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Ruth 4:1-12

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Boaz Redeems Ruth 4 1 Now Boaz had gone up to x the gate and sat down there. And behold, y 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 z 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, a ‘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 1 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 1 the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order b to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 c 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 d 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 e Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, f 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 g 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, h who together i built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in j Ephrathah and k be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, l whom Tamar bore to Judah, because m of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

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Main point summary

Even though the nearer redeemer agreed to buy, Boaz pressed the issue of having children in Mahlon's name through Ruth, and the redeemer recanted for fear of jeopardizing his own good name. Boaz appealed to the ten witnesses to notarize his intention to marry Ruth and perpetuate Mahlon's name. The witnesses agreed and blessed Ruth, Boaz, and their future children.

Bracket

editing

Ruth 4:1-12

Now Boaz had gone up to x the gate and sat down there.

And behold, y the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by.

progression

So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

And he took ten men z of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

inference

Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, a ‘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 1 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.”

actionresult

Then Boaz said,

“The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi,

you also acquire Ruth 1 the Moabite, the widow of the dead,

in order b to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”

actionpurpose

conditional

ideaexplanation

concessive

c 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.”

ground

d 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.

So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.

actionmanner

situationresponse

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 e Chilion and to Mahlon.

Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife,

f 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.”

Then all the people who were g 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,

h who together i built up the house of Israel.

comparison

May you act worthily in j Ephrathah

and k be renowned in Bethlehem,

series

and may your house be

like the house of Perez,

l whom Tamar bore to Judah,

because m of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

The irony: this proud man who was so concerned with ruining his good name, remains nameless while Boaz and Ruth cemented their place in the lineage of David and ultimately Jesus Christ.

Boaz shows prudence, strategy and wisdom in his handling of this situation.

Boaz shows humility in his willingness to raise children in another's man's name.

The blessing is sealed and God honors this prophetic blessing of the ten witnesses.

discourse

Notes

Naomi's field for sale (an expositional mini-sermon) A purchase recanted, a purchase joyfully redeemed Thesis : Boaz's wisdom and humility bring endless blessings on his posterity. To review our exposition of the book of Ruth so far: Ch 1: The Israelites Elimilech, Naomi and their sons were driven by poverty to seek a better life in the cursed Moab. Naomi, having been cursed in the loss of her husband and sons, returned to Israel to seek better fortunes. Loyal Ruth insisted on coming along. Ch 2: Ruth the peasant foreigner met Boaz the benevolent farmer who dealt kindly with her. Ch 3: Naomi and Ruth's bold play to secure a future for Ruth pressed Boaz to respond. Now in this first half of Ch 4 we see Boaz take his plan into action. Read the scripture passage Ruth 4:1-12 Pray vv1-4a Mainly a progression of events, these verses set up the drama which culminates in the Ruth's nearer redeemer accepting the purchase of Naomi's "parcel" in 4b v5 Boaz's wisdom and prudence (some may say cunning strategy) are on display as he presses his point; the redeemer may not accept the property without accepting his duty to raise up children in the name of Mahlon through Ruth. v6 The redeemer backs down under this pressure - he cannot accept this duty. His expressed fear is that he would jeopardize his good name. The irony is that he remains nameless while Boaz (the true redeemer of the two) and the redeemed Ruth will go on to cement their place in the lineage of David and ultimately Christ. vv7-8 An aside which nods back to the Mosaic law of redeeming in Israel - the recanted purchase is sealed by the removal of the sandal. vv9-10 Boaz appeals to his ten witnesses to notarize his intention to marry Ruth. His humility in raising children for the sake of another's man's name is admirable and results in great blessings for his posterity. vv11-12 The witnesses agree to the transaction and give three blessings: one for Ruth (in the Israelite tradition of Rachel and Leah), one for Boaz to carry out his honorable intentions, and one for their household and future children (in the Israelite tradition of Judah and Perez). The intrigue of Ruth grows deeper partly because of what is left unsaid. The reader has endless opportunity to probe this history of Abraham's sometimes dysfunctional family, the great covenant promises to Abraham that have been and are being fulfilled, the family of Lot and its interaction with the family of Israel, and so much more. This account is soaked in rich Israelite tradition. Just pause for a moment to realize that Rahab (the prostitute from Jericho) was Ruth's mother-in-law! Boaz, the honorable relative of Naomi's, her "worthy man", was wise to the ways of Israel. Having already displayed great reserve and honor when Ruth (all dressed up fit to kill) gave him the opportunity to have her in his bed. The way he waits for the redeemer at the gate, draws in his ten witnesses, and unfolds his proposal is strategic if not cunning in wisdom. His wisdom serves his purpose well as we see the nearer redeemer agree and then back down from his duty to Ruth. Boaz's redemption of Ruth, for the purpose of propagating children in Mahlon's name, might be likened to a man who marries a widow and agrees to take her children as his own. He inherits a lot of the hard work and expense of raising children, without the associated benefits of the journey of conception, birth and naming of his own seed. If the step-children don't take his name, the father also sacrifices the honor of his last name being associated with the successes of those children. Boaz was humble when he accepted his duty to Ruth. As we will learn in the last half of chapter four, the witnesses' blessings were prophetic. Ruth and Boaz had Obed, who had Jesse, who had David the shepherd king of Israel. Unsearchable blessings to all of humanity were realized in Jesus Christ when he fulfilled the Davidic covenant and enacted the redemption of all fallen humanity. The steady hand of Boaz, his humble approach to duty, and the amazing redemption of Ruth, the cursed and unwanted Moabitess, blend together to unfold one more awe-inspiring chapter in God's great plan of redemption!