The providential hand of God is upon our lives as believers!
Ruth 2:19-21 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” 21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”
Under God’s sovereign guidance Ruth gleaned from the fields of Boaz, a near relative. Unbeknown to Ruth the history of Jesus the Christ would be set in motion.
Ruth 3:1-5 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” 5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
Ruth 3:8-13 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.” 10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. 12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”
Everything in the story of Ruth and Boaz was under the direct guidance of God. Everything was in His plan to save His creation in the precious blood of the Lamb. Boaz paid off the mortgage that Naomi and Ruth could not pay. In Boaz they were redeemed.
Ruth 4:1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came 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. 3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.” 6 And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. 8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”
Ruth 4:13-21 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; 20 Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; 21 Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
Just as Boaz redeemed the family of Naomi through the marriage of Ruth. So would our Redeemer King, Jesus the Christ, who would come through their genealogy. Jesus would redeem us. He paid the price in full that we could not and bought us back into right standing in the family of God. Carla
Ruth may have been barren, as she was Mahlon’s wife for 10 years without producing any offspring. Conception and birth after a long period of barrenness is considered a sign of God’s blessing on the woman. Both the Old Testament and New Testament contain examples of formerly barren women becoming pregnant through God’s intervention including Sarah (Genesis 11:30; 21:1–7), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 29:31; 30:22–23), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:1–20), and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:7–25). This group likely includes some or all of the same women who greeted Naomi and heard her complaint in Ruth 1:19–21. In 1:19–21, Naomi complained that Yahweh dealt bitterly with her. Here, the women point out that Yahweh has been with her the whole time and has now provided a redeemer. Naomi’s life would be restored in that her lineage would now continue through Ruth and Boaz’s child. A son would provide for Naomi as she got older. A strong statement about the value of Ruth. Sons were more valuable because the inheritance and family name was passed through the male heir. The number seven is symbolic of completeness. Although the child was born to Boaz and Ruth, it would continue the lineage of Naomi and her deceased husband and son. The story ends by revealing the son born to Ruth and Boaz was the grandfather of King David. The book closes with a short genealogy covering Perez to David. This genealogy is repeated in 1 Chronicles 2:4–15 and Matthew 1:3–6. Boaz’s mother was Rahab, the prostitute who hid Israelite spies (Josh 2:1–21) and was delivered when Jericho was destroyed (Josh 6). Faithlife Study Bible
Children are a gift from God. He fashions every person in the womb of the mother (Psalm 139:13). Here the close relative is not Boaz but his newborn son, the grandson of Naomi. The women praised God for His provision for Naomi. They offered a blessing for the child, asking that his fame be extended throughout Israel and that he would comfort Naomi and nourish her in her old age. Naomi’s emptiness had been replaced with fullness through the birth of this boy. Sons were considered a great reward, so for the women to state that Ruth is better to Naomi than seven sons was considerable praise for Ruth. The theme of Naomi’s fullness continues to dominate as the neighbor women declared that a child was born to Naomi. His name was Obed, signifying “One Who Serves.” The author at last reveals how Ruth, a Moabite woman, had become part of the royal Davidic line and, thus, the messianic line (Matthew 1:5). The story concludes with David’s genealogy, beginning with Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar. This genealogy could have been added to the book long after the original writing was complete, but more probably the book as a whole was composed at a later date than the events described. The genealogy of David is not really an appendix, but an essential element demonstrating the author’s purpose—and the purpose of the Lord in the building of the family line of King David and the Messiah. The story of Boaz’s redemption of a foreign woman points to Jesus’ great redemption of all those who believe in Him. The NKJV Study Bible
Luke 1:57–59 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her…
Matthew 1:1–7 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers…
1 Chronicles 2:4–15 And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul…
Genesis 29:31–32 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”
Genesis 33:5 And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, “Who are these with you?”So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
…this week we would be telling stories about the permission to serve. With hearts full of grace. Bridges of reconciliation, grace, healing and hope.
But first, this affirmation from Mary Oliver.
“it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.”
And I love this from Liz Walker. “The exterior work of social justice is only as strong as the interior work that births and fuels it. Storytelling, listening, movement, and music all represent the gentle, interior healing necessary to empower the hard work of social change.”
Ahhh yes, the gift of self-healing. And a good first step is gratitude for gifts of wonder, and beauty, and presence—the sacrament of the present moment.
And time for some jet-lag sleep. Onward together my Sabbath Moment friends.
“In the stillness of quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair.” Thank you, Howard Thurman. Sabbath Moments
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