Balance Point

town gate-

the town gate functioned as the seat where business and government would take place. As a natural gathering place, there would be a ready supply of witnesses for transactions.

ten of the elders

10 were gathered as that would be a number of witnesses to ensure that would be memory of the event.

Naomi is selling the piece of land

“I will redeem it,”

The approach was to give the nearer kin a chance to redeem

On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire[b] the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”

It is revealed that there is an attachment to the land. The one who buys the land would have to perform the duty of the levere. Doing so would mean that the first born would inherit not only the land that had been Naomi’s but part of the land of the nearer kin.

Note: Under the law, the first born would be reckoned by Elimelech, yet in the genealogies he is always reckoned by Boaz.

“Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

If we take the book of Ruth as picture of God’s love for the world, we see that what the  law was not able to do, grace and love does.  The inheritance of the law is perfection. To accept a despised one (Moabite), would mar the inheritance of the law. Grace says, I am willing and able to pay the price that needs to be paid.

Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other

Speaking of ownership of the land:

Dt 11:23-25

23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

Speaking of the disgrace of not fulfilling the obligation.

Ref Dt 29:5-10

5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.  The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,”  his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.”  That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”

Ref Gen 38

Judah and Tamar

1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.

8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so he put him to death also.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

  “And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.

17 “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.

  “Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.

18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”

  “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.

20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

  “There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.

22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”

23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

  Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”

25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”

26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[a] 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.[b]

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

refer to   Gen 16 the method of adoption.

Background: Threshing- extracting the grain from the grass and chaff. This was usually done by means of an ox walking on the grain or pulling a threshing sled over the grain.

Winnowing-  the process of separating the grain from the non-edible parts of the grass. Usually this was done in a place that had a prevailing wind or with the aid of fans, by tossing the harvest into the air. The heavier grain would fall to the ground and the lighter stalks and chaff would land some distance away.

Staying with the grain: This was the time of the judges. It was a lawless time in the history of the Israelites. They were subject to bands of raiders, who would seep through and steal the grain that had just been gathered.  Someone would stay with the grain to protect it. That someone was usually the owner of the grain or a trusted servant. Preparing for the meeting: v. 3 Naomi is instructing Ruth to prepare herself as a bride. There are lessons here for the one who would follow Christ. There are thing that God will do for us, but there are things that we can do that God will not do

• Wash-
• God provides the water of the word. He provides the strength. He provides the support through other believers. It is up to us to take advantage of it.
• Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cr 7:1
• God is not going to force the washing, we have to ask.
• If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1Jn !:9
• Sometimes God tells us to wash ourselves.
• “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” Is 1:16-17
• Anoint- Anointing was the deodorant of the day. It was given to make one pleasant for others.
• We are called to be anointed with the Holy Spirit.
• But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 1Jn 1:20
• When we carry the presence of Christ we smell like Him. To those He is calling, we smell like life. To those who reject Him, we smell like death.2 Cor 2:15-17
• We need to yield to the instruction to be carriers of the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus is the example.
• Put on your best clothes- Apart from the clothes that God gives us, we have nothing.
• To be used of God, we have to be willing to put aside our stuff and put on the provision from God:
• For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Is 64:6
• Put on Righteousness
• Be clothed in the Spirit

The meeting:

• The meeting takes place at the threshing floor.
• This time would be a time of danger, as there was the possibility of raiders who would steal the harvested grain.
• At the feet of Boaz
• Ruth placed herself in a position of submission to Boaz
• We are called to place ourselves at the feet of the One who calls us His bride.
• Our examples :
• Mary (Luke 10:38-40
• The women at the cross (Jn 19:25-27)

The Proposal:

• Though Boaz had the means and the will to redeem, it was up to Ruth to make the first move.
• God gives us everything that we need to choose him.
• He gives us the space to choose our our way.
• It pleases God when we choose Him over the ways of the world.

The Message:

• Who are you? (KJV)
• Are you still the Moabite or are you the bride?
• No rest
• the 6 measures were  a code to Naomi
• Boaz was going to see it through to the end.
• God does not rest from working on our behalf for our good!

This chapter we meet our hero!

Boaz – Strength or Quickness

 

Ancient Israel had no welfare as we know it, yet the poor were provided for:

Leviticus 19:9–10 (NIV)

⁹ “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

This was so important that it is repeated

Leviticus 23:22 (NIV)

²² “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

An introduction is made.

Notice that the introduction is made by the un-named servant. Notice the description:

•      Ruth is not named directly. I will come to why later.

•      She asked to come into the field.

•      She works the field.

Boaz addresses Ruth:

•      Boaz gives Ruth permission to be there.

•      She is instructed not to leave his fields.

•              Does this sound familiar

John 15:5–6 (NIV)

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

•      Gleaning is hard, thirsty work.

•              Refreshment is provided

John 4:13–14 (NIV)

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

•      Who and or what is Jesus referring to?

Ruth’s response – Awe at Boaz’ hesed

•      Do we still experience that awe, or do we sometimes get ho-hum?

•      I know that I sometimes forget that I was once a stranger.

Reason for the favor:

•      Ruth left her natural mode of living to live how she did not know!

•      That is so like our walk.

•      Larry’s example: hide and seek

•      The field is there and planted

•      The owner knows about us

•      The owner desires to bless us.

A Meal together:

•      v. 14 Bread and wine?

•              This is the last sighting of Boaz until the thrashing floor.

Instructions given to the men:

•      Ruth can gather among that which has been bundled

•      The men are to pull extra out for Ruth.

•      To the Church

•      There are those who have been harvested to their destiny, which we can still reach.

•      There are those who must be released , to be harvested by the Church

•      This is part of why the devil lets those fully under his control show up in a church where he will be cast out.

Surprised at the amount! v. 17

•      Ruth had about 30 pounds of grain!

•      Naomi who had been bitter at the end of chapter 1 now blesses God.

Boaz relationship revealed.

•      He is the kinsman-redeemer.

•      Two roles are involved.

•      Avenger of blood

Numbers 35:16–21 (NIV)

¹⁶ “ ‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁷ Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁹ The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. ²⁰ If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die ²¹ or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

•   Redeem the land

•   The land was never owned, the way that we own land.

• More like a lease from God to the families.

• Selling the land was really selling the production of the land, until the time of release.