Love Story - Part 2

The Love Story

Love’s Resolve - Ruth 1

A little history - Naomi, along with her husband, Elimelech, and two sons left Bethlehem because of a severe famine. They settled in Moab where her two sons married Moabite women – Orpah and Ruth. Naomi’s husband and two sons died while they were in Moab. Once Naomi heard that the famine was over she wanted to return to Bethlehem and Ruth joined her.

Ruth makes one of the most significant commitments in the Bible when she tells Naomi she will return to Bethlehem with her. Ruth 1:16-17 – But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so unto me, and more also, if [anything but] death parts you and me."

Why is this so significant? Ruth not only chose a life with Naomi. She turned her back on her old way of life including her home, her family, her culture and her religion. Moab was a pagan culture.

Love’s Response - Ruth 2

As the younger person, Ruth goes into the fields to glean. Since neither of them were married, their only source of food was to glean in the fields of the wealthy land owners. Ruth, unknowingly happened on Boaz’s field and began gleaning there.

The Law of Gleaning: Deut. 24:19-22 - “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands...you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.”

Boaz inquires about Ruth’s identity and an unnamed servant introduces her as Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Boaz had heard of her kindness and devotion to Naomi and tells Ruth to return only to his fields to glean. He even instructs his workers to deliberately leave some barley behind for Ruth.

Love’s Request - Ruth 3

When Naomi discovers Ruth has found favor with Boaz, Naomi realizes that Boaz, being one of her husband’s kinsman, can marry Ruth and redeem the land.

Law of the Levirate Marriage: Deut. 25:5-10 - “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. But if the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband's brother to me. Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, 'I do not desire to take her, then his brother's wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, 'Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. In Israel his name shall be called, 'The house of him whose sandal is removed.”

Naomi instructs Ruth to go to the threshing floor and wait until Boaz goes to sleep, then uncover his feet and lie down at his feet and then he will tell her what to do.

The Threshing Floor Scene - Boaz discovers Ruth lying at his feet. There is nothing immoral going on. When Ruth asks Boaz to cover her with the hem of his garment, she is really asking him to marry her and redeem the land for Naomi. This was not an elicit gesture on Ruth’s part. In Jewish tradition being covered by the hem of another person’s garment simply meant that person had authority over you and will protect you. He tells her that he will but there is a nearer kinsman who must first be given the opportunity to do so. Boaz sends Ruth back to Naomi with 6 measures of barley - an indication to Naomi that Boaz will determine that day who will marry Ruth and redeem the land. She knows this because God created the Earth in 6 days - therefore the symbolism of 6 indicated Boaz would not rest before the matter was resolved.

Love’s Reward - Ruth 4

The requirements for the kinsman redeemer - 1) he had to be a kinsman, 2) he had to be able to perform, 3) he must be willing, & 4) he must assume ALL of the obligation.

The Law of Redemption - Lev. 25:47-50 - “Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and [one of] your brethren [who dwells] by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger [or] sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger's family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or [anyone] who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself.”

Boaz goes to the city gate (like the city council) and meets the nearer kinsman. The nearer kinsman met all the criteria except he did not want to marry Ruth (which was part of the package) b/c he would lose his inheritance (because she was a Gentile). So the nearer kinsman took off his shoe and gave it to Boaz as a symbol of his yielding the opportunity/obligation. Therefore, Boaz purchased Ruth as his bride and returned the land to Naomi.

The lineage of David - includes 2 very important Gentile women:

Salman – Rahab (she sheltered Joshua’s spies from the Jericho army)
Boaz - Ruth
Obed
Jesse
David

Who’s Who?

1. Boaz is the Lord of the harvest and he is also the kinsman redeemer. Therefore, Boaz is a type or foreshadowing of Jesus. Naomi typifies Israel. She was out of the land; through his redemption, she was brought back into the land. Ruth was the Gentile bride, a type of the Church.

2. In order for Ruth to be joined to Naomi, Naomi had to be exiled from her land. The Jews were exiled from their land to the four corners of the earth for nearly 2,000 years. They have now returned to the Promised Land near the end of the Church Age. The nearer kinsman couldn’t take Ruth; it was against the law for an Israelite to marry a Moabite. But what the law could not do, grace did. Incidentally, Ruth did not replace Naomi. They are different; they are distinctive. Israel and the Church are distinctive; different origins, different missions. Ruth learned the laws of Israel through Naomi, a Jew. We Gentiles learn the ways of God by understanding the Jewish Scriptures. We worship a Jewish King in a Church composed of Jewish leaders using a Jewish Bible as our authority. In the threshing floor scene, no matter how much Boaz loved Ruth, he had to respond to her move. And Boaz took it upon himself to be her advocate; he was her intercessor He confronted the nearer kinsman.

You and I are also beneficiaries of a similar love story that was written in blood on a wooden cross, erected in Judea almost 2,000 years ago.

Naomi = Israel
Ruth = The Church
Boaz = Jesus
Unnamed servant = The Holy Spirit

3. Jesus - Our Kinsman Redeemer - Revelation 5

1) He is A kinsman of Adam, 2) He was able to perform, 3) He was willing, & 4) He assumed ALL of the obligation.

Revelation 5 is about the Seven-Sealed Scroll - The Title Deed to the Earth. We know this is a deed because the scroll has writing on both sides. But no man was found to claim the Deed. It had to be a man. John sobbed convulsively because no man was found to redeem the Earth. But wait! There is one who has prevailed to open the scroll and loose the seals thereof. “Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book.” And that unfolds the story of Ruth. It has to be a kinsman; he has to be able; he has to be willing; he must assume all the obligations; and indeed, He has. “It is finished,” He proclaimed.

I hope you've enjoyed this amazing little book in the Old Testament. It's one of my favorite stories in the Bible.


References:
1. Ruth 1-4
2. Revelation 5
3. Learn the Bible in 24 Hours by Chuck Missler
4. Ruth Commentary by Chuck Missler
5. www.khouse.org