Ruth 4
Over the last few weeks we’ve seen a beautiful story of redemption in the book of Ruth unfolding. Go ahead and turn there for me, Ruth chapter 4. As we reach the climax of this story, let’s keep in mind that all along the way, we have seen a foreshadowing of the redemption that was to come through Jesus. We saw last week Ruth asking Boaz to fulfill his responsibility as a kinsman redeemer, basically proposing to him, but finding out there was a redeemer who was first in line before Boaz. The chapter ends with Boaz leaving to go talk to this relative, and Naomi telling Ruth to just sit back and wait for Boaz to figure it out.
Read Ruth 4:1-4b
We have another instance here of something just “happening.” Boaz is sitting at the city gate, and the redeemer just “happens” to walk by. The Lord is moving the final piece into place. Boaz invites him to sit down, and calls 10 of the city elders to join them. These men functioned in both a political and judicial role, but in this case, they were called on to be witnesses to the redemptive act that was taking place.
Interesting how Boaz begins though. He doesn’t bring up Ruth just yet, but instead presents the land belonging to Elimelech, Naomi’s late husband. Look at what happens. Read 4:4b-6.
Immediately, the guys like, yes, of course, more land to farm? I will gladly keep it in the family. So Boaz is like, “alright cool, oh but there’s a catch.” And it’s very interesting that Boaz includes Ruth’s nationality. “Ruth the Moabitess.” Was this intentional on the part of Boaz? But, outside of that, here is the implication of the closer relative redeeming the land with Ruth attached:
If he agreed to the redemption of the land and Ruth, Naomi would come along as well. So now, he would be financially supporting Ruth and Naomi. Not only that, but one of his responsibilities would be to have children with Ruth, and one day, by law, that land would belong to Ruth’s children. So, the land that he purchased with his money would eventually be given up for free.
And just as quickly as he said yes, he’s like, “wait, nevermind, I’m not down for all of that!” And look at verses 7-10. Here it is, the great redemption!
Read Ruth 4:7-10
Boaz, in the presence of the elders of the city, finalizes the transaction of the land, and saves Ruth and Naomi out of their desperation and hopelessness. Boaz is not ashamed of Ruth’s past. He’s not ashamed of her nationality. He’s not ashamed that she is a Gentile foreigner. He overlooks all of that, and steps in to redeem. What a picture of our Redeemer, Jesus.
Let’s keep moving here. Read Ruth 4:11-12.
The elders of that city agree with the terms of the redemption, and bless the marriage by bringing to mind the wived of Jacob who bore the sons that would become the 12 tribes of Israel. Specifically they bring up the tribe of Judah from which Boaz came.
Read 4:13-14
In just a few short days, we will celebrate this in its fullness.
Read 4:15-17
Did you catch that? Boaz is the kinsman redeemer, but who is the true redeemer of the family? It is Obed. “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 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.”
And then as an affirmation and emphasis of Obed’s lineage we have vs. 18-22.
Read 4:18-22
So why is this short little book about a Moabite woman so important for us? Why does it matter, especially in light of our coming celebration? Why Ruth? Yes, we see a picture of redemption. We can’t help but look forward to the ultimate Redeemer. We see so much of Jesus in this story. I want to draw shift a bit here and add another important implication of this story. I want us to see the importance of this short narrative in the grand scheme of things. I want to zoom way out, and look at how this fits into the global redemptive plan of God. Go ahead and turn over to Matthew chapter 1.
If you are an avid Bible reader this may be one of those passages that you see and simply gloss over. However, the first 17 verses of Matthew 1 are absolutely essential in understanding the master plan of God the Father through His Son Jesus, and why He would include someone like Ruth in the Savior’s lineage.
Genealogies are typically sections of Scripture that we just kind of breeze over, but to a Jewish reader, this was the most natural and essential way to begin the story of any man’s life. Here’s why according to one commentator:
“If in any man there was the slightest admixture of foreign blood, he lost his right to be called a Jew, and a member of the people of God. A priest, for instance, was bound to produce an unbroken record of his pedigree stretching back to Aaron; and, if he married, the woman he married must produce her pedigree for at least five generations back.”
But, not so with Jesus. Think about some of these names:
Abraham - Called a friend of God 3 times // Father of all who believe // Justified by God (Gen. 15) // Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11
Lied about his wife. He convinced people that she was his sister to save his own life. He was deceptive and dishonest.
Isaac - Lied about Rebekah being his wife. Told people she was his sister to save his own life.
Repeated the sin of deception and dishonesty like his father
Jacob – Was given the name Israel after wrestling with God. But he was a master deceiver. You remember when he tricked Esau into giving him his birthright? Then, he put on his brother Esau’s clothes and the fur of goats on his hands and neck, and pretended to be Esau to receive the family blessing from Isaac.
Judah - Had 3 sons. His oldest, Er, married Tamar. Er made God mad so he died. Judah’s 2nd son Onan made God mad so he died. Judah promises his youngest son to Tamar but he needs to grow up first so he sends Tamar away until that time. Tamar poses as a prostitute and sleeps with Judah, her father-in-law, bearing him twin sons, Perez and Zerah.
Rahab - prostitute in the city of Jericho. Housed the spies from Israel that led to the overthrow of that city.
Boaz/Ruth -
King David - “A man after God’s own heart.” Yet, he commits adultery with Bathsheba and tries to cover it up by getting her husband Uriah drunk. When that doesn’t work, he has Uriah killed in the front lines of battle. David is an adulterer and a murderer.
So far this isn’t a lineage that you would want to write home to Mom about.
Section 2 - Monarchy
In the period of the monarchy, people are are all over the place. Some of them are evil, and forsake the Lord, some of them bring Israel back to the Lord. For example you have:
Solomon – Called one of the wisest men in history. Married foreign wives, which was against the laws of God. Had 700 wives and 300 concubines. They eventually led Solomon away from God and he worshipped false gods and idols, setting up high places for them to be worshipped.
But then you also have
Asaph - reigned kingdom of Judah for 41 years, and did what was “good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.” Instituted reform: removed male prostitutes from the temples, cut down Asherah poles, even deposed his mother from her position as queen mother because of her involvement in Asherah worship.
Section 3 – Silent Years
Zerubbabel - governor of Judah after the exile. Revered as one of the Bibles great heroes, laboring to rebuild the Lord’s house of worship, the temple.
And then we don’t really know much until we get to Mary and Joseph, and then, Jesus.
As Matthew goes through this list, the walls are coming down. In it we see 3 contextual barriers to the gospel shattered. And Ruth plays a part in every, single, one.
You’ll notice 5 names in here that at first glance wouldn’t seem like much to us, but when thinking how things were done when this was written, it’s a pretty big deal.
You have Tamar in verse 3, Rahab in verse 5, Ruth in verse 5, the wife of Uriah, that is, Bathsheba, in verse 6, and Mary of course in verse 16.
1. Barrier between Jew and Gentile
God made it very clear in the Old Testament that the nation of Israel was His chosen people. There was a pride that came with being a Jew, so much so, that a severe hatred formed over time against nations and peoples that were not Jewish. Those that were not Jewish, and are not Jewish, are called Gentiles.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were of that same mindset.
Tamar was a Canaanite, not Jewish.
Rahab was from Jericho, not Jewish.
Ruth was a Moabitess, not Jewish.
Bathsheba, possibly Jewish, but married a Hittite, taking on an association with Gentiles.
Ephesians 3:1-6
God had already been working thousands of years earlier on His master plan. Jew / Gentile. Barrier shattered.
2. Barrier between Men and Women
It was not normal to find the names of women in Jewish genealogies at all. The woman had no legal rights; she was regarded often times not as a person, but as a possession of her father or husband. On top of that, when you look at what these women did, it makes it even more mind blowing that Matthew would include them.
Tamar entered the royal bloodline by disguising herself as a prostitute and seducing her father-in-law, Judah, so he would make her pregnant.
Rahab didn’t have to disguise herself, she was a known prostitute.
Ruth was from the Moabite people, who had their beginnings in the incest between Lot and his oldest daughter. The Moabites were polytheistic pagans, occasionally offering human sacrifices to idol-gods.
Bathsheba was seduced by King David, and committed adultery against her husband.
Mary became pregnant before her wedding, and while we know why, and how, the scandal surrounding her pregnancy would have lingered for many years.
All 5 of these women share something in common: disgrace. They either committed or suffered disgrace. Most of us want to cover up the more disgraceful moments and people in our family history. Not only did Matthew choose to include women in a time when women were not regarded as equals, or thought of very highly, but he chose to include women whose very names would invoke a memory of scandal.
Barrier between women and men, shattered.
3. Barrier between Saint and Sinner
In the list of names we find:
Lies, deceit, stealing, prostitution, adultery, murder, immorality, polygamy, materialism, idol worship, false teaching, arrogance, to name a few…
I mean this is not exactly a family line to brag on. But isn’t that the beauty of the gospel?!
Revelation 7:9 – “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”
Jews and Gentiles, men and women. Our sins nailed to the cross and covered by the blood of Jesus.
Even in this list of names, God weaves His grace. He loves to redeem sinners. He loves to produce something beautiful out of shameful family backgrounds. He loves to reconcile His enemies. And He does all of this through Jesus.
We see in the story of Ruth a small glimpse of the redeeming king. Ruth and Naomi were hopeless and desperate before their redeemer stepped in. We are hopeless and desperate before our redeemer stepped in.
As we pray let us remember Ruth 4:14 – “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a Redeemer.”
