Ruth 4:1-9 – Getting the Matter Sorted
Boaz doesn’t go to his house, he doesn’t go to try to catch up on the lost hours of sleep, he doesn’t go to get breakfast, he doesn’t go to do any other thing other than go to get this matter sorted. He sits down at the gate and there is the redeemer coming along. It isn’t luck that this man happens to pass by just after Boaz has sat down. It’s the hidden hand of God moving behind the scenes. God has His plan and His purposes, and we know that He’s in control, and we know that He has all wisdom, that He is doing what is right and good for the church of Christ.
The gate of the city was where business transactions took place, and it was the place of judgment. He gathers up ten of the elders because he needs witnesses. The opportunity that’s before this other man is really quite a good one. He will acquire more land. It was a good deal, and he agrees to it. But then Boaz puts the spanner in the works, because he tells him about Ruth. She is the one that he must redeem it for. He needs to give consideration to the dead and to their honor. Boaz here is not simply concerned about business. He is concerned about the honor of the dead and of the good of Naomi and Ruth. And the other man here backs out. You see, for him to marry Ruth and to have children by her would mean that he wasn’t going to amass the land to himself and to his name as he thought. He would be having children that would be named after Mahlon and Elimelech, and the land would still belong to their family. And so this investment that he initially thought was a good deal now becomes an investment that has no return for him. It’s simply a means of blessing other people. And so he pulls out.
Boaz here is a man of honour and self-sacrifice. He is willing to step up and do this duty even if it means he will have no name, or reputation, or glory. Even if it means him paying money without getting a return. Boaz is willing.
Questions
- How do we see God’s hand in what happens?
- How does Boaz show he is a man of honour and self-sacrifice?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that God is in control of all the circumstances of our lives.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.