Ruth 4

Ruth 4:1-22

Chapter 17 Boaz Redeems Ruth Rth 4:1-22 We come now to the climax of the Book of Ruth. The things recorded in chapter 4 are the things to which everything up to this point has been leading. Read Rth 4:1-22 carefully. Everything in this chapter is designed by God the Holy Spirit to direct our hearts and minds to the Lord Jesus Christ and his great work of redemption. “Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat down there” (Rth 4:1). Why? To intercede for Ruth. This is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ who ha gone up to heaven for us, and sat down there to intercede for us. Boaz went up to the city to do his work - Christ has gone up to heaven because his work is done (Hebrews 10:11-14; Hebrews 1:1-3). Just as everything Boaz did as he sat at the gate of the city was for Ruth, so everything Christ does is for his people. Failure was not even considered. Boaz was resolved to take Ruth home with him that night. With our great Savior, failure is an impossibility (Isaiah 42:4). “He shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Boaz said to his kinsman, “If thou wilt redeem, redeem: but if thou wilt not redeem, tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem beside thee; and I am after thee” (Rth 4:4). This near kinsman, more than anything else represents the law. But the law cannot redeem, it cannot save without marring itself and the very character of God. The law identifies sin, but cannot forgive it. The law condemns us all, but changes none. The law slays, but can never save (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 3:28; Romans 8:3-4; Galatians 3:10; Galatians 3:13). Next, Boaz said, “What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess.” Ruth, as we have seen throughout this study, is a type of the church. The world is a great field. The church of God is a treasure hid in the field (Matthew 13:44). Our heavenly Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ, sold all that he had and bought the field so that he might get the treasure. As a man, as the God-man Mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ purchased all things. All things are his. He rules and disposes of all things for the saving of his people, whom he redeemed with his own blood. As Boaz bought all that was Elimelech’s, so Christ bought all that was Adam’s. As God the Son, it was his before. But not it is his by right of redemption as our Mediator (Psalms 2:8; John 17:2; Romans 14:9). “And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought… Ruth the Moabitess…to be my wife” (Rth 4:9-10). Boaz bought all that was Elimelech’s, but the object of his love and the purpose of his work was Ruth. As Boaz purchased Ruth to be his wife, so the Lord Jesus Christ purchased the church of God’s elect to be his wife (Ephesians 5:25-27). The object of his love, the purpose of his work was the salvation of his people. Here are nine things about Boaz’s redemption of Ruth which are also true concerning Christ’s redemption of God’s elect. It was… A PROPER . None but Boaz could redeem Ruth. He alone was both able and willing to redeem. Redemption, if it is proper, must be legal. And our redemption by Christ is a proper redemption. Deliverance without satisfaction is a violation of the law; and satisfaction without deliverance is a violation of justice. Christ alone is able to redeem us (Psalms 24:3-6). He alone is willing to redeem us at the price demanded by divine justice (Hebrews 10:1-5. Christ alone is a just and legal Redeemer for sinners (Isaiah 45:20). A . Boaz went through great pains, trouble, and cost to himself in order to redeem Ruth; but he did so with great pleasure. He did it all with the sweet prospect of having Ruth for himself. Even so, our Lord Jesus found great pleasure and satisfaction in the midst of his sorrows, as he anticipated having his elect with him forever (Hebrews 12:2; Isaiah 53:10-12). Our dear Savior did not hesitate to pay the price required for our ransom. He willingly took our sins upon himself. He willingly took for us the cup of wrath. He willingly gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law. Here’s the compassion of our God – That when Christ, our Savior, knew The price of pardon was His blood, His pity ne’er withdrew! A . Naomi, Ruth, and all who understood what he did esteemed Boaz’s condescending work of redeeming her a matter of great grace, a precious deed on the part of one who made himself precious in their eyes (Rth 2:20; Rth 4:11-14). Even so, all who have tasted the free grace of God in Christ count him, his blood, and his redemption precious (2 Corinthians 9:15; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 1 Peter 2:7). It is precious because the redemption of the soul is precious (Psalms 49:8). The redemption of our souls is precious because the price of our ransom was Christ’s precious blood. Our redemption by Christ is a precious thing, because it was a great act of infinitely great and condescending grace. Boaz was not ashamed of Ruth, the poor Moabite stranger. She could not redeem herself; but this wealthy Prince stooped to lift her up and exalt her. What a great type of the Lord Jesus Boaz is. The Son of God stooped low (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8), that he might lift us high. This great Prince, the Prince of Heaven, calls to himself the poor, the wretched, the miserable, the halt, the lame, and the blind.

And he is never ashamed to identify himself with them and to own them as his own brethren (Hebrews 2:9-11). As the great Boaz redeemed and married the lowly Ruth, —as the great King David took the poor, crippled son of Johnathan, Mephibosheth into his house and caused him to sit at his table as one of the king’s own sons, —as Hosea redeemed the wretched Gomer and took her to be his wife after she had defiled herself so horribly, so the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed and married us (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). A PUBLIC .“Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.” (Rth 4:1-2) There were many witnesses to this great transaction. This thing was not done in a corner. When Boaz purchased Ruth everyone in Bethlehem knew it. So, too, There were many witnesses to the redemption of God’s elect by Christ. As the angels of God observed the great work., when God the Father, forsook his darling Son, who was made to be sin for us, the sun was darkened, the earth quaked, the stones split open, the graves were opened, and the veil in the temple was ripped apart, from the top to the bottom. The law of God being satisfied, the veil was ripped apart, showing that there is now open access for sinners to come to the holy Lord God by the blood of Christ. As Satan and the demons of hell observed the dying triumph of the God-man, all hell must have trembled! Then, three days later, our great Emancipator rose from the grave! As Boaz pulled off his shoe as a token of the transaction being complete (Rth 4:8), so the Lord Jesus Christ took off his grave clothes and ascended up to heaven, “having obtained eternal redemption for us!” (Hebrews 9:12; Romans 4:25). A .“Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.” (Rth 4:10) Boaz redeemed Ruth “that the name of the dead be not cut off.” And the Lord Jesus redeemed unto himself a people to be his seed, his peculiar people, to live forever (Psalms 22:30; Isaiah 53:10; Titus 2:14). Boaz redeemed Ruth to be his wife, not his slave, but his wife. So, too, the Son of God redeemed us to be his wife. What a great boon of grace it would have been for such as we are to have been purchased as his slaves! But here is God’s super abounding grace to sinners – Christ has purchased a people unfit to be his slaves to be his holy bride forever! A . “Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased!” (Rth 4:10). Let unbelieving religious men argue and debate as they will, the blood of Christ was shed for and redeemed a particular people. There is not even a hint of universal redemption to be found in Holy Scripture. Everywhere in the Bible, when redemption is typified, prophesied, and explained, it is set forth as being the particular, effectual redemption of a specifically chosen people called “the elect” (Isaiah 53:8; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 9:12; Revelation 5:9). A . Boaz got Ruth. That was his purpose; and it was accomplished. Be assured, the Lord Jesus Christ will also accomplish his purpose. He will get his Moabite bride. As a direct result of this great transaction God brought his king to his holy hill of Zion (Rth 4:17). So, too, the Lord Jesus Christ, David’s great son and his Lord, was brought into his kingdom and made to sit upon his throne by means of the redemption he accomplished at Calvary (Acts 2:22-36). As a result of this redemption, the Son of God was brought into this world (Matthew 1:5). And as the result of that redemption accomplished in the death of Christ all God’s elect shall be brought into heavenly glory (Galatians 3:13-14). A redemption which accomplishes nothing is a useless redemption. Such redemption is not found in the Bible. A PERFECT . “Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife” (Rth 4:13). So too, our heavenly Boaz will finish this thing when the day is over. He will come again to take his Bride unto himself (Revelation 19:1-9). What a day that will be! A . There is no praise in this whole affair for Ruth, the redeemed. All praise goes to Boaz, the redeemer. The work of redemption was all his. Therefore, he was praised for it (Rth 4:11) Boaz was made famous in Israel. His house was filled. Why? Because he deserved it. Even so, our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ has been made great. He alone is famous in God’s Israel. His house shall be filled. Why? Because he deserves it! Let us adore and publish the name of our dear Redeemer. Make him famous where you live for his sovereign purpose of grace, for his electing love, for his adorable providence, for his immaculate mercy, and for his great, effectual redemption of our souls by his precious blood. Do not allow the care of this world to destroy you, as it did Elimelech. Cling to Christ, as Ruth did to Naomi. Cast yourself upon his mercy continually, as she cast herself upon the goodness and mercy of Boaz. “Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life.”

Ruth 4:4-8

Chapter 18 “To Raise Up The Name Of The Dead” “And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.

Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.” Rth 4:4-8 In the fourth chapter of Ruth, we are told how Boaz cleared away all obstacles to his redemption of and union with Ruth. Remember, the purpose of his heart was settled. He had made up his mind to redeem Ruth and to marry her. But he was an honorable man. He would not redeem her, he would not marry her, he would not have her unless he could do so in a way that would completely honor God and his holy law. So the nearer kinsman had to be dealt with before Boaz could take Ruth for himself. Therefore, he came to the gate of the city, called together the elders of the city, and spoke publicly to Ruth’s nearer kinsman, the man who was her nearer kinsman by virtue of her marriage to Mahlon. The conversation is recorded for us in verses four through eight. Clearly, the prominent subject of this passage is redemption. The word “redeem” is used nine times in these five verses. The purpose, or object of redemption is plainly stated in verse five. It is “to raise up the name of the dead.” The object of redemption, both typical and real, is to raise up the seed of a man who has died for the honor of that man. According to the law of God, (the law of God which was given to portray and point us to the Lord Jesus Christ),“the kinsman’s part,” the duty of the kinsman redeemer involved three things. The kinsman redeemer was obligated by the law of God to do three things. If he failed to do these three things he must bear public reproach for his failure (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Leviticus 25:25-26). The kinsman redeemer must… Restore the inheritance of his impoverished relative. Procure the liberty of his brother who through poverty had been brought into slavery. Marry his dead relative’s wife and “raise up the name of the dead.” As Boaz did these things for Ruth, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done all this for God’s elect. He has redeemed the inheritance we lost in Adam. He restored that which he took not away. He procured our liberty. By his blood he freed us from the curse of the law. And by the power of his grace he has broken the iron fetters that held us in slavery to Satan and to sin. By the power of his grace, by his omnipotent Spirit, our Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, is raising up the name of the dead in this world. A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD Redemption was always a matter of indisputable, public record. God arranged his law in such a way that throughout the history of Israel in the Old Testament, every transaction involving redemption was done in public, attested to by numerous witnesses, and recorded as a matter of public record, so that the transaction could never be nullified or disputed. As we read this fourth chapter of Ruth, several things stand out as matters of obvious significance. First, the matter dealt with here is a matter of great importance. Boaz came to the gate of the city, called the elders together, and a large crowd immediately assembled. They knew that something of great importance was about to take place. Something more was involved in this business than Ruth and Mahlon, Naomi and her daughter-in-law. That which was about to take place, that which was being discussed had something to do with the glory of God, the purpose of God, and the people of God. Redemption is a subject of immense importance. This is more than a doctrinal statement. It is the revelation of God’s glory (Romans 3:24-26), the declaration of his purpose (Romans 8:28), and the hope of his people (2 Corinthians 5:21). Second, this business was transacted in a conspicuous, public place. “Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat down there.” Not only is the work of Christ in redemption a matter of vital importance, it has been accomplished in a public manner (Acts 22:26-27; Acts 22:22-23). The law and the prophets all pointed to this as the climatic event for which God created all things. The apostles all speak of Christ’s work of redemption as the crucial issue of the gospel. As we saw in the previous study, the darkened sun, the earthquake, the opened graves, and the rent veil all attested to the fact that the man who died at Calvary was, as the centurion said, “the Son of God.” Third, redemption was a legal matter. It was a legal transaction. It was done according to the law; and it honored the law. There is an impressive scene before us (Rth 4:2). Boaz took ten men of the city, ten elders in Israel, to be witnesses to this thing. I cannot help thinking that these ten men are suggestive of God’s holy law, summarized in the ten commandments.

Our Lord Jesus fulfilled both the law and the prophets when he died as our Substitute and redeemed us. He fulfilled the righteousness required by the law’s commandments in his life (Jeremiah 23:6). He fulfilled the penalty required by the law’s justice (Galatians 3:13). He fulfilled the prophets, suffering to the last detail “all that was written of him” (Acts 13:29; John 19:28; Luke 24:44-46). Thus, it is written, “Christ is the end of the law to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4). THE OF THE LAW The failure of the nearer kinsman to redeem Ruth demonstrates the inability of the law to save man. We are not told what his motives were. Whatever they may have been, the nearer kinsman preferred to suffer public shame and disgrace rather than redeem Ruth and thus mar his own inheritance. As we have seen, this nearer kinsman, more than anything else, stands out in the Book of Ruth as a picture of God’s holy law. The law of God is holy, just, and good; but it cannot forgive sin or extend mercy without marring its justice. The law always identifies and exposes sin. It condemns the sinner, without regard to or giving any consideration to age, environment, education, gender, parentage, or extenuating circumstances. - “The soul that sinneth, it shall die!” The law takes only one thing into consideration - justice, strict, absolute, unbending justice. It identifies sin, exposes sin, and condemns sin. It has no other purpose and no other ability (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 7:9; Romans 8:3). All who attempt salvation by the law, all who attempt to get to God on their own merits, shall, like this nearer kinsman, bear the reproach publicly forever. What the nearer kinsman could not and would not do for Ruth, Boaz gladly did. And what the law could not and would not do for us, the Lord Jesus Christ gladly did. As Boaz was delighted to redeem Ruth, Christ was delighted to redeem his people, because of his great love for us (Romans 8:1-4). The nearer kinsman pulled off his shoe - a sign of disgrace, slavery, and disavowed ownership; and Boaz stepped into his shoes. Moses (the law) put off his shoes as a servant before God’s manifest presence. Believers, as the sons of God, have had the shoes of liberty and sonship put on our feet in the Father’s house (Luke 15:22). The legalist (that person who attempts to gain God’s favor by his own works) is a slave, cursed by the very thing that makes him so proud (Galatians 3:10). We are the sons of God, accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6; 1 John 3:1). “TO RAISE UP THE NAME OF THE DEAD” As Boaz assumed and discharged every duty of a kinsman for Ruth, so the Lord Jesus Christ assumed and fully discharged the whole work of redemption for us. Not only did Boaz buy the inheritance that Mahlon had lost, he bought it for Ruth particularly. He bought the field and bought Ruth for this purpose - “to raise up the name of the dead.” Soon Obed was born to Ruth and Boaz. Even so, our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us to raise up the name of the dead, to raise up a seed from among the fallen sons and daughters of Adam to serve him; and it shall be done! “A seed shall serve him.” “He shall not fail!” As Judah assumed all responsibility for Benjamin as his voluntary surety, the Lord Jesus Christ assumed all responsibility for God’s elect in the covenant of grace before the world began (Genesis 43:9; Hebrews 7:22). The Son of God came into this world, lived, died, and rose again to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). God the Father has given his Son, our Savior, the power to give eternal life to all his chosen seed (John 17:2). Therefore, we are assured that all who were given to Christ in the covenant of grace before the world began, all who were redeemed by his blood, all for whom he came into this world, he will present faultless before the presence of the divine glory at last (John 6:37-40; John 10:16; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Hebrews 2:13). The immutability of God’s love demands it (Malachi 3:6). The steadfastness of God’s purpose demands it (Titus 1:2).

The justice of God’s character demands it. Augustus Toplady said it well — “Payment God cannot twice demand, First at my bleeding Surety’s hand, And then again at mine!” The intercession of Christ demands the salvation of those for whom he lived, died, and rose again (John 17:24). Indeed, the honor of Boaz, the honor of Christ, demands it. If he should fail to save those whom he came to save, if he should fail to fully, effectually, and everlastingly redeem even one whom he came to redeem, he must bear the shame forever; and that cannot be. Our Kinsman Redeemer shall, at last, see of the travail of his soul with complete satisfaction. “Blessed be the Lord which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel!”