Ruth 4 - Shadows of Redemption

It is so good to be with you here this week. If you have your Bibles, we are going to be in Ruth chapter four. If I haven’t had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Brad. I’m one of the elders and the lead pastor here at The Well. It has been a privilege to handle this book, this little gem of God’s faithfulness and God’s providence. There are just four chapters tucked in our Old Testament, and yet the lessons that come from it are profound.

Ruth 4 (NASB)

1. Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, ‘Turn aside, friend, sit down here.’ And he turned aside and sat down. 2. 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 closest relative, ’Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4. ’So I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy [it] before those who are sitting [here], and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem [it], redeem [it]; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem [it], and I am after you.’’ And he said, ‘I will redeem [it].’ 5. Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.’ 6. The closest relative said, ‘I cannot redeem [it] for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem [it] for yourself; you [may have] my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem [it].’ 7. Now this was [the custom] in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange [of land] to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel. 8. So the closest relative said to Boaz, ‘Buy [it] for yourself.’ And he removed his sandal. 9. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, ’You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10. ‘Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his [birth] place; you are witnesses today.’ 11. All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, ’[We are] witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12. ‘Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.’ 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14. Then the women said to Naomi, ’Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 15. ‘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 and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.’ 16. Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18. Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19. and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20. and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21. and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22. and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.

I was mindful even last week as we were teaching through chapter three, verse 11, that Boaz says Ruth is called a “woman of excellence” by the leaders of the community. If you were to do a little digging into that phrase and what it means, it describes one who is mighty, powerful, capable, strong, valiant, and valuable. As a father of two daughters, I can’t tell you what a gift this verse is to them. To be able to say, “Hey girls, this is what a woman of God looks like. This is what a woman of excellence really is about.”

In fact, that same phrase is used in Proverbs 31 where the author talks about a noble woman. It says her worth is far above jewels and that while many daughters have done nobly, she exceeds them all.

Proverbs 31:10 (NASB)

An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.

Proverbs 31:29 (NASB)

‘Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.’

What we know of Ruth is that she is a godly woman. It is worth noting that we have no idea what she looks like physically; we haven’t seen a single description of her appearance. All we know is that she is godly. Proverbs 31 also mentions that the husband of such a woman would be known at the city gates and sit among the elders of the land.

Proverbs 31:23 (NASB)

Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.

As we come back to the context of Ruth, sure enough, Boaz says that everyone in the city gate knows she is a woman of excellence. So not only is she a godly woman, but Boaz seems to be a superiorly godly man sitting in leadership of the city.

Ruth 3:11 (NASB)

’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.

The “Just So Happened” Providence of God

What we’ve seen so far in the first three chapters is a series of what we have called “just so happened” events. When you go through life, there are things that occur—circumstances that come your way—and you could say, “Oh, that’s an accident,” or “That’s coincidence,” or “That’s fate.” What we are saying is: No. That is sovereignty and love. That is providence and grace.

These moments are not just coincidences; they are God’s sovereign hand moving. For example, of all the fields Ruth could have chosen to glean, it just so happened she picked the field of Boaz. Of all the fields Boaz owned, it just so happened he chose to visit the field on that day, at that time, and just so happened to notice Ruth. Of all the people in the land, it just so happened that Boaz was a close relative—the kinsman redeemer. And of all the relatives, it just so happened that Boaz was willing to redeem her.

But as we saw last week, there was one problem. Though Boaz was a close relative, there was a closer relative, and we needed to give him the first shot. Boaz promised he would settle the matter that very day. He told Ruth, “If he will redeem you, good. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you.”

Ruth 3:13 (NASB)

‘Remain this night, and when 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 the LORD lives. Lie down until morning.’

Boaz was obedient to the Word of God above his own preference. He wanted to redeem Ruth, but because the law dictated a closer relative had “first dibs,” he offered it to him first. Naomi told Ruth to wait and trust the process, knowing Boaz would not rest until he settled it.

Ruth 3:18 (NASB)

Then she said, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.’

The Protocol of the Sandal

To understand what is happening in chapter four, we need to look at the backstory in Deuteronomy 25. This is the formal process that undergirds the concept of the kinsman redeemer. The law stated that if a man died without a son, his brother should marry the widow to keep the family name and land alive. This was a way to care for widows who had no other means of support.

Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (NASB)

’When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be [married] outside [the family] to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ’It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. ’But if the man does not desire 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 establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ ’Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And [if] he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ ’In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’

There was a specific protocol if a man refused this duty. The widow would take him before the elders, pull a sandal off his foot, and spit in his face to publicly shame him for not building up his brother’s house. Now, neither Boaz nor this other relative are brothers to the deceased, which means the redemption of Ruth is an opportunity, not a legal obligation. However, it was highly recommended and culturally assumed.

We see Boaz set up an encounter at the city gate. He gathers ten elders to have a public conversation. He tells the closer relative that Naomi is selling land that belonged to Elimelech. He says, “If you want to redeem it, redeem it. I am next in line after you.”

Ruth 4:1-4 (NASB)

Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, ‘Turn aside, friend, sit down here.’ And he turned aside and sat down. He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, ‘Sit down here.’ So they sat down. Then he said to the closest relative, ’Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ’So I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy [it] before those who are sitting [here], and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem [it], redeem [it]; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem [it], and I am after you.’’ And he said, ‘I will redeem [it].’

At first, the guy says, “I’ll redeem it.” It sounds like a great land deal. But then Boaz reveals the “complication.” He says, “On the day you buy the field, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up a name for the deceased.”

Ruth 4:5 (NASB)

Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.’

Suddenly, the deal sours. This man realizes that if he marries Ruth and has a son, that son would inherit the land he just bought, potentially jeopardizing his own estate. He basically says, “Whoa, I’m out. Too risky, too messy. You redeem it, Boaz.”

Ruth 4:6 (NASB)

The closest relative said, ‘I cannot redeem [it] for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem [it] for yourself; you [may have] my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem [it].’

So they go through the formal process. The man removes his sandal and gives it to Boaz as a “receipt” of the transaction. Boaz holds it up and declares to the witnesses that he has bought the land and acquired Ruth to be his wife.

Ruth 4:7-10 (NASB)

Now this was [the custom] in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange [of land] to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel. So the closest relative said to Boaz, ‘Buy [it] for yourself.’ And he removed his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, ’You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. ‘Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his [birth] place; you are witnesses today.’

A Blessing of Fruitfulness and Fame

The elders then give Boaz a fascinating threefold blessing. They pray that Ruth would be like Rachel and Leah, that Boaz would achieve wealth and fame in Bethlehem, and that his house would be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.

Ruth 4:11-12 (NASB)

All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, ’[We are] witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. ‘Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.’

That third part is a bit strange if you know the story from Genesis 38. Judah had three sons; the first two died. Judah refused to give his third son to Tamar (the widow), which was a sin. Tamar then dressed up as a prostitute to trick Judah, her father-in-law, into fathering a child with her. That child was Perez.

Why would the elders reference such a messy, scandalous story as a blessing? Because it shows that God is a restorer of the broken. He brings beauty from ashes. Despite the sin and tragedy in that family tree, Perez became an ancestor of King David. The blessing is a prayer that God would take the tragedy of Naomi’s family and turn it into a sign of His grace.

And that is exactly what happens. Boaz and Ruth marry and have a son named Obed. The women of the city tell Naomi that God has not left her without a redeemer. Naomi, who once called herself “bitter,” is now seen nursing her grandson.

Ruth 4:13-17 (NASB)

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women said to Naomi, ’Blessed is the LORD 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 and 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 women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Genealogy of Grace

The book ends with a genealogy. It tracks the line from Perez all the way down to David.

Ruth 4:18-22 (NASB)

Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.

It “just so happened” that Ruth, a Moabite woman, ended up in the family tree of Israel’s greatest king. But it goes even further than that. When we turn to the New Testament, we see that Ruth is in the family tree of an even more influential King.

Matthew 1:1-6 (NASB)

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

Matthew 1:16 (NASB)

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

In the genealogy of Jesus, we find four women mentioned who had “shady” or complicated pasts: Tamar (the one who dressed as a prostitute), Rahab (the harlot from Jericho), Ruth (the Moabitess from a pagan nation), and Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah). Behind every story of a woman of less than reputable character in this list is a complicit man who was along for the ride.

Here is the point: Jesus included these names in His family tree because He is a Savior who came to seek and save the lost. It is a beautiful picture of His mercy.

The Capital “H” Hero

Boaz was a man of great wealth and valor. You could call him a hero—a lowercase “h” hero.

Ruth 2:1 (NASB)

Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

But the real Hero of the story—the Capital “H” Hero—is Jesus. Boaz is just a shadow of the Redeemer who was to come. Jesus told the religious leaders that all the Scriptures speak of Him. From Genesis to Revelation, every story whispers His name.

John 5:39 (NASB)

’You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

Just like Naomi turned to God after a string of bad decisions and found grace, we too can turn to God after our bad decisions and find grace through Jesus. Just like Naomi and Ruth were destitute and in need of a redemption they couldn’t provide for themselves, we too, apart from Christ, are dead in our sins and without hope.

But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive. Just like Boaz was perfectly positioned as a kinsman redeemer, Jesus was perfectly positioned to be ours. He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

John 1:1 (NASB)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 (NASB)

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He is the one who knew no sin but became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

A Call to the Bitter and the Redeemed

Some of you today are like Ruth after she met Boaz—you have been redeemed, you’ve experienced salvation, and you know the joy of a relationship with your Redeemer. But some of you are on the “pre-Boaz” side. Your life is like Naomi’s when she changed her name to Mara. You feel bitter.

Your life is bitter, my friend, because you haven’t embraced the Redeemer who loves you so much He died for you. You are one moment away from an encounter with Jesus where all of that bitterness can be blotted away as far as the east is from the west. Do not think lightly of His kindness; let it lead you to repentance.

Romans 2:4 (NASB)

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

John 3:16-17 (NASB)

’For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ’For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

You might say, “But I’ve made so many bad decisions.” Get in line! We have people in the genealogy of Jesus who dressed up as prostitutes, and God said, “I can use that. I can redeem it. I can make it new.”

Jesus gave Himself to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession.

Titus 2:11-14 (NASB)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

That is the book of Ruth—a gift of God’s providence, sovereignty, and love. Boaz is a hero, no question. But Jesus is better. I am so thankful we aren’t stuck in our sin, but that Jesus came to be our kinsman redeemer.

Let’s Pray:

Father, I thank You for Your Word. I pray that we would always live mindful of our sin—both the sin You saved us from and the areas where You are still working on us. It’s in those moments we recognize Your grace. For my friends who have yet to trust in Jesus, whose lives are still defined by bitterness, Lord, would they turn to You today? And for those who have experienced Your grace, may we be full of gratitude and hope. We stand ready to give an account for the hope that is in us because we are the redeemed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.