave Naomi “empty” as she once had claimed (Ruth 1:21), but rather that she was “full” of his blessings.5 “Blessed be the LORD,” they cry, “who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”

5 See Appendix 6 to compare how Naomi once was empty, then became full.

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(4:14).6 The very God who gave conception to Ruth, has now provided a redeemer for Naomi. Praise God! This redeemer, however, is surprisingly not Boaz, but rather the child of Boaz born to Ruth. For the phrase, “this day,” means the day on which the redeemer was born. Just as Boaz, his father, had redeemed the land and redeemed Ruth, so also this child would redeem Naomi in a figurative way. His name would be famous in Israel with even greater renown than Boaz in Bethlehem (see v. 11).

Application Insight: Grandchildren often bring great joy and purpose into their grandparents’ lives. One way to receive God’s blessings in old age is to spend more time blessing children in your own family or in your church. God’s sovereign plan involves generations within a family and not simply your immediate life.

The women then add: “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age” (v. 15a). In stark contrast to the bitter comments which had once fallen from Naomi’s lips (1:20-21), these women declare with confidence that the child will return to Naomi the hope she had lost. The word, “restore” (shuv), means to revive someone’s strength or to renew their spirit (see Ps 23:2; Lam 1:16).7 Proverbs 25:13 richly expresses this imagery: “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes [shuv] the soul of his masters.” Have you ever seen a grandpa proudly showing off all the pictures of his grandkids or playing with them like he was twenty years younger? His energy is renewed as he runs around the house, wrestling and tickling and laughing. It’s a sight to see! So you can almost picture

Naomi, the bitterness now replaced with joy, lifting up her grandson, making funny faces and cooing sounds. She is delighted by this little baby! For it’s been said that grandchildren are the reward for not killing your own kids (which perhaps holds an element of truth). This child would not only be the restorer of Naomi’s life, but would

6 Naomi, who had been “left [shaar] without her two sons and her husband” (1:5) was “not left [shabat] . . . without a redeemer” (4:14).

7 The same root word shuv is used multiple times in Ruth 1 to describe Naomi’s “turning” or “repentance” from Moab.

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also nourish her in old age (literally, “in her grey hair”). Naomi, who had been so concerned to find security for her daughter, has now found rest for herself in her grandson. This grandchild would be faithful to Naomi and would provide for her like Ruth who had gleaned in the field.

Application Insight: If you are a grandchild, is there something you can do today to care for your grandparents and nourish them in their old age? Is there something you can do to bring them joy or restore their quality of life this season?

A godly mother for Obed

This child would be raised by godly parents as the women continue their praises: “For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him” (Ruth 4:15b). Ruth, worth more to Naomi than seven sons,8 and her worthy husband, Boaz, would raise this child right. The women celebrate Ruth because Ruth’s love for Naomi was not based on Naomi’s disposition, the promise of prosperity, or an emotional impulse:

Do not urge me to leave you or to return 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. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you (1:16-17).

Ruth’s love declared a covenant commitment like the love God has toward us. Block comments:

But “love” is not demonstrated primarily in words; it is expressed in acts of ḥesed, placing the welfare of the other ahead of oneself. In fact, more than anyone else in the history of Israel, Ruth embodies the fundamental principle of the nation’s ethic: “You shall love your God with all your heart” (Deut 6:5) “and your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). In Lev 19:34 Moses instructs the Israelites to love the stranger as they love themselves. Ironically, it is this stranger from Moab who shows the Israelites what this means.9

8 Ruth is no longer identified as “Ruth the Moabite,” but as “your daughter-in-law who loves you.”

9 Block, Judges, Ruth, 729, emphasis in original. “Everything that Ruth has done from the first scene until now has led to the possibility of the birth of this child of hope. It is Ruth’s faithfulness, kindness, loyalty to Naomi, in a word, Ruth’s hesed, has led to this outcome” (Katharine Doob Sakenfield, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching: Ruth [Louisville, KY: John Knox, 1999], 83).

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In chapter 1, Ruth expresses her love in speech. Then in chapters 2-3, Ruth follows through with action by gleaning in the fields of Boaz and going to him at the threshing floor. She is better to Naomi than seven sons—the ideal Jewish family since seven was the number of perfection.10 Now when my wife and I found out our third child was another boy, I joked with her: “We’re 3/7 of the way to the perfect family!” To which she replied, “I guess we’ll have to settle for less than perfect.”

Application Insight: Mothers, you have great influence on your children as you raise them in the home. Ruth only bore one son, yet she was worth more to her mother-in-law than seven sons because that son, Obed, would beget many godly descendants and eventually the Messiah. Invest in however many children God grants you and you will impact this world for God’s kingdom.

A godly granny for Obed We then see a marvelous picture as “Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse” (4:16). She holds him affectionately in her arms—not as his wet nurse, but more like a nanny/granny.11 The word here for “child” (yeled) is the same as when Naomi’s two baby boys (yeledim) died in Moab and were ripped from her arms

(see 1:5). Therefore, God, in his grace, has refilled her emptiness with favor. “And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi.’ They named him Obed” (4:17a). In the form of an Ancient Near Eastern birth announcement, they recognize that this child is in some sense, hers. Even though he was born to Ruth, the blessing goes to Naomi. We are not certain what role the parents had in naming this child, yet even back then it was unusual for others to participate.12 Imagine wheeling out of “Labor and Delivery” when someone hands you a

10 1 Sam 2:5; Job 1:2; 42:13; see 1 Sam 1:18. 11 “The words ḥêq and ʾōmenet are the keys to determining the significance of Naomi’s actions. ḥêq denotes the bosom, the front of one’s body where one holds a child (Num 11:12) or embraces a loved one. The word is applied to both males (Deut 13:7; 28:54; 1 Kgs 1:2; Jer 32:18; Mic 7:5; Eccl 7:9; etc.) and females (Deut 28:56; Prov 5:2; Lam 2:12) and is never used of the breast at which a child nurses; it should not be interpreted more precisely here. The word ʾōmenet derives from a root ʾmn, ‘to be firm’” (Block, Judges, Ruth), 730.

12 This is the only time in the Old Testament we observe the naming of a child by women other 109

birth certificate with your child’s name already on it. However strange, this act of naming highlighted the communal joy of the people.

Application Insight: Names are important especially when filled with significant meaning.13 Should God grace you with children, take special care in choosing their names. You might name them after a family member, a biblical character, or a hope you hold for their life. A name is one of the first gifts you give to your children.

Now of all the names they could have chosen, the women named him “Obed,” which means “servant.”14 For not only would he serve Naomi in her old age, but he would also be a servant of the LORD while doing so. Obed is God’s tangible grace in the life of Naomi, so in this tender scene she holds the child in her arms. As time passes, their roles will change and he will become her protector and provider, but for now he is a baby content in her arms. Interestingly, the exploits of Obed are found nowhere else in Scripture. Yet we trust that like all the other answered prayers in the book of Ruth, he proved to be a faithful servant.

A king and redeemer for Israel

Ruth is one of the five scrolls—the Megilloth—which rabbis read in the temple on five special occasions throughout the year. Ruth is also read at Pentecost—during the Feast of the Harvest. This means that Ruth was likely read before Peter preached at Pentecost and repeatedly referred to the words of David (Acts 2:25-31, 34-35) while making his defense for the ultimate Son of David (2:22-24, 32-33, 36). Obed became famous in Bethlehem, then throughout all Israel, and we are still talking about him today halfway across the world and three millennia later. For Obed’s fame rests in the fact that

than the mother. These neighbor women (shekenah) may have been closer to Naomi than the crowd of “women” (nashim) in verse 14.

13 See Appendix 2 on “Names in the Book of Ruth.”

14 Obed’s name was a shortened form of Obadiah: “the servant of Yahweh.” Over thirty times, David is called “the servant of Yahweh” (Pss 18:1; 36:1)—a title also attributed to the coming Messiah (e.g., Isa 42:19).

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his family would bring forth David—the greatest king of Israel.

Progression of Praise in the Story of Ruth15 Passage Praise Location (Time) Ruth 2:11-12 Boaz alone praises Ruth In his portion of the field (barley harvest) Ruth 2:14-16 Boaz enjoins his workers to In his portion of the field (later in the praise her day) Ruth 4:11-12 The people of the city praise At the city gate (two months later) her to Boaz Ruth 4:14-15 The neighbor women praise All over Bethlehem (nine months later) her to Naomi 2 Sam 5-8 All Israel praises David when All Israel (about 50 years later) crowned king of Israel Phil 2:9-11 Every tongue will one day Beginning at his incarnation, but praise Christ as King of kings culminating in his Second Coming

A Family Tree for David (4:18-22) We come now to the concluding genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22. At first, we wonder why this genealogy was included. Why ruin a perfectly good story by tacking on a family tree? Many critical scholars even suggest it was a later addition although a

Jewish scribe would not have invented a lineage for King David which included a Moabitess (unless she truly was an ancestor). For most readers, genealogies are the boring parts we skim over during our Bible reading because we don’t know the characters and can’t pronounce their names. Yet suppose each name represented a significant period in your own peoples’ heritage (as genealogies are designed to do). You would want to know everything about your interconnectedness with generations past. In this manner, a genealogy is an economical way of preserving history.

This particular family tree serves to legitimate David’s claim to the royal throne, which means the book was probably written sometime after Samuel anointed

15 Note that every instance of praise recognizes the Lord as the one most worthy. This is not idolatrous adulation, but gratefulness to God for working through his human instruments.

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David to be king. For David was in the line of Judah, over whom Jacob had prophesied: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Gen 49:10). The Messiah was promised to come through Judah, yet the lineage narrows even further. For in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, the LORD made a covenant with David: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” Not only would King David come through the line of Judah, but so also the Messianic King who would reign forever on David’s throne. This genealogy in Ruth stretches from the Patriarchs to the monarchy—from Perez son of Judah to King David himself, such that every branch in-between belongs to the line of Jesus. This genealogy would then be lifted intact and placed like an ornament in the messianic family tree of Matthew 1—A Christmas tree, if you will, with the star on top as our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew begins, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v. 1). So let it be noted that Jesus was born into a family of ordinary people—a peasant girl and a carpenter from Nazareth, a Moabite widow and an aging bachelor, a Jericho harlot named Rahab and a guy who sounds like a fish, Salmon.

Application Insight: God uses the faith of ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary purposes. You may not know your significance in God’s plan during your lifetime, but if you are a faithful father, mother, or grandparent—if you are a servant of the Lord, then you can trust God to multiply your impact for his kingdom even centuries after your existence.

Before we go any further, let’s take a closer look:

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram,

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Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David (Ruth 4:18-22; see 1 Chr 2:1-15).

“Now these are the generations” would have instantly alerted the Jewish reader to the generations (toledoth) in Genesis. Kress writes,

In fact, the term toledoth serves as the primary literary marker within Genesis (cf. Gen 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2) [and] . . . always designated a significant movement in God’s program of redemption. . . . [They] signaled either the continuance of the “Seed” promise of Genesis 3:15 or the narrowing of that promise.16

The Generations (Toledoth) in Genesis17 Genesis Focus Significance 2:4-4:26 Creation to Adam “God created the heavens and the earth” (1:1) 5:1-6:8 Adam to Noah Noah carried on the promised seed 6:9-9:29 Noah to Shem Shem carried on the promised seed 10:1-11:9 Noah to his descendants Only Shem carried on the promised seed 11:10-26 Shem to Terah Terah carried on the promised seed 11:27-25:11 Terah to Abram/Abraham Abram carried on the promised seed 25:12-18 Abram/Abraham to Ishmael was not the son of promise Ishmael 25:19-35:29 Abram/Abraham to Isaac Isaac carried on the promised seed 36:1-37:1 Isaac to Esau Esau was not the son of promise 37:2-50:26 Isaac to Jacob Jacob carried on the promised seed

The Generations (Toledoth) in Ruth18

16 Brandt and Kress, God in Everyday Life, 151-52. 17 After the prologue in 1:1-2:3, Genesis can be structured into ten toledoths. The shaded sections are supplementary since they do not carry on the promised seed (see Matt 1). 18 The shaded sections are supplementary to the ten generations recorded in Ruth.

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Passages Focus Significance Gen 46:6-12 Perez to Hezron Hezron was born in Canaan, but taken to Egypt Num 26:21; Hamul was not the son of promise 1 Chr 2:5 1 Chr 2:9 Hezron to Ram The exploits of Ram are unknown 1 Chr 2:9, 18, Jerahmeel, Chelubai (Caleb), and Segub were not the 21 sons of promise Exod 6:23; Ram to Amminadab became Aaron’s father-in-law when his Num 1:7 Amminadab daughter married the brother of Moses and the future high priest of Israel No other sons of Ram are recorded Num 2:3; Amminadab to Nahshon was the leader/prince of the sons of Judah 7:12, 17; Nahshon during the time after the Exodus 10:14; 1 Chr 2:10 No other sons of Amminadab are recorded Matt 1:5; see Nahshon to Salmon married Rahab, the Canaanite harlot in Josh 2:1-7; Salmon Jericho who saved the twelve spies 6:17-25; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25 No other sons of Nahshon are recorded Ruth 4:13 Salmon to Boaz Boaz married Ruth the Moabite See 1 Chr No other sons of Salmon are recorded 2:51, 54-55 Ruth 4:13-17 Boaz to Obed Obed was the only son of Boaz, but a joy to his parents and a servant to his grandmother, Naomi No other sons of Boaz are listed 1 Sam 16:1; Obed to Jesse Jesse was a Bethlehemite through whom would come 17:12; Isa the promised seed 11:1, 10 1 Sam 16 Jesse had seven other sons (see Ruth 4:15) who were not the sons of promise 2 Sam 7; 1 Jesse to David David was the son of promise, through whom would Chr 17 come the Messiah to reign eternally on his throne; His name was the final word in the book of Ruth (4:22) to conclude the way it began (1:1)

Perez This family Christmas tree begins with a man named Perez, the firstborn son of Tamar and Judah (as we learned in Ruth 4:12). Perez became the most prominent of

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Judah’s sons (Num 26:19-21),19 perhaps revealing a parallel with Boaz who would be greatly renowned. Of greater interest, is the story behind Perez’s birth—the only other case of levirate duty in the Bible (see Gen 38). Judah and his sons had refused their duty to Tamar, so Tamar dressed up like a harlot, seduced Judah, and bore him twins—the oldest being Perez. Again, we see the character of Boaz lifted up as one who did what his kinsman could not. “This biblical pattern of strength from weakness, glory from brokenness, was written long before another humble woman from the same insignificant town of Bethlehem was the head of another royal dynasty.”20

Application Insight: We are reminded that God is sovereign over our relationships, our families, and our future descendants. He weaves in Gentiles and pagans with those who demonstrate covenant faithfulness. He even uses our sordid history and sinful past as part of his seamless sovereignty.

Hezron “Perez fathered Hezron” in Canaan, then took him to Egypt with his father’s family (see Gen 46:6-12, 26; Num 26:21; 1 Chr 2:5). There Jacob’s entire clan settled down under the provision of Joseph. Like Ruth, they became followers of God in a foreign land.

Ram “Hezron fathered Ram”21 after the Hebrews had become slaves in Egypt.

Amminadab

19 Er and Onan died in Canaan, Shelah was disgraced, and Perez edged out his twin brother, Zerah (Gen 46:12). Judah also bore Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal (1 Chr 4:1), yet Perez was the son of promise. 20 Miller, A Loving Life, 154.

21 The ambiguity of the term, “fathered,” could mean that Ram was either a son or a more distant descendant. This is most likely not the same Ram who was listed as Hezron’s grandson (1 Chr 2:25), the son of Jerahmeel, the nephew of the Ram recorded in Ruth (v. 10). Note that Ram is called Arni in Luke 3:33 and Aram in the Greek text of Matthew 1:3. See 1 Chr 2:9, 18, 21, 24-25; 4:1; Matt 1:3; Luke 3:33 for more on Hezron’s progeny.

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“Ram fathered Amminadab”—the father-in-law of Aaron the high priest, the brother of Moses (see Exod 6:23; Num 1:7).

Nahshon “Amminadab fathered Nahshon,” who was a “prince of the sons of Judah” (1 Chr 2:10)—the military commander of all the people in the Exodus under Moses (Num 2:3-4; 10:14). He was the acknowledged leader of the leading clan of the leading tribe of Israel. He honorably assisted Moses with the census (1:7) and presented the dedicatory offering for the altar on behalf of the tribe of Judah (7:12, 17).

Salmon “Nahshon father Salmon,” the husband of Rahab the harlot (see Matt 1:5), who saved the Israelite spies (see Josh 2:1-7) and became a follower of Yahweh (see 6:17-25; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25). Interestingly, Salmon (Salma) was also called the father of Bethlehem (see 1 Chr 2:51, 54).

Boaz Then “Salmon fathered Boaz,”22 the husband of Ruth (Ruth 4:13). Remarkably, Boaz will be perfectly positioned as the seventh branch on this family tree, so the woman who was better to Naomi than seven sons (Ruth 4:15) would marry the man who was seventh in the line of Perez. They were the perfect match!

Obed “Boaz fathered Obed.” Although Boaz’s intention was to raise up a seed for his deceased kin (see v. 10), Elimelech and Mahlon, Scripture designates Obed as the son of Boaz. Scripture does not record any other children of Boaz and Ruth, so this was the only

22 Boaz may not have been Salmon’s direct son, but was certainly a descendant (see 1 Chr 2:11-12; Matt 1:5; Luke 3:32).

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way Boaz’s lineage would have continued. Obed’s name may have been a shortened form of “Obadiah”—servant of Yahweh.23

Jesse “Obed fathered Jesse,” the Bethlehemite, from whom would come the king of Israel (see 1 Sam 16:1). The promised seed would spring forth from his roots: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa 11:1, see v. 10).

David “And Jesse fathered David,” the psalmist shepherd: “Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons” (1 Sam 17:12a). David, like Nahshon, was the leader of Israel’s armies under Saul (18:5). Now the final verse in the book of Judges revealed, “There was no king in Israel” (Judg 21:25; see Ruth 1:1), but the final word in the book of Ruth was “David”—the king of Israel, whose son would reign upon the throne forever (2 Sam 7:8-16; 1 Chr 17:11-14). Therefore, many believe that the book of Ruth was actually written by the prophet Samuel to reveal David’s divinely-ordained right to the throne of Israel. For David was the tenth in the generations of Perez.24

The History of Israel in Ruth 4:18-2225

23 Many other saints were also identified as servants of the Lord: Moses (Deut 34:5; 2 Kgs 18:12; 2 Chr 1:3; 24:6; Josh 1:1, et. al.), Joshua (Josh 24:15, 29; Judg 2:8), David (Pss 18:1; 36:1), Mary (Luke 1:38).

24 In a Jewish genealogy, the seventh and tenth positions often carry great importance.

25 This history covers approximately 850 years (c. 1885-1040). Note that many scholars believe some generations have been skipped over for theological reasons because a “son” in Hebrew terminology could also refer to a “grandson” or later descendant.

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Patriarchy to the Exodus/ Conquest, Judges, and Monarchy Wilderness Wandering 1. Perez (son of Judah and Tamar)26 6. Salmon (husband of Rahab)27 2. Hezron (sojourned in Egypt) 7. Boaz (7th in the family line)28 3. Ram (born in slavery) 8. Obed (Ruth’s son; Naomi’s grandson) 4. Amminadab (father-in-law of Aaron) 9. Jesse (father of eight sons) 5. Nahshon (military leader) 10. David (military leader, king)29 This lineage of ten generations reveals how God blessed Ruth after she had been barren for ten years (Ruth 1:4). Even the history of this family rings forth the sovereignty of God. For Perez was the son of Judah, the son of Jacob. In the time of the

Patriarchs, God repeated his covenant faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then through Jacob, God blessed Judah as the tribe through which the Messiah would reign (Gen 49:8-12; see 1 Chr 5:2). Through Ram and Amminadab, God sent his people to sojourn in the pagan land of Egypt, where his people were eventually enslaved. Then when all seemed hopeless, God sent his servant Moses to deliver them. He repeatedly declares this Exodus throughout Scripture as a testimony to his covenant faithfulness even when his people get into all sorts of trouble—even when a greater Deliverer than

Moses must rescue his people from their slavery to sin. From the Exodus, we are reminded by Nahshon of the wilderness wanderings and the people’s rebellion. Salmon fought as one of Joshua’s warriors when Israel conquered the promised land. God instructed them not to take any spoils from the city of Jericho, yet God spared a harlot named Rahab and Salmon took her for his wife. Perhaps they were the first family in the line of David to settle in Bethlehem, until eventually, there came Boaz. The context of his story in Ruth we know all too well as the days of the judges. But in those dark days, we also discovered hope, for a servant was born in Obed,

26 c. 1885 BC.

27 c. 1400 BC during the time of Joshua.

28 c. 1150-1100 BC at the end of the times of the judges. 29 c. 1040 BC.

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a Bethlehemite in Jesse, and then a king in David. David was the great-grandson of Ruth—a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22). Yet there would come a greater King than David in the person of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:1-17). For the Lord has been watching the gate of Bethlehem for all eternity. He had watched Naomi and Ruth straggle in after the perilous journey from Moab and Boaz wheel-and-deal for the right to marry Ruth. He would one day smile as Joseph and his very with-child wife would enter through the gate of that very same town (Luke 2:4).

Then like Boaz, Joseph would grant protection and provision to a child not his own (Matt 1:18-25). And like Ruth, this child’s mother, Mary, would be another “servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38).30 The baby Jesus would be born and laid in a feed trough (Luke 2:7) not far from the field where Ruth had gleaned and the threshing floor where she had proposed to Boaz. And perhaps the shepherds who came to see the newborn Jesus (Luke 2:8-16) would tend their flocks in the very same fields where Ruth’s great-grandson, David, once protected his family’s sheep (1 Sam 16:11; 17:34-35). Don’t you think God knew?

Application Insight: The eternal God views history from a different perspective than mortal man. We see events within the finite span of human life, but God alone sees the entire picture of eternity with absolute clarity. He knows how your trials today will impact your descendants one thousand years from now and how a little baby born in Bethlehem would change the world.

The Romance of Redemption

Out of love, God sent his Son into the world: the man Christ Jesus. Yet unlike Israel in the days of the judges, Jesus always lived under God’s rule. As perfectly righteous, he was the only sacrifice God would accept for the sins of mankind. Jesus, our nearest relation to God, thus became flesh that he might be our Kinsman (Rom 8:3, 29) and sacrificed himself upon a cross to become our Redeemer. By dying in our place, he

30 In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX), Ruth calls herself the servant (doulos) of Boaz (Ruth 2:13; 3:9) just as Mary will later call herself the servant (doulos) of the Lord (Luke 1:38).

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took our punishment and purchased for us forgiveness of sin and the eternal inheritance of salvation (5:8; 6:23). Yet that’s not all, for God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of this world. This Jesus, who conquered death, now gives new life and one day will return to judge the righteous and the wicked. So these parallel stories of Ruth and Orpah, of Boaz and Mr. So-and-so, reveal that there are only two ways to live. You might know many facts about God and enjoy being with his people, but if you never choose to follow Christ then you will never know him as your Kinsman Redeemer. Maybe you feel like you are sojourning in Moab during the days of the judges. Everyone around you, even yourself, is living outside of God’s boundaries. Your dryness has turned into a spiritual famine and life isn’t going very well. You’re struggling with school or with relationships or just feeling out of control. Perhaps you’re even bitter against God for what you think he’s done to you. If you’re at the end of yourself, that’s exactly where God wants you. He wants you to know your need for grace and your need for him—the Kinsman Redeemer needed by all, who purchased us with his precious blood. Then at the end of your life, if you have followed Christ, God will point out every step along the way which brought you closer to him. He will show how he provided in ways you did not even understand. He will reveal how the struggles and sin in your life revealed your ineptitude and need for grace. He will list each supposedly

“chance occurrence” that drove you into his arms. He will play back the memories of people you loved and lost and describe their influence in your life. Then after he has laid out every one of those intricate details, he will lift you up for a heavenly view of the eternal expanse of your life. You will see with startling clarity how your life, like the love story of Boaz and Ruth—like the history of Israel and the history of the world—is centered around a baby boy in Bethlehem who came to die upon a cross. Everything that God has done in human history is a love story to bring mankind back into relationship with him. This is the romance of redemption! So it is my prayer that every one of you 120

will truly know this love and learn to tell of it over and over and over again.

LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Trace the descendants of Perez all the way to David. Marvel at the grace of God each step of the way.

2. Many believe that the book of Ruth was actually written by the prophet Samuel to reveal David’s right to the throne of Israel. How does he accomplish this goal?

3. How is God the main character in the book of Ruth? What is God trying to tell his people about himself in this romance of redemption?

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. In the book of Ruth, the sovereign God brings much good out of a bad situation (i.e., Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Naomi). How can he do the same in your own bad situations (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28)?

2. Meditate on Jesus’ death upon the cross. How did this greatest of tragedies lead to our redemption?

3. You have the opportunity to emulate the self-sacrifice of Christ. Meditate on B. B. Warfield’s reflection on self-giving:

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He did not cultivate self, even His divine self: He took no account of self. He was not led . . . into the recesses of His own soul to brood morbidly over His own needs. . . . He was led by His love for others into the world, to forget Himself in the needs of others, to sacrifice self once for all upon the altar of sympathy. Self- sacrifice brought Christ into the world. And self-sacrifice will lead us, His followers, not away from but into the midst of men. Wherever men suffer, there will we be to comfort. Wherever men strive, there we will be to help. Wherever men fail, there will we be to uplift. Wherever men succeed, there will we be to rejoice. Self-sacrifice means not indifference to our times and our fellows: it means absorption in them. It means forgetfulness of self in others. It means entering into every man’s hopes and fears, longings and despairs: it means manysidedness of spirit, multiform activity, multiplicity of sympathies. It means richness of development. It means not that we should live one life, but a thousand lives,—binding ourselves to a thousand souls by the filaments of so loving a sympathy that their lives become ours. It means that all the experiences of men shall smite our souls and shall beat and batter these stubborn hearts of ours into fitness for their heavenly home. It is, after all, then, the path to the highest possible development, by which alone we can be made truly men.31

31 Benjamin B. Warfield, The Person and the Work of Christ (Philadelphia: P&R Reformed, 1950), 574. B. B. Warfield was a gifted biblical scholar, but he learned selfless love by caring for his invalid wife. She was struck by lightning on their honeymoon, while standing on a train platform, and required his care for the rest of her life.

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THE WORTHY MAN AND WOMAN: COUNSEL FOR MARRIAGE

HOOK: Introduction

A. Read Proverbs 31:10-31 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

The Bible contains valuable instruction for finding a godly spouse and cultivating a godly marriage. Some Jewish Bibles placed the book of Ruth immediately after the Proverbs of Solomon, convincing many that Ruth (Solomon’s great-great grandmother) was the model of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31.

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Which of these virtues in Proverbs 31 might Ruth have learned through common grace despite being a pagan Moabitess? Which virtues required that she first become a follower of Yahweh?

2. For the unmarried, write down ten virtues you are looking for in future a spouse. For the married, write down ten reasons why you chose your present spouse.

BOOK: Biblical Exposition The following exposition is presented primarily in the form of charts. Naomi and Ruth illustrate various virtues discovered in Proverbs 31, while Boaz displays many qualities of the godly man in 1 Timothy 3. The excellent wife makes a fitting pair for the worthy man of God. Thus in the love story of Boaz and Ruth, devotion meets devotion.

Ruth, who was better to Naomi than seven sons (4:15), was willing to become the wife of Boaz, an older man, in order to secure for Naomi the inheritance of her family. Boaz, in turn was willing to endanger his own estate in order to redeem the forfeited inheritance of Naomi, and to establish as his heir the son that Ruth would bear him.1

1 Edmund P. Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2013), 155. 123

Godly Virtues Displayed in Proverbs 31 Prov 31 English Hebrew Basic Definition 10a, 29 excellent chayil strong, powerful, capable, worthy 10b value meker value 11 trust bahtach trust, feel secure and confident 12 good tov good 13 willing chephetz with delight

15, 27 not idle atzluth not sluggish or lazy strength/to make 17 strong otz/amatz physical strength 23 known yada known 25 strength/dignity otz/chadar strength, adornment, splendor 26 wisdom/kindness chokmah/hesed wisdom, lovingkindness 28 blessed/praised ashar/ chalal called happy, praised 30-31 praised chalal praised

Godly Virtues Displayed by Naomi2 Passage in Ruth Displayed by Naomi 1:1-5 married into a noble family and gave birth to two sons 1:4b maintained her family’s house for ten years in a foreign land 1:6 possessed insight and humility to return to the promised land when she realized the sojourn in Moab had been foolish 1:8-9, 11-13 cared deeply about her family as shown by her grief and attempts to provide for her daughters-in-law 1:16-17 likely the main reason Ruth became a follower of Yahweh 1:20-21; 2:20 well-versed in the sovereignty of God and his law 2:19-3:4; 3:16-18 wise about relationships when instructing Ruth 3:20; 4:16 redeemed to praise the Lord again

Godly Virtues Displayed by Ruth Prov 31 Virtue Displayed by Ruth Ruth 10a excellent wife (esheth “worthy woman” translates the 3:11 chayil) same Hebrew phrase 10b far more precious than “more to [Naomi] than seven 4:15 jewels (rubies) sons”

2 Naomi was not a perfect representative of the excellent wife, but she helped direct Ruth to the one true God.

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11 trustworthy, no lack of gain Boaz gives up part of his harvest 2:15-17; (shalal) to her husband; (shalal) and risks his inheritance 4:6, 8-9, helps him profit for her trustworthy sake; Ruth 11 brings him worth, wealth, and great renown 12a does her husband good, not shows Boaz kindness and would 2:10; 4:11 evil be to him like Rachel and Leah; unlike Orpah who returns to her pagan gods (1:14-15) 12b faithful all the days of her shows loyal love (hesed) to 1:14, 16- life Yahweh, Naomi, and Boaz 17; 2:11- 12; 3:10 13 seeks work willingly (with volunteers to labor in the fields to 2:2 delight), diligent, not provide for Naomi incapable or dependent 14 perseveres and brings home brings home much food despite 2:17-18, food with the abundance of challenges; follows through by 23 a merchant ship working the entire harvest 15, 27 early to rise and late to bed; maximizes daylight hours and 2:7, 17-18 knows the value of quality brings the provision home to work; not idle in providing Naomi for her household 16, 24 wise, strategic, resourceful, chooses the right path in Moab, 1:6-18; and decisive the right field in Bethlehem, and 2:3; 3:3, 10 businesswoman the right man in Judah 17 strong, diligent in labors hard at gleaning and is 2:7,17; preparation strong enough to carry six 3:15-17 measures of barley (~90 lbs) 18-19 knows value, quality work; works from early until late 2:17 diligent at all hours 20 charitable to poor and cares for Naomi in her need 1:21; 2:18; needy 3:17 21 well-prepared for future understands the concept of 2:2, 7 difficulty gleaning to provide for leaner months 21-22 fashionable (her household wears her best dress and perfume 3:3 clothed in scarlet, fine for the special occasion of linen, and purple) proposing to Boaz 23 her husband is well- her husband conducts regular 4:1-2, 11- regarded, sits among the business at the gates and becomes 12 elders known beyond Bethlehem 25 strength, dignity, joy doesn’t back down from 1:14-17; adversity, but rejoices confidently 4:13 in the Lord 26 speaks wisdom and kind convincingly eloquent and 1:8, 16-18; (hesed) words characterized by kindness (hesed) 3:10

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28, 31 husband calls her blessed; God blesses her by inclusion in 4:11-22 family praises her for good Davidic line; receives praise from works and fruit of her labor neighbors; has a fruitful family 29 husband calls her a woman husband calls her blessed 3:10-11 (bath) surpassing in daughter (bath) excellence 30 fears the Lord; to be nothing is known of Ruth’s charm 1:16-17 praised and beauty; only her commitment to fear the Lord above all else 31 reaps the fruit of her hands the women of the city praise her; 4:14-15 and is praised for her works fruitful in childbearing

Godly Virtues Displayed by Boaz3 1 Tim 3 Character Trait Displayed by Boaz Ruth 2a, 7 above reproach; well- well-respected by employees and 2:4; 4:1-2, thought of by outsiders townspeople 11-12 2b, 4, 12 one-woman man who noble businessman; godly 2:4; 4:11-13 manages household well husband and father 2c sober-minded able to form a wise plan 4:1-10 2d self-controlled does not sexually take advantage 3:10-14 of Ruth 2e, 8a respectable, dignified a worthy man 2:1 2f hospitable shows favor to Ruth and Naomi 2:2, 5-23; who are but poor widows 3:15 2g able to teach taught his reapers how to speak of 2:4; 4:22 the Lord; his godly descendants result in King David 3a, 8c not a drunkard drank wine to celebrate the 3:7-9a harvest, but still clear-minded in the middle of the night 3b not physically violent acts to protect Ruth from violence 2:8-9, 15, 21-23 3c, 8b not verbally quarrelsome or persuades Mr. So-and-So without 4:1-10 double-tongued a conflict 3d, 8d not greedy or a lover of willing to sacrifice his wealth to 4:4, 9-10 money redeem Naomi’s land 6, 9 not conceited or immature remained in the land of promise 2:1-4 in the faith (unlike Elimelech); speaks boldly of faith to his reapers

3 Paul did not have Boaz in mind when he listed these qualifications of an elder in the church, but it is clear that Boaz would have been “a worthy man” (Ruth 2:1) in any generation.

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LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Women, read Proverbs 31 and observe the characteristics of an excellent woman. How does Ruth fulfill these qualities?

2. In what ways did Ruth learn virtue from Naomi? In what ways did she supersede Naomi as a woman of virtue?

3. Men, read 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and observe the characteristics of a godly elder in the church. Why are they also applicable in the home? How does Boaz fulfill these qualities? Which ones will you specifically develop in your own life this year?

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. For women (married or unmarried), which Proverbs 31 virtues do you manifest? Which ones are you still working to develop? Choose one virtue to specifically cultivate this month.

2. For unmarried men, which of these virtues do you find most attractive in a woman? Meditate on Proverbs 31:30 and examine your heart’s desire regarding a future spouse.

3. For married men, which of these Proverbs 31 virtues do you see in your wife today? Bless your wife by praising her virtues through either verbal or written expression.

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PRAYER IN THE BOOK OF RUTH: COUNSEL FOR INTERCESSION

HOOK: Introduction

A. In one sitting, read aloud the book of Ruth to understand its flow.

A considerable component of the theology in the book of Ruth consists of its prayers and blessings. As Murray Gow puts it, “The author of Ruth expected readers to be alert to the work of God in answering prayer, as should we today.”1

B. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What doctrines do you think are foundational for a healthy prayer life?

2. What doctrines are expressed by each of the prayers in the book of Ruth?

3. How do you specifically desire to grow in your own prayer life? What application will you put into practice today?

BOOK: Biblical Exposition2

Naomi’s First Prayer (1:8-9) Ruth 1:1-5 makes no mention of prayer and no mention of God except ironically in the name of Elimelech, “My God is King.” In fact, this story takes place in the days of the judges when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg 21:25;

Ruth 1:1). Lack of prayer and trust in God were the reason Israel (and Elimelech’s family

1 Murray Gow, “Ruth,” in Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Survey, ed. by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 106.

2 This material has been adapted from a lecture by William Barrick. An additional chart summarizes this material in Appendix 7.

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particularly) got into this mess in the first place. Ruth 1:8-9 records Naomi’s prayer as she mourns the loss of her husband, her two sons, and her future hope:

But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

Naomi addresses the covenant God of Israel, Yahweh, as the only one sovereign over life and death, family and future. She prays for the Lord’s loyal love (hesed) upon her daughters-in-law who have shown loyal love (hesed) to her family.

Naomi’s prays for her daughters-in-law to find rest (see Ps 23:2) in the security of a husband and his family.

Application Insight: Increase your devotion to pray for your family. Consider how God has been faithful to you and pray that he will show the same lovingkindness to those in your family. Thank God for the many people and circumstances he has brought into your life as a blessing.

Boaz’s First Prayer (2:12)3 Boaz is a future husband praying over his future wife: “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12)!” Ironically, he will soon become the answer both to his own prayer and to Naomi’s prayer (see 1:8-9). Boaz also addresses the covenant God, Yahweh, who remains sovereign over provision and protection, husbands and wives. He prays for the Lord to repay Ruth for her sacrificial kindness to Naomi and acknowledges that Ruth will be blessed for seeking the Lord’s refuge in the midst of her trials.

Application Insight: Husbands, thank God today for the godly qualities you observe in your wife. What insights do you learn from Boaz about praying for your

3 Boaz’s blessing of his employees and their blessing of him will not be treated as prayers due to their brevity, but there are parallels such as invoking the name of Yahweh to bless another: “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, ‘The LORD be with you!’ And they answered, ‘The LORD bless you’” (2:4).

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wife? (If you are not married, apply this to your future wife.) Consider how knowing the Lord’s character and attributes will serve to bolster your prayer life.

Naomi’s Second Prayer (2:20) In her first prayer, Naomi had prayed for Orpah and Ruth (1:8-9), but now she prays as a mother for her daughter’s future husband:

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers” (2:20; see v. 19).

Again, Naomi prays for Yahweh’s loyal love (hesed) upon one who is showing loyal love (hesed) to her family. The narrative is deliberately ambiguous since both the Lord and Boaz have shown kindness to the living (Naomi, Ruth) and the dead (Elimelech, Mahlon). Boaz has essential become the instrument of God’s love. Parents must pray for their children’s future marriage, for God alone determines their future and God alone will direct them to their future spouse. You can rest assured that God will grant your children rest if they find a godly spouse.

Application Insight: Naomi grew closer to Ruth like a mother to a daughter. Likewise, mother-in-laws, how can you deepen your relationship with your son’s wife? What is one specific way you can grow closer to your daughter-in-law(s)?

Boaz’s Second Prayer (3:10) Here is a fiancée’s prayer of blessing for his bride-to-be:

And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich” (3:10).

Boaz prays a blessing over the woman who has shown loyal love (hesed) to him. He invokes the name of Yahweh and specifically praises Ruth for her acts of kindness.

Application Insight: Unmarried men, consider how Proverbs 31:10-31 shows you qualities to look for in an excellent wife. How will you determine if a potential spouse possesses these virtues? Married men, consider your wife’s virtues and make a point this week to praise her specifically for each of them.

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The Community’s Prayer (4:11-12) These witnesses publicly pray to the Lord at the wedding of Ruth to Boaz:

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” (4:11-12).

The townsfolk pray for both the bride and the groom. They pray for the bride’s fruitfulness in the marriage and a home filled with children. They pray for the groom’s success within the community and the propagation of his offspring. They too invoke the name of Yahweh as their prayers are undergirded by a sound theological understanding of God’s sovereignty.

Application Insight: List some of the wonderful blessings of having children (Ps 127:3-5). Parents, what are some of the blessings you have experienced from raising your children? Write down specific ways you can pray for other families around you, then pray for them.

The Women’s Prayer (4:14-15) The women of the town now pray for Naomi:

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” (4:14-15).

They praise Yahweh for delivering Naomi by the hand of a redeemer and pray that the redeemer will be renowned in all Israel. They express their desire that Obed would be a restorer in Naomi’s present and a nourisher in her future. They applaud Ruth for her loyal love and excellence beyond seven sons. Interestingly, Naomi is the only person in the book of Ruth not commended for her loyal love. This shows that she is the one most undeserving of Yahweh’s lovingkindness.

Application Insight: Spend time in prayer today expressing your praise to God for his faithfulness in the past, declaring his kindnesses exhibited through others, and claiming his promises for the future.

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LOOK: Discussion Points for Application

Head – Thinking God’s Truth

1. Why is praise to the LORD a fitting final prayer in the book of Ruth?

2. How does this prayer look forward to Naomi’s future and the future of Israel?

3. What truths have you learned about the God to whom you pray?

Hands – Living God’s Truth

1. Why should a believer always be prepared to pray?

2. How can you make prayer a greater part of your personal life? How can you improve the ministry of prayer at your church?

3. Who in your life have you grown closer to as a result of ongoing relationship? Is it easier or harder to pray with and for those to whom you are closest?

4. Spend time thanking the LORD for his goodness and praying for greater devotion in prayer.

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APPENDIX 1: COUNSELING THEMES IN THE BOOK OF RUTH

Bitterness against God (1:13, 20-21) against man (see 1:20-21)

Diligence in responsibilities (3:11, 18)

in work (2:2-3, 7; 2:17, 23)

God’s Providence of food, supplication (1:17; 2:15-18; 3:17) of a joy-filled family (4:15) of kindness (2:20) of a redeemer (4:14)

of security (2:22)

God’s Sovereignty over circumstances (1:20; 2:3) over creation and crops (1:1, 6, 22) over life and death (1:3, 5, 11-13; 4:13, 15-16) over human decisions (1:14; 3:13; 4:1, 6) over human hearts (1:16-17)

over human reasoning (1:1, 7) over the lineage of his Son (4:17-22)

Grief; Loss in barrenness (1:11-13; see 4:13) in death (1:3, 5) 133

when parting ways (1:9, 14) in widowhood (1:5)

Kindness; Lovingkindness; Favor to an elder (1:8) to a foreigner (2:10) to a mother/mother-in-law (1:14, 16-17; 2:11) to the poor (2:13, 20)

to a future spouse (3:10)

Marriage; Courtship a worthy man (2:1; see 1 Tim 3:1-7) a worthy woman (3:11; see Prov 31:10-31)

Prayer; Blessings older woman for daughters/daughters-in-law (1:8-9)

between employees and employers (2:4) man for a future wife (2:12; 3:10) older woman for a daughter’s/daughter-in-law’s future marriage (2:20) the community for a married couple (4:11-12) the community for our friend’s joy (4:14-15)

Protection; Provision; Rest through an employer (2:8-9, 14-16, 19, 21-22)

through God’s wings (2:12) through a husband/future husband (1:9; 3:1, 9, 12-17; 4:10) through offspring (4:11-13, 14-17, 18-22)

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APPENDIX 2: NAMES IN THE BOOK OF RUTH

Passage Name Meaning 1:1 Bethlehem House of Bread 1:1 Moab From Father (perhaps a reference to Gen 19) 1:2 Elimelech My God is King 1:2 Naomi Delightful, Pleasant, Lovely, Sweet 1:2 Mahlon Weak, Sick 1:2 Chilion Pining, Dying 1:4 Orpah Unknown (though later identified as “Stubborn, Stiff-Necked”) 1:4 Ruth Unknown (though later identified as “Companion, Friendship”) 1:20 Mara Bitter 2:1 Boaz In Him is Strength 4:17 Obed Servant 4:22 David Beloved

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APPENDIX 3: ALLUSIONS TO GENESIS IN THE BOOK OF RUTH

The primary focus of these allusions is to show that Ruth is a woman of supernatural faith just like Abraham. She follows the Lord just like Abraham and the Lord receives her into his covenant family. Some of these possible allusions may be coincidental, not intentional, due to the shared language and culture in ancient Israel.

Ruth Life of Ruth Possible Allusions to Genesis Genesis 1:1 “There was a famine in the land” “There was a famine in the land” 12:10; 26:1; 42:5 1:1 “A man of Bethlehem in Judah” Judah was one of the 12 sons of 49:8-12 Israel (Jacob)—the chosen tribe 1:1 “Went to sojourn” Abraham sojourned in Egypt; Lot 12:10; sojourned in Sodom; Isaac 19:9; sojourned in Gerar; Jacob 26:1-3; sojourned in Egypt 46:5-7 1:1 “In the country of Moab” The Moabites descended from 19:30-38 Lot’s incestuous relationship 1:5; “Both Mahlon and Chilion died, so “Only Noah was left [shaar], and 7:23; see see v. that the woman was left [shaar] those who were with him in the 14:10; 3 without her two sons and her ark” 32:9; husband” 42:38 1:6 “The LORD had visited [paqad] “The LORD visited [paqad] 21:1; his people” to bless them Sarah”; Joseph promised that God 50:24-25 would “surely visit [paqad]” his brothers 1:8 “Go, return each of you to her Rebekah “ran and told her mother's 24:28; mother’s house” (bayith immah) household” (bayith immah) see 38:11 2:20; “May he be blessed by the LORD, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of 24:27; see whose kindness has not forsaken my master Abraham, who has not see 1:8; [azav hesed] the living or the forsaken his steadfast love [azav 19:19; 3:10 dead!”; Ruth also sought “favor” hesed] and his faithfulness toward 20:13; [cheyn] from both the LORD and my master”; Favor (cheyn) from 21:23; man (2:2, 10, 13) the LORD and man was sought 24:12, after (6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 30:27; 32:6; 14, 49; 33:8, 10, 15; 34:11; 39:4, 21; 32:11; 47:25, 29; 50:4) 39:21; 40:14; 47:29 1:9; “The LORD grant that you may “[Lamech] called his name Noah 5:29 see find rest [menuchah/manoach]”; [nuach], saying, ‘Out of the ground 2:13; Boaz would be the one to bring that the LORD has cursed this one 136

3:1 Ruth comfort (nacham) shall bring us relief [nacham] from our work’” 1:11- Levirate marriage had been Levirate marriage was a cultural 38:6-11 13; established in the law of Moses custom in Judah’s day, if not 4:5-7, (see Deut 25:5-10) already made into law 10 1:14, Instead of leaving [azav] Naomi, “A man shall leave [azav] his 2:24 16; Ruth left [azav] her father and father and his mother and hold fast 2:8, mother and native land and “clung [davaq] to his wife” 11, 21, [davaq] to [Naomi]”; Then “kept 23 close” [davaq] to Boaz’s workers 1:16- Ruth bound herself in covenant to The LORD bound himself in 17:7-8 17 Naomi and the LORD of Israel covenant to Israel, his people 1:17 Ruth invoked the wrath of the The LORD invoked his own wrath 15:8-21 LORD upon herself should she upon himself should he break his break her vow vow 1:20- Naomi called God “the Almighty” El Shaddai was the God of 17:1; 21 (Shaddai) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25 2:8-9, Boaz warned his young men not to “To touch” (naga) implied a 3:3; 21-23 touch [naga] Ruth forbidden temptation or its 12:17; consequences (see Prov 6:29) 20:6; 26:11, 29 2:9 Boaz offered Ruth water from his The LORD offered Hagar water at 21:19; well a well; Rebekah offered water to 24:17- Abraham’s servant at a well; Jacob 20; 29:6- watered Rachel’s flock at a well 11 2:11 Boaz admired Ruth: “You left “The LORD said to Abram, ‘Go 12:1; see your father and mother and your from your country and your 2:24; native land and came to a people kindred and your father's house to 31:13 that you did not know before” the land that I will show you’” 2:20; Boaz became the kinsman The concept of redemption was 3:21; 3:9, redeemer who sacrificed his foreshadowed in Genesis and 22:10- 12-13; wealth to purchase the land and ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Luke 14; 43:8- 4:1-14 Ruth as his bride 1:68; Rom 3:1-23; Gal 3:13; 4:5; 9 Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 1 Pet 1:18-21; Rev 5:9; see Job 19:25) 3:1-9 Ruth proposed to Boaz at night This episode reminded the reader 19:30-38 after he had been drinking of Lot’s incestuous daughters 3:4 Naomi instructed Ruth: “Uncover These words galah, regel, and 9:21; see [galah] his feet [regel] and lie shakhav often implied nakedness 19:32- down [shakhav]” and sexual innuendo 35; 42:9 3:5, 11 “And [Ruth] replied, ‘All that you “So Abram went, as the LORD had 12:4 say I will do’”; [Boaz said] “I will told him” do for you all that you ask” 137

4:5 Boaz replaces Naomi with Ruth as Laban replaced Rachel with Leah 29:16-26 the widow to be redeemed as the woman whom Jacob weds 4:11 “May the LORD make the woman, Rachel and Leah gave birth to all 29:31- who is coming into your house, twelve tribes of Israel (with a little 30:24; like Rachel and Leah, who help from their concubines) 35:16-18 together built up the house of Israel” 4:12 “May your house be like the house Perez would be the son of Judah, 46:12; of Perez” through whom would come the 49:8-12 kingly line (see Num 26:19-21; 1 Chr 5:2) 4:12 “whom Tamar bore to Judah” Tamar (a foreigner) bore twins to 38:12-30 Judah after Judah failed to honor the law of levirate marriage 4:12 “because of the offspring [zerah] This promise of the Seed/Son 3:15; that the LORD will give you by [zerah] alludes to the covenants 4:25; this young woman” God made with his people 9:9; 12:7; 13:14- 16; 15:3- 6, 18-21; 17:1-19, et. al. 4:13 Boaz “took” (laqakh) a wife Abram “took” (laqakh) Sarai and 11:29; Isaac “took” (laqakh) Rebekah 24:67 4:13 Boaz “went in to her [bō], and the Judah “went in [bō] to [Tamar], 38:18 LORD gave her conception [root and she conceived [harah] by him” harah]” 4:13 “The LORD gave her conception” The LORD opens and closes the 4:1; when before Ruth had been barren womb 21:2; (see 1:4-5) 25:21, 29:31; 30:22, et. al. 4:14 “Blessed be the LORD, who has Like God on the Sabbath day of 2:2-3 not left [shabat] you this day creation, Naomi was now able to without a redeemer” enjoy her rest 4:18 “Now these are the generations of Perez brought Hezron to Egypt 46:6-12, Perez: Perez fathered Hezron” with the rest of Jacob’s family 26 4:17- Ruth entered into the lineage of Abraham’s genealogy (toledoth) 5:1-32; 22 Abraham, through whom would points forward to the genealogy of 11:10- come David, then Christ: “Now Christ through David (Matt 1:1-17; 32; 46:12 these are the generations see 2 Sam 7:8-16; 1 Chr 17:11-14) [toledoth]” (v. 18)

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APPENDIX 4: RUTH IN THE CONTEXT OF GOD’S COVENANTS

The book of Ruth, as with all of Scripture, was written in the context of the biblical covenants. We cannot understand God’s romance of redemption apart from the covenants, so the following is a brief summary of these foundational truths as shown in the book of Ruth.

The Noahic (or Noachian) Covenant In the famine, God showed grace to Ruth in the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:2, 10, 13), just as God had shown grace to Noah in the flood (Gen 6:8). God himself had sent the famine as his judgment against Israel’s idolatry (Ruth 1:1), just as he had once destroyed the world as his judgment against sin (Gen 6:5-7, 17-22). The Lord then “visited his people and [gave] them food” (Ruth 1:6), just as he “remembered Noah” (Gen 8:1). So Naomi was spared from death (Ruth 1:5), just as Noah and his family had been spared in the ark (Gen 7:23). In the Noahic covenant, God then promised to never again destroy the earth in a flood (8:20-22; 9:8-17; see 6:18)—a foretaste of future salvation. For as Noah’s father had prayed that his son would bring relief from the curse (5:29), Naomi would pray for Ruth to find rest and comfort in the arms of a husband (see Ruth 1:9; 2:13; 3:1). God’s promise of this everlasting grace would continue on throughout Israel’s descendants.

The Abrahamic Covenant In Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham, the father of Israel:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (vv. 1-3).1

1 See v. 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 18:17-33; 21:12-13; 22:1-18. 139

This covenant centered around God’s people, God’s land, and God’s blessing. We find it especially pertinent to Ruth who embraced God’s people, journeyed into God’s land, and received God’s blessing by becoming a blessing Naomi.

Disobedient fear The book of Ruth first reveals examples of those who did not demonstrate faith. That “there was a famine a land” (Ruth 1:1) alerts the reader to the failures of Abram (Gen 12:10) and Isaac (26:1-3) who sojourned outside the land when they faced famine. The constant references to Moab remind us of the incestuous origin of the Moabites (19:30-38). And although nothing sinful happened between Ruth and Boaz, their midnight rendezvous was rife with sexual innuendo (Ruth 3:1-9). The book of Ruth reminds us of the bad news that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

Obedient faith

The book of Ruth also reveals those who demonstrated faith like Abraham (and at times, faith greater than Abraham). The Lord “visited” his people to bless them with crops (Ruth 1:6), just as he had “visited Sarah” to bless her with a child (Gen 21:1). This was almost enough for Naomi, in the midst of her trials, to recognize God Almighty (El Shaddai) (1:20-21)—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Gen 17:1; 28:3;

35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25). Naomi eventually prayed for God to bless Boaz (Ruth 2:20), using almost the same words as Abraham’s servant who thanked God for his “favor” and “steadfast love” (Gen 24:27).

Ruth also demonstrated a covenantal love toward Naomi (Ruth 1:14, 16; 2:8, 11, 21, 23) usually meant for marriage (Gen 2:24). In fact, Ruth bound herself to the covenant God, Yahweh, and invoked his wrath upon herself should she break her vow (Ruth 1:16-17). Again, we see the kind of covenantal vow that God had made to

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Abraham (Gen 15:8-21; 17:7-8). Like Abraham (12:4), Ruth obeyed immediately (Ruth 3:5) and thus was praised in the same breath as Rachel and Leah (4:11) through whom had come the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen 29:31-30:24; 35:16-18). God also blessed Ruth with conception (Ruth 4:13) when before she had been barren (Gen 4:1; 21:2; 25:21; 29:31; 30:22, etc.), thus grafting Ruth into the lineage of Abraham, through whom would come David, then the Lord Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:17-22; see Matt 1:1-17). Boaz was a worthy man who would not succumb to temptation or permit wickedness in his field (Ruth 2:8-9, 21-23; see Gen 3:3; 12:17; 20:6; 26:11, 29). He offered Ruth water from his well (Ruth 2:9; see Gen 21:19; 24:17-20; 29:6-11) and expressed his admiration for her Abrahamic faith: “You left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before” (Ruth 2:11b; see Gen 12:1). Boaz then became the kinsman redeemer who would bless Ruth for blessing others (Ruth 2:20; 3:9, 12-13; 4:1-14; see Gen 12:3). He was then praised in the same breath as Perez (Ruth 4:12) through whom would come the kingly line (Num 26:19-21; 1

Chr 5:2). For Boaz’s wife, Ruth, showed more virtue than Tamar (Gen 38:12-30) and his “offspring” would carry on the lineage of the promised Seed/Son (Gen 3:15; 4:25; 9:9; 12:7; 13:14-16; 15:3-6, 18-21; 17:1-19, etc.). According to the Abrahamic Covenant, God’s faithful people were blessed in God’s promised land with God’s Messianic seed and God’s eternal blessings.

The Mosaic (or Sinaiatic) Covenant After the Exodus from Egypt, God made a covenant with his people on the holy mountain of Sinai (Exod 19:24). This covenant, however, was not unconditional like the Abrahamic Covenant, but promised blessings should God’s people obey (Lev 26:1- 13, 40-46; Deut 28:1-14) and curses should they disobey (Lev 26:14-39; Deut 28:15-68). In the book of Ruth, we see examples of both.

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Curses for disobedience God sent a famine on the land because of Israel’s idolatry “in the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1; see Lev 26:16b, 20, 26; Deut 28:15-24). As Greg Harris writes,

The blessing or the curse becomes a spiritual barometer for national Israel as long as they are under the Mosaic covenant. Nothing merely happened; God remains true to his Word. If the nation is under famine, such as in Ruth 1:1 (“Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land”), the problem is not a weather problem. The true problem was lack of obedience to Yahweh.2

Elimelech and his family fled the promised land to dwell in a self-imposed exile (Ruth 1:2; see Lev 26:33a; Deut 28:63-67). God then closed the wombs of Naomi’s daughters-in-laws and sent her husband and her two sons into an early grave (Ruth 1:3-5; see Deut 28:17). God’s people suffered his wrath because of their sin. Orpah was an example of one her turned her back on God’s covenant people (Ruth 1:14) and did not reap the blessings (Gen 12:3). So also, Mr. So-and-So did not fulfill his moral obligation either as levir (see Deut 25:5-10) or goel (see Lev 25:25-30).

Therefore, he too does not receive God’s blessing (Ruth 4:6-8).

Blessings for obedience When Naomi finally returned to the promised land (Ruth 1:6), she found that God had blessed the land with harvest (see Lev 26:1-5; Deut 28:1-3, 5-6, 8, 11-14) so his people could dwell in peace without fear (Lev 26:6). God himself would live among his people (Deut 28:11-12), providing shelter beneath Almighty wings (Ruth 2:20; see Ps

91). The Lord, who had delivered his people from Egypt, also delivered Naomi from Moab (Lev 26:13). Boaz received God’s blessings by fulfilling God’s law as both levir and goel

2 Greg Harris, The Bible Expositors Handbook—Old Testament Digital Edition (pre-published manuscript), 64. 142

(see Ruth 4:9-13). He saw his crops blessed (Ruth 1:6) and redeemed the land which Elimelech had foolishly abandoned (1:1). He and his wife, Ruth, became fruitful and multiplied (Lev 26:9; Deut 28:4, 11). Yet thankfully, “just as with the account of Moses in Exodus 32, God based his future actions on his faithfulness in keeping his part of the Abrahamic covenant, not national Israel’s failure under the Mosaic covenant.”3 Sinful man cannot keep the law by human effort, so we need a Kinsman Redeemer. Therefore, Jesus, God’s own Son, was born under the law of the Mosaic Covenant: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). He fulfilled the law perfectly and wrote this law on the hearts of the redeemed.

The Davidic Covenant The Davidic Covenant promised that an “offspring” of David would reign upon the throne of David for all eternity (2 Sam 7:8-16; 1 Chr 17:11-14). This king would come from the line of Judah (Gen 49:8-12; Num 22-24), yet the story of Ruth reminds the reader from the very beginning that there is no king in Israel (Ruth 1:1; see Judg 21:25). In fact, “there was a famine in . . . Bethlehem in Judah” (Ruth 1:1). The story of Ruth, however, ends with its final word as “David,” the king of Israel (4:22). For through the romance of Ruth and Boaz would come forth David and from David would come the Messiah.4 Ozick writes,

The book of Ruth—wherein goodness grows out of goodness, and the extraordinary is found here, and here, and here—is sown in desertion, bereavement, barrenness, death, loss, displacement, destitution. What can sprout from such ash? Then Ruth sees into the nature of Covenant, and the life of the story streams in. Out of this

3 ibid., 66.

4 Ruth was probably read before Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in which the apostle repeatedly referred to the words of David (Acts 2:25-31, 34-35) while making his defense for the ultimate Son of David (2:22-24, 32-33, 36). 143

stalk mercy and redemption unfold: flowers flood Ruth’s feet . . . until the coming of the Messiah from the shoot of David, in the line of Ruth and Naomi.5

In his lifetime, David would receive a “great name” (2 Sam 7:9; see Gen 12:2), “a place for [God’s] people Israel” (2 Sam 7:10; see Gen 15:18), and “rest” (2 Sam 7:11a). God also promised the future blessings of establishing David’s “house” (v. 11b), raising up his “offspring” (v. 12; see Gen 15:5), and empowering that seed to “establish the throne of [God’s] kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:13; see Pss 2:1-12; 89:1-4, 17-37). The Davidic Covenant sets the foundation for Christ’s coming in the New

Testament. As Matthew 1:1 begins a reverse genealogy: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Instead of beginning with Abraham, the genealogy begins with David to reveal Christ as the Davidic King and the heir to David’s throne. Then in Matthew 2, the wise men refer to the baby Jesus as “he who was born King of the Jews” (v. 2). Both Mary (Luke 1:26-33) and Zechariah (vv. 67-73) also allude to the Davidic covenant in their praise to God. Paul calls Jesus “descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom 1:3) and “the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Tim 2:8). Then finally, the book of Revelation declares Jesus to be “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Rev 5:5)—“the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (22:16).

The New Covenant The New Covenant recorded in Jeremiah 31 was not yet written in the days of Ruth, but it was already planned out in the mind of God:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer

5 Ozick, Metaphor and Memory, 264. 144

shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (Jer 31:31- 34).

The New Covenant was not like the Mosaic Covenant which God’s people had broken (vv. 31-32). For Jeremiah 1-29 revealed God’s curses as judgment for his people’s obedience, whereas chapters 30-33 held out the promise of future hope. The New Covenant revealed that God would accept sole responsibility for changing the hearts of his sinful people (31:35-37). This allowed God to keep his promise in the unconditional Abrahamic and Davidic covenants (33:14-26) without violating his word in the Mosaic covenant. Therefore, God granted a new heart to Ruth the Moabite (Ruth 1:16-17) and a new spirit to Naomi the downtrodden (4:14-15). He showed his people forgiveness of sin and the restoration of intimate relationship. Through the New Covenant, Gentiles like Ruth were ushered into the kingdom of God (see Gen 12:3; 22:18; Isa 56:6-8). For God ratified this New Covenant by the death of his Son upon the cross and opened wide his arms to lost sinners (see Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). The book of Hebrews further explains God’s marvelous plan by establishing the foundation of the Davidic Covenant (Heb 1:1- 4:13), then revealing the new and better covenant mediated by Jesus Christ (4:4-10:18). The biblical covenants all point to Jesus Christ as the Kinsman Redeemer of our souls (see Rom 3:1-23; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 1 Pet 1:18-21; Rev 5:9). Noah’s ark pointed to Jesus as the one who would save his people in the midst of judgment and give them rest (see 1 Pet 3:20). The slaughtered animals in the Abrahamic Covenant pointed to Jesus as the one who would be slain for the sins of man (see Rev 5:12). The Mosaic Covenant pointed to Jesus as the one who took our curses upon himself and imputed the blessings of his obedience to us (see Gal 3:13; 1 Pet 3:18). The Davidic Covenant pointed to Jesus as the King who would reign on David’s throne for all eternity (Rev 22:16). The New Covenant declared Jesus as the one “to redeem those who were

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under the law” (Gal 4:5a). Praise “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1).

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APPENDIX 5: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO RUTH

The following is an abridged teaching on the entire book of Ruth. The preacher may use it as an outline for a gospel sermon or the counselor may use it as a homework assignment to familiarize a counselee with the gospel according to Ruth.

A. In one sitting, read the entire book of Ruth aloud to understand its flow.1

The first place we always begin is the gospel (God—Man—Christ—Response). God declares this good news in every book of the Bible and expects his children to rejoice in it wherever it is found. In summary, the gospel states that sinful man rebelling against a holy God must believe in a sacrificial Savior to receive forgiveness from sin.2

B. Slowly read the passage a second time and ask these questions:

1. God – What do we learn about the character and attributes of God from his actions in the book of Ruth?

2. Man – Where in the story do we find evidence of human sin? What heart issues are at work in each situation?

3. Christ – Based on our knowledge of the person and work of Jesus Christ, how is he foreshadowed in the Old Testament book of Ruth? In other words, how do the actions and the attributes of his Father reveal what Jesus will be like in his incarnation (see John 14:6-10)?

4. Response – How do the characters in this story respond to the person and work of God? What are the results?

1 The narrative of Ruth was originally written for the ear—to be heard by a congregation instead of simply being read in silence.

2 For a fuller explanation of the gospel, see Two Ways To Live www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl. 147

Biblical Exposition The book of Ruth is a treasured love story about a man named Boaz and a woman named Ruth. It is found in the Bible which reveals the larger story of God’s unexpected romance with his people. This is the romance of redemption which rescues a people from their sin. Our story begins, “In the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1)— uncertain days in Israel—the dark period between the Exodus from Egypt and the monarchy of Israel. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg 21:25). Everyone did whatever he felt like doing and there was chaos without a king. Yet that was not the way God had designed it. God, the loving Ruler and Creator of the world, had set apart Israel to be his covenant people. He desired to demonstrate his love toward them, and in return, would receive their honor and allegiance. So he appointed himself King to rule his people (Exod 20:3), but they rebelled against his authority. They intermarried with pagan peoples, worshipped false gods, and disobeyed the law of Moses (Exod 20:4-5). They rejected God as their Ruler and tried to run life their own way without him. God would not let his people rebel forever, sending a famine on the land as his judgment for rebellion (Ruth 1:1). In God’s kindness, God leads his people to repentance. For God is so good that he opposes all sin, even the sin in us. We may forget about God when content with life, but not having enough food in the cupboard or water in the well can jog our memory. So God, in his grace, often designs the difficulties of life to bring us back to him (Rom 8:28). Yet sadly these difficulties can drive us further away if we respond with sin. Have you ever grown bitter over a broken relationship or blamed God for the loss of a loved one? Sometimes, because of stubborn sin or overwhelming sadness, we do not respond to the trials in life with pure joy (see Jas 1:2), but instead with pure hatred toward the God who gave them to us.

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Our Sin in Elimelech (1:1-5) In the story of Ruth, a man named Elimelech responds to trials wrongly (Ruth 1:1-2). He comes face-to-face with the famine and surrenders his faith in God. He fears there is not enough food to feed his family. Then without prospects for the future, he panics. His name, Elimelech, means, “My God is King,” but he rejects God as the King of his life. So he uproots his family and takes them away to the land of Moab, thinking that he can provide for them better than the Lord. Ironically, while seeking to save his family and his life, he loses both (vv. 3-5). Elimelech dies in the land of Moab, which proves more hostile than the famine they had fled. Then adding insult to his death, his two sons take Moabite women to be their wives (v. 4). On a clear day, the people of Israel could physically see the land of Moab, yet Moab was a hated people—a constant thorn in the flesh (Num 22-24; Judg 11:17). Moab was a nation spawned from incest (Gen 19:35-37), and worst of all, led Israel into idolatry through intermarriage (Num 25:1-3). The chief Moabite god was a vile fertility god named Chemosh. Idol worshippers would sacrifice their firstborn sons by placing them on his hands of stone to be burned alive by the fire in his belly. So how could Elimelech move his family to Moab even in the midst of famine? He leads his family into sin, and then he dies. Soon after marrying Moabite women, Elimelech’s two sons also die (Ruth 1:5).

Our Despair in Naomi (1:6-13) Consider now the widow, Naomi. She has lost her husband and both her sons have died without children. With their cluster of deaths, Naomi feels the failure of her husband’s lineage and all her own life’s efforts shriveled up. She is far from home and without hope in this harsh time before social security and life insurance. It was a desperate situation for a woman to be abandoned in her own community, but even worse in a foreign land.

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So Naomi decides to return home (vv. 6-7). Her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, set out with her on the journey, but Naomi implores them to return (vv. 8-9). She describes to them her hopeless situation: “I don’t have any more sons for you to marry or even a husband who can give me more sons. And even if I had a husband and we had more sons, would you wait for them to grow up in order to marry?” (see vv. 11- 13). Not only that, but Naomi believes the hand of the Lord is bitter against her. She believes, whether rightly or not, that the sovereign God is punishing her (vv. 20-21).

If we are to understand God’s grace in the book of Ruth, we must first understand the tumultuous circumstances from which Naomi emerged. This story could very well have ended with a poor, destitute widow living out the rest of her days in mourning for her husband and two sons. Yet the plot takes a dramatic twist when Naomi urges her daughters-in-law to return home.

God’s Faithfulness in Ruth (1:14-22)

God’s faithfulness in uncertainty The saving faith of Ruth stands in stark contrast to the logical, rational common sense of Orpah. One would expect both women to respond sensibly like Orpah, whom we do not fault for wanting to keep her family, her homeland, and any prospect of a husband. She was loyal to Naomi and wept to see her leave, but Orpah did not go with her. From a human perspective, Ruth should have done the same. Yet the parallelism emphasizes the startling difference of her response: “Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (v. 14b). “To cling” is a word which means, “To hold fast and not let go.” It is the word used to describe the loyalty of marriage: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and [cling] to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). It is the word which speaks of God’s covenant allegiance to his people and the allegiance they should have toward him.

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God’s faithfulness in despair So Ruth clings to Naomi, but Naomi still tries to dissuade her (see Ruth 1:15- 18). Ruth is the first person in this story to demonstrate a love which doesn’t make sense to a person who is trying to push her away. She is the first glimpse of God’s intervening grace in the sad life of Naomi, though in retrospect we see that God was always present. Isn’t that just like God? He provides for Naomi in ways she did not understand even as she moaned in her complaint.

God’s faithfulness in trials God used a famine to move a family from Bethlehem to Moab, just as one day he would use a census to move another family from Nazareth to Bethlehem (see Mic 5:2). If there was no famine, there would be no Naomi. Then somewhere in those ten dry years, Naomi’s faithful testimony so impressed Ruth that she was willing to forsake her land and gods and family for that of Naomi’s. There was no other reason for Ruth to go. If there was no Naomi, there would be no Ruth. Not only that, but God brought death to the men in Naomi’s life in order to send her back to Bethlehem. If there was no death, there would be no Boaz. The sovereign God remains faithful even when we are not. Still, we only perceive God’s grace in the book of Ruth because, in his kindness, God inspired an unknown prophet to write it down. Sometimes it takes divine revelation to recognize where God is working. For God often works behind-the-scenes, providing in ways we do not understand. Naomi tries to send Ruth home in a strange sort of anti-evangelism because she does not know if she can provide for herself, let alone another person. But instead of Ruth becoming a burden to Naomi, she will end up providing for her. God works in mysterious ways.

God’s faithfulness in danger The two women travel on to Bethlehem—the road from Moab to Judah

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dangerous for two unaccompanied women. This journey of more than sixty miles might have taken about a week, descending four thousand feet into the Jordan River valley, then climbing back up again before reaching Bethlehem in Judah. Again we see God’s hand of protection guiding these helpless women to reach their destination (v. 22).

God’s faithfulness in poverty They arrive in Bethlehem safely, yet their struggles are far from over. Where would they find food? How would they make a living? In those days, men provided for the household, so widows without close relations were often relegated to begging, or even worse to harlotry. Naomi and Ruth need an act of God in order to survive. So God does act in 2:1, “Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”

God’s Grace through Boaz (2:1-23) Ruth does not know Boaz. So when we are told that Ruth intends to glean in the field (v. 1), she is not headed to any particular field. Her words to Naomi are spoken like a prayer which she could very well have whispered to God: “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor” (v. 2). That word, “favor,” is the Hebrew word for “grace,” since Ruth recognizes that she, as a poor, defenseless widow, needs grace for the gleaning.

Gleaning in the fields was incredibly hard work. It meant following after the harvesters under the scorching Palestinian sun. A gleaner would scavenge any of the grain left behind in the corners or at the borders of the field, as well as any sheaves that dropped to the ground. It was like our welfare system today, except that it was backbreaking work—bending over, picking things up, carrying heavy loads. Now it was lawful for the poor to glean in the fields (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19), but landowners were not always cooperative, being more concerned about the bottom shekel.

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So in the days of the judges when everyone does whatever they please (Judg 21:25), Ruth recognizes her need for grace. She needs someone, in a position higher than her, to look upon her with kindness and clothe himself with the very character of God. The reader, of course, already knows who this kind and gracious man would be, but Ruth only knows it by her faith in Jehovah Jireh—“The God who provides.” “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3).

“She happened to come,” literally translates, “Her chance chanced,” or in the modern day paraphrase: “As luck would have it.” Yet if we know anything about the sovereignty of God, we know there is no such thing as luck. The narrator might have even written these words with a knowing smile, for nothing happens by chance when God is in control. Of all the fields in which Ruth could have gleaned, she chooses the field belonging to Boaz, a worthy man, who just happens to be related to Elimelech. This is not luck, but as Ruth had prayed for, an act of divine favor.

Fear of God Boaz is not only a worthy man, but also a kind and God-fearing man. We observe this in the way he treats his employees: Boaz “says to [his] reapers, ‘The LORD be with you!’ And they answered, ‘The LORD bless you’” (v. 4). He is a man well-liked by his companions and one who lives a worshipful lifestyle—just the kind of guy that

God is looking for. As it turns out, Ruth is just the kind of girl that Boaz is looking for. So God uses his interest in Ruth to get things moving. Scripture does not explicitly state that Boaz was smitten, but the narrator leaves us plenty of clues. Imagine how many times in their happy marriage that Boaz and Ruth would answer the question, “So, how did the two of you meet?” Each one of these intricate details would bring a smile to their lips.

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Personal initiative It all starts when Boaz notices a young woman in his field and wants to find out more about her. Out of all the workers in his field, his eye lands on her. So Boaz inquires about Ruth and the foreman’s good report only increases his interest: “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest” (Ruth 2:6-7).

Intrigued, Boaz goes to speak with her personally. Here’s a man with initiative who is not afraid to make the first move.

Kind words His opening words are words of kindness. First, he grants her special provision and protection not given to just any gleaner:

Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn (vv. 8-9).

Ruth recognizes grace when it is offered, but modestly believes she is not worthy to be noticed: “She fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’” (v. 10). The word “foreigner” carries the connotation of one who is conspicuous or noticeable, so Ruth speaks with a play on words: “Why have you noticed me (in a good way) since I am so noticeable (in a bad way)?” She is a poor, widowed, childless, Moabite woman—noticeable for all the wrong reasons. Yet Boaz has noticed her and shown her grace. So Boaz explains,

All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what

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you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge! (vv. 11-12).

Although Boaz had not recognized Ruth by sight, he had already heard about her kindness to Naomi in a town so small as Bethlehem. So he blesses her both for her kindness to Naomi and her allegiance to the Lord. Then he prays for her protection, using the imagery of a baby bird snuggling beneath its mother’s wings (see Deut 32:11). Ruth responds in gratitude, once again using the word, “favor,” or, “grace,” to speak of his actions toward her: “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants” (Ruth 2:13).

Gracious actions Things are moving along pretty smoothly now, so Boaz invites Ruth to lunch (v. 14). Then after treating Ruth to a delicious meal (though not exactly romantic), Boaz instructs his workers to show her even more kindness far beyond what the law required: “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her” (vv. 15-16).

Because of his kindness, Ruth is able to glean an ephah of barley (vv. 17-18).3 The actions of Boaz show he has already taken a special interest in Ruth. So Naomi instantly recognizes that her young daughter-in-law has turned the head of this godly man. For Naomi said to her,

“Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So [Ruth] told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” (vv. 19-20).

The kindness of Boaz protects Ruth all throughout the barley and the wheat harvests (v. 23), so the stage is set as this love story continues. God’s providence thus far

3 An ephah weighed almost 60 pounds—an impossible amount to be gleaned in one day, but enough to feed her and Naomi for several weeks. 155

is amazing. Among other things, to accomplish his will, God has used a famine and death in the family, a “chance occurrence” by an industrious young woman, and the romantic interest of a kindly, old gentleman.

God’s Sovereignty over Naomi (3:1-11) God now introduces a nosy, well-meaning mother-in-law to get for Ruth a husband (3:1-5). Naomi’s intention is for Ruth’s well-being—her future provision. For in those days, it was the role of parents (in this case, Naomi) to be the matchmaker of an arranged marriage. Naomi rightly interprets that Boaz’s favor toward Ruth indicates interest on his part. Not only that, but he is also a relative of Elimelech (2:1; 3:2). And there was an obscure Jewish law,4 planted by God centuries before, that basically said: If a man dies and leaves behind a widow, his closest relation should marry the widow in order to protect her and care for her. Their firstborn son together would then belong to the deceased. It’s a strange law, but that’s the way they did things. The relative who redeems the widow is called a kinsman redeemer and although we’re not sure how closely the law was followed in those days of the judges, we do know that faithful Jews like Naomi and Boaz were well-aware of it. Isn’t it amazing that God wrote this law into existence hundreds of years before Boaz and Ruth to effectively preserve the lineage of his promised Seed? Naomi’s maternal instincts spring into action with this tiny tinge of hope.

We’re not told how Naomi got her information, but she did some snooping to find out when and where Boaz would be sleeping that night as she devised a plan to marry off her daughter. She tells Ruth to get all prettied up—to put on her best clothes and beautify herself according to the custom of the times (v. 3): “Take a bath. Change your clothes. Wear some perfume.” (Sometimes we all need a little practical advice.) However, Ruth

4 This is the law of levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10; see Lev 25:25, 48-49). 156

was not to reveal herself to Boaz until after he had finished eating and drinking. (Don’t get between the man and his meal.) Naomi further instructs Ruth to uncover his feet, then lie down beside them (v. 4) and Ruth does exactly as Naomi told her (v. 6). Picture the scene: Boaz is fast asleep on the threshing floor. His stomach is full from the celebration of a bountiful harvest (v. 7) when Ruth slips in quietly and lies down at his feet. (I can’t imagine that Ruth even dared to sleep. She’s probably waiting all night for this guy to wake up.) Then finally, Boaz awakens at midnight (perhaps his feet were cold) and he finds a woman lying there (vv. 8-9). Startled, Boaz asks who she is. So she identifies herself as his servant, Ruth, and requests that he cover her with the corner of his garment (symbolically acting as her kinsman redeemer). Ironically, Boaz is the answer to his own prayer when he becomes the Lord’s protective “wings” (see 2:12). Ruth then feels her heart flutter as Boaz covers her with his garment and promises to uphold her before his townsmen as a worthy woman of noble character (3:10-11; Prov 31:10). Isn’t this such a great love story? The guy is about to get his girl.

God’s Salvation in the Kinsman Redeemer (3:12-4:22) They have just one problem, however, for Boaz is not the closest relation (Ruth 3:12). Another kinsman, closer to Elimelech, had first dibs to redeem Ruth. Yet Boaz desires to have Ruth for his wife and assures her that he will take care of the matter:

“Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you” (v. 13). Boaz is an honorable man who will not circumvent the law. Neither does he physically take advantage of Ruth, though the situation was tempting. Instead, he will wait until she is his rightful wife. He instructs Ruth to leave early in the morning so her reputation would not be ruined by the town gossips (v. 14) and he sends her away with another gift of grain (v.

15). We’re starting to like this guy more and more.

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So Ruth goes home and tells her mother-in-law all that happened on their first date and Naomi realizes, “Thank you, Lord. My work here is done.” Now it’s all up to

Boaz—who is not a man to waste any time (v. 18). Early the next morning, he goes up to the gate of the city where all the business is conducted, waiting for the nearer relation to pass by. And he doesn’t have long to wait. The man comes by and Boaz hails him down as Mr. So-and-So (4:1). This is not to say that Boaz doesn’t know his relative’s name like the ever-insulting, “Hey you!” Instead, the narrator intentionally keeps him nameless, for his would be a legacy of shame. Mr. So-and-So plays the foil to Boaz just as Orpah had for Ruth. This man could have been included in the lineage of Christ, but instead remains anonymous for all antiquity. Boaz calls together the ten elders required for a legal decision (v. 2) and makes his case.

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.” 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” (vv. 3-6).

Boaz shows wisdom even in the way he presents the matter: “Sure you can have this nice piece of property and it also comes with your very own Moabite widow.” Mr. So-and-So then refuses because it would endanger his own estate (since his firstborn son with Ruth would legally be the son of Mahlon). Maybe he’s married and doesn’t think his wife or kids would be happy with the competition. Maybe he realizes it wasn’t a surefire business decision after all. But ironically, in seeking to establish his own genealogy, Mr. So-and-So misses out on becoming part of the most famous genealogy of all—that of the Messiah. The two men perform a strange ceremony of exchanging sandals before Boaz becomes the kinsman redeemer of Ruth (vv. 7-12). Then they live 158

happily ever after. Well, not quite yet. For this love story does not end with a wedding, but rather with a child. The Lord gave Ruth conception (v. 13). The very same Lord who had closed her womb for ten years in Moab, now granted Ruth a child.

Who are these women blessing in the name of the Lord? They are certainly blessing Boaz and Ruth, but it seems they direct the bulk of their praise toward the child born to Ruth. In an interesting twist, the role of Boaz as Ruth’s kinsman redeemer is transferred to his descendent as the redeemer of Israel. The child is the one whose name would be famous in Israel. For he, not Boaz, would renew Naomi and sustain her in old age. By giving birth to him, Ruth is better than seven sons (seven being the symbol of completion). Then the child is named Obed, which means, “servant” for he would serve his people, Israel (v. 17). Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, through whom would one day come the Messiah—the Son of God. This love story strangely ends with a genealogy, expanded in Matthew 1 as God’s divine plan unfolds with the coming of Jesus Christ.

God’s Redemption in Christ This is the romance of redemption that because of his great love, God sent his Son into the world: the man Jesus Christ. But unlike Israel in the days of the judges, Jesus always lived under God’s rule. He was perfectly righteous, and as such, the only sacrifice which God would accept for the sins of mankind. Then Jesus, our nearest relation to God, who became flesh that he might be our kinsman (Rom 8:3, 29), sacrificed himself to become our Kinsman Redeemer. By dying in our place upon a cross he took our punishment and brought forgiveness of sin, purchasing for us the eternal inheritance of

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his salvation. But that’s not all. God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of this world. Jesus, who conquered death, now gives new life, and will one day return to judge the righteous and the wicked. The parallel stories of Orpah and Ruth, of Boaz and Mr. So-and-So, are given to show us that there are only two ways to live. So you might know a lot about God and enjoy being with his people, but if you never choose to follow Jesus, then you will never know him as your Kinsman Redeemer. Maybe today, you feel like you’re in Moab. Everyone around you, even yourself, is living outside of God’s boundaries. Your dryness has turned into a spiritual famine and life isn’t going very well. You’re struggling with school or with relationships or just feeling out of control. Perhaps you’re bitter against God for what he’s done to you. You’re at the end of yourself. That is exactly where God wants you. He wants you to know your need for grace and to know your need for him—the Kinsman Redeemer needed by all, who bought us with his precious blood. Then at the end of your life, if you have become a follower of Jesus, God will point out every step along the way that brought you closer to him. For he has already provided for you in ways you do not even understand. He will show you how the struggles and sin in your life revealed your ineptitude and need for grace. He will list each supposedly “chance occurrence” that drove you into his arms. He will play back the memories of people you loved and lost and describe their influence in your life. Then after he has laid out all of these intricate details, he will lift you up for a heavenly view of the eternal expanse of your life. So you will see with startling clarity how your life, like the love story of Boaz and Ruth—or the history of Israel and the history of the world—is centered around a baby boy in Bethlehem who came to die upon a cross. Everything that God has done in human history is a love story to bring mankind back into relationship with him. This is the romance of redemption and it is my prayer that you will know this love truly and delight to tell the story over and over and over again.

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Discussion Points for Application

1. God – What do we learn about the character and attributes of God from his actions in the book of Ruth?

2. Man – Where in the story do we see evidence of human sin? What heart issues are at work in each situation?

3. Christ – Based on our knowledge of the person and work of Jesus Christ, how is he foreshadowed in the Old Testament book of Ruth? In other words, how do the actions and the attributes of his Father reveal what he will be like in his incarnation (see John 14:6-10)?

4. Response – How do the characters in this story respond to the person and work of God? What are the results?

5. Using the book of Ruth as a basis, practice sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with a friend or family member. (If you are studying this material in a small group, then pair off and practice sharing the gospel.)

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APPENDIX 6: EMPTY, THEN FULL

The book of Ruth reveals the theme of emptiness and fullness. For example, Naomi despairs: “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty [reqam]” (1:21a). Then God’s blessing is foreshadowed as Ruth goes out to the fields with empty hands (2:2) and returns with her hands filled with grain (vv. 15-18; see 3:15). In fact, Boaz literally states, “You must not go back empty-handed [reqam] to your mother-in- law” (3:17b).

Naomi Emptied, then Refilled1 1:1–5 Comparison/Contrast 4:13–17 71 words Length in Hebrew 71 words famine in Bethlehem (v. 1a) Circumstances wedding in Bethlehem (v. 13) leaving promised land and back in promised land and endangered (vv. 1b-2) reestablished (v. 14; see 1:22) lost husband (v. 3) celebrated a marriage (v. 13) lost two sons (v. 5) gained a son-in-law and a lineage (vv. 13, 18-22) Ruth’s barrenness Family Status Ruth’s conception (v. 13) (vv. 4-5) Naomi’s womb empty (vv. 11- Naomi receives a son (v. 17) 13) lost a daughter-in-law (vv. gained a daughter (vv. 14b, 16- 14a, 15) 18) no hope in sight (v. 5, see v. Possibility of Help redeemers: Boaz and Obed (vv. 21) 14-15) widow of deceased son Ruth’s Status/Significance better than seven sons (Mahlon) (v. 5) to Naomi (v. 15)

holds Ruth/Orpah close Naomi’s Emotions holds Obed close in grief/emptiness (v. 9) in joyfulness (v. 16) Mara: “bitter” (v. 20) Naomi’s Name Naomi: “pleasant” (vv. 14, 17) introductory bookend Literary Function concluding bookend

1 This chart has been adapted from Boyd Luter and Richard Rigsby, JETS 39:1 (March 1996), 18. Another startling parallel shows the contrast between words of death (i.e., famine; Elimelech died; Mahlon and Chilion died; Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband) and words of life (Ruth 4:13-17).

APPENDIX 7: COMPARING PRAYERS IN THE BOOK OF RUTH1

Passage Speaker Object Context Request Key Terms Doctrinal Basis Answer 1:8-9 Naomi Daughters- grief, kindness, rest LORD (2x), blessings Ruth finds rest and in-law, separation, in the home lovingkindness repaid; God’s lovingkindness in the Orpah and weeping of a husband (2x), rest kindness and house of Boaz (see Ruth sovereignty 3:1) 2:12 Boaz Ruth, his joy at first provision and LORD (2x), God blessings Boaz is the answer to future wife impression protection of Israel, repay, repaid; God’s his own prayer (see reward, refuge sovereignty and 3:9) protection 2:20 Naomi Boaz, joy over blessings for LORD, blessed, blessings bountiful harvest (see v. Ruth’s abundant Boaz lovingkindness, repaid; God’s (3:7); Ruth is the 19) future blessings redeemer kindness, answer to Naomi’s husband sovereignty, prayer for Boaz (see and protection 3:8-10) 3:10 Boaz Ruth, his joy in the blessings for LORD, blessed, blessings see above future wife abundant Ruth lovingkindness repaid; God’s harvest sovereignty 4:11-12 Witnesses Ruth and joy at a fertility, LORD (2x), Rachel and Ruth and Boaz receive Boaz wedding children, house (4x), Leah (Gen 29- many descendants and celebration renown for woman (2x), 30); Tamar a great name (4:17-22; Boaz worthy/renown (Gen 38) see Matt 1) 4:14-15 Women Naomi and joy in blessings for LORD, blessed, God’s kindness, Naomi is blessed and Obed childbirth Naomi; renown, sovereignty, Obed is a source of renown for redeemer, and protection blessing (4:16-22) Obed restorer, nourisher

1 This chart has been adapted from a lecture by William Barrick.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Atkinson, David. The Message of Ruth. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983. Block, Daniel I. Judges, Ruth. New American Commentary. Vol. 6. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1999. Brandt, Brad, and Eric Kress. God in Everyday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors. Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications, 2007. Cundall, Arthur E., and Leon Morris. Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 7. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968.

Duguid, Iain M. Esther and Ruth. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005. Hubbard, Robert L. The Book of Ruth. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988. Huey, Jr., F. B. “Ruth” in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992. Luter, A. Boyd, and Barry C. Davis. Ruth & Esther: God Behind the Seen. Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2003. Miller, Paul. E. A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014.

Newheiser, Jim. “Counseling Naomi.” Biblical Counseling Coalition (blog), September 25, 2013. Accessed June 2, 2015. https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2013/09/25/counseling-naomi. Piper, John. Ruth: Under the Wings of God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010. Webb, Barry G. Five Festal Garments: Christian Reflections on the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther. Edited by D. A. Carson. New Studies in Biblical Theology. Vol. 10. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.