Welcome to the final part of our series, "The Redeemer."

Text: Ruth 2:1-22

1Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. 2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”

The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”5 Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”
6 “Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”
7 Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8 So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”

9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”

11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

The Descendants of Boaz
13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”
16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.
18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:
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.

God uses the FAITHFULNESS of ordinary people to REDEEM people in extraordinary ways.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

One of the most significant issues we have when reading the Old Testament is ethnocentrism. The definition of ethnocentrism is:

Evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

It isn't easy to understand why the story of Ruth is so special because we live in such a different time. During Ruth's time, Naomi was in a desperate situation and had lost everything. She needed to be rescued. God did that and started a journey that would end with the birth of Jesus.

God uses ordinary faithfulness to do extraordinary things.

This is never more true than in the book of Ruth. Ruth has been called a master storyteller. It tells a big story in just a few words. The story's bottom line is that God can do more than we could ever imagine if we trust Him.

Commentary.

Verse 1-12- The Legal Situation.

At this point, Naomi and Ruth have to trust Boaz with their hopes. Only the heads of the families conducted business at the city gates. They needed Boaz to speak for them about the issue and resolve it. Thankfully, God had placed Boaz in the right place to do all that was required. He was willing to do what was right, even if that meant not buying the land. However, he would be sure it was done with integrity in front of witnesses.

Verse 1: "Town Gate"- The town gate was where all official business was conducted. It would be the same as a city square.

"Come over here and sit down, friend." Boaz would have known the name of this close relative, but the author chooses to keep his name private. There are multiple possible reasons for this.
- One, it is intended to save his family from embarrassment.
- Two, it was intended to spare unnecessary details.
- Three, it was intended to show that he had no name because he had no character.

Verse 2: "Boaz called ten leaders." Ten leaders were the number to make the transaction legal before witnesses.

Verse 3: "selling the land"- This has been left out of the story until now. We were unaware that Naomi was trying to do something with her late husband's land. This tells us that one of two things was happening:

She owned the land but could not do anything with it, so she sold it and provided for herself.
She is selling the rights to have it redeemed.

Verse 4: This would have caused the early readers to gasp. It seems as though all their plans have been ruined.

Verse 5-6: It is unclear why doing this will endanger his estate other than the concern of having to then care for others. This will put an additional strain on his finances.

Verse 7-8: Judging by how it is worded, it sounds like this custom was already dying off and gone by the time Ruth was written, just a few years later.

Verse 9-10: Boaz seals the deal.

Verse 11-12: The town leaders bless this union and say that, out of all this hardship, let blessings flow.

Verse 13-17. The Results of Faithfulness.

This is the culmination of the whole story. Time has passed, at least 9 months.

Verse 13. It appears that Ruth was barren for ten years with her previous husband. Now, the Lord has enabled her to have a child.

Verse 14-15: The town's women celebrate that Naomi has a family again. This young boy can work her family's land and provide a legacy for her.

Verse 16-17: Obed is a short form of Obadiah, meaning "servant of the Lord."

Verse 18-22. Zooming Out.

This is the big reveal at the end of the story. This would have been the part that no one saw coming. The narrator leaves the audience with their mouths open, saying, "Oh! So now I know why you told us this story. These simple people, doing their best to honor Yahweh in the middle of nowhere, were part of a much bigger story."

Verse 18.

Perez- the more famous song of the Levirite vow between Tamar and Judah.
Nahashon- leader in Judah.
Boaz- his name appears seventh in the list. This is reserved for a position of honor.
Obed is the grandfather of the greatest king in Israel's history, David.

Bottom Line.

The story of Ruth reminds us that God is moving in ways we will never see. We are part of a bigger story than we will ever realize. Our job is to be faithful. God does the rest.

God's Promise: