Ruth 3:1-18.  Yesterday Ruth came as close as an Israelite woman (well a Moabite woman living in Israel) could to proposing to the man of her dreams, Boaz.  Unfortunately they were both faithful to God and his rules and there was another man who had a superior right to marry her.  Boaz sent her home with a present of groceries for her and Naomi and promised that the sun would not set before he had followed through on the situation.  In today’s reading we see that Ruth is first on his list.

So Boaz goes immediately to the gate of the city.  This is the place in ancient cities where legal matters were handled, sort of the courtroom of the city.  Cities were surrounded by walls and the walls had gates in them that could be shut for protection.  The gates usually had rooms on each side where defensive forces could wait, protected, and ambush an invaders who broke through the gate.  Those rooms were also used for official and legal meetings.  They were kind of small, not much bigger than most of our bedrooms, so if the meeting were to big it would be held outside by the gate.  The construction of Ruth 4:1 in Hebrew indicates that the guy Boaz was waiting for came by right away.  In Ruth 3:10 Boaz invoked the name of Yahweh in his blessing of Ruth.  It is clear that Yahweh is stepping in by the “fortunate” appearance of the closer relative, the man who has the greater right and responsibility to preserve Ruth’s husbands family line.  Boaz called the man aside and then gathered 10 leading men as witnesses.  Most translations have Boaz calling the man “friend” but the person who wrote the story down uses an obscure Hebrew word than means something like “Mr. So and So” or even “You There”.  Based on the respectful way Boaz continues his conversation I’m sure he used a more respectful greeting, probably the actual name of the man.  I think that what we see here is the author protecting the reputation of the other kinsman.

So Boaz is going to court to deal with the situation of Ruth and Naomi.  In verse 3 he tells the other guy that Naomi has to “sell” land that belonged to her husband.  Although the word in Hebrew can mean “sell” that is probably not the exact meaning here.  Under God’s law there were two things that are important to our story at this point.  First is this whole kinsman thing.  In Hebrew the word is “goel” and it is often translated “kinsman redeemer”.  A “Goel” had certain family responsibilities under God’s law including, executing a murderer of a family member, marrying the widow of a deceased family member if no children had been born before he died, and buying back land sold outside of the family.  God had chosen Israel to be his “example” family on the earth.  It was in the history of Israel and his descendants that the world would see God at work.  Several times in the Old Testament we see a leader or prophet asking God to be merciful to Israel (the nation) “for the sake of His name.”  The nation existed as the descendants of twelve separate sons so preserving the descendants of the twelve sons was important to proving God’s care to the world.  In Deuteronomy 25:5-10 we see that requirement for a brother to marry the widow of his brother and raise their first child in the name of the brother, thus preserving the brother’s family line.  If the brother refuses the widow has the right to publicly humiliate the him.  Evidently that was not the end of the matter because the responsibility would pass on down the line of inheritance until a “redeemer” was found.

The other responsibility that relates to our story is the one regarding land.  In ancient cultures land was very important, land was where most people worked, and how most people ate.  It was an agricultural society, most people were farmers or at least had gardens.  Living in a city and without land a person was probably poor and at risk.  God set up a system in his laws that required land to stay in a family.  Land could be sold but for no more than 6 years at which time it reverted back to the family.  But if the land was sold outside of the family because a man was poor it was the responsibility of the kinsman to buy it back from the outsider and keep it in the family (Leviticus 25:25).  So in ancient Israel the family had to be preserved and the land had to stay in the family.

From our story in Ruth it appears that Elimelech had sold his land outside of the family and no one had redeemed it.  So Boaz starts there with the closer relative.  The land was probably a good deal and land gave people wealth through the crops it produced.  The closer relative was very interested and wanted to “redeem” the land (buy it back into the family, his family).  But what about Ruth?  Boaz is obviously a master of strategy (and the story teller of Ruth is a master of suspense), In verse 5 Boaz throws Ruth into the mix.  Notice he calls her Ruth the Moabitess.  Remember that the Moabites were enemies in the history of Israel.  Also remember that this is the time of the Judges, a time when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (You might want to read the “Intro to Judges” for more on the times).  I wonder if Boaz kind of down plays Ruth, keeps her off the radar, so the other guy won’t get too interested.  At the mention of Ruth the closer relative changes his mind and declines the offer to redeem the land.  Notice money does seem to be a motivation for this guy, his inheritance could be lost if Ruth only had one child.  That child would be raised in the name of her first husband and the new guy would lose his family name.

With the rejection of the offer by the closer relative the way is clear for Boaz to become the kinsman redeemer and so they seal the deal by Boaz taking the other guys sandal.  It’s kind of an odd custom and by the time Ruth’s story was written down (often theses stories were passed on orally before being written down) it seems like most people didn’t get it.  Verse 7 explains that it was how deals were sealed “back in the day”.  It’s kind of funny that in the Deuteronomy 24 passage the widow gets to take the guys sandal and spit in his face if he refused to redeem her.  And then his name would be changed to “the house of the guy whose sandal was removed”.  Shoes must have been a big deal back then.  I work a physical job, digging, carpentry work and you can’t really do it barefoot.  Maybe sandals represent a persons willingness to work, taking a guys sandal could be a way of saying this guy isn’t willing to work (fulfill his responsibilities).  Maybe the closer relative was the one who gave his sandal to Boaz as a way of saying “here you work the land not me.”

In verses 9-10 Boaz declares to the leaders and everyone listening that he is willing to take the kinsman responsibility, marry Ruth and raise up a child in the name of her husband.  It is only here that we learn that her husband was Chilion.  In verse 11 the crowd confirms that they have heard his oath and then they offer a blessing to him.  They hope Ruth will have a lot of children.

In verse 13 an interesting thing happens.  Boaz and Ruth have a child and the story turns from them to Naomi and the baby.  The people tell Naomi that her life is now complete God has given her a “Goel”, redeemer, in her life.  We would think of Baoz but the women identify the baby, Obed’ as the redeemer.  Remember that Boaz was not the most immediate redeemer, Elimelech’s and Naomi’s line was in danger ending, but now there was a new start.  We then learn that the child is the grand-father of king David.  In the history of Israel it would have been a tragedy, humanly speaking, if David had never lived, and in our history too.  In Matthew 1:5 we learn that Ruth and Obed and Jesse and David are all in the family line that would one day produce the savior of the world Jesus.

In the end we see Boaz and Ruth for what they were deep down, faithful servants.  For them the story wasn’t ever really about them, it was about God and what he wanted.  It was about others.  And in the end their story more than almost anybody else’s in the Bible wind up being about other people, the whole world in fact.  Humanly speaking their obedience led to the savior of the world being born.  Their example in the evil days in which they lived gives us some big shoes (or sandals) to fill.  Will we accept the responsibility God has given us?  Are we ready to put our shoes on and get to work? Will we live with the best interest of others in mind?  The good news is we are not alone.  Paul told the Church in Ephesus that they were to put on the armor that God had provided so they could stand strong as believers.  Part of that armor was compared to sandals and it was the good news of peace with God.  If you haven’t done so let Jesus make peace between you and God today.  You just have to let God know that is what you want, tell him, talk to him in prayer.  Then you will be ready to get down to business living for God.  Let God serve you then be a servant like Ruth and Boaz.

God thank you for redeeming me.  Thank you for buying me out of the life of evil that I had been in. Help me do the work that I have put on the good new to do.  Let me be a servant of others and bring the good news of salvation and peace with you to them.  Let the story be about the one true redeemer, Jesus.  Let me be a apart of the story but not the focus.  To you be the honor God. Thank You.