Life Lessons from the Book of RUTH

Ruth 4:1-2

Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: And, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. (KJV)

Boaz 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. (NLT)

The gate – a public square just inside the main gate of the city. It was the place of business where everyone passed in and out to their fields and where merchants and travelers came. It was the place of news, market, and civil and criminal court.

Here comes the kinsman, the nearer relative. “Hey, there! Come over here and sit down!”

The elders were heads of families of local officials. They needed to call two or three elders into consultation for common matters, but ten were required for property transfers and other important matters. Boaz was calling the local civil court into session. How simple it was then: no delays, no hassle to get scheduled onto a court docket, no preliminaries, no papers to fill out. (They saved a lot of worries and ulcers!)

Ruth 4:3-4

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: and I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. (KJV)

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.” (NLT)

“Before the inhabitants” – everyone would be crowding around to see and hear the action. They would have plenty of witnesses to the transaction.

It was not easy to acquire land in those days, except by inheritance. We cannot be sure about the details of Naomi’s land ownership. Perhaps Elimelech had not sold the field or his right in the common fields before he left for Moab. Since no mention of a field has been made previously, it is more likely that he had sold the field, but under the law, retained the right for himself or his heirs to buy it back. In this way, Naomi would have the right of redemption – but lacking the money to buy it back, she must depend on a kinsman redeemer to do it for her. It is the right of redemption that Naomi is selling.

Boaz says, “Here is your chance to buy Naomi’s land. You have the first refusal of it, but if you don’t want it, I’ll buy it.”

The relative said, “It’s a good deal. I’ll buy it.”

Ruth 4:5

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth and Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. KJV

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.” NLT

“Just a minute, cousin. There’s just one more little item connected with the deal.” It is a package deal: a wife comes with the property.

Ruth 4:6

And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. KJV

“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.” NLT

It was a different story now that he had all of the facts. “Thanks, but no thanks.” We do not know this man’s family situation. If married already, perhaps he may not have wanted a second wife – but that is not what he said. He said, “Mar (endanger, NLT)” my own inheritance. There were four possibilities of this happening:

1. He was not already married
2. He had no children by his first wife
3. He had only daughters by his first wife
4. He had a son or sons by his first wife, but they had all died before he did

In each of these cases, if he DID accept the redemption of the land, his estate would pass out of his family and name into Elimelech’s.

Actually, this relative’s risk was no greater than that of Boaz. What this man did was not illegal, but in the laws and culture of that time, it was considered shameful and selfish (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This relative’s name is never mentioned. Perhaps it was not mentioned to spare embarrassment to his descendants, but more likely it was to highlight the unselfish character of Boaz in his generosity and kindness to the two widows in comparison with this relative’s zero performance.

The relative’s actions showed a lack of faith in God to supply his needs and to preserve his own inheritance.

Dear God, It’s hard to do the right thing all of the time! It’s hard to give when I need it for myself. Teach me, God, remind me again, to trust You for everything I need. Help me to remember that You see the big picture – far beyond my today – and that You will provide for me now and then, if I will only trust You. Amen.