Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he
turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So, they sat down.
Boaz is at the gate. The gate is where the elders, the leaders of the city sat to give advice and conduct the business of God’s people. It is also where travelers
would go to find lodging and rest from their travels. The ‘gate’ and those who sat there were respected, honored and responsible to the Lord to conduct affairs on behalf of the people of the Lord with integrity, honesty and according to the Law of God.
“And behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken, came by…”
Behold…remember, this is a word that is used to alert us, as if to say;
“You don’t want to miss this!” The guy who was also a kinsman redeemer and who has ‘first dibs’ on Ruth, just so happened to come by,
just so happened to pass by right at the time Boaz had gone to find him.
It might at first strike us as ironic but having full confidence in the simple truth that Yahweh is in control of all things gives us the freedom to make wise plans
and walk them out! This is fascinatingly true. Oftentimes folks conclude the opposite:
If God is in control, what difference does my planning or trying really make.
But biblically we see the men and women of God, those who know and trust that God is in charge of all things, planning feverishly and working diligently! We are often
found thinking we have to “know everything” or “understand everything” when the folks in the Bible were busy living boldly knowing they didn’t know, but trusting that Yahweh does!
Interestingly, Boaz says,
“turn aside friend”. According to the Hebrew scholars that I have read and one that I know very well personally, that is an unfortunate translation. The Hebrew word means, “old so and so”. Or, “Hey Yo…” It is purposed to keep this “other” redeemer nameless,
faceless and anonymous. Many see this, and it makes sense, as a kind of jab at him, a subtle mark against his character.
4:3-6
3
Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you] will not, tell me,
that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”
6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
Read it carefully…how would you describe Boaz’s demeanor here? Before, when he finds out about Naomi and Ruth coming home with her, how does he seem then? At first
the narrator portrays Boaz as passionate and animated, at least he seems excited and optimistic about the news of Naomi and Ruth being back in Bethlehem. But in these verses, one could not be blamed for thinking Boaz seems to sound almost bored, drab, flat
and without emotion. What is going on? Here is Paul Miller’s insightful assessment:
The first deal and the one that Mr. No Name is expecting to hear, is this: “Mr. Ain’t gottaname, You get Naomi…You buy Naomi’s land and care for an old woman for a
few years. When she dies the land is yours free and clear.”
But then Boaz tells him the second deal, or if you would rather, the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. The nameless man gets Naomi
AND Ruth. He must care for Naomi until her death but he also must marry Ruth the widow and support her
for the rest of her life. He also must then support the children that Mr. No Name gives her but these children, according to the law, will get Ruth’s dead husband’s last name, not Mr. No Name’s. When those children are grown, Mr. Nameless must give them,
the children, the land of Naomi and Ruth.
Boaz is brilliant. Does this man want all of that responsibility and with no pay off in the end? Is he interested in hesed love? Does he want to love and care for
others at great inconvenience but with nothing in it for himself?
Perhaps someone wonders if Boaz is brilliant or if he is just a manipulator. Why isn’t this manipulation? This is wisdom, not manipulation for the following reasons:
First, intent. Boaz obviously knows Mr. Nameless. As things fall out, it appears that he is greedy and impulsive. He doesn’t care about Ruth, he cares about lining
his own pockets. Remember, when Naomi came home everyone knew she had returned, and soon enough, everyone knew Ruth. Boaz had heard about Ruth before he ever met her. Two months later, Boaz calls her a worthy woman, because the whole town knows her outstanding
character.
Where has Mr. Faceless been? Living under a rock? He jumped at the chance for some unearned money, but when it was clear that in the long run there was nothing in
it for him, he bailed quickly. Boaz knows his own heart, he loves Ruth. But it appears that he also knows Mr. Faceless, and so he plays his cards with wisdom, not simply for himself, (although he wants Ruth) but for the good of all involved.
Second, this is not manipulation because Boaz is ready to walk if the Lord’s providence so dictates. If this guy is willing to be faithful to the heart of being a
redeemer, then that is how it is going to be. Again, Boaz is proceeding according to righteousness, he is going to do this righteously and according to the Law of God.
As an aside, one of the best ways to avoid idolatry is to do things God’s way, even if and especially when, it cuts across the grain of what you want or desire. If
our first question is “what do I want”, instead of, “What does God say”, our heart’s soil has been made ready for idols to be planted deep.
Third, it is wise to realize you don’t have to say everything. Boaz doesn’t mention Ruth at first, he plays his cards carefully and wisely.This helps to make the situation
clear but also causes the truth of the matter for Mr. No Name to be front and center. Fourth, Boaz has his eyes on the end, on the goal, the telos. His goal is not money or personal advancement. His goal is to love, to love Ruth but also to love Naomi. And
yes, it will cost him, but what real love doesn’t? Isn’t sacrifice and cost at the heart of hesed love?
Boaz has his heart set on loving, not only Ruth, who will become his wife, but also Naomi, a woman whose life has been filled with bitterness. Let’s be honest and
candid: Boaz wants to marry Ruth, that is clear. However, Boaz is not interested in short-cuts, nor in manipulating circumstances to his own ends. He wants to follow the ways of Yahweh, and wisely navigates circumstances for the sake of others and is willing
and ready for the Lord to say “no” to him, if that is the Lord’s will.
It is of first importance that we take Boaz’s example and the words of our Savior, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness…” to heart. That
is to be our heart’s primary desire, and our life’s primary pursuit. Anything else will become a snare. It is fine for us to have desires and wants, but they can never be ultimate but must submit themselves to the One who knows and Who we trust. When our desires,
even desires for good things, become ultimate, we find our affections to be our gods and ourselves living among idols, and the end of this is disaster.
Prayer:
Father of all things, we confess that our affections and desires often wander, taking us into desolate places. Forgive us and give us a measure of your Spirit that we might rightly order our thinking, feeling, wants and desires to be in submission to You
and the path that grace has set before us. May we like Boaz, and more, like our elder Brother, want for nothing but to do Your will and seek the ways of your holy Word, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Hymn: Be Thou My Vision
