Redemption in Israel • 06.12.22
Nick Lees   -   June 14, 2022

Redemption in Israel
Ruth 4

Delighting in the outcome of God’s providence

  1. Boaz’s hesed blesses many
  2. God’s hesed brings redemption

Manuscript:

Redemption in Israel
Ruth 4

Good morning church family! What a sweet theme to our worship this morning. Singing of the amazing grace and goodness of our God. He is indeed worthy of every song and praise and breath that we have. I hope our words this morning were connected to an inward heart belief in what we were saying. May we be a people of authentic faith and not mere lip-service to our Creator!

Welcome to those who are new with us this morning! My name is Pastor Nick and I have the privilege of studying God’s Word with you. Today we’re finishing up our verse-by-verse study of the book of Ruth. This was a short, 4-week study, but what Ruth lacks in length, it makes up for in depth of content!

As we’ve seen, God works through the unlikeliest of persons, a Moabite named Ruth. Ruth has demonstrated incredibly loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi is a woman who became consumed by bitterness towards God after her husband and two sons died. After their passing, Ruth cares and provides for Naomi, working tirelessly in the fields to glean grain. The godliest woman in this book is a Moabite convert!

Along the way we met a man by the name of Boaz. He is a relative of Naomi and Ruth. Boaz is a fitting counterpart for Ruth. He is the godliest man we have met in the time of the judges. It has been refreshing to see a godly man who protects and provides for women (in comparison to the men of Judges 19-21 who misused and abused women!). As we heard last week and will see again today, Boaz delights to fulfill his role as a redeemer and does not appear to think twice about what it would mean for his future.

Though God is silent throughout the narrative, he is working behind the scenes and is referenced a lot, especially in blessings pronounced by the people. Our study today is especially powerful as the narrator reveals that God opens Ruth’s womb to a baby boy. This boy will be the grandfather of King David and part of the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus Christ! Incredibly, God is working through a Gentile (non-Jew) to accomplish his plan of redemption.

Before we go any further…

Dismiss 4th & 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Ruth 4 – Pg 128 of Blue Bibles)

As we get into our final sermon in Ruth, I do want to provide a couple of important points of review to get us started this morning. A central concept for this book has been hesed. Here’s the last time you’re going to see this definition! I hope it’s burned into your brain by now 😊

Hesed – loyalty, steadfast love, kindness, faithfulness; The core idea of this term relates to loyalty within a relationship. (Lexham Theological Workbook)

Week after week, we’ve witnessed hesed in action between the people in this book.

  • Chapter 1 revealed Ruth’s loyal love towards Naomi and Yahweh, as she committed to both for the rest of her life.
  • Chapter 2 revealed even further the depth of Ruth’s hesed as she worked hard to provide for Naomi by gleaning grain in the fields.
  • Chapter 2 also introduced us to Boaz, a worthy man of good character, who showed hesed towards both Ruth and Naomi by providing food for them.
  • As we shifted into Chapter 3, it was Naomi’s turn to demonstrate hesed through her counsel to Ruth.

She put Ruth on a path to pursue Boaz as her husband and redeemer. This involved a rather interesting interaction in the middle of the night on the threshing room floor. And yet, her marriage proposal worked! Boaz viewed this act by Ruth as an example of hesed toward him and he responds with faithfulness to her. He tells her “Do not fear” and that he will certainly redeem her as his wife unless the redeemer who was closer chose to do so first.

That’s where we left off last week. This promise from Boaz and the confident expectation of Naomi that he would be true to his word. Don’t you love that Naomi is no longer bitter but has hope that God is at work? What a sweet reversal due to the hesed of God and others in her life.

But we haven’t heard the details of how this redemption would actually take place. That’s what Ruth 4 is going to reveal to us. Let’s turn our attention to it now.

Ruth 4:1–22 (ESV)

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

What you just heard is that Naomi’s hopes are proven legitimate! Boaz takes immediate action to redeem Ruth and Naomi. We have the privilege to witness God work through Boaz to provide redemption for these widows. What a beautiful moment in Israel’s history! Thank God for examples of godly men like Boaz!

But God doesn’t stop there, he also provides a redeemer who will perpetuate the lineage of King David. (And ultimately, Jesus Christ!) I’m talking about Obed, Ruth’s son, and Naomi’s grandson. Once again, we see God uses the hesed of these ordinary people, this time to provide for the eventual birth of his son, the Savior of the world. I point that out this morning because it’s a reminder that the scope of God’s plan is so much greater than just these few people in this moment of history. He is working out redemption for many! Even now, in our day and age, God is working through the hesed of ordinary people like you and me to drive forward his grand plan of redemption.

In the remainder of our time today, we’re going to be…

Delighting in the outcome of God’s providence

Providence – God’s benevolent and wise superintendence of His creation. (HIBD)

God has been at work all along – both behind the scenes and quite explicitly as we saw today in 4:13. So let’s delight together in the fruit of his work.

We see it first in the way God works through Boaz. Boaz is the primary character in chapter 4, the attention has shifted to him as he takes the steps necessary to secure Ruth and Naomi’s redemption. We need to talk about that process in Ancient Israel.

Last week we discussed that a redeemer in Ancient Israel was a relative within your clan who had the responsibility to protect the interests of the clan in the event of a hardship within your family. There were a few scenarios presented in Leviticus of purchasing back the land of a relative who fell into financial hardship. That has now come into play as Boaz interacts with the other closer redeemer/relative within their clan.

However, that’s not all that is at stake! There is also the issue of providing for the widows of this family, Ruth and Naomi. There was another institution in Ancient Israel known as levirate marriage. This is explained in Deuteronomy 25. Listen to God’s commands for how they were to care for one another:

Deuteronomy 25:5–10 (ESV)

5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.

7 And if the man does not wish 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 perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’

8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’

God had instituted this process to protect families within the nation of Israel from dying out. He had provided a way for clans and tribes to preserve their inheritance in the Promised Land. Levirate marriage ensured the continuance of the family and the tribe.

Knowing this helps us begin to make sense of what is going on in Ruth 4. Ruth’s husband, an Israelite from the clan of Judah in Bethlehem, had died without any children. Naomi also is without children at this point, her sons died in Moab. Which means that the lineage of Elimelech will pass away unless a son is born! This was a tragedy in Ancient Israel, because losing your family line meant losing your inheritance in society. The women would have been without a home or source of income. If this scenario happened repeatedly within a tribe, then the tribe would be weakened as they lost their inheritance. Thus, God implemented a system whereby they could carry on the name of a family and keep their inheritance within the tribe. It was an act of kindness of God to preserve the tribes of Israel! Which is why it was expected of these men in Ruth 4 to provide a home and future for Ruth and Naomi.

This really begs the question, where has the closer redeemer been all this time? Why doesn’t he show up until Boaz seeks him out? It might be tempting to give him the benefit of the doubt, but remember that loyalty to family, clan, and tribe was of the utmost importance to these people. The town of Bethlehem had been abuzz about the hesed of Ruth since her return with Naomi. Boaz had heard of her character and actions, surely this closer redeemer had as well. Even if he hadn’t, his character is revealed in his response to Boaz now. He will not redeem the land because he doesn’t want to marry Ruth the Moabite and impair his own inheritance! Meaning he doesn’t want to have to have children with her and potentially provide a son to her. If a son is born to Ruth through their marriage, then he will be a descendant of Elimelech and his sons and get to keep all their property/inheritance. But if this man does not marry Ruth, eventually she will die, and he’ll inherit their property! This is a very selfish way to act!

There is a reason we are not given this man’s name… In the Bible, to remain nameless is evidence of judgment upon a person. This man has failed to keep his commitments, he is the anti-thesis of hesed. In fact, though the ESV translates Boaz’s greeting to him as “Turn aside, friend” the more literal translation is “Turn aside, so-and-so”. It is another example of wordplay in the Hebrew to intentionally forget the man’s name. “Turn aside, so-and-so or what’s your name”… His conduct made him unworthy to be mentioned!

What a contrast to Boaz! Boaz shows no hesitation to redeem the land and marry Ruth! He is a man of worthy character. A man of hesed. And the first opportunity for us to delight in the outcome of God’s providence is that…

  1. Boaz’s hesed blesses many

I can’t say this enough  Do NOT underestimate the power of faithful, loving kindness and obedience to God’s will/ways. God works through Boaz’s hesed and godly character to bless many. The contrast between Boaz and the nearer redeemer “So-and-so” is quite large! God uses godly men/women to bless many.

Let’s look at some of the “many” that Boaz’s hesed blesses… starting with…

  1. Ruth

Certainly, Ruth’s future has been changed by the faithful, loyal love of this man. When she came to Bethlehem, she was a foreign widow. She was committed to Naomi but had no idea where they would find lodging or sustenance. Meeting Boaz changed her life. Boaz’s hesed blessed Ruth with protection and provision. She had more than enough food.

But after two months of gleaning in Boaz’s fields, his hesed went further. He responded to her request for marriage with joy and a blessing! Do you remember his response in 3:10-11?

Ruth 3:10–11 (ESV)

10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

Boaz’s hesed led him to commit to Ruth. He committed to bless her with redemption. Whether it came at his hand or the hand of a closer redeemer, he would see to it that she had a future. Ruth’s life was changed even further at that moment. She no longer had to fear about her future. She didn’t have to wonder how she would make ends meet. Boaz would take care of her. For a woman in those days there was a peace or “rest” that came from knowing that a provider/husband was looking out for you!

As we saw today, Boaz went through a process to bless Ruth. He had to go and sit at the gate until the other redeemer came by. Then he had to go out and collect 10 elders to serve as witnesses to this transaction. Boaz was a purposeful, driven man! He took the initiative to redeem Ruth because that is what hesed does. It initiates to care for those in need!

The outcome of God’s providence through Boaz’s hesed was his redemption of Ruth and the son that was born to them – Obed. Ruth’s entire life has changed! She is no longer a childless widow. Now she has a husband and a son. Boaz’s actions have blessed her incredibly. But Ruth isn’t the only one blessed by Boaz’s hesed. We also see Naomi as the recipient of blessing.

  1. Naomi

Remember that the book of Ruth started with Naomi highlighting her “emptiness”. She was struggling with bitterness towards God for allowing her husband and sons to die. But now, at the close of the book, her family line has been restored! She is no longer empty but full. She has an heir, and surprisingly, the women of Bethlehem declare “A son has been born to Naomi.” They were rejoicing that Elimelech’s family line would not be wiped out. Ruth’s son is the redeemer and restorer of life for the whole family. It would be Obed who would grow up to care for both Ruth and Naomi in their later years of life. Having a son to care and provide for you was a BIG deal in those days. All of this happened, humanly speaking, because of Boaz’s hesed towards Ruth and Naomi. But again, the blessing isn’t limited to these two ladies. We actually see that the entire city has been blessed.

  1. The entire city

Verses 11-17 recount for us the entire city rejoicing with this family. Boaz’s hesed to Ruth and Naomi resulted in the city praising God! They were witnesses to God at work through Boaz. This led them to bless the new family unit in the name of Yahweh. They prayed that God would build up their household and that they would act worthily and be renowned in Bethlehem. The words for “be renowned” literally means “your name be called out”. There was an expectation that God would work mightily through this family. The entire city knew the story of Boaz’s hesed and had been blessed by it. The women of the city also saw Obed as the fulfillment of Ruth’s love for Naomi. The rejoiced with her in the fullness that she had received.

What a sweet reminder of the power of ordinary people showing faithful, kind, loyal love to one another. Boaz’s willingness to be selfless and care for these widows was a powerful testimony to the goodness of God in that city and for ages to come. The reality is that Boaz’s hesed isn’t limited to Bethlehem in his lifetime… We are still reading about it today! And as verses 18-22 reveal, Boaz’s hesed blessed…

  1. Generations to come (through his descendants)

Boaz’s hesed resulted in a fruitful legacy in King David and, eventually, King Jesus. The genealogy of verses 18-22 is a sobering reminder that how we live now echoes through the ages in our descendants. You can choose to leave a godly legacy for your kids and grandkids and so on, or you could leave a self-seeking, ungodly legacy… Which will it be for you? Boaz and Ruth have been such a sweet example to us of godly manhood and womanhood. Though short, their story has been powerful. I hope it has been invigorating for you. What kind of man or woman will you be? Will you be known for hesed or selfishness? Will your life bless many or simply be another story of a man/woman doing what is right in their own eyes? How you live matters! What you live for matters! Let’s learn from the examples we’ve had in this book. *Pause*

But Boaz’s hesed is not our only opportunity to delight in the outcome of God’s providence this morning… A second reason to delight is…

  1. God’s hesed brings redemption

We’ve seen and heard how God has been at work behind the scenes in the book. That hasn’t stopped in chapter 4. In verse 1 we had another one of those “surprising” encounters between Boaz and Mr. So and So. “Behold” he just happened to come by while Boaz was at the gate that day.

But then God works very explicitly in verse 13. The narrator tells us, “The LORD gave her conception”. There is no doubt who has provided this miracle of life – Yahweh did it! The women of the town are certain of it too – they praise God for his provision of a redeemer.

Throughout this book, God’s hesed has provided both spiritual and physical redemption. We’ve primarily witnessed the physical aspect. As we’ve already discussed, Ruth has been provided a husband and son, thereby securing her future. Naomi has been redeemed from emptiness to fullness; she has an heir for Elimelech’s family line. Even the nation of Israel at large will be blessed by Obed’s grandson, King David. There is physical deliverance and redemption all over the place.

But the greater theme of redemption throughout Scripture is spiritual and it is to that we must now look. The hesed of God in the book of Ruth will ultimately bring about the earthly birth of God’s own Son, Jesus of Nazareth.

Back in January of 2020, we studied the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. As we did so, we heard that he was the descendant of King David. That God had brought Boaz and Ruth together to ultimately lead to the birth of the ultimate Redeemer – King Jesus. God’s hesed was operating through Boaz to a far greater fulfillment than solely the redemption of two widows in Israel. God’s hesed in this narrative was driving forward his plan of redemption for ALL his people!

If that is not humbling, I do not know what is. The Bible repeatedly reveals to us that God has a plan that is far beyond our full comprehension. That when we think he’s work on “this <->” scale, he’s actually working on “THIS —” scale! And he has had this plan before time began and is working it out before our eyes. *Pause*

When meditating on the wonders of God’s grand plan of redemption, the Apostle Paul was brought to a place of humility and crying out to God…

Romans 11:33–36 (ESV)

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34    “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

35    “Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Amen indeed. How deep are the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! His ways and judgments are beyond us, and we cannot fully comprehend them. He is far beyond us and is working out a wonderful plan of redemption for his glory and our good. And for that He is worthy of all of our praise! Does the beauty and grandeur of God’s hesed strike you today?! If you are in Christ, he is working out your salvation through the life of Ruth and Naomi and Boaz. This had always been his plan! INCREDIBLE!

God is a steadfastly loving creator who has sent his Son to die for sinners like us. His Son has shown us incredible hesed when he came to redeem us from our sin and the death it had earned us. Paul is very clear about this incredible hesed from God in his letter to the Romans. First, he lays out our sin problem.

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

This is an all-encompassing problem for us. We all need redemption! Knowing this helps us appreciate the hesed God provides in Jesus as shown in 6:23.

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The choice is eternal death or eternal life. This is no laughing matter! Here’s the good news:

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were still sinners! Not while we were pretty good people. While we were sinners condemned to death, Christ died for us. That’s hesed on display! How should we respond to this incredible love?!

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

God’s hesed is what drives him to provide us with this hope of redemption. Hesed is not a concept limited to the book of Ruth. It is the very nature of God’s interactions with his Creation. It is God’s hesed that provides you with hope this morning. You either stand forgiven by Jesus Christ, or you have the opportunity to stand forgiven… if you would confess and believe. God’s steadfast, redemptive love is before you, how will you respond!?

As we wrap up the book of Ruth, there are two avenues of response for you.

  • Repent and believe in the One, True God – Yahweh and his Son, Jesus Christ, who has made redemption possible for you
  • Respond to the God of hesed with a life of hesed. Commit to steadfastly loving those in your sphere of influence. Be a man or woman of worthy character who seeks to go above and beyond to love others. Because that is how your Creator has loved you. And there is no better way to live.

I leave you with these powerful and accurate words from K. Lawson Younger, Jr.

In a fallen world that has lost all direction and certainty, the book of Ruth reaffirms time and again the sovereignty and providence of God. At the beginning of the third millennium, modern Western culture has produced a highly mobile urban society in which ties of extended families have, in many cases, disappeared. The norm has become the two-parent working family that is greatly in debt and significantly stressed by the issues of raising children in a more and more promiscuous and violent society.

 

It is easy in the midst of such life stresses to forget that the Lord is sovereignly in control and still providentially cares for his people. Just as God demonstrated his hesed through Boaz to the two widows, he demonstrates his loving faithfulness and loyalty to his people today through individuals living out the spirit of his word, motivated by loving commitment to people in need.

 

God’s hesed restored Naomi, and it restores us. (K. Lawson Younger, Jr. NIVAC)

Let’s pray to the God of hesed.