Wednesday Bible Study: The End of all things- Ruth

 

The last chapter or two of Ruth is really a study in how to be a man of integrity by Boaz. This is an easy, step by step process that every MAN (and woman, by extension) should hammer onto his morning mirror... and I may just do that!

Step one: Do Not Sin

Rth 3:13  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."

What man would tell a woman who, with any intention, sneaks into his 'bed' in the middle of the night to just go to sleep.  Boaz did, but that wasn't all.

Step Two:  Respect her honor

Rth 3:14  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."

He went to great pains to make sure that Ruth wasn't besmirched by gossip. In a world where many guys would have bragged about his 'conquest', Boaz kept quiet- and made sure everyone else did, too.

Step Three: The respect of a response

Rth 3:17  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.'"

Boaz knew that this was a message from Naomi- "Marry this girl, and my fields are yours." He made sure Naomi got the positive response back.

Step Four:  Respect the Law

Rth 4:1  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.
Rth 4:2  And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down.

Not once did Boaz step out of tradition and the law.  By this, he did not attempt to strong arm his way to his desire- he had respect also for the man who had "rights of survivorship" in the case.

Step Five:  Even if it costs you

Rth 4:4  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."

And what if the other man wanted to redeem it- and add to HIS land? He could have told him about Ruth first, and turned him off of the deal.  Or he could have said nothing, and the man might have had the land and ignored the law, and Ruth would have been left with nothing.  But by adding on that the man would then have a duty to marry Ruth before the city elders, the man had to either marry her or forfeit.  By Boaz's honesty and respect for all parties, everyone came out the best.

Step Six: Receive the blessing!

Rth 4:11  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,
Rth 4:12  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."

And they all lived happily ever after?  Pretty much.

I did notice one other thing in this blessing: By this point, seven generations later, the stigma Tamar might have gotten from seducing her at-the-time corrupt and superstitious father-in-law Judah, had been erased, and she was mentioned with respect as being the mother of the true main line of Judah- the line from which Jesus would come.  I haven't really debated this point, having just noticed it, but I imagine for Israel it became a "They shall know you by your fruit" situation.  Maybe I should label this point thusly:

Step Seven: Forgive and forget the past!