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KINSMAN REDEEMER
THE BOOK OF RUTH
The book of Ruth is printed out below the commentary.
THE Book of Ruth
During a time of great darkness, when warlords and blood thirsty men prevailed in Israel, the great I AM demonstrated His love and kindness. The people are utterly helpless and are in need of ‘hesed’(help to the helpless). Yet God is faithful to His covenant and guarantees a blessing on the righteous who live by faith. When Israel is unfaithful, God remains faithful. For individuals it is an individual matter. Only those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Even in times of distress, poverty, famine, and homelessness, God is able to use His people to accomplish His purposes. Here is one significant point in history.
It starts with a story of famine and death, and it is shown to have come about because of God’s intervention. He brought it about for a purpose, God used it to bring about His plan, and it has a very happy ending.
Don’t you love stories that end on a happy, upbeat note? I do.
So during this bloody and dark period in time when warlords ruled, a family sets out to escape a famine in their land. In the land in which Naomi lived with her husband and two sons, a famine became so severe that the entire family set out with hope of finding food and a new life. There is no grain seed to provide any food because the Lord of Hosts has sent oppressors who plunder their grain. They left the land where the Lord God was worshipped to a people who worshipped pagan gods. They are going to a land that my have food to eat, but is without spiritual food.
Before too long we have a widow and two sons with two new daughters-in-law, and shortly after that we have three widows in need of hesed and with no men and no human seed to carry on the family line. God cares so much about family and so He intervenes to bring about a series of events that bring light out of a dark situation. So God begins unfolding His plan in the midst of this desperate hour.
The three women set out after tragedy has struck their lives, leaving them all widows. One daughter-in-law lives by sight and the other lives by faith. Orpah leaves her mother-in-law, Naomi, and returns to her family. She is a Moabite, a Gentile. Ruth clings to Naomi and insists on beginning a new life with her people and her God. Ruth is also a Gentile, a Moabite. Ruth has exercised her faith and put her faith into action. She tells Naomi that she will not leave her but will go where she goes, and will live in Naomi's culture.It is evident that Naomi is spiritually dead. She told her daughters-in-law to go back to the pagan ways. If she cared about their soul, their spiritual wellbeing, she would asked them to come to the city where the one true God is worshipped and served. Ruth is the one who shows her faith in and love of the only true God. When they arrive Naomi is greeted warmly, but she does not want to be called by her given name which means pleasant, she wants to be called Mara which means bitter. She said the Lord sent her away full and she has come home empty. In fact she was spiritually empty when she left and now she is even more bitter. Bitterness robs us of peace and joy.
Ruth is a foreigner among Naomi’s people and so must be cautious about how she goes about her way in the midst of this new culture. It is the beginning of barley harvest, usually in early April, at Passover, and Ruth goes to glean in a field for the grain. The harvest season goes to the end of May which is the end of the wheat harvest, now what we refer to as the Pentecost season.
In the midst of the disaster and all the pain and sorrow, God provides hope.
Ruth gleans in a field that is owned by one of Naomi’s closest relatives; a 'ga-al', (look it up in the Hebrew dictionary) a family protector who will also become their redeemer. This was not a chance encounter but a divine encounter, set up by God. The owner, Boaz, makes sure she is protected in this field and that extra grain is left for her to pick up. A go-el is responsible to avenge the death of a family member, (Num 35:19-21) to buy back family property that had been sold to pay debts, (Lev 25:25), and/or to redeem a relative who had been sold into slavery (Lev 25:47-49). He may also be responsible of the levirate marriage, that by his seed he preserves the name of the deceased (Duet 25:5, Ruth 4:5).
The great “I AM” stands over every scene of our lives and directs every act of the play. Naomi turns from being bereft of her husband and sons, one daughter-in-law, and led into God’s plan to bring fullness of joy. Ruth goes from being a slave girl to a mother held in high regard. Boaz turns from being a humble, quiet godly man, into an assertive, yet hesitant kinsman redeemer, who sacrifices much.
Boaz and Ruth end up getting married and having a son. I AM alone is the creator of life, but He has made the woman’s womb a fertile field. Seed planted in the earth brings forth a rich harvest of grain. A seed planted in the womb, in this case in Ruth’s womb, brings forth a son who will bring a rich harvest of souls for the kingdom of God. Ruth, a Gentile virgin who ends up in Bethlehem ,becomes pregnant with a son who brings forth the lineage of Messiah. God has done a miraculous thing here.
I AM will use the human seed to lead to a royal genealogy, from emptiness to restoration, and ultimately from death to life. God works out redemption through His faithful people. His abounding love guarantees restoration. He plans for their welfare, to give them a hope and a future, when all seems lost. It is conditional to the individual as signified by Ruth, and unlike Orpah, to persevere in your faith.
Naomi’s speech betrays her as a woman without hope in the beginning of this story. Her spiritual division leads her to irrational behavior. When ever we use our reasoning apart from God’s it is irrational. Naomi was part of a community that deserved punishment for their sin; God brought the drought and the oppressors that led to the famine. Yet God called her out that community, to follow her husband and eventually to find Ruth. Naomi was a true covenant partner shown by her return back to her own land. It is there that God gives her great blessings. Her life becomes a testimony to who God is. She knew she was suffering at His hand, but then also blessed by Him. She offers praise and thanks to Him, and declares His faithfulness and loving kindness so the community will know and bless God’s name.
Ruth gave her allegiance to God and not to Israel and not to family, Ruth 1:16. She acts out of love and not duty. This loyalty constitutes the enduring kingdom of God. She becomes a true daughter of Israel 2:8, 3:1, and the community embraces her, 4:15, and by her speeches she shows that she is obedient, 2:8-9, 2:22-23, 3:1-6, 12-15.
Boaz is a man of faith and one who shows 'hesed'. He is worthy to be used to help establish the kingdom of God.
There is an intertextual reference made in this story.
Moab- Lot and his daughters
Tamar- Judah and Tamar
Ruth- Boaz and Ruth
All three situations were tragic:
Women left without the prospect of men to carry on the lineage, yet
all three end up with blessings in their life.
The greatest part of the story for me is what it signifies to us.
Boaz foreshadowed Christ, while Naomi and Ruth signify the union of Jew and Gentile in the church.
Boaz sacrificed himself financially to give Naomi and Ruth land and an inheritance.
Jesus Christ’s sacrificed his blood to give his church a regenerated earth and eternal life.
Looking back we could relate Boaz and Ruth to Rachel and Leah, the founders of Israel, and to Tamar and Judah, founders of their royal tribe.
Looking ahead they relate to the Lion and tribe of Judah.
Boaz, as Christ, has brought Ruth, his Gentile bride, into final rest. Christ gives the church, both Jew and Gentile final rest.
Boaz begets the seed that will destroy the serpent (Gen 3:15; Ruth 4:18-22); 1 Chron 2:5-15; Matt 1:3-6, Luke 3:31-33, 1 Tim 2:9-15.
Naomi and Ruth, Jew and Gentile, equal heirs
Israel is unfaithful and is punished, but God is faithful to His covenant people. He forgives, rescues, redeems, restores, and brings salvation.
A Gentile woman, a foreigner, who had served pagan gods, is forgiven, rescued, redeemed, restored, and given salvation as well.
The lineage of Messiah comes through Jew and Gentile. There are other Gentile women who were part of the lineage of our Messiah as well.
When either a Jew or Gentile will receive Jesus as their kinsman redeemer, they are in a covenant relationship and their God will show hesed. He will redeem them, and restore them, and He will bring them to their eternal home. He is faithful.
We need to make some temple repairs before we can approach the Holy of Holies. We need to be cleansed of the filthiness of our spirit. The baby son that Ruth bore brought forth the lineage of Messiah, our Lord who could bring about those spiritual repairs. He cleansed us so that we could be redeemed. He paid the price and it was a great sacrifice. He has purchased our inheritance and given us our rest. It is alright to be thankful to Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz for being obedient to God’s plan. God would have brought about His plan even if they weren’t. God only uses willing and obedient people to bring about His plan. Are you willing to be used by God? Will you be obedient to Him so that He can accomplish great things through you?
There is a hope we have that shines brightly. In the book of Ruth we see the word 'hope' for the first time in all of Scripture. This hope is something that we hold on to during the dark and difficult times. There is a better day ahead; the day of your inheritance. When our lives have crumbled and we sit among the rubble of our sin, we can look up for our redemption draws near.
When the rubble of our life is cleared away, the kinsman redeemer helps us to rebuild our life on the firm foundation. We can’t rebuild that alone, and we don’t have to. We have a rescuer who has come and has laid that foundation. We have a kinsman redeemer who is faithful to the end. He will come and help you; He will pull you out of the pit, and set your feet on that firm foundation. He will bring joy and peace, for He is our salvation.
In divine government, run by an omniscient and omnipotent God, any sort of plan includes some evil. Human beings have finite understanding of this. Man repents before God and confesses faith in God’s justice to restrain evil from his life. Darkness, greed, pride, and the like are used by God for His purposes. They do cause us to struggle, which in turn tests our hearts for loyalty to God. We need to be aware that any evil in our life is designed by God for our ultimate good, whether He repositions us or grows us up to a new level of faith, trust and maturity. Belief in the goodness of creation, the justice of God, and the ever available possibility of redemption, make tragedy impossible within the biblical worldview. Any true servant of the Sovereign God has an informed confidence in His goodness and justice. He will persevere in his faith and will be undaunted by set back, trials, and problems. The evil of the world is not eternal and is bounded by the ultimate triumph. The mystery of suffering, confident that it is part of God’s plan for us, and that it will work out for our highest good as designed by God, will perform in us the purposes set forth by God, if we live our lives with that in mind. Seek God’s face and know His will in every situation of your life.
When Christ, our Messiah, returns he will set forth peace and in our eternal home we will no longer be faced with evil. Until then the church gives forth the victory cry, for Christ has already conquered Satan and death.
Until that day He is at work building the kingdom. The church is God’s plan to bring witness to the world of who He is. It is a universal church; comprised of many members from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The body of the church is not for religious leaders only, or only for men. God uses everyone who confesses He is Lord and receives the Holy Spirit; the seal that gives us distinction from the rest of the world.
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Ruth
Chapter 1
The Move to Moab and Tragedy
1 In the days when the judges were ruling, there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went with his wife and two sons to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were descendants of Ephrathah from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there. 3 Now, Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left alone with her two sons. 4 Each son married a woman from Moab. One son married a woman named Orpah, and the other son married a woman named Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion died as well. So Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.
Departure From Moab
6 Naomi and her daughters-in-law started on the way back from the country of Moab. (While they were still in Moab she heard that the Lord had come to help his people and give them food. 7 So she left the place where she had been living, and her two daughters-in-law went with her.) They began to walk back along the road to the territory of Judah.
Naomi's Appeal to Her Daughters-in-law
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back! Each of you should go back to your mother's home. May the Lord be as kind to you as you were to me and to our loved ones who have died. 9 May the Lord repay each of you so that you may find security in a home with a husband.” When she kissed them goodbye, they began to cry loudly. 10 They said to her, “We are going back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb who could be your husbands? 12 Go back, my daughters. Go, because I am too old to get married again. If I said that I still have hope.... And if I had a husband tonight.... And even if I gave birth to sons, 13 would you wait until they grew up and stay single just for them? No, my daughters. My bitterness is much worse than yours because the Lord has sent me so much trouble.” 14 They began to cry loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her tightly. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth answered, “Don't force me to leave you. Don't make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and I will be buried there with you. May the Lord strike me down if anything but death separates you and me!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she ended the conversation.
Naomi Arrives in Bethlehem
19 So both of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about them. “This can't be Naomi, can it?” the women asked. 20 She answered them, “Don't call me Naomi [Sweet]. Call me Mara [Bitter] because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi when the Lord has tormented me and the Almighty has done evil to me?” 22 When Naomi came back from the country of Moab, Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, came along with her. They happened to enter Bethlehem just when the barley harvest began.
Ruth 1:1-22 (GW)
Chapter 1
The Move to Moab and Tragedy
1 In the days when the judges were ruling, there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went with his wife and two sons to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were descendants of Ephrathah from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there. 3 Now, Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left alone with her two sons. 4 Each son married a woman from Moab. One son married a woman named Orpah, and the other son married a woman named Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion died as well. So Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.
Departure From Moab
6 Naomi and her daughters-in-law started on the way back from the country of Moab. (While they were still in Moab she heard that the Lord had come to help his people and give them food. 7 So she left the place where she had been living, and her two daughters-in-law went with her.) They began to walk back along the road to the territory of Judah.
Naomi's Appeal to Her Daughters-in-law
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back! Each of you should go back to your mother's home. May the Lord be as kind to you as you were to me and to our loved ones who have died. 9 May the Lord repay each of you so that you may find security in a home with a husband.” When she kissed them goodbye, they began to cry loudly. 10 They said to her, “We are going back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb who could be your husbands? 12 Go back, my daughters. Go, because I am too old to get married again. If I said that I still have hope.... And if I had a husband tonight.... And even if I gave birth to sons, 13 would you wait until they grew up and stay single just for them? No, my daughters. My bitterness is much worse than yours because the Lord has sent me so much trouble.” 14 They began to cry loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her tightly. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth answered, “Don't force me to leave you. Don't make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and I will be buried there with you. May the Lord strike me down if anything but death separates you and me!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she ended the conversation.
Naomi Arrives in Bethlehem
19 So both of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about them. “This can't be Naomi, can it?” the women asked. 20 She answered them, “Don't call me Naomi [Sweet]. Call me Mara [Bitter] because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi when the Lord has tormented me and the Almighty has done evil to me?” 22 When Naomi came back from the country of Moab, Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, came along with her. They happened to enter Bethlehem just when the barley harvest began.
Ruth 1:1-22 (GW)
Chapter 2
Ruth Gathers Grain in the Field of Boaz
1 Naomi had a relative. He was from Elimelech's side of the family. He was a man of outstanding character named Boaz. 2 Ruth, who was from Moab, said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field of anyone who will be kind to me. There I will gather the grain left behind by the reapers.” Naomi told her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth went. She entered a field and gathered the grain left behind by the reapers. Now it happened that she ended up in the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family. 4 Just then, Boaz was coming from Bethlehem, and he said to his reapers, “May the Lord be with all of you!” They answered him, “May the Lord bless you!” 5 Boaz asked the young man in charge of his reapers, “Who is this young woman?” 6 The young man answered, “She's a young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me gather grain. I will only gather among the bundles behind the reapers.' So she came here and has been on her feet from daybreak until now. She just sat down this minute in the shelter.”
Boaz Speaks With Ruth
8 Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don't go in any other field to gather grain, and don't even leave this one. Stay here with my young women. 9 Watch where my men are reaping, and follow the young women in that field. I have ordered my young men not to touch you. When you're thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of the water that the young men have drawn.” 10 Ruth immediately bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why are you so helpful? Why are you paying attention to me? I'm only a foreigner.” 11 Boaz answered her, “People have told me about everything you have done for your mother-in-law after your husband died. They told me how you left your father and mother and the country where you were born. They also told me how you came to people that you didn't know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done! May you receive a rich reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter.” 13 Ruth replied, “Sir, may your kindness to me continue. You have comforted me and reassured me, and I'm not even one of your own servants.” 14 When it was time to eat, Boaz told her, “Come here. Have some bread, and dip it into the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his servants, “Let her gather grain even among the bundles. Don't give her any problems. 16 Even pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. Don't give her a hard time about it.”
Ruth and Naomi Talk About Boaz
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from its husks. She had about half a bushel of barley. 18 She picked it up and went into the town, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also took out what she had left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi. 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather grain today? Just where did you work? May the man who paid attention to you be blessed.” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the person with whom she worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the Lord bless him. The Lord hasn't stopped being kind to people—living or dead.” Then Naomi told her, “That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us.” 21 Ruth, who was from Moab, told her, “He also said to me, ‘Stay with my younger workers until they have finished the harvest.'” 22 Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It's a good idea, my daughter, that you go out to the fields with his young women. If you go to someone else's field, you may be molested.” 23 So Ruth stayed with the young women who were working for Boaz. She gathered grain until both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest ended. And she continued to live with her mother-in-law.
Ruth 2:1-23 (GW)
Ruth Gathers Grain in the Field of Boaz
1 Naomi had a relative. He was from Elimelech's side of the family. He was a man of outstanding character named Boaz. 2 Ruth, who was from Moab, said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field of anyone who will be kind to me. There I will gather the grain left behind by the reapers.” Naomi told her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth went. She entered a field and gathered the grain left behind by the reapers. Now it happened that she ended up in the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family. 4 Just then, Boaz was coming from Bethlehem, and he said to his reapers, “May the Lord be with all of you!” They answered him, “May the Lord bless you!” 5 Boaz asked the young man in charge of his reapers, “Who is this young woman?” 6 The young man answered, “She's a young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me gather grain. I will only gather among the bundles behind the reapers.' So she came here and has been on her feet from daybreak until now. She just sat down this minute in the shelter.”
Boaz Speaks With Ruth
8 Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don't go in any other field to gather grain, and don't even leave this one. Stay here with my young women. 9 Watch where my men are reaping, and follow the young women in that field. I have ordered my young men not to touch you. When you're thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of the water that the young men have drawn.” 10 Ruth immediately bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why are you so helpful? Why are you paying attention to me? I'm only a foreigner.” 11 Boaz answered her, “People have told me about everything you have done for your mother-in-law after your husband died. They told me how you left your father and mother and the country where you were born. They also told me how you came to people that you didn't know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done! May you receive a rich reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter.” 13 Ruth replied, “Sir, may your kindness to me continue. You have comforted me and reassured me, and I'm not even one of your own servants.” 14 When it was time to eat, Boaz told her, “Come here. Have some bread, and dip it into the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his servants, “Let her gather grain even among the bundles. Don't give her any problems. 16 Even pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. Don't give her a hard time about it.”
Ruth and Naomi Talk About Boaz
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from its husks. She had about half a bushel of barley. 18 She picked it up and went into the town, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also took out what she had left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi. 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather grain today? Just where did you work? May the man who paid attention to you be blessed.” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the person with whom she worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the Lord bless him. The Lord hasn't stopped being kind to people—living or dead.” Then Naomi told her, “That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us.” 21 Ruth, who was from Moab, told her, “He also said to me, ‘Stay with my younger workers until they have finished the harvest.'” 22 Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It's a good idea, my daughter, that you go out to the fields with his young women. If you go to someone else's field, you may be molested.” 23 So Ruth stayed with the young women who were working for Boaz. She gathered grain until both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest ended. And she continued to live with her mother-in-law.
Ruth 2:1-23 (GW)
Chapter 3
Naomi's Plan for Ruth's Marriage
1 Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, shouldn't I try to look for a home that would be good for you? 2 Isn't Boaz, whose young women you've been working with, our relative? He will be separating the barley from its husks on the threshing floor tonight. 3 Freshen up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. Don't let him know that you're there until he's finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Then uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will make it clear what you must do.” 5 Ruth answered her, “I will do whatever you say.”
Ruth at the Feet of Boaz
6 Ruth went to the threshing floor and did exactly as her mother-in-law had directed her. 7 Boaz had eaten and drunk to his heart's content, so he went and lay at the edge of a pile of grain. Then she went over to him secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was shivering. When he turned over, he was surprised to see a woman lying at his feet. 9 “Who are you?” he asked. She answered, “I am Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me because you are a close relative who can take care of me.” 10 Boaz replied, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. This last kindness—that you didn't go after the younger men, whether rich or poor—is better than the first. 11 Don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do whatever you say. The whole town knows that you are a woman who has strength of character. 12 It is true that I am a close relative of yours, but there is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay here tonight. In the morning if he will agree to take care of you, that is good. He can take care of you. But if he does not wish to take care of you, then, I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will take care of you myself. Lie down until morning.”
Ruth Returns to Bethlehem
14 So Ruth lay at his feet until morning. Then she got up early before anyone could be recognized. At that moment Boaz thought to himself, “I hope that no one will ever know that this woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz told Ruth, “Stretch out the cape you're wearing and hold it tight.” So she held it tight while he measured out six measures of barley. Then he placed it on her {back} and went into the town. 16 When Ruth returned, her mother-in-law Naomi asked, “How did things go, my daughter?” Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley and told me not to come back to you empty-handed.” 18 Naomi replied, “Stay here, my daughter, until you know how it turns out. The man won't rest unless he settles this matter today.”
Ruth 3:1-18 (GW)
Naomi's Plan for Ruth's Marriage
1 Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, shouldn't I try to look for a home that would be good for you? 2 Isn't Boaz, whose young women you've been working with, our relative? He will be separating the barley from its husks on the threshing floor tonight. 3 Freshen up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. Don't let him know that you're there until he's finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Then uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will make it clear what you must do.” 5 Ruth answered her, “I will do whatever you say.”
Ruth at the Feet of Boaz
6 Ruth went to the threshing floor and did exactly as her mother-in-law had directed her. 7 Boaz had eaten and drunk to his heart's content, so he went and lay at the edge of a pile of grain. Then she went over to him secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was shivering. When he turned over, he was surprised to see a woman lying at his feet. 9 “Who are you?” he asked. She answered, “I am Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me because you are a close relative who can take care of me.” 10 Boaz replied, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. This last kindness—that you didn't go after the younger men, whether rich or poor—is better than the first. 11 Don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do whatever you say. The whole town knows that you are a woman who has strength of character. 12 It is true that I am a close relative of yours, but there is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay here tonight. In the morning if he will agree to take care of you, that is good. He can take care of you. But if he does not wish to take care of you, then, I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will take care of you myself. Lie down until morning.”
Ruth Returns to Bethlehem
14 So Ruth lay at his feet until morning. Then she got up early before anyone could be recognized. At that moment Boaz thought to himself, “I hope that no one will ever know that this woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz told Ruth, “Stretch out the cape you're wearing and hold it tight.” So she held it tight while he measured out six measures of barley. Then he placed it on her {back} and went into the town. 16 When Ruth returned, her mother-in-law Naomi asked, “How did things go, my daughter?” Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley and told me not to come back to you empty-handed.” 18 Naomi replied, “Stay here, my daughter, until you know how it turns out. The man won't rest unless he settles this matter today.”
Ruth 3:1-18 (GW)
Chapter 4
Boaz Assumes Responsibility for Ruth
1 Boaz went to the city gate and sat there. Just then, the relative about whom he had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, “Please come over here and sit, my friend.” So the man came over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz chose ten men who were leaders of that city and said, “Sit here.” So they also sat down. 3 Boaz said to the man, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I said that I would inform you. Buy it in the presence of these men sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of our people. If you wish to buy back the property, you can buy back the property. But if you do not wish to buy back the property, tell me. Then I will know that I am next in line because there is no other relative except me.” The man said, “I'll buy back the property.” 5 Boaz continued, “When you buy the field from Naomi, you will also assume responsibility for the Moabite Ruth, the dead man's widow. This keeps the inheritance in the dead man's name.” 6 The man replied, “In that case I cannot assume responsibility for her. If I did, I would ruin my inheritance. Take all my rights to buy back the property for yourself, because I cannot assume that responsibility.” 7 (This is the way it used to be in Israel concerning buying back property and exchanging goods: In order to make every matter legal, a man would take off his sandal and give it to the other man. This was the way a contract was publicly approved in Israel.) 8 So when the man said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he took off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and to all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10 In addition, I have bought as my wife the Moabite Ruth, Mahlon's widow, to keep the inheritance in the dead man's name. In this way the dead man's name will not be cut off from his relatives or from the public records. Today you are witnesses.” 11 All the people who were at the gate, including the leaders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this wife, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built our family of Israel. So show your strength of character in Ephrathah and make a name for yourself in Bethlehem. 12 Also, from the descendant whom the Lord will give you from this young woman, may your family become like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave birth to for Judah.”
Ruth Gives Birth to David's Ancestor
13 Then Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord gave her the ability to become pregnant. So she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has remembered today to give you someone who will take care of you. The child's name will be famous in Israel. 15 He will bring you a new life and support you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons, because she has given birth.” 16 Naomi took the child, held him on her lap, and became his guardian. 17 The women in the neighborhood said, “Naomi has a son.” So they gave him the name Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
The Ancestry of David
18 This is the account of Perez and his family. Perez was the father of Hezron. 19 Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. 20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 21 Salmon was the father of Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed. 22 Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.
Ruth 4:1-22 (GW)
And from the line of David came Jesus Christ, Our Messiah, Our Redeemer, Our Kinsman Redeemer!!!
Boaz Assumes Responsibility for Ruth
1 Boaz went to the city gate and sat there. Just then, the relative about whom he had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, “Please come over here and sit, my friend.” So the man came over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz chose ten men who were leaders of that city and said, “Sit here.” So they also sat down. 3 Boaz said to the man, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I said that I would inform you. Buy it in the presence of these men sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of our people. If you wish to buy back the property, you can buy back the property. But if you do not wish to buy back the property, tell me. Then I will know that I am next in line because there is no other relative except me.” The man said, “I'll buy back the property.” 5 Boaz continued, “When you buy the field from Naomi, you will also assume responsibility for the Moabite Ruth, the dead man's widow. This keeps the inheritance in the dead man's name.” 6 The man replied, “In that case I cannot assume responsibility for her. If I did, I would ruin my inheritance. Take all my rights to buy back the property for yourself, because I cannot assume that responsibility.” 7 (This is the way it used to be in Israel concerning buying back property and exchanging goods: In order to make every matter legal, a man would take off his sandal and give it to the other man. This was the way a contract was publicly approved in Israel.) 8 So when the man said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he took off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and to all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10 In addition, I have bought as my wife the Moabite Ruth, Mahlon's widow, to keep the inheritance in the dead man's name. In this way the dead man's name will not be cut off from his relatives or from the public records. Today you are witnesses.” 11 All the people who were at the gate, including the leaders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this wife, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built our family of Israel. So show your strength of character in Ephrathah and make a name for yourself in Bethlehem. 12 Also, from the descendant whom the Lord will give you from this young woman, may your family become like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave birth to for Judah.”
Ruth Gives Birth to David's Ancestor
13 Then Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord gave her the ability to become pregnant. So she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has remembered today to give you someone who will take care of you. The child's name will be famous in Israel. 15 He will bring you a new life and support you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons, because she has given birth.” 16 Naomi took the child, held him on her lap, and became his guardian. 17 The women in the neighborhood said, “Naomi has a son.” So they gave him the name Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
The Ancestry of David
18 This is the account of Perez and his family. Perez was the father of Hezron. 19 Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. 20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 21 Salmon was the father of Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed. 22 Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.
Ruth 4:1-22 (GW)
And from the line of David came Jesus Christ, Our Messiah, Our Redeemer, Our Kinsman Redeemer!!!