“So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘“Buy it yourself.’” And he removed his sandal.”
~ Ruth 4:8
Hi James and Ellen,
God blesses faithfulness. God blesses guys, gals and kids who do what is right. Do you want to be faithful? Do you know what it means to be faithful? Faithful can mean being loyal to someone. Faithful can mean persevering in being obedient to God. Are you faithful in always doing the chores that your dad and/or ma have tasked you to do in your house? Are you faithful in always completing the homework assignments that your teacher has assigned you to do? Do you always want to do what is right? Doing what is right is to be always compliant to the laws of the land. Doing what is right is to always honor the commitments that you make. Ruth 4 is an example of God’s preordained plan in play in the lives of a guy and a gal. The gal’s name is Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite people group’s gal. Moab’s land area was located east of the Dead Sea – in the area that is now the country of Jordan. The guy’s name is Boaz. Boaz lived near Bethlehem. Bethlehem was one of the towns that are located in the area of land that was allotted by a cast lot to the Judah tribal clan. Boaz was a landowner. Ruth’s husband died in Moab. Ruth’s father-in-law died before Ruth’s husband died. Ruth’s one brother-in-law also died. Ruth could have stayed in Moab and lived with her family – which is what her sister-in-law Orpah did when her husband died. Ruth instead stayed with Naomi – her mother-in-law. Ruth took care of Naomi. When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem – her hometown, and back to her family, Ruth insisted on going with Naomi. God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – who were the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids, were having at different times and in different places guys and a gal called judges becoming their leaders. Different people group guys from countries adjoining the land area where the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids lived were constantly being a nuisance and a menace to God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids by invading the land that God gave to them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . Moab was one of those neighboring countries that were continuously raiding Israel’s land area and fighting against God’s specially chosen guys. In spite of Ruth being a Moabite gal and from an enemy country, the guys and gals who were living in Bethlehem accepted Ruth when she arrived there with her mother-in-law. Because Naomi was old and apparently unable to work, Ruth would go out to the fields that were being harvested to scrounge up something to eat. Ruth was a faithful, loyal daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law.
Even though Naomi probably had very few possessions when she returned to Bethlehem, there was land near Bethlehem which was in her husband’s name. When Naomi’s husband – Elimelech, died, Naomi’s oldest son was to get this and but . . . because Naomi’s husband and her two sons had died, the next person who was to get this land would be a guy known as a kinsman-redeemer. The kinsman-redeemer for this land would have been Elimelech’s oldest bro or the next oldest brother in Elimelech’s immediate family if his oldest bro did not want the land. Boaz was one of Elimelech’s bros. If the kinsman-redeemer decided that he wanted the land, the guy could have the land if he would commit to the responsibility for caring for Naomi and Ruth. Not long after Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth caught the attention in a good way of Boaz. When the day arrived for the kinsman-redeemer to claim the land, Boaz headed for the town’s gate where he seated himself and waited for the kinsman-redeemer to pass by the gate. When the kinsman-redeemer arrived at the town’s gate, Boaz – in front of ten Bethlehem city elders as witnesses, asked the kinsman-redeemer what he wanted to do with Elimelech’s land, The kinsman-redeemer in verse 8 told Boaz, “So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘“Buy it yourself.’” And he removed his sandal.” At the time that Ruth lived in Israel, when a guy gave one of his sandals to another guy in front of other guys, it was like a binding agreement that could not be broken. Boaz now was the owner of the land that was to stay in Elimelech’s family.
Because Naomi had no grandkids – as her two boys had died before they had any kids, this left Naomi without a son to pass on her husband’s family name. Naomi’s only hope was that Ruth would have a kid one day who would become a part of her family. Boaz by this time had really got to liking Ruth. Once Boaz officially owned the land that was once owned by Elimelech, Boaz had every right in the world to marry Ruth. Boaz did marry Ruth. Boaz and Ruth would be blessed with a baby boy who they named Obed. Obed means being a complete servant to the Lord. This story could end ‘happily ever after’ right here because this is the end of the Ruth Book but . . . this is only just the beginning of the story. If Boaz had never married Ruth, Jesse would never have been born. Obed was Jesse’s dad. You probably are saying ‘big deal – who is Jesse’? Jesse was David’s dad. David was Israel’s second king. David was Israel’s greatest king. David wrote all kinds of psalm songs. David loved the Lord. David’s family tree would end up having Jesus’ name on it. This means that Ruth – as the wife and as the faithful daughter-in-law of Naomi, is also on David’s family tree. Boaz is on David’s family tree because he did what was right. Your grandmaa and grandpaa believe that God has blessed them because they have faithfully done what God has asked them to do. Your grandmaa and grandpaa sold some of their stuff so that your grandpaa could study at Moody Bible Institute. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were willing for about two and a half years to be the Zeiger-Mueller Funeral Home caretakers while your grandpaa studied at Moody Bible Institute. God will probably have you give up life amenities at times as a way to demonstrate your faithfulness to Him. Your grandpaa hopes like you will celebrate these times.
Ruth 4 (222)