Redeemed and Secure -- the Book of Ruth

Sometimes, with the help of God, nice guys do finish first.

Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Ruth 3-4

Naomi counseled Ruth to be very upfront with Boaz about their need for redemption, but Boaz took it to the next level and married Ruth. This beautiful, feel-good ending reminds us that God has a good plan for salvation (their great-grandson was King David) and is always at work behind-the-scenes to bring it about.

Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. (4:14)

Getting Started: Things to Think About

What Makes a Marriage Proposal?

I hear a lot of lament today about the “loss of tradition”. (As an aside, what that really means is the “change” of tradition, but I digress.) Ask your group what marriage proposals used to be like “back in the good ol' days”. You might hear about a courtship, asking the father first privately, maybe getting really dressed up, and probably about dropping to one knee, popping the question, and offering an engagement ring. Then ask your group if anything has changed today. I can tell you that a lot of young men feel intense pressure to be creative and unique (and that’s a losing battle). And there don’t seem to be any rules anymore. But one thing hasn’t changed: everyone includes the question “Will you marry me?”. Here would be the point: in our passage today, we are going to read about a marriage proposal that seems strange to us. It certainly breaks a lot of “norms” that our culture has. But tell your group to set culture aside and simply appreciate how delightful this proposal was to the two people involved.

Do Nice Guys Always Finish Last? 

One of the bizarre truisms I learned in my dating life is that “nice guys finish last”. What that means is that girls don’t want a nice guy to date. They want a jerk who is exciting and tantalizing and treats them badly. Seems pretty dumb to me. But doing a Google search on that phrase revealed that nothing has changed in the last 20 years—women still say they want a nice guy, but in practice ignore the nice guy for the mysterious jerk. (One author said that she is practicing relationship skills on the jerk so she can be ready for the nice guy. Yeah, right.) When it comes to long-term relationships, psychological studies have repeatedly proven that women strongly prefer “Nice Todd” to “Jerky Todd”, which means that there is a disconnect between the concept of a fling and a real relationship (which is a serious problem in our culture).

Here’s where I’m going with this: invite your group to explain the phrase “nice guys finish last”. Then say, “Let’s have some cultural fun with the story of Ruth. What would Boaz be if he lived in America today?” Maybe it’s just me, but I get such a huge kick out of the appearance that Boaz is a poster boy for “nice guys finish last”. He’s not just a nice guy, he’s one of the best men in all of Israel. He’s financially secure, he’s well-respected, he’s generous and devout and righteous. We also get the sense that he’s never been married. There must be something wrong with him! Is he really ugly? What is it??!? Or did nice guys finish last in ancient Israel too (and there sure weren’t a lot of nice guys there)? This is humorous, reckless speculation on our part, and it only serves a purpose if you take it to this conclusion: “ladies, do you think Ruth made the right decision wanting to marry Boaz?” (uh, yeah) “guys, do you think it was worth the wait for Boaz to be the nice guy but not be married?” (I’ll go out on a limb and say yes). Conclusion: be the nice guy/marry the nice guy.

This Week's Big Idea

Summarizing the Book of Ruth

My family got quite the kick out of the graphic the Bible Project has for the book of Ruth. They had gotten used to the ginormous, complex, intricate diagrams we have been using. But the book of Ruth is so short this one looks more like a comic strip. Cute—lighthearted, even. We really appreciated it.

In Leviticus 19, God gave the Israelites the command that farmers must not harvest their fields to the very edge. Instead, they left those areas, as well as any grains that were dropped along the way, for poor people to gather (called “gleaning”). Our church has a painting called “The Gleaners” hanging in a hallway. Naomi was apparently not able to do this on her own, so Ruth went to glean in a nearby field. It was a very risky move for a widowed immigrant to glean. Even though God had laws about how foreigners were to be treated, we all know how the Israelites had been treating God’s laws! But Ruth happened to glean the field of “a man of character” named Boaz, who also happened to be Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. Lots of “happened” huh? Obviously, this is the author’s way of giving God the credit for the events without spelling it out for the readers. Very effective!

Let’s point out something about Boaz I had always missed. In the genealogy at the end of the book, Boaz is called the son of Salmon. Well…..in the genealogy in Matthew 1, Matthew throws in the tidbit that his mother was Rahab. As in Rahab the prostitute from Jericho. Obviously, hundreds of years have passed since then, so Matthew could not have meant his immediate mother, but Matthew skipped multiple generations to make theological points in his lists. In this case, his point was that Boaz had descended from a non-Jewish woman, so if anyone could understand why God gave such strict laws about the treatment of non-Jews, it was Boaz! The Jewish readership of Ruth would not have needed that reminder, so the author of Ruth simply traces Boaz back to Perez to trigger the cultural memory of the people (again, this could have been written in David’s or Solomon's day).

When Boaz heard the story of who Ruth was and why she was there, he took interest in her and gave her aid and blessing. (We know that he was only doing what he was commanded to do by God in the law, but no one else was doing it.) When Naomi hears about what happened to Ruth, she flips because she remembers that Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer (see below). (For the sake of argument, there might be people in your family you have not seen in well more than 10 years, but you remember bits or stories about them, right?) So Naomi goes into matchmaker mode and tells Ruth what she needs to do to get her man. (Of course, if Woody Allen had written this book, things would have gone quite differently. But he didn’t.) Stop wearing the dark and brooding clothes of a mourner and get all gussied up!

Because it was harvest, all of the farmers were frantically threshing their grain. You might remember from Judges that the threshing floor would have been on a hilltop where the wind could easily catch the chaff as the grain was tossed into the air. Doing it by hand meant a very long process, and farmers could not leave the grain unattended, even overnight. Grain was as good as money, and animals and thieves loved it (for different reasons). This was during the time of the judges, so we know lawlessness was a problem, but it is not mentioned here.

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Part 1: Inquiry (Ruth 3:8-9)

At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! So he asked, “Who are you?” “I am Ruth, your slave,” she replied. “Spread your cloak over me, for you are a family redeemer.”

I give you info about family (kinsman) redeemers and this encounter below. Only let your group use their imagination here if you tell them all the necessary background information first! Ruth was just following orders from Naomi, and Naomi was not the sultry type. We get the impression that this had not happened to Boaz before—he was not just “startled” but terrified. The reason you are out in the open is to protect your possession from theft, and you suddenly wake up to the presence of a stranger. Then, you realize it is a woman, and that sends your fears in a brand new direction. Billy Graham famously wouldn’t stay in an elevator alone with a woman for fear of even the appearance of impropriety; can you imagine what the older, noble, and righteous Boaz was thinking? We might find Ruth’s response bizarre. First, she calls herself his slave. Obviously, you have to remove American history from this word. In 2:13, Ruth called herself lower than Boaz’s siphah (servant girl, the lowest social class). Here, she calls herself his amah, a word of some ambiguity, but generally agreed to refer to a higher social class than siphah—i.e. someone worthy of marriage. She willingly abandoned herself to Boaz knowing that she would safe in his household (as servant or as wife).

Secondly, Ruth asks him to spread his cloak over he. See below for more about this. The phrase literally means “spread your wing over your female servant”. At the very least, it is a request for protection—”take me into your household as your servant and care for me”. While that sounds pretty bold to us, Naomi had given her the trump card of “kinsman-redeemer”. Boaz did not have to marry Ruth to fulfill this duty, but he certainly wanted to. This is why I suggested the marriage proposal as an icebreaker. We would consider Ruth’s actions to be an unorthodox and ridiculously bold request for marriage, but it might have been kind of normal. I don’t know.

Here’s what I take from these verses: Naomi and Ruth were in desperate need, and that required desperate action. But Ruth loved and respected Naomi enough to put herself out there—exposed physically and emotionally. When you need a miracle, do you put yourself out there looking for it? Or do you shrink away and hope to be run over by fate?

Aside: Kinsman-Redeemer

In our through-the-Bible reading plan, we recently covered the account of the daughters of Zelophehad (Num 27 & 36). To account for the possibility that a man might only have daughters, God said that his inheritance would pass to the oldest daughter, BUT she would have to marry within the tribe to ensure that the land would stay in the tribe (else the Year of Jubilee would be a mess). These things will be spelled out more fully in Deut 25 (later sidebar)—Levirate marriage. But that’s a narrow application of the broader Hebrew principle of redemption. For example, the firstborn of everything was dedicated to God, but it could be “redeemed” by paying a set fee. This mainly applied to firstborn sons, but also to animals with blemishes and thus not eligible for sacrifice. A primary application dealt with the Year of Jubilee, when everyone’s property returned to the original owners. But not for free! The owner was to be compensated for the loss. And this is where the “kinsman-redeemer” came into play. Let’s say your brother sold his land to pay a debt and could not afford to buy it back during the Jubilee. Other family members—his brother, then his uncle, then his cousin, then more distant relatives—would have to be given the opportunity to redeem that land on his behalf. The land must stay in the tribe or the clan. In the book of Ruth, we meet Naomi—a widow whose sons have both died. She would not have legal recourse to keep her husband’s possessions, but she could work with one of her husband’s relatives to ensure proper transferal of the inheritance. Boaz, however, took the next step, which was to marry into the family for that purpose (Levirate marriage).

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Part 2: Interest (Ruth 3:10-13)

Then he said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. Now don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am. Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good. Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will. Now lie down until morning.

Here’s where I believe Boaz’s true character shines through. He had the opportunity to do or say just about anything to Ruth, but what he does is offer a blessing on her, and then tell her the truth about another kinsman-redeemer. That’s a true gentleman. So, how old is Boaz? He seems pretty old, but he’s young enough to still have a kid. And that makes Ruth’s actions equally noble. She’s not manipulating the old man to be her sugar daddy. She respects him and trusts him. And he obviously was worthy of it. Though he doesn’t yet say this, it is clear that Boaz is thinking marriage. And though I believe Ruth’s actions were a request for marriage, that’s not spelled out either. This gentle, respectful, [short], courtship is emotionally satisfying and absolutely beautiful.

Boaz did not want to expose Ruth to the danger of night travel, so he requested that she stay. And he would immediately take her request to the city elders. That doesn’t squash the romance in the story for me. Boaz knew there were laws about who Ruth could marry and still inherit Elimelech’s land, and though I believe he did love her, he in fact loved her so much as to make sure he did what was right by her entire family (which included Naomi and this other kinsman-redeemer). If I did anything with this section, I would talk about how sexual integrity makes a relationship better, not boring. Ruth and Boaz’s actions toward each other are so admirable and praiseworthy—we should think about them as a model for relationships today.

But then the lesson skips over a bunch of the exposition to the conclusion. Boaz was true to his word (and you might point out that he leaves the very grain he was protecting to go to town and resolve this matter!), and for some reason the other kinsman-redeemer did not want Elimelech’s property if he also had to marry Ruth. He says it would ruin his own inheritance. We don’t know why unless he would have to divide additional possessions among Ruth’s children. Here’s where Boaz proved shrewd: by doing everything publicly and pressing for an immediate decision, he was able to control the transaction—the other man would not be able to take the land and leave Ruth without public disgrace. I assume that Boaz would have married her anyway, but he seems to be protecting her from the ignominy of that kind of rejection.

Here’s the big question I take from this section: how did Ruth’s and Boaz’s character play into what happened? I think the easiest way of answering that is by asking “how do you think the rest of the town would have responded if Ruth and Boaz had shady reputations?” Character counts.

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Aside: What Happened in the Tent?

The Bible says that Ruth “uncovered Boaz’s feet” and lay down next to him. Of course, in our perverse culture, that sets off a firestorm of suggested euphemisms for what Ruth did to Boaz. Some scholars point out the “feet” is elsewhere used as a euphemism for sexual organs (Ex 4:25, Judg 3:24), and “lie down” is also used to refer to intercourse. However, we must not forget that Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz are all put forth as icons of moral integrity, so whatever she did, it must have been acceptable! Boaz’s high spirits did not mean that he was drunk! The most obvious suggestion is that Ruth literally uncovered Boaz’s feet in order to chill him that he might wake up on his own. The word translated “feet” can also refer to the entire lower body. But the real answer likely has to do with what she said next: “spread the corner of your garment over me.” Again, even though we can attempt to make that some kind of sexual suggestion, such wasn’t the case in ancient cultures. It can mean two things. First, that action has been associated with a marriage proposal for centuries in the Middle East. In other words, everything Ruth did was part of an accepted ritual by which a woman could ask for a man to marry her. Second, that request could also refer back to 2:12 in which Boaz asked God to take Ruth under His wing for protection. Now, Ruth is asking Boaz to perform that duty himself on God’s behalf—not necessarily asking him to marry her! A kinsman-redeemer could perform his duty simply by buying the land (and then Naomi clearly hoped he would let them live on it). I think either possibility is equally plausible, though Boaz clearly hoped it was for marriage.

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Part 3: Inheritance (Ruth 4:13-17)

Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and took care of him. The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

And then it turns into a Hallmark movie. Or an old Disney movie. But how else could this amazing story end? Interestingly, the emphasis shifts back to Naomi at the end (which I find strangely satisfying). Her role in the events would not be forgotten. So . . . Good people trusted God in awful circumstances, and in the end everything turned out well. There’s a lot of “reversal-of-fortune” language deliberately placed in here. But the real purpose of this ending is to trace the family line to David. I would like to think that other Hebrews had happy lives and good love stories in the generations, but this one is preserved for us the Bible because it plays a central role in God’s plan of redemption for all people.

Next month, we’re back to finishing off Matthew (yay!), but let’s take a big-picture look at what we’ve learned in Joshua/Judges/Ruth. We’ve already contrasted Joshua and Judges, but how do Judges and Ruth compare? On one hand, we see that even good people paid the price for the sin of Israel as a whole. But on the other hand, think about how Naomi and Ruth and Boaz compare to Gideon and Jephthah and Samson. What were their opportunities and legacies? And, just something personal, isn’t it so much easier to be happy for Ruth and Boaz knowing what kind of people they are?

But to me, the biggest contrast is the place of providence. In Judges, God is front-and-center rescuing and disciplining His people. But in Ruth, God is entirely in the background. Why do you think that is? I think it’s to prove that even when God is openly disciplining (or punishing) His people, He’s still working in secret for their good. Isn’t that comforting? Look at your own life. What is God doing “in the open”? Then look deep—where do you think God might be working in secret? Where do you need to ask God to work in your life? Do you need to make any character changes so that it would be clear to your friends and relatives that God has come to your rescue?

Then, going along with what I say on the back page, think about your legacy. What are you leaving behind—not just your physical inheritance but the influence you leave on those you have journeyed this life with? Are they better followers of Jesus because of you? It’s not too late to make a change and make an impact. Ask God to show where your character does not measure up to the examples left for us in this story, and then ask His help in changing.

Finally, end with Jesus (next week) being our Redeemer—from our debt of sin to death. Gospel presentation time!

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Aside: Levirate Marriage

This scenario is described in Deut 25. If a man dies without a son, his wife must remarry within the family (else that man’s inheritance would pass to a stranger)—meaning one of the man’s brothers, namely one who lived on the same land. The sons the widow had by the brother would be considered children of the deceased husband so his name would be continued. The brother could refuse to marry the widow, but he would be humiliated. If the brother was already married, this would technically be polygamy, but as inheritance rights were so important in those days, it was not seen as polygamy but rather as the brother serving the role of two separate men. This law allowed the widow to continue living in her own home with the protection of family. By Ruth’s time, the rules seem to have been relaxed. The was no public humiliation for the closer relative, and Boaz did not live on the same land.

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Closing Thoughts: The Five Steps of Manhood

Russell is leading a Sunday night cross current on biblical manhood. The author of the series sees all men as needing to progress through 5 steps to be all that God has called them to be:

· Boy: a time of exploration and discovery

· Adolescent: a time of pushing and pulling, a season of transition

· Man: a time of accepting responsibility, leading courageously, rejecting passivity, and expecting God’s greater reward for faithfulness

· Mentor: a time of investing in those outside of your own family

· Patriarch: a time of having a vision for your world and leaving a lasting influence on your family and your community

It is difficult to be a man in today’s world. People only seem to argue about what it means, and Satan has made it very easy for young men to push away from responsibility. Based on what you read about Boaz, where do you think he falls on these steps? I think there is no question he is a true man (of responsibility and character). Based on his interaction with the other men in town, he seems to be respected as a mentor. But what I read of Jesse’s family, and particularly David, also makes me think that Boaz eventually became a true patriarch with a lasting legacy. One of the purposes of Russell’s study is that it doesn’t matter how old a man is to continue to desire to be a better man, mentor, or patriarch. And Naomi certainly seems to be a matriarch equivalent! Encourage everyone in your group to consider their legacy—how do they want to be remembered? What kind of influence do they hope to have on their children or relatives?