You can read the first part of this article here.
Naomi’s Plan
Ruth continued gleaning in the field until July, that is, during the barley and wheat harvest (Ruth 2:23). It was then that Naomi set her plan in motion. Thus, the mother-in-law called her daughter-in-law to share with her the details of the plan destined to change their fate.
Ruth was to remove the shame of widowhood by washing, anointing herself, and taking off her widow’s clothes (Ruth 3:3). It was time to move on from her previous marriage. Then she was to go to the place where the men were winnowing the wheat at night and celebrating God’s goodness with that year’s harvest. She was to wait, unseen, until they fell asleep, and lie down next to Boaz in the dark of night (Ruth 3:4).
Ruth listened to her mother-in-law and carried out the plan she had devised to the letter. So, when Boaz woke up at midnight, he found Ruth lying beside him. What happened here was not, as some think, a sexual proposition from Ruth to Boaz. The book makes a point of telling us enough about the character of both to dismiss this idea outright. Instead, it was a marriage proposal. Ruth was asking Boaz to cover her with his cloak from the cold of the night and to cover her with his marriage from the harshness of the life she was enduring. She was asking him to be the answer to the prayer she had made that God would protect her the day they met.
But she was asking for something more. As a relative of Elimelech, Boaz had the opportunity to redeem the family and its properties (Lev. 25). That is, he could have a son with Ruth who would legally be the heir and descendant of Elimelech through levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5-10). Boaz was the key to reviving the deceased lineage of his relative.
Boaz, pleasantly surprised, praised Ruth again for being willing to redeem her mother-in-law’s family, even at the cost of marrying someone much older than herself. She was putting Naomi’s well-being before her own. Again, the Moabite was an example of selflessness and devotion.
So Boaz accepted the offer (Ruth 3:11). He would make sure his relative’s family was redeemed, but there was a hurdle. There was an even closer relative than Boaz who could claim the right to redeem Elimelech’s family. For Boaz to accept, the relative had to forfeit this right (Ruth 3:13). Now it was Boaz’s turn to take action.
In the morning, before dawn, Ruth returned to her mother-in-law to tell her how the plan had gone. Moreover, she did so with a large amount of barley, which might well have been the dowry for Naomi. Boaz was already courting Ruth to marry her.
Apparently, everything had gone well. The family would be redeemed. However, there was still an obstacle in the way. If the other relative claimed the right to redeem the family, he could use that right to take advantage of the situation. Also, Ruth could end up married to a man much less god-fearing than Boaz.
Naomi tried to reassure Ruth. She knew her late husband’s relative. He was not one to put things off. This matter would be settled that very day that was beginning. That day would be key to the future of the family.
The Outcome
Boaz went to the city gate. This was the place where important matters and contracts were carried out in ancient Israel. The reason was very simple, everyone passed by there. So, at the gates of Bethlehem, Boaz sat down to wait for the other relative (Ruth 4:1).
When he saw the relative, he made him sit with him and called ten elders of the city (Ruth 4:2). Boaz wanted witnesses for what was about to happen. There, in the presence of all, he presented the case of Naomi and Ruth, who needed a relative to manage the family lands and redeem them. That responsibility fell to the other relative, as he was the closest kin. Still, if he did not want to, Boaz offered to redeem them (Ruth 4:4).
To the relative, it seemed like a good idea. He would enjoy lands he hadn’t counted on. Besides, with no males in Elimelech’s family, no one would ever claim the lands. It was a perfect deal. So he accepted.
At that moment, in a masterful move, Boaz informed the relative that in redeeming the family possessions, he also had to give Ruth a descendant to inherit everything (Ruth 4:5). This step meant he would have more people to support and ultimately wouldn’t keep everything. So he declined the offer to redeem the family (Ruth 4:6).
Thus, in the presence of all the elders and the other relative, Boaz accepted to redeem Elimelech’s possessions and family by marrying Ruth and giving her a son who would be considered the deceased’s descendant (Ruth 4:9-10). Those present burst into blessings for the family and the baby who would be born (Ruth 4:11-12).
And that baby came. To Naomi, the baby was the consummation of absolute happiness. He was the promise of a future, he would be the one to take care of her. That baby, son of Ruth, her beloved daughter-in-law, meant that everything had made sense, that the bad was behind them forever. That baby was named Obed (Ruth 4:17).
And it is in verse 17, as we learn the name of the baby that changes everything, that the story leaps into infinity. It is this final revelation that transforms a beautiful rural story into one destined to change the entire world. Obed is none other than the grandfather of King David.
That Obed had such an illustrious grandson was probably very important in demonstrating the noble lineage of the shepherd of Bethlehem. But we have a much greater reason to look at this rustic story as something tremendously significant. Obed was also an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 1:5). That is, what Boaz did in redeeming Elimelech’s family and marrying the Moabite Ruth has to do with our very salvation, with God’s great plan for humanity.
It is very comforting to know that God used small stories of pain and redemption to fulfill his great plan. It is comforting because it is that same God, who devised a plan to transform the horrible loss of an unfortunate family into the greatest blessing for everyone everywhere and at all times, who is by our side when we face our own losses.
What a wonderful God we have! Isn’t that true?
Originally published on the blog of the editorial EBI.
