A Study Through Ruth - Chapters 3&4

As we continue to study through the book of Ruth, the relationship between Boaz and Ruth blossoms into a beautiful marriage and an important child. That child will lead to David, leading to Jesus. God's hand remains involved as this wonderful love story comes to a close. 

Transcript

 Thank you once again for listening to Cultivating Growth this month. We have been spending some time in the small book of Ruth in the last couple of weeks. We've covered chapters one and two, and there has certainly been a rollercoaster ride with Ruth and Naomi. We introduced. The third character of this story, Boaz last week, and we really will continue with those three characters as we continue this week.

And we'll actually finish out the book. We're gonna cover chapters three and four, and then I'll leave us next week with our guest to kind of look back over the book as a whole. And so I'm looking forward to our conversation. Ruth chapter three. Ruth chapter four. Let's get to it.

Well, Jeremy, we left off last week at the end of chapter two and we, we kind of made the point that chapter one ends with Naomi in a very dark place. Chapter two ends with. Naomi in a much better place, and chapter three is going to begin with her. And, and it's really interesting, even though obviously the main storyline of this book revolves around Ruth and Boaz, she's a central figure in this story, and the writer continues to go back to her and her emotions and where she is throughout this story.

She, she certainly is one that shouldn't be lost in this story because she is a really central figure. In, in how this story plays out. And at the beginning of chapter three, she, she is really the one who in chapter two had encouraged Ruth to go and to seek out boas. And, and now in chapter three, she's continuing to encourage Ruth in this pursuit of boas.

She, she continues to be in some ways the driving force pushing them together and making sure that their relationship has a chance to flourish. So I think it's really interesting as we kind of continue to talk through the story, to talk through Naomi's whereabouts and how she fits into this storyline as we go.

I agree, especially when you get into, you know, certainly in chapter two, but really in chapter three and four, it's very easy to focus in on the relationship between Ruth and Boaz and, and that certainly is a pivotal relationship. There's a question about that, but there's a lot really with the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, certainly in chapter three, but even into the, into chapter four as well.

But one thing that really stands out to me, especially at the. Beginning of chapter three when Naomi is kind of revealing her plan mm-hmm. To Ruth that you see from Ruth. Someone who trusts Naomi explicitly. Yeah. And, and she trusts her judgment, she trusts her wisdom, and she goes about it in every way that Naomi has, has laid it out.

And, and I think that really says something about their relationship. And it says something about certainly Ruth's. Look to Naomi and even Naomi's the responsibility she fills towards Ruth. I mean, it, it really is a, it's an incredible relationship that is, is blossoming really up to this point and they're still looking out for one another.

Yeah. In every way. Yeah. And there is a high amount of trust that Ruth will give to Naomi in this plan. There's a lot of cultural things that are gonna take place in, in really both chapters three and four that for us here in the year. 2025 in the United States of America, we've gotta wade through a little bit.

Right? But outside of even those cultural things, there was some chances that Ruth was taking here. Mm-hmm. There's no question about that. Boaz will even make mention of it, you know, kind of at the end of the chapter that there, there was some chances that she took, but she was willing to do it because Naomi said this is the way that.

That we need to go about things. And so there is a high level of trust because this plan had some risk involved. Mm-hmm. But Ruth was willing to go, go for it because it came from the mouth of Naomi. Yeah. And I think clearly we can see that that trust had been earned over probably years and years. Yeah, no question between the two of them.

Because even go back to chapter one, Ruth's willingness. To stay with Naomi, to leave her homeland and to follow her. That that doesn't happen through just a casual relationship. There has clearly been trust built between the two of them over the years, and that continues on. And so when we get to chapter three and Naomi tells Ruth, Hey, Boaz is gonna be on the threshing floor.

Go down there you know, fix yourself up and go down there. Here's what you're going to do it. It sounds very weird. You're right. Especially to our American ears. Yeah. But I think even to Ruth, it would have sounded a little bit forward and a little bit risky to do something like that. But yet she knows that Naomi has her best interest in mind, and she knows that there's a wisdom to Naomi and, and she, she follows her advice and she does exactly as she says.

I mean, that's what she says in verse five. All that you say to me, I will do. Mm-hmm. Ruth is essentially putting her future in Naomi's hands here, and she says, you tell me to do it and I'm gonna do it. And, and so Ruth goes down to the threshing floor and she encounters Boaz after he has had his fill for the night and has gone to sleep.

And we see the interaction that takes place between the two of them there in chapter three. But, but you're right. I mean, this was all in some ways. Set up by Naomi and her direction to Ruth. Now, I think obviously in the background of all of this, we see the providence of God throughout their relationship and their interactions, but Naomi is clearly the one who Ruth has put a lot of her trust in and is taking her direction from.

Yeah, I mean, and what, what? The other thing that really sticks out to me in chapter three especially, we've seen this a little bit in chapter two. We talked about it when we were introduced to Boaz, and, and it seemed that his, his goodness was on display even with the way that he interacted with those that were working with them.

There's no question his overall goodness is on display in, in chapter three. Mm-hmm. Because he, he is in every way concerned with Ruth and, and, and even. The oddity of the situation. I mean, he, he'll make mention of the listen, well, let's kind of keep things on the down low because he doesn't want, you know, others to see and, and to, you know, to think differently about her.

He makes mention of her being a virtuous woman and he is concerned about that. And, and even his, I think, desire to be the one to care for her and ultimately marry her to be that redeemer, that kinsman redeemer that will be talked about in chapter. Three and four, but yet at the same time, he also acknowledges there's someone closer.

Mm-hmm. And, and so again, it, it is his, it's his overall goodness and, and ethics and morality that is, you know, coming to the surface instead of just, you know, saying, listen, I, I. I'm gonna take you for myself. Mm-hmm. And that's just the way that, that, because I can Right. And, and, and maybe no one would've, I, I don't know what the issues would've been, but he wasn't operating that way.

He says, listen, we're gonna take care of it and take care of it the right way. And he then goes about taking care of it in the right way. Mm-hmm. And so his overall goodness in chapters two and chapters three and four. Certainly come to the forefront. Yeah. I think not just his, his goodness, but he sees a goodness in Ruth as well.

And you know, you mentioned there in verse 11 that he refers to her as a virtuous woman. And we were talking about this before we began, but that, that phrase only appears one other time in scripture. And that's in Proverbs chapter 31. When we see that beautiful poem recorded for us of a virtuous woman.

And the language that surrounds that is just how precious and how wonderful and how rare it is to find a woman of great virtue and godliness and righteousness. And it's just this beautiful depiction of what a godly woman is. And it's that language, it's that specific phrase even that is used here to describe Ruth.

And so that tells us so much about who she is and, and not just who she is, but she has. Clearly made an impression on Boaz and their short time knowing one another. He has already seen in her and heard about her wonderful things and, and things that he admires and things that he wants to protect. He, he is concerned about her relationship, her her reputation.

He wants to do good towards her, and so we see not only Boaz and his character on display. But we're also getting a glimpse into the righteousness of Ruth and the virtuous nature in which she has shown herself. To Boaz, and it really is just a beautiful picture of, of two godly people, two virtuous people, two good people who are trying to do the right things in a difficult situation.

Somewhat of an awkward situation. Yeah. Boaz mentions like, Hey, I, I want to redeem you. I want to be your husband. But he knows that according to the law, there is someone else. Who would have the first opportunity to do that. And so he wants to handle this the proper way. He wants to make sure that her reputation is protected, that his reputation is protected, and so there is a right way to go about this and he is gonna be diligent to make sure that they do that.

Yeah. One of the thing before we kind of finish out with chapter three, we've made mention from the very beginning that this book is. Character driven it. It is a narrative. It's a story. It's a story about Naomi, it's a story about Ruth and Boaz. They are most certainly the main characters We made mention that God, God's role is evident certainly and will become even more evident.

It certainly the very end of this book. It points directly to God's hand, you know, at work. But you know, as you get to the end of chapter three and something, to me that stands out, and most certainly when you get into chapter four. I think Christ comes to the forefront. Yeah, I mean there's an incredible kind of type or shadow if you will, between Boaz and the way that he operates.

Certainly in chapters three and four. And Jesus. And I know when we get into chapter four, we may bring that up. Yeah. But there is some that happens at the end of chapter three that really kind of points to that as well. If you remember at the end of chapter two, when Ruth spends her time and, and gleaning in the field and you know, she's gonna leave and go back home and, you know, Boaz gives her an EFA of barley to take home and Naomi is blown away by that.

Mm-hmm. And we don't need to understand, you know, how much today that is. Yeah. But yet here at the end of chapter three, he sends her home with six EFAs of barley. Mm-hmm. And so now six times of what you know was necessary. And so I think now the door is being open. That's most certainly gonna be knocked through in chapter four when you begin to see.

You know, Boaz and Christ and the parallels, because here he's operating in high abundance. He's operating in overflowing blessings. Yeah. Not just the iffa barley, that's six EFAs of barley. Right. You know, to take back with you and, and most certainly, that's how Jesus operates. Yeah, you're right. I think.

You're right. We see the abundance in chapter three, and then when we get into chapter four, we see another aspect of Christ in Boaz, and that is this concept of redemption that begins to take shape. And he, that word is used several times in chapters three and four. You know, Boaz is wanting to redeem Ruth and, and he is certainly wanting to make her his wife, and that obviously is what's going to transpire.

But the idea behind it is when you redeem something, it is something that is held in high regard and you wanna take. Care of it and you want to bring it back and you want, you want to give it a home, you know, you, you want to redeem something. And that's how he's viewing this opportunity that he has with Ruth.

And, but again, as we mentioned, there is someone else that he has to make sure that this is okay with. They have a closer relative and according to the law, he would have. First, right? To not just take Ruth as his wife, but also the property that comes with her family and those types of things. And again, you know, all of this sounds very weird.

I, I've made notes in my Bible over the years. You can go back to Leviticus 25 in Deuteronomy chapter 25, and you can see some of the laws that Boaz is navigating with these things. It, while it seems unusual to us, this was very customary to them, and he's wanting to do this in a very public fashion to make sure that everybody knows that everything is on the up and up, that there's nothing underhanded about what's taking place.

All of this is going to be done according to the law, according to the customs and traditions of the time. He wants to make sure that when this is. Said and done that no one is going to speak badly about him or Ruth. There's not gonna be no accusations thrown around. He, he's a man of great honor and dignity and he wants to make sure that Ruth is a woman that is held in high regard.

And so he's doing this in a very formal way to protect both of them at the end of the day. Yeah. And you know, one other thing, you know, just on the parallel between Boaz and Jesus, certainly in the redemption with Ruth, we've already seen it certainly at the, the end of chapter one, the beginning of chapter two.

Ruth can't, she can't do this on her own. Yeah. I mean she just simply can't she, if she just can't, it, it, it is Boaz who steps in and takes care of things and certainly that's Jesus with us and, and the way that he redeems us from sin. Mm-hmm. We cannot do that on our own. It is only with the high price that Jesus pays.

And, and that's certainly where Boaz is. And yeah, there's a lot of weird kind of oddity, you know, things. And he gives this other relative an opportunity and he passes Boaz gives him his shoe. You know, in the, in the midst, in the midst of all this. And, and then we get into chapter four and kind of the story is going to conclude in the way that we love stories to conclude.

Yeah. I mean, in the stereotypical way, it is a happy ever after. Yep. You know, scenario. But at the very, very end of chapter four, God reminds us that his hand is in the midst of all of this, because not to be missed, something really, really important happens for the next section mm-hmm. Of the entirety of scripture.

Yeah. That is the child that's born. Yeah. I mean, the, the way that this book concludes it, you're right. Not only is it happily ever after, but it is the lineage of Jesus himself. I is brought to the forefront, a as the, you know, the writer here gives us. The lineage from Naomi to Ruth and then Ruth all the way down through David.

And then we go to Matthew chapter one, and here's Ruth and Boaz and the genealogy of Jesus. And you can start to see this grand picture that has taken shape and God in the forefront of all of it, leading the way, all the way to Jesus through this beautiful relationship that's formed between Ruth and Boaz.

And so it, the, the whole story is shaped in Providence. Love and redemption, all characteristics of Jesus himself and what his story is going to be all about and what it's going to mean to us. So I think it's only fitting then that at the very end of this, the, the writer just helps us point directly to Jesus.

In case you missed any of this, I wanna make sure that you understand. Yes, I am wanting you to be thinking about Christ and all of this. So he's gonna help make that point through this genealogy that's given to us at the end of the book. Yeah. And he really does it a couple of different times just so we don't miss it.

You have in verse 17, you know, they gave birth to a son. They called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David, right. Always pointing to David. And then of course, the literal very end of the book. You have that genealogy given with Salmon, begot, Boaz, Boaz, begot, oed, oed. Jesse. Jesse bet.

David. Mm-hmm. And that's ultimately where the book ends and it ends there because of the key component to what David is bringing us all the way to Jesus. Yeah. And it's just a beautiful way to end this book and this really this love story that shared with us in the pages of the Old Testament. And as we were thinking about kind of how to wrap up this book, there was a, a verse that came to mind from Jeremiah chapter 29.

Obviously not speaking necessarily about Ruth in any way, shape, or form, but the idea that is conveyed in this verse, I think speaks directly to Ruth's story and to God's hand in all that was done for her. And so we will end in Jeremiah chapter 29. Verse number 11. God speaking to Israel here says, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast. Whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.