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Ruth Chapter 4
Boaz Redeems Ruth
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Ruth 4:1 Then went Boaz up to the
gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz
spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit
down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
Boaz being a just man who observed the law
of God, didn't waste any time but took care to make sure Naomi and
Ruth were taken care of according to the law that was given to Moses
for the children of Israel.
I've met unselfish people like this
before who end up in charge of things because of their ability to
see what is right and make sure those they see in trouble of some
kind, are provided for and has no lack. Responsible people are hard
to find sometimes but they are really gems in any society. They look
out for others.
In order to do things in a proper legal
way, there has to be eye witnesses. The law of God says two or three
witnesses are needed when someone is accused of a crime. Boaz found
ten even though it didn't involve any crimes. Witnesses were still
needed to make sure no one could come back in later years and
overturn what was done at this time.
- Ruth 4:3 And he said unto the
kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab,
selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
- 4 And I thought to advertise thee,
saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my
people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not
redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to
redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will
redeem it.
- 5 Then said Boaz, What day thou
buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth
the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the
dead upon his inheritance.
- 6 And the kinsman said, I cannot
redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou
my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
They had to agree who was to be the
redeemer and marry Ruth. This one closer in relation was
willing to buy the land but not marry Ruth so he gave up his right
as a near kinsman. Boaz now had the right to buy the property and
marry Ruth.
Along with being willing to marry a widow,
the one had to also agree that any children in this marriage was to
be counted as children of the widow's deceased husband. This is why
he chose to refuse the marriage. Perhaps he wanted his inheritance
to go to the children he already had by his first wife. My
speculation here. He may have already had a wife and children. The
bible doesn't say Boaz had a previous wife so he was the best choice
to fulfill the law in this case.
- Ruth 4:7 Now this was the manner in former
time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to
confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his
neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
- 8 Therefore the kinsman said unto
Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
This was a sign of the transfer of
property to another.
- Ruth 4:9 And Boaz said unto the
elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I
have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and
Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
- 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess,
the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the
name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be
not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place:
ye are witnesses this day.
- 11 And all the people that
were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD
make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like
Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily
in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
- 12 And let thy house be like
the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which
the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
Ruth and Boaz Marry and we see the God
used Ruth to become one of the women in the line of the tribe of
Judah that would bring forth the savior of those that receive Him
into a new birth and into eternal life. God rewarded her for leaving
the false gods of her own kin and receiving the real God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. Ordinarily the children of Israel were not to marry
heathen women because they would tend to lead the men away from God
and into the deception of idols. So we we here a story of a woman
born into a family that were worshipers of idols but she renounced
that and received the true God. This was sort of an example of those
that are saved by faith similar to Rahab recorded in the book of
Judges.
- Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she
was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her
conception, and she bare a son.
- 14 And the women said unto
Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day
without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
- 15 And he shall be unto thee a
restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy
daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than
seven sons, hath born him.
- 16 And Naomi took the child,
and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
- 17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and
they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of
David.
So we see how God provided for Naomi who at
first thought the Lord had abandoned her. God had mercy and used
faithful Ruth, a woman that was not an Israeli, to bring this about.
Ruth was now in the lineage of the kings of the tribe of Judah.
The Genealogy of David
- Ruth 4:18 Now these are the
generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
- 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and
Ram begat Amminadab,
- 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon,
and Nahshon begat Salmon,
- 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and
Boaz begat Obed,
- 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and
Jesse begat David.
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