He Carries The Ball

 Ruth 4: 1-12

Last night Boaz tells Ruth not to worry because he will take the ball and do for her everything she needs to have done. 

And Naomi assured Ruth that Boaz "will not rest until he has settled it today." 

In a small town like Bethlehem, everybody went through the city gate, which served as the courtroom where legal transactions were conducted. It's morning now and Boaz lets no grass grow under his feet, first thing he's there at the gate, looking for the "closer relative." 

(1) Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, "Turn aside, friend, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 

He immediately sees the guy he needs to deal with, and calls him over. 

(2) He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. 

Then he convenes the legal witnesses for the transaction. 

(3) Then he said to the closest relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 

(4) "So I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it." 

So he lays out the presentation for this man to consider, and lets him know that if he chooses not to act on this opportunity, then he will himself. 

So this closer relative figures this would be a good deal, he'll have more fields to gain more wealth, and it would be a good investment. 

(5) Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance." 

But then Boaz informs him that the deal also includes marrying this foreigner. 

(6) The closest relative said. "I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it." 

Well, this threw a monkey wrench into the works! He says that he's not able to marry this woman without somehow endangering his own livelihood and future. So he relinquishes the whole right of redemption, and hands it over to Boaz. 

(7) Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 

This aside shows that the story was written down sometime after it happened, as it describes a process that was not being done any more by the time it was transcribed. And it also gives us insight into what is going on here, so we can understand it. 

(8) So the closest relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal. 

This custom looks like it came from the earlier practice of claiming land by walking on it (see Genesis 13: 17). By giving his shoe away, he is stating that he will not "walk on it," or claim it for himself. 

This case differs from the levirate law (Deuteronomy 25: 5-10) on several accounts:

    1. Here a more distant relative than a brother was expected to marry the widow, 

    2. The kinsman removed his own shoe instead of the rejected widow doing it, and 

    3. Apparently no disgrace was involved, as the significance of removing the shoe here was to seal a legal transaction. 

Here, the "closer relative" removed his shoe, handed it to Boaz, and relinquished all his rights of redemption in this case. 

(9) Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 

(10) "Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today." 

Now Boaz has legally claimed the right of redemption of all of the land involved, and also the widow of the son of the deceased owner, to marry her and raise up the first son on his grandfather's land. 

(11) All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 

(12) "Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman." 

And all the people that were gathered there, along with the elders who were legally there, all approved of this whole transaction, especially this marriage; and blessed them with many children and much wealth and even the fame of a widespread reputation among their neighbors in the town. 

Rachel and Leah had the twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel, and Perez was the son of Judah whose descendants became the kings of Israel and Judah. 

So, this is the beginning of a wonderful life. The foundation upon which will be built a marriage and family with far-reaching results through many generations. 

I love this story! I think this is the most tender and touching love story in the whole Bible, and it is a really good illustration of the relationship I have with my espoused Husband! 

Boaz and Ruth are founding their marriage on meeting each others most fundamental human needs. And how they got together is remarkable in that Boaz is her Redeemer, and she is the foreigner who has embraced the real God! Just like Jesus and me! 

I make this personal, because even though God made the whole human race to be His children, He still knows each one of us by name. He loves each one of us personally, and He saves us one by one, individually. And He told Zephaniah that, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." (Zephaniah 3: 17.) 

We as the church are the "bride of Christ" and, as He loves each of us individually, this tells us that when He rejoices loudly over us as His bride, His loving us will be quiet, secret, personal, one by one. 

He has given us marriage to picture the intimate relationship He wants to have with us. Earthly marriage is one-flesh, and God blesses that union with children. Our Bridegroom-and-bride relationship with Christ is one-Spirit. I can only imagine what His blessings will produce in that union. Jesus prayed "that they may be one as We are one" (John 17: 11).

When He saves a person, He causes us to be born into His family by His Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit of Life, that is the vitality and power and strength of God. And He lives in each one of us as Christians. One Spirit with Him and with one another. This blows my mind. Just think about it. It will blow your mind, too, when you get the full impact of it! 

O my Father God, You are amazing! You are astounding! That You would make the human race to be Your own children is amazing enough, but that You would give us free will to choose to love You back, and even those of us who do, could never deserve You. Each one of us is born with "original sin," that damaged DNA that we inherit from Adam, and it causes us to commit personal sins against You! 

O Father, we all have gone astray, like dumb sheep; we all have turned our own way, making our own decisions, in our pride, away from You. And yet You have put all of that tremendous burden on Your own Son on the Cross for us! You took that heavy load off of my shoulders that Saturday and placed it onto Jesus at that moment in time, and I felt as light as a feather with it gone! 

Father, You washed me as white as snow in the blood of Christ splattered onto the sides of His altar the Cross! And made me so perfectly and permanently clean that You could live in my spirit as Your Spirit, cutting away the connection between Your Life in me and my body of flesh (Colossians 2: 11), so that I never again am powerless against the onslaught of sinfulness; in my human passions, or in the world around me, or from our enemy the devil, to ever enslave me again in addiction to anything but Your love, Father. 

My Father, Your whole Plan of the Ages includes all of our little personal paths we're walking on, and it will end with our spiritual "marriage" of being one together with You and one another, enjoying all the benefits and bounty and joyfulness and fun of living with You and serving You by helping You rule all the future universes You have in mind throughout all the future eternity! 

Send us all out now, Father, while we are still here, to all the world; to let every living person know about who You are and how much You love us all! Open eyes and hearts in every nation to realize and understand enough to choose to seek You and receive the gracious and generous gift You offer with open arms! 

And eventually every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Bridegroom, the Lord God Almighty, King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, do come quickly, Lord Jesus!