There is a story about a student at Cambridge University in England who entered the classroom on exam day and asked the proctor to bring him cakes and ale. The proctor refused, expressing astonishment at the young student’s audacity. At this point the student read from the four-hundred-year-old Laws of Cambridge, which were written in Latin and still somewhat in effect.
The passage read by the student said, "Gentlemen sitting for examinations may request and require Cakes and Ale." The proctor was forced to comply. Pepsi and hamburgers were judged the modern equivalent, so the necessary accommodations were made for the student. After all, the law was on his side.
Three weeks later the student was summoned to the office of Academic Affairs to face disciplinary action and was assessed a fine of five pounds (about $7.50, the cost of the meal). He was not fined for demanding cakes and ale, but for blatantly disregarding another obscure Cambridge law: he had failed to wear a sword to the examination.
God’s Law is a bit like that. There are laws that we chose to point out to others as a way of judging them while ignoring other aspects of the law. A popular one right now is Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the Lord your God.”
But three verses down we read, “When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof.”
I know when we read this we think “That only applies to flat roofs.” But the argument could be made that God expected all houses to have flat roofs. As you can see, the Law can create a dilemma around us.
The law would create a dilemma for our next character. His name is Boaz. He is the son of Salmon and Rahab.
Remember from last week that Rahab is a prostitute. She is referred to as a prostitute when we first meet her. She is referred to as a prostitute when she and her family are spared. She is referred to as a prostitute when she listed in Hebrews along with all the great examples of people with faith. She is referred to as a prostitute when spoken of in James as an example of Godly action.
Was this taking place because she had a label that would never go away? No. This label was a reminder to those throughout history of the redemptive work of God and his ability to make us acceptable in his sight, regardless of labels the world may place on us. The world called her a prostitute but in God’s eyes she was a rescuer, a woman of great faith, and a Godly example.
This was Boaz’s mother. He knew her story. He knew she was not a part of God’s family until she was taken in. This love reflected by those around her made him a compassionate man.
It was his mother’s confidence in God that kept him in the land of promise when the famine hit, unlike another man named Elimelech who took his wife Naomi and their two sons into Moab searching for fertile land.
The land of Moab was inhabited by the descendants of Lot and his incestuous child that he created through his daughter. They were under a curse for trying to bring a curse against the Israelites. God gave his children strict guidelines concerning these people.
Deuteronomy 23:3 “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.”, and, Deuteronomy 23:6 “As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites.”
It is while in Moab that his sons will marry Moabite women, clearly in violation of God’s law. He will die there along with his two sons. His widow Naomi finds herself stranded in this strange land. She decided to travel home. But she is now saddled with two Moabites and wishes for them to leave. But one refuses. Her name is Ruth.
Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.”
Like Rahab the prostitute, Ruth had a label. She was a despised Moabite.
The story continues in Ruth 2:1. “Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.”
As we read through the second chapter of Ruth we discover much about Boaz’s character. He spends time in the fields with hs workers. He greets them with blessings and they in return greet him back. He notices when a newcomer has arrived in his field. He is told that she is the Maobitess that had returned with Naomi. Remember, according to the law he was not to allow her to remain in Israel or promote her welfare and prosperity.
He called her to him and instructed her to stay in his field for her safety. The men had been told not to bother her. The women had been told to allow her to glean the wheat with her. And she was to be allowed to drink from the common water jars.
He explained his kindness to her was due to her treatment of Naomi, how she left her own family behind in Moab to travel to a hostile land so she could care for her mother-in-law. Was this a good reason to ignore God’s law?
That wasn’t the reason he was able to help Ruth. It was Ruth’s conversion that allowed Boaz to take care of her. Ruth 1: 16 “But Ruth replied, ‘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.’”
Even though Ruth did not know Rahab, she followed in Rahab’s footsteps. Like Rahab she declared that the one true supreme God was Naomi’s God. And she would dedicate herself to worshiping him. God accepted her praise and commitment. This allowed her to overcome the law and become one of his children.
His kindness continued as he allowed her to share a meal with him. He also ordered his young men, to let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. And to pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. In this way he was blessing her without making her feel like a beggar. At the end of the day she left with 30 pounds of grain to take home to Naomi. According to historical documents, gleaning usually produced 2 to 3 pounds a day. Naomi asked her whose field she had worked in. She told her Boaz’s. Let’s look at Naomi’s reply.
Ruth 2:20 “‘May the Lord bless him!’ Naomi told her daughter-in-law. ‘He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.’”
Boaz was a redeemer. He was related to Ruth’s husband. That made him eligible to continue Ruth’s husband’s bloodline. However, it was required of her to seek him and required of him to accept her since he was not a direct brother to the deceased.
So Ruth continued to work in his fields for nine months. At the end of that time Naomi concocted a plan. She said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
So Ruth went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of Naomi.
After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he lay down at the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! Ruth 3: 9 “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”
What an unusual request. She is actually offering a marriage proposal to Boaz. She is asking if he will marry her. This was highly unusual. But Boaz needed encouragement. He answered her saying, “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor.”
This may indicate that Boaz was a good bit older than Ruth. He points out that family loyalty meant more than a young, good-looking husband. And he decided to redeem her. But their was a problem. There was someone who was more related to Ruth’s husband than Boaz.
Boaz approached the man and began a business deal. Boaz began, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”
The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”
Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”
“Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”
This opened the door for Boaz and Ruth to marry. From this union would come Obed, Jesse, and David who would one day be king. Royal blood flowing from a prostitute and a cursed woman.
So what can we learn from this wonderful love story? We learn that this story reflects the redemptive love of Jesus.
We learn we are a lot like Ruth. She lived under a curse, not of her own doing. She was cursed from birth. We are all cursed from birth. Look at how King David put it.
Psalm 51:5 “For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
When Adam sinned we all became victims of that sin. Like Ruth, we wander aimlessly through out a world with all types of luxurious offerings. Remember what drove Elimelech to Moab in the first place. There was a famine in Judah and Moab offered plenty. In this case, Moab represents the world.
When Naomi decided to return home, she seemed to have total disregard about the wellbeing of Ruth. She wanted to send this widow away instead on finding her a kinsman redeemer. But Ruth persisted and found that redeemer in Boaz. And in Boaz we see the redemptive work that will come through Jesus.
John 6:37 “However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”
Ruth had to go to Boaz. He understood her dilemma. However, he was not sure whether he would be acceptable to her. There were younger, fit guys around that perhaps she would find more attractive. He took care of her needs, not only for her, but also for Naomi’s benefit. But he would never force himself upon her.
Here we see how Jesus will not force himself onto others. He understands we are lost and doomed to a fate separated from God. But we must approach him for salvation. He promises He will never reject us. Boaz never rejected Ruth despite the fact she was a Moabitess.
He also takes care of those who are not his. His love for the world is so great that there are no restrictions placed upon the benefits we receive. Often our relationship with him gives care and protection to our loved ones because of his faithfulness to us.
When Ruth left Boaz’s threshing floor she left with 88 pounds of barley in a sack. This was a dowry of sorts that guaranteed she would be redeemed by Boaz. We have that guarantee also.
Romans 8:16 “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
As the children of the living God we should have a settling in our spirit that all is well in our relationship with God. We have the promise of the Holy Spirit who comes to reside within us. It is his presence that is our assurance of our salvation. However certain terms had to be reached for the redemption to be completed.
Since Ruth was not actually his sister-in-law Boaz was not under any obligation to redeem her. In fact he would be acting outside the law by marrying a Moabite. However, his close relative Naomi’s deceased husband still had some land that needed to be redeemed. The law made provision for that.
Leviticus 25:25 If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell some family land, then a close relative should buy it back for him.
Boaz has the relationship and the ability to purchase the land. However, there is one closer relative than himself that he must deal with first. This kinsman redeemer agrees to purchase the land but when he discovers that Ruth must also be redeemed he decides that he cannot fulfill that obligation. So Boaz becomes her redeemer.
Before Jesus died for our sins, God’s law was our closest redeemer. However, the law was unable to fulfill that role. Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Like Boaz, Jesus was able to pay the cost and redeem us from our being lost. No longer are we sinners. Now we are children of the King. Ruth 4:11 “Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, ‘We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.’”
No longer is Ruth described as a Moabitess. Now she is a woman. And not just any woman. She is in the same league with Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob who gave birth to his sons and in doing so the nation of Israel. Ruth has been elevated.
We have been elevated. We are no longer sinners but rather saints. We are no longer outcasts from God but now we are called his children.
And Boaz is exalted. They declare his worthiness to prosper for what he has done. Jesus has redeemed us and his worthy of our praise and exaltation. We need to do so not only with our words but also with our actions.
Reflect on where you once were. You once were like Ruth, without hope, accepted by the world but living lost. Than Jesus offered himself to you by meeting your needs even though you were not one of his. He waited patiently for you to come to him and seek redemption. He quickly responded. He redeemed you from the law and purchased you with his blood. He transformed you and this morning He deserves to be exalted.
