Ruth 4:13-22 English Standard Version Ruth and Boaz Marry 13 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. 14 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! 15 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.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. The Genealogy of David 18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. This will be our last journal article for the book of Ruth. Now that Boaz has received the right of redemption and become the kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth, he quickly takes Ruth as his wife, and they consummate their marriage and have a son.
Naomi praises the LORD for what He has done in providing a redeemer for Ruth (yet this points to our need for an even greater Redeemer in the person of Jesus Christ. He acts as the Kinsman Redeemer for all humanity). Naomi then praises the LORD for Ruth and the child she and Boaz had. Naomi was given the honor of being the child's nurse, and the women of the neighborhood saw this as the LORD's way of giving Naomi another son. They may have been mocking or at least joking because at this point Naomi was probably too old to have her own children, but she took so much joy in the child as if it was her own. I'm sure all those who have been grandparents understand this joy, but it meant even more to Naomi since she no longer had any children of her own (though Ruth had become like a daughter to her). They named him Obed (which means "servant" or "slave") and Obed became the father of Jesse who became the father of David who would become King of Israel. However, the text does not stop there, David's lineage as a rightful king must be established by tracing his lineage back to Judah. Judah and Tamar bore Perez and Zerah in Genesis 38 and it is this Perez that is being referenced in verse 18 of this chapter. We also see Perez and Zerah mentioned in Genesis 46:12, "12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul." Salmon mentioned here is the one who married Rahab, and it is by their union that Boaz was born. We see these names and a few others again in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Jesus (verses 3-6). Matthew 1:1-17 English Standard Version The Genealogy of Jesus Christ1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Ruth 4:1-12 English Standard Version Boaz Redeems Ruth 4 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 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. 4 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.” 5 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.” 6 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.” 7 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. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 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.” 11 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, 12 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.” Some quick background from the book of Deuteronomy before we study this passage as some of the things said and done in here will make more sense if we read this text first:
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 English Standard Version Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage 5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’ Ruth is waiting for an answer from Boaz, but Boaz must first ask the closest kinsman redeemer if he wishes to exercise his rights under this passage of Scripture that I just quoted to redeem the land that belonged to Elimelech and any property (including the wives) of his two sons Chilion and Mahlon so that family name would be preserved. The short version is that the kinsman redeemer is happy to acquire the land, but is unwilling to acquire Ruth as part of the deal because she is a Moabite woman and the Law says that any man who marries a Moabite woman is to be cursed and to be kicked out of the congregation, so this man does not want to put his own family and estate at risk by taking someone into his household who might bring a curse on him and his house. If marrying Ruth was part of the deal for acquiring the land, then he would rather not have the land so that he did not violate that provision of the Law. In giving up his responsibility as kinsman redeemer, he removes his sandal in front of the witnesses that have been gathered together (see Deut. 5: 10....the elders are already there and there was no need for verse 9 to happen, he just willingly removed his sandal and gave it to Boaz to show that he was giving him the right of being Naomi's and Ruth's redeemer). This opens the door for Boaz to have the legal right to marry Ruth (though he's still violating the Mosaic Law by doing so (see Deuteronomy 7:3-4). It's not specifically the fact that she was a Moabite woman as much as she was a foreigner and Israelites were only supposed to marry other Israelites (staying within their own tribes if possible, but definitely within the 12 tribes). Next time we'll talk about the marriage of Ruth and Boaz and maybe get into the genealogy of David (the future king of Israel) for the author of the book of Ruth seems to want to tell this story to tell us the family history of King David (pointing to the fact that is probably Samuel who also wrote this book for us). Ruth 3 English Standard Version Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor 3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 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. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 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. Lie down until the morning.” 14 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.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “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.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” When the harvest time was nearly over, Naomi knows that it's time for Ruth or Boaz to make a move to continue the relationship, for this arrangement that they currently have where she is to stay close to his female servants (and him) during the harvest will not last much longer. Naomi wants Ruth to take the initiative here to "propose" to Boaz in a way that most of us would find scandalous if we understood what was going on. It's probably the last night of the harvest and Boaz is going to have a big party and get very drunk--so drunk that he's not going to make it home and he also would probably want to sleep near the grain that night. Naomi gave Ruth instructions to bath and anoint herself with perfume and ointment so that she smelled good (this is unusual for that time and would be a sign to Boaz right away of what she was there for) and to wait for him to go to sleep (along with all the other men who he harvested with who celebrated with him and were together sleeping it off while watching over the harvest) and, while it was dark, lay at his feet and cover herself with his cloak--this was VERY forward and can be interpreted in no other way than she wanted to be intimate with him. Naomi is basically telling her that Boaz seems to be a little thickheaded or slow to make a decision and that the subtle approach hasn't worked so it's time to be very direct with the equivalent of flashing neon signs that he can't miss or misinterpret.
She does everything that Naomi told her to do and after she had laid at his feet, he noticed her (which was the idea) and because it was dark he could not see who it was and asked "Who are you?." She answered, "I am Ruth, your servant." Then she throws in this part so it clear what she is there for, "Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer." This is nothing short of a marriage proposal. Israelites would find this whole scene more than a little scandalous because of how forward Ruth is being--not only because she is a woman, but a Moabite woman at that. Boaz sees exactly what Ruth (and Naomi) are up to. They are willing to let Boaz take possession of everything they own (which is next to nothing) so that they can be part of his family and he can take care of them as the law requires a kinsman redeemer to do. However, there is a wrinkle in the plan that neither Ruth nor Naomi anticipated--Boaz is a close relative, but not the closest relative. There is another that has the right to be the redeemer of Naomi and Ruth, so Boaz, now understanding what Ruth wants and that she doesn't want to wait for it, tells her to wait this one night and he will go and take care of business in the morning. So she stayed the night with him, but they did not have sexual relations as it seems Naomi and Ruth may have intended. Boaz realized where Ruth is coming from and that Ruth is still doing this to try to make sure that Naomi is taken care of, and he says that this act is more honorable than the first (when she came to Judah with Naomi and went out to work in the fields to make sure they both had enough food to eat). The next day, Boaz knows not to leave her empty-handed, but he also wanted to protect Ruth's reputation. First he commanded all his men that were there that night to never speak of Ruth being there. As I said, this would be scandalous, and it would ruin her reputation and the reputation of Naomi (and Boaz). We know about this because it was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the author of this book (probably Samuel) and Ruth and Boaz are important characters in the family of King David. This protection of Ruth's reputation was undeserved, but is going to be just as important of a gift to her as the next. She needs to take a sign of some sort back to Naomi, so Boaz tells her to stretch out the garment that she was wearing and he fills it as full as it can be filled with grain from the harvest. While it's not going to be the story Naomi hoped to hear, it would be sign to her that Boaz would be more than generous in taking care of them and that he understood what was going on. Naomi wants to hear the entire story and Ruth is so excited she can hardly contain herself, but Naomi in wisdom tells Ruth to wait until the matter settles itself and to know for sure that Boaz would not rest until he had taken care of the matter that very day (just as he had promised). That will be the next part of the story that we will study together. Ruth 1:19-22 English Standard Version Naomi and Ruth Return 19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” 22 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. When Naomi came back to Judah, she returned to Bethlehem (where her husband was from). When they came to town, the text says that the whole town was stirred because of them--the people could hardly believe that it was her because she had been gone for son long and she looked different and sounded different for sure after all she had been through. In fact, she tries to change her identity when she returns (only God gets to change someone's identity in the Bible, nowhere does that Bible tell us that we get to choose our own identity based off of what we perceive to be reality or how we feel for a time, even if it's a very long time). I think it's fair to say that Naomi was not only sad, but bitter, for that is the name that she chose for herself. She suffered much pain over the last decade or so, and she has deep scars that she's carrying around inside her that still hurt and have been allowed to fester and now she is angry with the LORD for the pain that He has allowed to come into her life.
She considers herself to be under the judgment of the LORD (and she may be partially right about that, because going to Moab to seek food was sinful, and allowing their sins to marry Moabite women was also sinful, but those were sins of her husband. God had spared her because He did not find her to be guilty, but the men in the family were punished. Once her sons died, Naomi still cared for Orpah and Ruth like they were part of her family, because legally they were, though spiritually they were not. It is easy to see why Naomi felt the way that she did, but that doesn't mean that God was to blame or that God didn't have a plan for her and Ruth. The text then moves us along the story to tell us that it was the beginning of the barley harvest when they returned. That's good news because it sounds like the famine is over, and while they may not have had money for wheat, at least the people had money to plant grain (barley is a less expensive grain than wheat and was the grain that the poorer people ate). While Naomi was sad about things personally, we will see that she receives joy when she sees others blessed and so it must have been good for her spirits to return to the Land and the People and see the LORD blessing them once again. Ruth 1:6-18 English Standard Version Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “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. 17 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.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. Verses 16 and 17 are probably some of the most well-known verses from the book of Ruth and some of the most well-known verses from the Bible, many times being read at wedding ceremonies (though this conversation has nothing to do with a wedding, for the husbands of Naomi, Orpah and Ruth are all dead). We talked last time about the famine that ravaged the land of Canaan and how Naomi's family, including her husband and two sons, left for Moab where they homed to find food and respite from the famine. Instead Naomi's sons took wives from among the Moabite women and after living there for a while, Naomi's husband and two sons died there in Moab.
Now Naomi is making the hard decision for her to return to her people in Judah, for it is now their responsibility to care for her, but will they? Will they treat her well now that her husband is dead, or will they look at her as an outcast because she went to Moab (an accursed place) and allowed her sons to take wives from the Moabite women (something specifically forbidden in the Law)? She knows that her daughters-in-law will not find a warm welcome in Judah and so she encourages them to go back to Moab and seek new husbands or at least go back to their families so that someone can take care of them. Orpah quickly returns back to her land, but Ruth makes the vow and commitment to Naomi that she will not leave her--wherever Naomi goes, Ruth wants to go and Naomi's people will be Ruth's people, where Naomi died Ruth would die, and Naomi's God will be Ruth's God. That's quite a statement for a Moabite to make, and we've seen that in contrast to Naomi's lack of faith and her anger that has changed to bitterness against God and men. We'll see next time that Naomi tries to claim a new identity for herself (notice that it is never used to refer to her after this in the entire book, because only God gets to change our identity, we don't choose our identity for ourselves). She will say that she no longer wanted to be called Naomi, which means "pleasant," but she wants to be known as Mara, which means "bitter." Life had left her with a sour spirit and outlook on life, but most of all I think she was angry and bitter at the LORD. Ruth's confession is juxtaposed against this. We'll talk more about that next time. Ruth 1:1-5 English Standard Version Naomi Widowed 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. We just finished our study of the book of Judges, and before we start diving into the other books of history that are 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles, we are going to take a very important look back to a series of events that happened among the tribe of Judah during the time of the judges.
In those days, there was a famine in the land so severe that a man of Bethlehem (which means "House of Bread," for it was a place the LORD usually blessed with an abundant supply of food) decided to leave not just Bethlehem, but all of Canaan, along with his family, to seek food from a neighboring country. This however is no normal country. The land of Moab is one of the descendants of Lot, and they have been a menace to Israel most of the time since the Exodus. In fact, it was Moab that got involved with Balaam to try to get the nation of Israel cursed while they were wandering through the wilderness, so that the LORD cursed Moab and commanded His people to never marry a Moabite and to never let a descendant of Moab into the congregation (they were kept from becoming Jews and they were definitely never allowed to enter the Temple--not even the court of the Gentiles). The name of the man from Bethlehem was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi and the names of their two sons (unmarried at this point) were Mahlon and Chilion. At some point after arriving in Moab, Elimelech dies there and leaves Naomi with her two sons. The sons decided to marry two Moabite women. The names of their wives were Orpah and Ruth. This book is the story of Ruth (as you probably guessed by the name)--a Moabite woman who was an important part of the LORD's plan for Israel and the whole world. Despite the curse, God brought her into His family and allowed her to be great-grandmother to King David and an ancestor to Jesus of Nazareth (see the genealogy in Matthew 1). During the 10 years that Naomi spent in Moab (presumably because the famine lasted a long time), both of her sons died as well, so she no longer had any family to take care of her. It would be the responsibility of her extended family and the tribe of Judah to care for her now, but since she lived outside the land (especially in Moab) the first step for her would be to return to the land and get the deed to the property that belonged to Elimelech transferred to his closes relative since the property had to stay in the family. This person would be known as a kinsman redeemer (I recommend if you don't know about the idea of kinsman redeemer that you read up on it, as it is an important concept in the book of Ruth and it is one of the things in the book of Ruth that looks forward to Jesus). So we see Naomi and her family--a family of cursed and ostracized people that no longer even live in the Land of God or the people of God hitting "rock bottom" and now having to deal with the bitterness that she has towards the LORD for the famine, the death of her husband, and the death of her sons (and letting her live) because to be without children was seen as a curse. We'll see next time that she is ready to take this shameful, bitter journey to Judah alone and encourages her daughters-in-law to stay behind (for there is not love or acceptance for Moabite women like them in any part of Israel), and while Orpah will return home to her family and her gods, Ruth will make a different choice that will be one of our key texts for the entire book. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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