....“Now at last Naomi
has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and
the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:17
NLT).
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| Ruth and Boaz |
The story of Ruth and her husband Boaz is an excellent
lesson in self-sacrifice. They were both
consistent in their unselfishness.
Though they chose to prefer others through their selflessness, God
sovereignly turned their loss into gain.
The union of Ruth and Boaz formed the spiritual lineage of King David,
of whom God said, “a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22 NLT)
“Your God will be my
God.”
Ruth, Chapter 1 tells the story of the love and commitment
of a daughter-in-law, Ruth, for her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi had lost her husband and both her sons
in Moab. One of her sons was married to
Ruth, a Moabite woman. Naomi planned to
return to her native land in seeking to survive. She described the cost of following her back
to her homeland to both of her daughters-in-law. Naomi was too old to marry again, and even if
she did, her daughters-in-law would have to wait for her sons to grow up to
marry them? (Ruth 1:11-13 NLT)
Obviously, this was an impossible scenario. Ruth responds with one of the most beautiful
responses in all the Bible, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever
you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my
people, and your God will be my God.”
Impossible circumstances often test love and commitment.
In Chapter 2 there is a little-recognized event that reveals
much about the character of Ruth. One
day Boaz provided lunch for Ruth while she worked in his barley field. Ruth did not eat all she was provided but set
aside part of it to take back to Naomi (Ruth 2:18 NKJV). Ruth was not just
looking out for herself but also for provision for her mother-in-law. It wasn’t all about Ruth. Have you had ever been among a group of
Christians at a dinner? When helping themselves to food from common serving
plates, how they prefer each other by the portions that they take, speaks
volumes about the hearts of those dining at that event. We often reveal our character through our
stomachs.
The Kinsman Redeemer
The other person in this love story is Boaz, a wealthy
landowner. I am sure that Boaz was
physically attracted to Ruth, but there was something far more enticing to him
that just her outward beauty. It was the
content of her character. Boaz said,
“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 (Ruth 3: 11NASB). What catches a man’s eye is a
commentary on the righteousness of that man.
Naomi realizes that Boaz is a close relative and can buy the
land that had been owned by Naomi’s husband and would have been passed down to
his sons. He could marry Ruth and
provide heirs for her dead son to carry on their family line. She initiates an ingenious plan to ensure
security of her daughter-in-law (Ruth 3: 1-3 NLT). But there is one
problem. There was another relative who
has first right to purchase this land.
Boaz engages that relative and tells him of his right to redeem the
inheritance. (Ruth 4: 1-4 NLT). At
first, the relative agrees to redeem it until he learns he must also marry Ruth
and carry on her husband’s inheritance.
He declines because it would endanger his estate (Ruth 4: 6 NLT). The close relative chose
opportunistically. As long as it only
benefited him, he would do it, but when he learned it would cost him something,
he was out. In our major decisions in
life, if we chose only what serves us, we will
never understand or embrace commitment.
Without it, we will never fulfill our destiny.
A Marriage Made in
Heaven
Boaz chose unselfishly (Ruth 4:10 NASB). He bought the land
and married Ruth and provided a son to carry on the family line (Ruth 4: 13NLT). This is a true love story if you
define love as willing the highest possible good for all concerned. Ruth thought about the good of her
mother-in-law above all. Naomi sought
security for Ruth. Boaz chose the best
for all concerned, not just him. This
was the spiritual DNA of King David, the man after God’s own heart. Ruth and Boaz were committed to doing the
right thing, no matter what it cost them.
In dong so, they changed the destiny of a family, which was instrumental
in fulfilling the destiny of a nation.
Image used with permission by Microsoft.
Ken
Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com
