Ruth Wk. 5

Praise God for a generally more peaceful week. Not sure if I've told you on here, but the last few weeks I've started typing on Sunday, but not publishing until Friday. So everything I'm saying is current to me, but basically a week behind for you. I made the decision when I was so delayed that I ended up not typing until Friday and got more response. Anyway, things are smoothing out between me and Rob, and the other neighbor will most likely be moving soon*. Pray for wisdom on both counts. And now the household where my friend Mike is staying has 2 teens with Covid. Pray it's minor and short-lived. Also continue praying healing for Mike's COPD and living situation. Speaking of which, my parents also need a new place to live soon. They technically can't afford where they are now, but time was up. Pray for the right place in God's timing.

How many of you have been to a wedding where the guests are participants in the ceremony?? In some Churches it's customary to invite the guests to support the newlyweds in their journey. My own wedding wasn't like that. My ex-husband and I were actually married at the altar of a Grange Hall by the Town Clerk/JP who was a friend of my parents'. There were 14 people present, all family minus the JP. In the final chapter of Ruth, we pretty much see the entire town bless her and Boaz's connection. Let's "crash" the scene together --

Ruth 4 New International Version

Boaz Marries Ruth 4 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer[a] he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you[b] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said. 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the[c] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” 6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” 7 (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. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) 8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!” 11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah* and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” Naomi Gains a Son 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms 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. The Genealogy of David 18 This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, 19 Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, 20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,[d] 21 Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, 22 Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David

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So this is all taking place first thing in the morning after Ruth has snuck into the barn at night and talked to Boaz and slept at his feet. If you remember from last week, he sent her home early with some grain so to protect her reputation. Now, he is bringing the subject that was discussed in the dark into the light so it can be publicly heard and dealt with legally.

We see this as we read verses 1-8. Boaz has gone to the City Gate early so he can be sure of speaking with the kinsman-redeemer who is legally first in line for Elimelech's family responsibilities in light of his death. This is where official business was conducted in those days. Out in the open for all to witness*. No question of what was said or who said it. No "shady" dealings. (at least for an honest man) So when Boaz first broaches the subject to this man who, for reasons which become clear later, is not named; he's agreeable. If only the deal were strictly a question of land ownership, it's no problem. But then Boaz basically, says, "but wait, there's more!! You would also be taking in this foreign woman who was married to Elimelech's son." Now the man is like, "Woah, hold on a minute!!" "No can do, bro!!" "I'm not risking my entire estate for a foreign widow woman!!" "You're welcome to do the deal on your own, I'm out!!" And he is. Like Orpah from the beginning of our story, this man is never heard from again in written history. It begs the question why Orpah is even named at all, but that's research for another day...

The two main things to take from this first section are that this deal would see Ruth's promise fulfilled of Naomi's people becoming her people by getting her name on the land ownership papers of a Native Israelite. Also, there is a pattern repeated here of how God was working throughout the Old Testament and leading forward to Jesus. It's the pattern of the first choice or first born falling short of the mark and the second getting the job done. (Ex. Jacob/Esau)*

In verses 9-10, we see Boaz "sealing the deal" and announcing Ruth as his wife. Hardly the carefully planned Church/Venue affair and party we see today, was it?? For them, it was just another business transaction, usually to increase status. In this case, it was for legal rights, but either way, romance was a minor player at best.

Verses 11-12 reveal the truly impressive and amazing blessing the townspeople speak over Ruth and Boaz. This blessing links them to the lineage of Israel in the past, and wishes blessings for their future in a similar framework with Judah and Tamar. (more on them later)

Reading on through verses 13-17, sees the consummation of Boaz's commitment fulfilled towards Ruth. They are blessed by God with a son, but that's not the whole story here, is it?? Notice how the next part is worded... Naomi has a son!! Wait, what!? But the other verse just told us that Ruth and Boaz had a baby... okay, so let's listen to the ladies here -- 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

What stands out to you in this passage?? For me, it's the piece that says, "renew your life and sustain you in your old age." I see the blessing of God on Naomi here. If you remember earlier, Naomi had felt like she had left Bethlehem full and came back from Moab empty, right?? And now, thanks to her faith and wisdom, God has blessed her, not only with a daughter-in-law who stuck by her, but now she has a new son and grandson added into the mix!! God refilled her life and set us up for a Savior in one fell swoop!! How cool is that!!??

The final verses give us some genealogy of the Royal Line of Israel. Okay, so what was the deal with Judah and Tamar and why was it included in the future blessing of the townsfolk?? In Genesis 38, we find a very twisted story of incest and deception. You can read it for yourselves later. The point for our purposes here is that it was a dark story that God used to bring light. For Ruth and Boaz, the idea of a foreign widow woman being accepted into the Jewish Community at all was rare, at best; but marrying one of their own so she became a legal part of the land-ownership was absurd!! It was a scar on the very face of Judaism!! Positively unheard of and unacceptable!! But as we know, God is not afraid of "minor details", is He?? So to these people, taking Ruth on as one of their own was highly significant. They knew Boaz was a Godly man, so they accepted Ruth as God's plan for his future and blessed them in line with their own history. Through Obed, we get Jesse, David, and eventually, Jesus!! Quite the powerful blessing these women agreed to wasn't it!!?? As Perez was born out of favor and resulted in light, Boaz has brought Ruth's story out from the dark of night and brought it out in light, truth, and goodness. This is how God accomplishes His purposes, He takes our darkness and brings the Light of His grace and love into our lives.

There are 6 major points in this story that reveal God's character and will --

God purpose is to redeem -- God's "endgame" from the very beginning has been the redemption of man from sin and death. His every purpose lies in the healing of brokenness, restoration of corruption, and repairing lives destroyed by sin. He is our Kinsman-Redeemer who saves us from the desperate poverty of sin and rescues us from an eternity of spiritual death.
All Nations are invited -- There is no room in God's Kingdom for bigotry or divisiveness. The Kingdom is not just for "the elite". It's not an exclusive Club where only select people are allowed past the velvet cord. The "whosoever" mentioned in John 3:16 and other verses are not just Jews or not just White or not just Conservative Christian or not just Evangelicals. It doesn't only mean "straight" or "empty skinned" either*... Nope!! The word "whosoever" means exactly what it says. Literally anyone who believes is welcome. When God blessed Abraham, He said, "all nations" would be blessed. In Revelations we see, "people from all nations praising God..." Personally, I've never known God to lie, have you??
God is patient in accomplishing His purpose -- God isn't bound by time like we are. We have trouble waiting 5 extra minutes if the bus is late, don't we?? God knows better, maybe there was an accident He protected us from in those 5 minutes, or maybe there was a handicapped person in a wheelchair that took the driver a few extra minutes to assist, we don't know. I know personally, if someone asks me to pray for them to have patience, I won't do it!! I tell them never to pray for patience or strength because all you'll get are opportunities to use them. The "safer" things to pray for are guidance and wisdom. Just remember that God is always present and at work, even when we don't see it. And keep in mind what it says in 2 Peter 3:8, "with God, one day is as 1,000 yrs."
God is persistent in accomplishing HIs purpose -- In our Fellowship Group time this morning, we were discussing the Parable of the Sower. One woman shared the analogy of water dripping on rock to express the watering of the Word in someone's heart. Also related to this are Paul's words in Romans 10:17, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God..." It takes repetition of The Word before we understand, accept, and finally believe*.
God's purposes are anchored in love -- His redemptive and restorative measures are based in His love for us. He wants nothing more than to restore us back to the way He created us, as a welcome addition to the love and fellowship shared between the Trinity*.
God's purposes are accomplished by faithfulness -- Both by His and by ours. In the history of the Old Testament, we see that God was setting Israel up for a king before they even asked for one. This was His faithfulness to His character of love and to HIs promise of a future Kingdom where they would share in His rule and reign over the Earth. As His "hands and feet" here, it is up to us to show faithfulness in return and aid in the accomplishment of His goals. 2 Chron. 16:9a reads as follows: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

Our response to this should be twofold --

We learn to trust what God is accomplishing in Jesus. It should be our goal to understand, accept, believe*, and aid God in His redemptive work toward man.
Walk in His redemption. As Christians, our world-view should be that of Christ's. Not to condemn the world, but invite others into a life free from guilt in light of forgiveness, free from judgement because they are loved, and generally peaceful and joyful in the saving knowledge of Jesus.

May each of us live in or strive for these lofty goals in our dealings with ourselves and others.

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes --

Neighbor who may be moving soon. Her name is Sheila. She is 70 yrs old and has Developmental Disabilities due to Cerebral Palsy. She lives alone with the assistance of a community service organization, but there are those of us in her life who feel it's time for more.
Ephrathah -- Village near Bethlehem where David grew up. Also thought to be the true birthplace of Jesus.
Open discussions for all to witness. If you read the passage, you see this odd bit about removing a sandal. I've covered this in a prior entry, but for those of you newer to the site, I'll explain. In those days, your sandals were considered as basically priceless possessions because you were literally on foot pretty much any time you were awake. (unless you were riding a horse or camel) As anyone with a military background can tell you, your feet are your life. So for the Ancient Israelis, removing a sandal to seal a deal was equivalent to one of us mortgaging our house as collateral on an agreement.
First choice/born falling short -- Jacob and Esau's story (Gen.25) is just one in an ongoing pattern of the first coming last and last coming first. Another more wide-spread example is that of Israel falling short and Jesus coming to the rescue. (I tried to look up others, but couldn't find what I was looking for)
"Whosoever" doesn't mean just straight or empty-skinned... Did I step on some toes here?? I'll pray for your feet. God isn't interested in personal life preferences or choices in body decor. He's interested in hearts faithful toward Himself. Period. The End. As it says in 1 Samuel 16:7, "man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." The facts are these, like them or not -- 1) Some people's brains are "wired" differently, therefore pre-disposing them to certain life choices or at least "excitabilities". Quote from Romans 1 all you want, you're going to be wrong. That passage is not talking about homosexuality, it's talking about the Temple Prostitutes in the Pagan houses of worship. Properly read, the passage is really talking against idolatry. The Temple Prostitutes were not even gay. They were simply farming people who did what they felt they needed to do to appease their gods and earn a good harvest. (That being said, Transgenders are listed in the DSM for a reason.) Sorry, not sorry... 2) Tattoos are perfectly acceptable. (I currently have 5, including the one in my logo) I know Leviticus, but the fact is, we live under the New Covenant, not the Old. Jesus fulfilled all the necessary elements of the Law in His death on the Cross. We live under Grace by faith. I think at this point, it's pretty safe to say that God has more important things to worry about than having some of His kids come home with tattoos... Personal life choices are not for us to judge, you don't know their hearts, leave it alone. Their lives are between them and God.
Love and fellowship between the Trinity -- taken from "The Shack Revisited".
Understand, accept, and believe -- Our discussion of the Sower this morning brought to light that these are the reasons behind the slightly different wording of the Parable in the 3 Gospels it appears in.