Tragedy
Ruth 4
gives us a tragedy before it gives us a story of joy. Boaz does the right thing in making sure that
the process of kinsman redeemer is followed.
Boaz goes to the nearest relative and says “Naomi wants to sell her
field and you have the right to buy it.”
Boaz could have tried to maneuver himself into the field, but that would
have not been right. Boaz gives the
closer relative the first chance because that is the right thing to do.
So where
is the tragedy? Well, this closer
kinsman jumps at the chance to buy the field.
But when there is mention of Ruth, the kinsman back peddles faster than
a germaphobe realizing they are about to enter a middle school boys bathroom. The tragedy is found in the realization that
the closest kinsman wants the material wealth but doesn’t want the hassle of
another woman to ruin his “inheritance.”
In other words, he knows that if he buys the property and he and Ruth
produce children, those children would inherit Naomi’s land instead of the
children from his first marriage. His
eye is only on materialism.
A few days
ago I made a comment for which I received a bunch of compliments, so let me
bring it back and apply it to this story.
I praised Ruth for choosing materialistic uncertainty over materialistic
certainty because she also chose spiritual certainty over spiritual
uncertainty. Ruth has proven her
spiritual nature, and what a benefit she could have been to this kinsman redeemer
who had the chance to redeem the land!
But no, the man chooses materialistic certainty over materialistic
uncertainty and in so doing misses out on a spiritual blessings to be found in
Ruth! There is the great tragedy in this
story.
Profound Truth
But it is
to Boaz’s gain! Boaz absolutely wins in
this scenario. Boaz gains the land and
gets to add it to his wealth while he is alive.
Boaz gets to marry Ruth and add her spirituality to his household. Sure, Naomi’s land gets to go to Obed upon
Boaz’s death, but at that point what is that to Boaz? Boaz comes away with as clear of a win-win
situation as has ever been told. Why is
he in this situation? Boaz gets the
win-win because he was humble, generous, loving, compassionate, and concerned
for Ruth and Naomi.
Ruth’s End of the Story
Let’s not
forget Ruth. She walks away with a
win-win scenario as well. She has a
husband who genuinely desires her. She
has a husband who is compassionate and who will compliment her character quite
well. She has someone who can appreciate
the spirituality within her. She can
rest in the knowledge that she followed Naomi so that Naomi’s people are her
people and Naomi’s God as her God – and oh how that God has become her
God! Ruth risks materialistic stability
to follow Naomi and she finds material and spiritual redemption. Now that’s a win, folks!
Naomi’s End of the Story
Let’s also
not forget Naomi. The story begins with her
and her husband making a poor choice to leave for the sake of food. Her bad decision continues when she argues
for Ruth to go back to her own people.
But look what she has gained through Ruth’s faithfulness. She has gained a spiritual daughter-in-law. She has gained quite an honorable
son-in-law. She has gained a grandson,
and although she doesn’t know it she has gained access to the child who will be
the grandfather of the greatest king in Israel!
As the story closes, I think she knows what God has done. She takes the child and becomes his
nurse. That sounds like a win, too.
Wrapping Up Ruth
We may not
be perfect. Our life may not go
perfectly. I’m sure there were moments
as Ruth struggled to find food before she met Boaz that she wondered if she
made the right choice. We know Naomi had
her moments of doubt as well. I’m sure
Boaz also had his less-than-perfect days.
But God does not demand perfection.
God does not demand a life without inner struggle. God simply asks us to be humble and walk in
His ways. When we do that, He will be
with us.
I hope
that you have enjoyed Ruth. It truly is
a gem of hope in the midst of a set of Hebrew historical books that are filled
with a bunch of poor decisions, stumbling, and faltering in faith. We’ll begin Samuel’s story tomorrow. While Samuel is another gem of hope, he is
surrounded by people who will make poor decisions and who stumble in their
faith. But we’ll get to that soon
enough. For now, bask in the hope of
Ruth!
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