Answers Bible Curriculum 2nd Edition Unit 8 Lesson 73
This week in Sunday school, we’re studying the entire book of Ruth. What do Naomi’s life reversals teach us about God and his redemptive purposes? Why does Ruth propose marriage to Boaz in such a strange way? And how can we apply the account of Ruth to our lives today? We’ll consider these questions and more.
Our text for this lesson is Ruth 1:1-4:22.
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
all right well it is time to get started so good morning good morning to all of you just joining in at the Calgary page our YouTube page or maybe even the Facebook page good morning and welcome to the Calvary Community Church Sunday School class I’m David Koepp OSHA we are moving along in our chronological study of the Bible today we move out of the book of Judges and into an account that takes place during the time of the judges and that is the account of Naomi and Ruth now whereas the book of Judges is an increasingly depressing record of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God and God’s discipline and the cycle of repentance and discipline that keeps going on in the book of Judges the Book of Ruth is a truly encouraging narrative about how God works restoration and redemption for a downcast Israelite family this is a beloved book of the Bible but what does God want us to learn from the Book of Ruth and how can we apply it to our lives today even as we continue in a broken world where trouble and evil continues to about this is a very this is another very relevant book for our lives how are we to apply it let’s find out together today and we’ll start our time with some prayer let’s ask the Lord for his blessing a Heavenly Father we thank you so much for this word and Lord I prayed you’d help me to be able to explain it well explain it accurately and God I pray that you to work in the hearts of those who listen to be encouraged transformed and motivated Lord to cling to you ever more tightly no matter the troubles of life or where we’ve gone astray help us to return to you in Jesus name Amen if you would please take your Bibles and open to the Book of Ruth chapter 1 put the Ruth chapter 1 this is right after the book of Judges toward the beginning of the Old Testament I’m gonna start with just looking at the beginning situation in the Book of Ruth Ruth 1 verses 1 to 5 this is where we see calumny that befalls a certain family in Israel while longing means I read the first five verses Ruth chapter 1 it says now it came about in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land I’m certain mana Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab and with his wife and his two sons the name of the man was alum elec the name of his wife Naomi and the names of his two sons were Malin and Killian epiphytes of Bethlehem in Judah now they enter the land of Moab and remain there then Elimelech Naomi’s husband died she was left with her two sons they took for themselves Moabite women as wives the name of the one was for PHA in the name of the other Ruth and they lived there about ten years then both Malin and Killian also died and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband all right let’s make some observations on just this first section notice we’re told when all this takes place we’re in the days when the judges governed or and also when there was a famine in the land so as I said we’re in the book of Judges period but when exactly in that period it’s a little hard to say because there aren’t that many time indicators in the Book of Ruth but there is a connection to David there’s a connection between the woman Ruth and David mentioned at the end of the book that helps us give a rough rough estimate to as to when these events are taking place Ruth chapter four verses 21 to 22 shows us that Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David since David was probably born around 1040 BC Ruth didn’t live that much before that so we’re probably looking at the latter part of the judges period around 11:25 BC that’s when this story takes place now the famine mentioned doesn’t appear to be mentioned in the book of Judges book of Judges doesn’t have to record every event in history of Israel during the judges period so this is an unmentioned famine and we don’t know why this famine has come upon Israel however according to the Torah those first five books of Moses what is one primary reason why famine might come upon Israel namely the people’s sin God says if you will follow after me you will have abundance in the land you prosperity your faithful to me I will bless you but if you turn against me violate the terms of my covenant I’ll be faithful to discipline you and one of the ways I’ll do that is with famine I’ll withhold rain or I’ll bring oppressors against you will take your food one way or the other book route doesn’t say that’s what’s going on here but there’s a strong possibility considering what goes on in the judges period for deliverance from famine then if it is indeed a judgment of God what must the people of Israel do you must repent turn back to Yahweh now the text doesn’t tell us about tell us much about a limb a lack or his spiritual state but a limb elect this head of the family notice what he decides to do he decides that his family will leave Israel and and go to Moab during this time of famine Holda Malik and Naomi their two sons they leave Bethlehem town or city whose name means House of bread and they go east across the Jordan to Moab you can see yeah you can see a little bit of what that looks like on the with the map on the screen now Moab let’s remember it’s a pagan land he’s a descendant of a lot Abraham’s nephew they were actually a frequent enemy of Israel they even attack Israel at one point during the judges period yeah this is where our text says eliminate goes to sojourn into Moab now sojourn means a limited echoing planned to stay there temporarily but actually he dies in Moab these days there permanently and noticed what his two sons do they take Moabite wives for themselves now did God permit Israelites to intermarry with Moabites well not exactly principle in Deuteronomy 25 where God commanded the people not to intermarry with the Canaanites the people who lived in the land it was partly due to the fact the Canaanites were idolaters God says you are not to marry with an idolatrous people this certainly would have applied to the Moabites who are also idolaters they were known to serve the God shamash and yet the oneís two sons take wives from the Moabites and notice how long the text says that Naomi and her two surviving sons live in Moab ten years that’s a pretty long sojourn now text isn’t isn’t clear when during those ten years a limb elect dies or when the sons take wives but after those ten years Malin and Killian both die and without any children which is a big deal no children over those ten years and they leave behind a house of three widows this is a pretty profound family tragedy all the men are gone no children should prolong the line and all within 10 years this is extremely difficult circumstances and it’s would have results in a much morning and in the house of Allah Malak let’s pause for a moment ask an interpretation question this is kind of a big one for understanding the Book of Ruth was it wrong for a limb alack and Naomi to sojourn in idolatrous Moab during the famine this is a big question but a difficult question because a lot of factors in play on the one hand the author Ruth does not mention that this leaving Israel was wrong there bad circumstances that overtake them envelope are not necessarily because God’s chastening them bad things happen even when God is not displeased with a person the Moabite women they may have converted at least nominally to Judaism before Malan and Killian married them other righteous persons like Abraham Jacob and David they also flee Israel during a time of danger or famine and common sense would seem to direct one to remove himself and his family from a place of danger or deprivation when possible so if there’s a famine in one place leave that place and go to where there isn’t a famine that’s on the side of saying it’s not wrong that they left Israel but on the other hand just because the author doesn’t condemn their action doesn’t mean that he approved it Old Testament narrative often describes evil actions in the narrative without giving comment on them perhaps that’s happening here and while bad circumstances difficult circumstances are not always indicators of God’s pleasure or displeasure and Mosaic Covenant did specifically promises rule that God would chase in them nationally and even individually for disobedience as to the conversion of or Prynne Ruth Ruth it’s very unlikely that they truly believed in Yahweh before their Jewish husbands married them Orpah is quite willing to return to her old gods as we’ll see in a moment also the situation of those who sojourned away from Israel like Abraham Jacob and David they’re not exactly parallel to what we see here in Ruth Abraham and Jacob first of all they never settled in Israel they were sojourners and so they didn’t necessarily need to stay in Canaan permanently though it is interesting that if you remember when Abraham is looking to obtain a wife for Isaac he is adamant that Isaac not be removed from the land he says even to get a wife don’t take my son away from the land of Canaan which is interesting and when it comes to David no David flees Israel to get away from Saul he did not necessarily do right when he did so because in the context of that flight first Daniel 27 well actually the first verse of 1st Samuel 27 you have David despairing that God will be able to take care of him in Israel he says surely I will perish by the hand of Saul if I don’t leave just not true because God has been preserving David’s life in Israel for years up to that point we’re over in the previous chapter in 1st Samuel 26 verses 19 to 20 David actually confront Saul after being miraculously delivered from Saul’s hand he confronts all about how evil it is that Saul would try to drive David away from Israel because Israel is the place or Canaan is the place of Israel’s inheritance and it is the place of God’s presence and God’s presence is always associated with blessing says how dare you try and get me to leave this land and then the very next chapter he leaves voluntarily finally though it is rational to flee from danger but must remember that flight and sojourn they bring their own dangers at times consider a limb Allah and his family by leaving Israel they are no longer able to work their land in Bethlehem or to reach out to their brethren for help they go to a hostile idolatrous land where the inhabitants might attack or mistreat them I mean they attacked Israel before what makes you think you’re gonna be safe in Moab by going to this land to Moab the family virtually assures that their unmarried sons will not marry Jewish women they cut themselves off from the community of the righteous and they subject themselves to all sorts of idolatrous influences so we’ve got factors on both sides was it wrong for the family to leave Israel was it wise there’s not complete agreement among interpreters on this issue but while I’m mindful that we do not have the full amount of information ask this family situation want to be conservative in judgment I would lean on the side that says alumina lek and his family did do wrong and acted unwisely and leaving Israel because Canaan Israel that was the place visuals inheritance the place of God’s presence the place of blessing and even though there’s a famine God would provide for his own and as the people repented God would relent from the famine now if you take a slightly different view I think the implications of this book are still going to be similar why do you see this just as calamity that was not due to any particular sin or the things that happened to a limb elects family or partly due to their own sin still what we see unfold in this book is going to bring great instruction and encouragement to us today because we see as as I emphasized later on God as the restorer and the redeem whether someone was previously in sin or whether someone simply experienced the difficulties of life and the curse of this world but certainly by the time we come to the end of verse five and Ruth this is a very tragic situation that has unfolded but this is only the beginning of the story you might be asking ourselves right at the beginning well is is Naomi and her family just doomed to grief for the rest of their lives let’s read on look at verses 6 & 7 chapter 1 verse 6 says then she Naomi arose with her daughters-in-law as she might return from the land of Moab where she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord that is Yahweh had visited his people in giving them food so she departed from the place where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah oh not gonna read the next little section here we’ll skip the next ten or so verses but we see here in just these two verses in verses 6 & 7 that the famine Israel has come to an end this means that probably Israel has returned to the Lord and he’s brought about this deliverance he sent the rain again but this gives occasion for Naomi to return to the land from which she set out and to return to Yahweh really now in verses 8 to 14 we see that while Naomi’s daughters-in-law they’ve developed a great affection for her Naomi tells them to return to their families find new husbands because she’s not really going to be able to provide for them but in verses 15 to 22 right after Orpah kisses her mother good mother-in-law good bye Ruth won’t leave let’s take a look at the conversation that takes place ruth 1 verses 15 to 22 it says and she that’s Naomi said behold your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods return after your sister-in-law but Ruth said you know nerds me to leave you or turn back from following you but 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 I will be buried thus may Yahweh do to me and worse if anything but death parts you and me when she saw this she was determined to go with her she said no more turn so they both went until they came to Bethlehem and when they had come to Bethlehem all the city was stirred because of them and the woman said is this Naomi she said to them do not call me Naomi call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me I went out full but Yahweh has brought me back empty why do you call me Naomi since Yahweh has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me so Naomi returned and with her ruth the moabite as’ her daughter-in-law who returned from the land of Moab and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest that’s a observe this section we see Naomi urges Ruth for Ruth’s own sake to return to her people look Ruth you’re young you can you can find a new husband you’ve got a whole life ahead of you why come with me where Ruth won’t be dissuaded instead Ruth promises to Naomi your land will be my land your people my people your God my God Ruth even calls down a note and noticed to whom she appeals she appeals to Yahweh she says made Yahweh judge me with calamity if I leave you at all this is a significant statement because what kind of life can Ruth expect with Naomi Naomi who is just an older widow to widows and the Land of Israel they’re looking at a life of poverty and hardship which is exactly what we see in Chapter two but the pair returns to Bethlehem and the people are startled by the change that has taken place in Naomi and her family she even tells them don’t call me Naomi anymore but call me Mara and there’s a scream if concern those two names Naomi means pleasant but Mara means bitter Naomi thus says God has acted very bitterly towards me the Almighty has acted acted bitterly now she acknowledges that all this is under the sovereign hand of Yahweh her their theology of God’s sovereignty is very good she says this came about from Yahweh I know that this was under his control and from his hand but notice what she says in verse 21 she acknowledges that Yahweh has witness or testified against me what would y’all way possibly witness or testify against Naomi but it not be sin now it’s not clear whether she’s referring specifically to her sojourning in Moab or just to sins in general but she says I’ve experienced bitter circumstances from God and I know in a certain sense that this is this is deserved for my sin yeah he’s come after me for my sins I’m not seeing his mercy I’m just seeing these difficult circumstances that appears to be Naomi’s perspective verse 22 mentions the time that Ruth and Naomi returned in Israel it’s at the beginning of barley harvest that would be probably around the middle of April now let’s ask a few other interpretation questions before we move on first how does Ruth demonstrate surprising faith in Yahweh here even though she’s a Moabite us notice Ruth demands to stay with Naomi this is an act of great love and loyalty despite future hardship Ruth declares that Yahweh will be her god and she even swears by Yahweh Ruth who undoubtedly was a former idolatry she is quite quite committed to the God of Israel now but happens your attitude compared to Naomi’s does not Ruth seem vibrant and full of a love and zeal but Naomi she kind of seems filled with bitterness she’s lost hope but she returns to Israel anyways we’re gonna see going for it that God is gonna be gracious to them both and let’s see how look at the next chapter chapter 2 verses 1 to 13 a little bit longer section here chapter 2 starting in verse 1 now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech whose name was Boaz and Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after 1 and whose side I may find favor and she said to her go my daughter so she departed and went and glean in the field after the Reapers and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz who was of the family of Elimelech now behold Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the Reapers may yahweh be with you and they said to him may Yahweh bless you then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the Reapers whose young woman is this the servant in charge of the Reapers replied she was the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab and she said and she said please let me glean and gather after the Reapers among the sheaves so she came and has remained from the morning until now she’s been sitting in the house for a little while then Boaz said to Ruth listen carefully my daughter do not go to glean in another field furthermore do not go on from this one but stay here with my maids let your eyes on the field which they reap and go after them indeed I’ve commanded the servants not to touch you when you were thirsty go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw then she fell on her face bowing to the ground and said to him why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me since I’m a foreigner Boaz replied to her all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me and how you left your father and your mother in the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know may Yahweh reward your work and your wages be full from Yahweh the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to seek refuge then she said I have found favor in your sight my lord for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant though I am NOT like one of your maid servants just a truly beautiful section here let’s observe the details or some of the details Ruth goes to glean in one of the fields near Bethlehem now what does it mean to glean he needs to pick up the leftovers the leftovers of a harvest this word survives in our vocabulary today we sometimes talk about gleaning information or gleaning lessons even from the Bible God actually commanded to allow gleaning in Israel and Leviticus 19 during harvest Israelites were to make sure that they did not pick up every last bit of grain or every last ripe fruit they were to not go back over the fields but leave the extras for the poor for the widows for the strangers which is the three categories in which Ruth finds herself she’s a poor widow and a stranger now the Israelites not always follow this command to allow for gleaning they’re greedy Israelites would find ways around it or just ignore it they made sure that no one could glean in their fields or they were extra careful to make sure that there was nothing left actually be gleaned or they harassed and mistreated those who came to glean so that those cleaners could not stay in such a situation what could the poor the widows or the strangers do they can only cry out to God but Ruth she goes out to glean and notice Naomi doesn’t go it’s just Ruth and verse three has an interesting phrase says she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz now literally the Hebrew here is her chance chanced upon the portion of the field longing to Boaz that’s kind of a weird statement in a book and a society that’s recognizing the sovereignty of God in effect the author is saying what a coincidence that she came to Boaz his field Boaz just happens to be were told by the narrator a man of great wealth or could be translated man of great valor the phrase can mean both he’s also a close relative of Elimelech Naomi’s deceased husband and notice the kind of man that Boaz is we can see it from what he does here he greets his workers in the name of Yahweh he inquires after Ruth’s identity he refers Ruth as his daughter he tells her only to glean in his field and to follow his maids his female harvesters but tells her that she will be safe cleaning in his field he’s commanded the servants not to touch or mistreat her and that could have been a problem for Ruth because as a foreigner we know the foreigners are often targets in different societies especially if those foreigners come from enemy nations she could have been harassed she could have been abused but he made sure that that would not happen in his field and he tells her to drink even from the water jars that the servants drew the water for whenever Ruth gets thirsty this is great generosity from Boaz and Ruth reacts appropriately she falls on her face she expresses wondrous gratitude for such favor especially to a foreigner chaste and why Boaz why are you being so good to me and notice the reason that he gives he says it’s because of the kindness that you shown to Naomi and the faith that you’ve shown in God to live in Israel and to trust in God for provision now I mentioned this before when we talked about Rahab but there’s a connection between Lois and foreigners according to the genealogy of Matthew 1 we find that Boaz is actually a descendant of Rahab maybe not the son probably not the son but the grandson or something like that Rahab who was the former Canaanite harlot from Jericho she became a great woman of faith then Boaz’s from her line she had intermarried with an Israelite and so perhaps that also plays a role and God sovereignly bringing someone who would show favor to another foreigner and that is to Ruth Boaz pronounces a blessing on Ruth and he mentions an interesting phrase he tells Ruth that you’ve sought refuge under Yahweh’s wings as a great metaphor a metaphor of care provision protection just like chicks find care and protection under the wings of their mother their mother hen or their mother bird boa says this is what you’ve done with y’all way even in your difficult state you’ve come to Yahweh for refuge in therefore I want to help you another interesting aspect is that this word translated wings it could it really refers to tips or edges and sometimes it’s applied to bird’s wings but other times it’s applied to garments so another way to translate this statement from Boaz would be you’ve sought refuge under Yahweh’s garment you sought covering under Yahweh’s fringes that’s what the term can mean Ruth thanks bo asked for this overwhelming kindness and she acknowledges her unworthiness I’ve got a bunch of interpretation questions that we need to go over from this section a lot a lot of interesting things happening here first how have Naomi and Ruth moved opposites one another when it comes to seeking shelter how you noticing this we could take the statement from I think verse 12 I’m sorry verse 11 when Boaz is talking about what Ruth has done he says you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to the people that you did not previously know isn’t that exactly what Naomi did but in Reverse Naomi sought refuge in she she was an Israelite who sought shelter away from God in Moab and what does she find ruin but Ruth she’s a Moabite who’s looked for shelter under God in the land of Israel and what does she found favor she’s found grace they’ve got this contrast going on another question why does the author stress the coincidental nature of Ruth’s survival and Boaz his field it’s like he’s going out of his way to say it’s a coincidence surely this is to show that it’s not a coincidence at all maybe you can even call a little bit of sarcasm this was sovereignly arranged by God Ruth had no idea where where would be a good place to glean she doesn’t know where Boaz is doesn’t know who Boaz is but she just happens upon this field that was God directing her there that was God’s grace in His sovereignty bringing her to the right field because what kind of man is Boaz he’s a godly man he’s an extremely kind and good man as we can tell from our passage and he is the perfect man to safeguard Ruth and to care for Ruth and Naomi know Boaz addresses Ruth has his daughter what does this tell us about Boaz well certainly that’s a term of care he’s trying to assure her you’re safe with this field I’ll take care of you but it’s also a turn there probably indicates he’s far older than she I mean he’s old enough to be her father that’s why he calls her daughter now in this we can see how is the Lord providing for Ruth and Naomi and their distress and it is a great distress they’ve they’ve lost all their providers the men in their household they come to Al and Naomi are they come back to Bethlehem Naomi Owens land but certainly it’s not productive yet it’s gonna take some time before they can live off of it they they’re they’re destitute how does the Lord provide he leads Ruth to glean in the field of a righteous and generous man who also happens to be a close kinsman our sovereign God knows how to take care of his own he knows how to take care of those who do indeed come under his wings or under his garment for refuge that’s what we see here now we’re not gonna read the rest of we’re not gonna read the rest of chapter 2 but Boaz actually does even more than what we’ve seen thus far he lets Ruth as she returns to his field he lets Ruth eat from the food that the servants are eating from he allows her to take some of the food home and when gleaning he has her take not just what drops or his missed by the harvesters but even from what’s already harvested and bundled he says let her take from that he wants to make sure that she’s totally and abundantly provided for this is not required by Old Testament law by the way he’s going above and beyond that Ruth gleans for alda barley harvest and for all the wheat harvest she works hard for many days that’s one of the things that’s very obvious about Ruth she’s a hard worker she beats out her gleanings she takes it home to Naomi she does this for two months and through her labor and through Boaz is kind generosity God graciously provides for the two widows if this were the end of the story it would be a great testament to God’s grace but we are not done let’s look at chapter three chapter three verses 1:18 so let’s this is the whole chapter let’s look at it then they owe me her mother-in-law said to her that’s Ruth my daughter shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you now is not Boaz our kinsman with whose maids you were behold he windows barley at the threshing floor tonight wash yourself therefore and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking shall be when he lies down you shall notice the place where he lies and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down then he will tell you what you shall do she said to her all that you say I will do so she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her when Bo acid eaten drunk and his heart was merry he went to lie down at the end of a of the heap of grain and she came secretly and uncovered his feet and lay down excuse me it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward and behold a woman was lying at his feet he said who are you she answered I’m Ruth your maid so spread your covering over your maid for you our close relative and he said may you be blessed of Yahweh my daughter you have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men or their poor or rich now my daughter do not fear I will do for you whatever you ask for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence now it’s true I am a close relative who ever there is a relative closer than I remain this night and one morning comes if he will redeem you good let him redeem you but if he does not wish to redeem you then I will redeem you as Yahweh lives lie down until morning so she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another and he said let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor again he said give me the cloak that is on you and hold it so she held it and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her then she went into the city when she came to her mother-in-law she said how did it go my daughter and she told her all that the man had done for her she said these six measures of barley he gave to me for you said do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed then she said wait my donger until you know how the matter turns out for the man will not rest until he has settled it today and just amazing amazing section here let’s observe the details naomi has her daughter-in-law follow follow a series of commands and we see that the beginning the passage she says make yourself look nice show up at this barley barley winnowing party after Boaz is married from feasting notice where he goes to sleep and when no one is around uncover his feet lie there and when he wakes up speak to him falling whatever he tells you to do now those directions may sound a little weird and they are actually a little weird but there is also something amazing happening here as we’ll see Ruth does exactly as her mother commands and when Boaz awakes and asks in the dark who this woman is Ruth identifies herself and then makes requests she says spread your covering over your maid for you are close relative now the word for covering here is the same word used in chapter 2 to describe Yahweh’s wings or Yahweh’s covering under which Ruth sought refuge so Ruth’s request to Boaz could be translated spread your wings over your maid or spread your garment over your maid she gives the reason to for this request for you are a close relative now what does that close relative relationship have to do with anything well it appears that Ruth and Naomi are invoking a certain provision from God in the law and the law of Moses regarding widows in Israel when a man died childless this was a great tragedy because without an heir that man’s name the family name would pass away from Israel and the family inheritance would eventually be given to someone outside of the family when there’s no male heir left this is a great tragedy also addition to that now women in the deceased man’s household they would no longer have a provider so it was a terrible thing for there to be no man left in a household and to protect against this situation God gave Israel the law of levirate marriage which is recorded in Deuteronomy 25 according to the law of levirate marriage when there was no male heir left and there’s a widow that are one when there is a a widow for a man and a household that deceased man’s closest unmarried relative was to marry the widow and have children with her in the first born of this levirate marriage would be considered the son of the deceased man so that that man’s name would live on in Israel and the inheritance would pass on to to that son but the other children in the marriage they would belong to the name and inheritance the new husband just was God provision to allow names and family inheritors heritance is not to pass away in Israel now Ruth appears to be invoking this levirate marriage principle with Boaz saying I’d like you to do according to what the law says I’d like you to raise up children for the deceased husband now notice Boaz’s reaction to Ruth’s request he thanks her and he says this is an even greater kindness then at the first he says he will do it as long as the other relatives of Ruth other relative one closer relative does not want to redeem Ruth first even swears to her by Yahweh now I just used the term redeem we see redeem in our passage what does redeem mean what is redemption well that’s kind of a common term for Christians to use but we need to know where it comes from the word redeem more literally means to buy back to buy or to buy back in the Old Testament this was a common concept impoverished Israelites who were sold into slavery they could be redeemed or bought back for a certain price or if a poor Israel I had to sell his land a relative could redeem that land by buying it back for him or redeeming it redeeming was even part of the law of levirate marriage the land inheritance of the deceased husband would literally need to be bought back or redeemed along with their widows widowed wife being married so because of these literal meanings of redemption this idea of buying back Redemption gains the idea the figurative idea of saving or restoring which is the way we commonly use it today to redeem someone or for a Christian to be redeemed means to be saved but more literally bought back now Boaz has Ruth lie at his feet until morning and then he sends her away while it’s still pretty dark making sure that no one can recognize her and that her visit remains unknown but he does not send Ruth away empty-handed he gives her six measures of barley to take home which is probably a lot we don’t know exactly what measure means here but probably translates the term SIA which would be about 60 to 80 pounds of barley that’s a lot of food no doubt she had to carry that on her back when Ruth reports the outcome to Naomi Naomi assures Ruth that good man is gonna take care of this issue today things are certainly looking up for the family of Ruth and Naomi let’s ask another to interpretation questions why does Ruth approach Boaz the way that she does I mean this is a little bit weird isn’t it a somehow foolishly suggested that Ruth in desperation or out of some pagan custom that she learned in Moab she’s trying to use immorality as a way to win over Boaz’s love and protection she’s trying to seduce him but for multiple reasons that cannot be for starters Ruth and Naomi are not so desperate they’re already beneficiaries of Boaz is great generosity they’re provided for they can get by they don’t need to resort to a morality also Boaz and Ruth are both known for their righteousness Boaz even says that to Ruth that is totally inconsistent with her committing him around here or attempting to and besides the text clearly notes that she does not lie with him she lies at his feet the whole night there was nothing improper going on there but what is going on here certainly Ruth is requesting levirate marriage from Boaz but why in this form there are different explanations offered by interpreters some say that this was a custom at the time and that Boaz would have recognized that this is how a woman would propose marriage to a man but I think the answer that makes the most sense is that Ruth’s mode of request actually reflects the request itself because she asks Boaz to spread his garment over her and she symbolically arranges herself in a posture that shows that request she uncovers his feet which were undoubtedly covered by a garment that he was using too as a blanket or something like that she places herself at his feet so that he might cover her there’s symbolism going on here it’s exactly as she requested him she says hey I’m uncovering your feet so that you can cover me and that’s basically how she’s proposing marriage it’s interesting this idea of covering with a garment is used elsewhere in the scripture in a way that is linked with marriage I won’t go there now but Ezekiel 16 is equals 16 verses 6 to 8 we have God speaking metaphorically of his marriage to Israel to young virgin Israel as his bride and he describes it as spreading his skirt or spreading his wings or his garment over Israel he says I spread my garment over you and you became my wife so there’s this connection between spreading a garment and marriage one commentator explains the metaphor of this enclosing with a garment in this way I think this is helpful quote all that a man is is contained within his garment all that he owns all his powers all his desires all his needs all his concerns however in marriage a man opens his garment spreading it over another wrapping a wife in the same garment and thereby taking upon himself what she owns what she desires and what she needs now under the same garment they share everything the man no longer cares just for himself but he added the cares of his wife to his own he now cares for her to spread one’s garment over another then is a parallel metaphor to the two becoming one flesh unquote so as I say Ruth’s proposal to Boaz is a symbolic depiction of the marriage metaphor even given from Genesis to she essentially says to Boaz as the kinsman redeemer the krause the close relative redeemer marry me and cover me with your garment and so doing take me and my mother-in-law into your care but why do this in the middle of the night okay we get the picture but why in the middle of the night well it’s not clear perhaps Naomi wanted privacy for Ruth and Boaz chance to speak to Boaz alone but there definitely was risk here this may not have been the wisest move again sometimes about what reports things without approving things there was risk to Ruth’s reputation here she was discovered in the middle of night had I had a place for probably a whole bunch of men were would not look good for her from the details of the passage though we can say safely nothing immoral or improper actually took place and Boaz took special care to guard Ruth’s reputation he said I don’t want people thinking the wrong thing about her so let’s make sure that nobody else knows that she came that wasn’t Boaz being unscrupulous that was him being kind now here’s another question why does Boaz praise Ruth for what he calls this even greater kindness and in her asking him to marry her why was that an even greater kindness I think we can give a few reasons one it was a kindness to Boaz who has an older man likely a widower he probably had little prospect of remarriage so she was being kind of him but also was a kindness to Naomi to make sure that naomi was provided for we would didn’t just say hey I’m gonna go look for the most handsome man I can find it doesn’t matter if she’s able to provide for Naomi or not it’s not a Ruth did she went and found somebody who would help Naomi but it was also a kind to eliminates family by marrying specifically a kinsman-redeemer booth made sure that the name and the land inheritance of Allen elec would not pass away so this was a kindness from Ruth in multiple ways but as we move on into chapter 4 Noemi is quite right about what Boaz will do we’re gonna sum up now the rest of the book that we’ll look at just a little bit more text in chapter 4 Boaz immediately sets about securing Ruth’s Redemption it turns out that the closer kinsman redeemer is willing to buy the land but not willing to marry Ruth so the Redeemer gives up his right of redemption Boaz takes the right he redeems Ruth and he redeems Naomi’s land Ruth and Boaz are married Ruth conceives God enables her to do so and then after nine months gives birth to a son a son to carry on a limb elects name and notice what verses 14 to 17 report in the birth of this son look at verse 14 of chapter 4 then the women said to Naomi blessed is Yahweh who has not left you without a redeemer today and may his name become famous in Israel may he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons has given birth to him then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap and became his nurse the neighbor woman gave him a name saying a son has been born to Naomi so they named him Obed he’s the father Jesse father David notice quickly here whom do the women say was really redeemed in all this not Ruth but Naomi Naomi has a redeemer and for whom did they say a son was born not Ruth I mean that’s true it was good son but they say a son has been born to Naomi now what a special son he would be because he was the forefather of God’s chosen King David so consider how much has changed for Naomi and this account now some people remark that actually naomi is the character most mentioned in this book she’s mentioned more than Ruth the title character is this story really more about Naomi than it is about Ruth we have an unimaginable tragedy that takes place in Chapter 1 Naomi is just distraught and only can see bitterness moving forward but by the end of chapter 4 what do we see in Naomi incredible joy Boaz redeems Ruth and by extension Naomi and both women are able to dwell securely now there’s much we can say here in commenting on the righteousness and faith of Ruth or a Boaz we can even talk about how Naomi’s faith which was waning or been colored by bitterness it has been restored by the end of the book but I’d say this record this book this account is not really about there’s not ultimately about Naomi Ruth or Boaz because who is the real redeemer here who is the real restorer in this account it’s God this story this account this record is really about God because he is the true Redeemer and Savior as the sovereign God as the good God he’s the one who brought the food back into the land of Canaan after a time of famine he’s the one who brought Ruth to faith a very unlikely thing or what seemed unlikely and in order that Ruth might follow Naomi and minister to Naomi in an extravagant way that was God’s doing God is the one who brought Ruth specifically directed route into Boaz’s field it’s the two might meet so that Boas might provide for her and for Naomi and so that the two might marry and Naomi would receive back a son in place of the sons she lost this is who God is he is the Redeemer he is the provider he is the sovereign and generous God but it doesn’t just for believers during the sojourn of their lives as wonderful and as great as that is he is the necessary Redeemer for eternal life because we all need the Bible makes quite clear we all need a Redemption from sin and from death we all live under the curse of sin which we’ve inherited from our forefathers even from our first parents Adam and Eve and we need a redeemer meet somebody Tobias back from death and from the penalty of sin which is the eternal wrath of a holy God and we have such a redeemer where in whom and God himself listen to what job says job says very memorably in job 19 verses 25 to 27 job says asked for me I know that my redeemer lives and at the last he will take his stand on the earth even after my skin is destroyed yet from my flesh I shall see God whom I myself shall behold who my eyes will see and not another job is articulating his hope in the resurrection because he knows he has a Redeemer in God more than Ruth and Naomi needed a temporal redeemer they needed and we all need an everlasting Redeemer to save us from the curse of sin and death to bring us out from a doomed people destined for eternal wrath and provide for us eternal life eternal life with God and only God can redeem us that way God is more powerful and more generous than Boaz he’s the one who actually caused Boaz to be generous and he raised up he was actually in the process of raising up that chosen Redeemer in the days of Ruth because her son he was also in a sense the son of Naomi Obed was the forefather of Jesse who was a forefather of David who was their God’s chosen king in Israel and it was from the line of David that God was raising up a greater redeemer the Messiah Jesus Christ who is the son of God God sent his into the world to buy back to redeem those who repent and believe in him those who turn from their sin who leaved the cursed land and idolatrous land of Moab as it were to seek shelter under God and under Christ Ephesians 1 Ephesians 1 verses 7 to 8 and rehearsing the great blessings that common salvation to those who know Jesus it says in him that is in Jesus we have redemption through his blood that was the price that was the price of our being bought we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace which he lavished on us no it’s interesting Boaz is able to be the Redeemer that he is because he was a wealthy man but God is in a sense way more wealthy he has abundant riches he is able to secure the redemption the costly Redemption that that we needed and then to generously provide for us in a way greater than even Boaz provided for Ruth and Naomi when we repent when we turn from our sins to follow after Christ Jesus buys us back and he restores us it doesn’t matter where we come from Jew Gentile former god hater and worldly or self-righteous hypocrite raised in the church but never really knowing God anyone who seeks God in faith can be cleansed and reconciled to God bought back by God because he is the great Redeemer he’s the only Redeemer ultimately and he offers that redemption he invites all of us to participate in that redemption and be saved so already we’re seeing some application from this text now hopefully you’re seeing that but let me just maybe drive it home a little bit more specifically for you we see God is the great Redeemer the great provider the sovereign and good Redeemer in the book of Ruth but what difference should that make in our lives today let me give you two questions to consider first is Christ your Redeemer from sin and death the redemption we see in this passage it parallels and it connects to that greater Redemption we see revealed in the rest of Scripture and that is the redemption from sin and death but is it your Redemption do you have an interest in that redemption do you have a kinsman redeemer greater than Boaz you’ll know if you’ve repented of your sins and have trusted in Christ to be the one to reconcile you to God this is the only way for your sins to be covered and for you to inherit eternal life this text encourages you to shelter under your merciful God just like Ruth did but have you done so is he your shelter you see the only way that you’ll be brought into heaven be brought into the new heavens in the new earth brought into the kingdom of God not your own righteousness not rituals but God’s mercy as shown to you in Christ again it doesn’t matter where you come from you can be a Moabite US you can be a former idolatry like Ruth it doesn’t matter what sins you’ve committed in your life God is able to redeem you if you will come to him so do so come to the great Redeemer if you haven’t and fundamental way come to the great Redeemer and find true refuge for your soul that’s what the Book of Ruth encourages you to do but if you have you say oh I know what the Redeemer I am under his wings what do you trust in him have you fallen into hard times I think we all have to a certain extent right but have you fall have you fallen into hard times due to your own sin or maybe just due to the mysterious sovereignty of God well what do you do now if you have the Redeemer if the great Redeemer is your Redeemer then you’re safe look to him look to him to provide for you he will do that just as he did for Naomi and Ruth he will do even those mysterious acts it’s like bringing you right into the field that you need to go at the right time you say oh but it’s gonna be I’m in a hard place right now can God can God still provide for me of course you can look what he did for Ruth and Naomi he won’t provide for you necessarily in the exact same way that he did for them but he will that’s why Jesus says in Matthew 6 don’t worry your father knows your father loves you father’s gonna take care of you or to bring back the marriage metaphor if you’ve been connected to your Redeemer by union with Christ which is which is really like a marriage don’t you think your husband’s gonna want to take care of you he’s brought you under his garment his concerns are for you he loves you he’s committed to you he will take care of you do you believe that do you trust him that he is not such a bad husband it’ll say a she’ll get by now she needs some stuff but I’ll get it later he’s not such a husband he’s the great kinsman redeemer he spread his garment over you he will not fail you he’s sovereign he is powerful he’s good as Jobe says you have a redeemer who lives so look to him rest on him by faith yes even in this time this continued time of trial to coronavirus even through sickness even through difficult spiritual circumstances even through persecution he is the Redeemer who was brought to you under his garment cling to him he will take care of you he’ll provide for you in the right time in the right way well that’s all for this week that’s all that I have to share with you if you have a comment a question about what you’ve heard today please feel free to post it in the chat in the YouTube chat I’d love to interact with you afterwards about it or you can send me an email and Africa pochette gmail.com and I’ll respond and answer any questions as best I can now next time we meet Lord willing we’ll be on the east coast so that’ll be that’ll be interesting that’ll be good and next time we meet we’re moving on to the book of 1st Samuel we are going to look at the last judge at the beginning part of the life of the last judge when god raises up to deliver israel and that samuel thank you for being with me today let me close our time with prayer a heavenly father we’re so thankful for the beautiful truth that is unveiled in this account not only that you are the sovereign and good provider who will take care of people in life those who look to you but God that you are the great Redeemer that you save even from sin and death which is what we need ever since the Garden Lord ever since our rebellion in the garden in Adam and Eve Lord we have needed a redeemer someone who can deliver us from the devil from sait from sin and from death and there was no hope apart from you you had to be our Redeemer you were the only one who could redeem and you’ve done so in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ we thank you for your amazing Redemption work with the cross are you paid the price the price of sin which was the eternal wrath of God even the shedding of your own blood you paid everything off for those who believe in you and you even gave them your own righteousness you gave that to me you gave it to those at Calvary and those listening today who know you what a wonderful gift what an undeserved favor and immensely undeserved favor oh god help us to praise you for that to walk in gratefulness before you before that to walk a worthy life before you because of that and to make your glory known to the nation’s even to those who do not yet know you at Lourdes a wonderful truth in this account also that we didn’t even have time to talk about is how even in Old Testament times you were drawing you were looking to draw all people to yourself even the Gentiles Lord that is still true today and we want to see that more we want to see that happen so make us bold and loving witnesses servants to others even during this time so they can see that you are the great Redeemer and that you offer such wonderful redemption that help us to trust you in an ongoing way during this time because we are under your wings we know you’ll take care of us in Jesus name Amen well thank you all again for your time and look forward to seeing you again next week again if you have any questions or comments please post them in the chat