GOD’S WAY IS THE BEST WAY (RUTH 2:1-13, 3:6-15)
My wife and I did not marry young. We were in our 30s when we met each other. She was from Orange County and I was from Los Angels County, and the chances of us meeting, knowing and befriending each other were pretty remote. After graduating from Biola, she moved to Los Angels County to be near her job, but still commuted to her church in Orange County during the weekends. We met on the rare occasions she attended my church, but nothing was in the air, until one day when it rained.
The Sunday before 1996 Christmas, the pouring rain deterred her from driving to her church, and so she decided to attend my church. Our acquaintance with each other had went no further than normal greetings at fellowship meetings, but that morning, I delivered the sermon, baptized new converts, and coordinated the joint worship since I was the only pastor in the three-language congregation.
Up to that point, my future wife had not heard me preach, since she attended the Cantonese congregation when she was there at the same hour I was preaching in the English congregation. She told me she liked the Christmas sermon and I immediately liked her good taste. The match could not be any better. The long wait for the right person was justified because God had brought someone sweet, nice, and loving to me, and one who has a heart for God, people and ministry.
Boaz, the great-grandfather of King David, the ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:5, Luke 3:32), the Messiah-type kinsman-redeemer, was an upstanding citizen, of good stock, and had an impeccable record. He was blameless, peerless, and guileless. He was beyond reproach, highly esteemed, and husband material. However, he had yet to have a wife or a date, although he later found the woman of his dreams. The match was made in heaven and their love story was one for the ages. Their barriers included marital status, racial identity, and social standing. Ruth was a widow, a Gentile, and a hardworking migrant worker; Boaz was a bachelor, a Jew, and a successful plantation owner.
What kind of a person was Boaz and what type of person was he looking for? What shaped his character and what did he value? What was he holding out for and why was he so resistant and ready at the same time? Why did God give Boaz such an exalted, exclusive and envied place in history?
Be Godly in Commitment
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody, it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a pastor and poured out his story of tears and woe.
When he had finished, the pastor said, “Here’s what I want you to do, put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water’s edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer that will tell you what to do.”
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom- tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation in thanks for his advice.
The pastor recognized the benefactor, and was curious. “You did as I suggested?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” replied the businessman.
“You went to the beach?”
“Absolutely.”
“You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?”
“Absolutely.”
“You let the pages rifle until they stopped?”
“Absolutely.”
“And what were the first words you saw?”
“Chapter 11.”
W.H. Griffith Thomas scourged Christians this way, “There is no greater foe to Christianity than mere profession. There is no greater discredit to Christianity today than to stand up for it, and yet not live it in our lives. There is no greater danger in the Christian world today than to stand up for the Bible, and yet to deny that Bible by the very way we defend it. There is no greater hindrance to Christianity today than to contend for orthodoxy, whatever the orthodoxy may be, and to deny it by the censoriousness, the hardness, the unattractiveness with which we champion our cause. Oh this power of personal testimony – with the heart filled with the love of Christ, the mind saturated with the teaching of Christ, the conscience sensitive to the law of Christ, the whole nature aglow with grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Listening to tthe Giants, 149-50, Warren Wiersbe, Baker 1980)
The man God uses and exalts must be a godly man, one who must have God’s interest at heart, must act on God’s behalf, and must do things God’s way.
Boaz’s first appearance in the book was the scene of a pronouncement, a greeting and a blessing for his workers (Ruth 2:4). Boaz always brought a blessing with him, but he did not say it to impress people around him. Boaz had no need to since he was the owner and they were the workers, but he made it a point to go into the fields to meet and greet them.
Boaz’s greeting to the workers was short, but he was known to offer a prayer at other times as the occasion presented itself. Boaz’s prayer for Ruth was uplifting, exact and sincere: “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12) Boaz was a pious man but not a practitioner of religious catch phrases, mumbo-jumbo, or buzz words. He was not one whose constant utterance of religious terms and expressions gives people goose-bumps, makes the hair on their arms or the back of their neck stand. He was not one who sprinkled God in conversations needlessly, vaguely, politically, symbolically, or culturally.
Boaz was a believer in an unknown, generic God but the Lord, the God of Israel (2:12), whose wings were strong enough to protect the helpless widow, whose span was broad enough to embrace the Gentile outsider, and whose reach was within the grasp of the believing Jew or Gentile. God does not discriminate against race, gender, or nationalities.
Boaz’s promise to uphold his commitment to redeem Ruth in Ruth 3:13 must be understood in the right context. The New Testament does not forbid or discourage commitment (Matt 5:33-37, James 5:12). Jesus said, “Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No.’“ Jesus words were not meant to discourage social commitment, but to discourage religious vanity.
Be Guided in Choice
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband-how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. “ (Ruth 2:11)
A while ago, my wife gleefully forwarded me an e-mail about a point system for scoring men for the way they treat ladies. Points are added for doing something she likes, subtracted for what she dislikes, and not awarded for something she expects:
THE POINT SYSTEM
Simple duties: You make the bed +1, but forget to add the decorative pillows 0
You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets –1
You leave the toilet seat up –5
Your replace toilet paper when it’s empty 0 When the toilet-paper roll is barren, you resort to Kleenex –1 When Kleenex runs out you use the next bathroom –2
You check out a suspicious noise at night 0 & its nothing 0 & it’s something +5
You pummel it with a six iron +10 but it’s her pet –10
Social engagements: You stay by her side the entire party 0 for a while, then leave to chat with a college buddy –2 named Tiffany –4
Her birthday: You take her out to dinner 0 You take her out to dinner and it’s a sports bar –2 And it’s all-you-can-eat night –3 And your face is painted with the colors of your favorite team –10
A night out: You taker her to a movie +2 she likes +4 you hate +6 you like –2
It’s called Death Cop III –3 which features cyborgs that eat humans –9
You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans –15
The Big Question: “Do I look fat?” You hesitate in responding –10 You reply, “Where?” – 35 Any other response –20 Sorry, there’s no way out of this one without a loss of points…
Communication: When she talks about a problem, you listen, displaying what looks like a concerned expression 0 for over 30 minutes +5 for over 30 minutes without looking at a clock +100 because you’ve fallen asleep -20
The man God uses and exalts is a guarded, wise, intelligent, discerning and fair man. It has been said that marriage is maximum temptation and maximum opportunity.
Boaz’s unmarried status was too good to be true. He was a potential husband with no takers. His kind was few. He was rich, single, and unattached. He was quite a catch but he did not bite. Why? It was not because he was not the marrying kind. He had high hopes and high ideals for the special someone. Getting married was not his sole purpose in life, the foremost thing to do, or the only thing on his mind. Getting married to the right person was the only good reason for marriage. Boaz was not blind or lost in love. He was not about to be rushed or bullied into marriage. He was single but never desperate.
Boaz loved with his ears, eyes and mind wide open. Boaz was all ears to what was said about Ruth. He listened attentively to the story of the amazing Gentile woman who forsook homeland security, adopted local customs, and overcame linguistic, cultural, relational, social and geographical barriers (2:6). He liked that the future mother of his kids was known to her mother-in-law as a kind person (1:8), to her foreman as a relentless worker (2:7), and to the neighbors as a loving daughter-in-law (4:15). Most of all, Boaz liked what the townsmen were saying about Ruth, that she was a woman of noble character (3:11). Ruth had sterling character.
Boaz also loved with his eyes wide open. He saw her work non-stop in the fields, from morning till evening. She would stand and work in the fields for hours, days, and months but yet she was resilient. She stopped for lunch with Boaz, and immediately got back to work after the break. Even then, she was not one who would talk to him (2:5), eat with him (2:14), or take from him (3:17) without an invitation. Ruth was anything but glamorous walking till sunset, wearing work clothes, and picking leftover harvest. Makeup, dress up, and live up were not her. He saw that he was a woman of faith, courage, and dignity.
Boaz’s mind was also wide open to Ruth’s ill-fated past. He did not consider the family bad luck, himself high risk, or Ruth a Gentile curse. It was not Ruth’s fault her husband passed away. Ruth did not jinx her husband, her husband’s parents, or her husband’s brother and family. He also did not mind that Ruth had no child years into marriage, that Naomi might be attached to them, or that they were years, class, and worlds apart (2:13). Contrary to what most people think, marriage to Moabites was not forbidden. As Keil & Delitzsch pointed out, “Marriage with daughters of the Moabites was not forbidden in the law, like marriages with Canaanitish women (Deut 7:3); it was only the reception of Moabites into the congregation of the Lord that was forbidden (Deut 23:4).”
Be Gentlemanly in Conduct
William Bennett’s Book of Virtues includes a list of etiquette from the late 19th-century book that is relevant even now:
Never break an engagement when one is made, whether of a business or social nature. If you are compelled to do so, make an immediate apology either by note or in person.
Be punctual as to time, precise as to payment, honest and thoughtful in all your transactions, whether with rich or poor.
Never look over the shoulder of one who is reading, or intrude yourself into a conversation in which you are not invited or expected to take part.
Tell the truth at all times and in all places. It is better to have a reputation for truthfulness than one for wit, wisdom, or brilliancy.
Avoid making personal comments regarding a person’s dress, manners, or habits. Always be thoughtful regarding the comfort and pleasure of others. Give the best seat in your room to a lady, an aged person, or an invalid.
Ask no questions about the affairs of your friend unless he wants your advice. Then he will tell you all he desires to have you know.
A true lady or gentleman, one who is worthy of the name, will never disparage one of the other sex by word or by deed.
Always remember that a book that has been loaned you is not yours to loan to another.
Mention your wife or your husband with the greatest respect even in your most familiar references.
If you have calls to make, see that you attend to them punctually. Your friends may reasonably think you slight them when you fail to do so.
Be neat and careful in your dress, but take care not to overdress. (The Book of Virtues 201-02, William J Bennett, NY: Simon & Schuster, 93)
Boaz was upright. He was a perfect gentleman. He was noble, sincere, good and upright. Boaz was a man unlike his generation. Many commentators point to Joseph and Daniel as model believers, but often including Boaz’s name in the same category. The period of the Judges was Israel’s dark ages of untold evil and violence. Seven times the book recorded that the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Judg 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1), twice that they did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6, 21:25), and ended with the somber last sentence that in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. Everyone had their own set of values, rules, and agenda, but Boaz was clear as fresh air, a cloudless day, and blue skies. He was sincere, reliable, and truthful. It’s been said, “Reputation is who people think believe you are, but character is who you really are.”
When Boaz first met Ruth, he offered his field for her to work, advised her to stick to other girls, and had warned the men in the fields not to trouble her (Ruth 2:8-9). At lunchtime, he offered her bread, vinegar, and roasted grain (2:14). He made things easier, bearable, and dignified for her. He did not take advantage of her in the middle of the night, embarrass her for asking him to be her kinsman-redeemer, and even urged her not to divulge her night visitation for fear of wagging tongues, loose lips, and headline lips (3:14).
Boaz was a hit with his workers. He was courteous, considerate, and caring to them.
The first thing on Boaz’s mind when he burst into the scene was to visit his workers, the first thing in his heart was the welfare of his workers, and the first words from his mouth were a blessing. They were never servants to him, but harvesters in the field (2:4), foreman or man (2:5), and his men (2: 9, 15, 21). He was the owner but never the boss, master or superior, they were the harvesters and never the employees, servants, or subordinates. Unfortunately, NIV did not translate Boaz’s female workers as “young women,” but as “servant girls,” which was not what Boaz said even though they were indeed his servants. The term is nothing more than just the female version of “foreman” in verse 4 and “men” in verse 5 (2:8). Ruth used another Hebrew word “maid” on herself when she considered her own standing less than one of Boaz’s maids (2:13). The only true servant word in the book and the only servant Boaz used on someone was Boaz’s own son, Obed. The longer name Obadiah means servant of God.
Boaz, even though he was in love with Ruth, made it his business to find the best home for Ruth, not the best wife for himself. Twice, the text stressed that marriage with Ruth was “in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property” (4:5, 10) and chapter 4:10 added, “so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records.”
The most controversial word in the book is in chapter 3:7. Skeptics conjectured that Ruth’s act of uncovering Boaz’s feet was the same term for uncovering his pants or clothes. The only other time this word was used other than in Ruth was in Daniel 10:6 when Daniel had a dream of a man with bronze legs. The text, also, did not indicate that anything improper, immoral, or sexual had happened. The attempt to stain Ruth as a woman who did something immodest, indecent, and even immoral had no support. Ruth’s request to Boaz was not based on sex, but based on tradition, duty and honor (3:8). Boaz asked who she was and Ruth explained who she was (“I am your servant Ruth”), what he should do (“Spread the corner of your garment over me”), and why (“since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”) to make sure there was no possibility of misunderstanding, no cloak of mystery, and margin for error. According to Mosaic law, a surviving brother had the obligation to marry the widow of the dead brother, but the first son from this new marriage will bear the dead brother’s name (Deut 25: 5-7). The rights of redemption, according to Leviticus 25:49 can be exercised by an uncle, a cousin, or any blood relative in the clan. Further, Boaz was not the nearest living relative and the plan could have backfired.
Conclusion: Are you panicky and desperate for a man or woman in your life because you are single, lonely, or aging? God has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life. The question is not whether to marry young or old, to be active or inactive in the dating scene, or to marry when you have job first or house first. Marry when you’re mature, ready, and sure. God had a way of turning things around, bringing people together, and making things work. If you are single, the person you are waiting for may be nowhere in the horizon, or just around the bend, or waiting to be found. In the meantime, develop yourself to be the kind of person approving to God, the kind of person likable to people, and the kind of person suited for marriage.
Victor Yap
http://epreaching.blogspot.com/
www.riversidecma.org(For sermon series)
www.preachchrist.com (For Chinese sermons)
