II. THE REAPING OF RUTH – 2:1-23 (Continued from Part One)

According to verse 3, Ruth came to a field purely by chance, working a particular section of the field belonging to Boaz. But that is the human perspective. From a divine perspective, this was all divine providence. It points to the truth that men do not control events, but the Hand of God is behind them; He works His own purpose out. It was the fact that she came to this field and no other that was to lead to her acquaintance with Boaz and their subsequent marriage and all that was involved, including the fact that it led to the birth of King David.

Verses 8-9 record the offer of Boaz. He gave Ruth an admonition to remain in his field – to continue gleaning in his field permanently. She was to follow immediately after the servant girls where the pickings would be the most numerous, and Boaz had instructed all of the male workers to leave her alone. Verse 11 makes it obvious that while Boaz had not seen Ruth before, he had certainly heard a lot about her by this time; and in verse 12 he gave her his blessing. This blessing involved two things: First, Jehovah recompense your work; may she be repaid by God Himself for her faithfulness. Second: and a full reward be given you of Jehovah; may she be rewarded from the God of Israel, under whose wings you are come to take refuge. The observation and irony is that Boaz prayed that God would provide protection over Ruth and provide for Ruth, not yet realizing he will end up being the one to answer his own prayer.

Verses 14-16 document Boaz’s provisions for Ruth. Verse 14 gives the invitation of Boaz at meal-time; this is an example of his chesed. Ruth was told to take of the food provided for the harvesters and she was not required to sit separately. Moreover, she was given enough to satisfy her hunger and to have food left over. Verses 15-16 record Boaz’s provisions for Ruth by his instructions to his own workers. His practice of chesed went well beyond the usual generosity and compassion for the poor. Boaz went well beyond the legal right of the gleaners allowing Ruth to glean before the reapers were finished and ordering them to pull out a handful of stalks for Ruth to pick up.

When Ruth returned to Naomi on the evening of that day, Naomi was aware that the amount of grain Ruth had gleaned was above the normal amount a poor gleaner would come home with. Also, Ruth had brought her food. Therefore, Naomi inquired in whose field she had gleaned and who had allowed her to do it (verses 18-19). Only after Ruth tells Naomi the name of the man who had allowed her to gather in his field, is Boaz connected with the true concept of kinsman-redeemer. Naomi said to Ruth, The man is nigh of kin unto us. The Hebrew word for kin is karav, meaning "to be near." And she added, one of our near kinsmen, using the key word gaal. Gaal means "to redeem" or "to act as a kinsman." In verse 22 Ruth is instructed by Naomi to stay in Boaz’s field. Verse 23 concludes the chapter with the gleaning of Ruth. She gleaned in Boaz’s field through both the barley and the wheat harvest. This would cover a period of two or three months during which Ruth and Boaz would see each other almost on a daily basis. However, Ruth dwelt with her mother-in-law, her home was with Naomi. Rabbinic tradition says that Ruth spent the entire period with the maids of Boaz and was away from Naomi for three months. But this is not what the text says, Ruth returned to Naomi on a daily basis.

There are three basic observations concerning chapter 2. The one that will be mentioned in this excerpt is that, at this point in the story, God has His payment of Ruth’s wages. The generosity of Boaz is only the down payment.

III. RUTH AND THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER – 3:1-18

The third main division in the Book of Ruth begins with Naomi’s desire in verse 1: My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you? The Hebrew word for rest is manoach. It may refer to a state of rest or a condition of rest. But in this context, it refers to the condition of rest and security to be attained through marriage – as was already implied back in 1:9. This is what Naomi prayed would happen in 1:8-9 and now she was about to answer her own prayer. The purpose of Naomi’s desire is: that it may be well with you. Naomi was faced with three issues: First, how could the name of Elimelech be maintained among the Tribes of Israel since both of her sons were now dead? Second, what steps should be taken to protect her inheritance which Elimelech had left in Naomi’s trust? Third, how could she provide rest and security for her faithful daughter-in-law? The marriage to Boaz would solve all three problems. This also meant that Naomi will renounce her own claim to Boaz as the close relative and give it to Ruth the younger widow.

The preparation of Ruth begins with her beautification in order to make her look as attractive as possible to Boaz (verse 3a). She is to take a bath, apply perfume, and put on her dress. The Hebrew word is simlah. Being poor she probably did not have a "best dress," so this might mean to exchange her clothes of mourning and widowhood for regular clothes. Based upon an analogy with II Samuel 12:20, which also mentions bathing, perfume, and a simlah dress when David completed his mourning period for his son, it might imply that Ruth was still wearing the garments of her widowhood. Therefore, Naomi is advising Ruth to end her period of mourning over her widowhood and go on with her life. Naomi then tells Ruth everything else she needs to do and Ruth answer is all that you say I will do.

There has been much discussion on the purpose and significance of uncovering Boaz’s feet. To uncover the feet and to lie down do, in certain cases, imply sexual union. In the context of the Law of Moses, this was not immorality but a legal appeal. Thus this act does not need to be interpreted with a sexual connotation, and Ruth’s action here should not be interpreted with sexual or immoral overtones, but as a symbolic act meaning that she was requesting Boaz to fulfill his duty as the kinsman-redeemer and marry her. Since Naomi identified Boaz as the goel in 2:20, the plan was aimed at carrying out that duty by marrying Ruth. There were other kinsman-redeemers available, but none as yet had come forward to fulfill their duty. This may have been due to the fact that Ruth was a Moabitess, or perhaps, each was waiting for the other to make the first move. The plan of Naomi was intended to break the impasse.

And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. This statement summarizes Ruth’s obedience to Naomi. According to the Law of Moses, Ruth was entitled to call upon the next of kin to fulfill the various responsibilities of a kinsman-redeemer. This included getting her pregnant so that she could have a son in her dead husband’s name, and thus the line would continue. What she was asking Boaz to do was to fulfill his obligation as the kinsman-redeemer, and by creeping softly to the resting place of Boaz, she was making a legal claim in the approved manner of the time.

Verse 9 records the account of the conversation between the two. Boaz raised the question: Who are you? Ruth answered and in her answer she did two things. First, her self-identification: I am Ruth your handmaid. This time she used the word amah, thus she presented herself as one who was eligible for marriage or concubinage. Then came her request: spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid or, as the Hebrew states, "spread your wing over your handmaid." This refers to the corner of the garment, and it refers to the fact that a man spreads this over his wife, as well as himself (Deuteronomy 22:30; 23:1; 27:20). It is used of God spreading His skirt over Israel in Ezekiel 16:8, also in the context of marriage. So the meaning here is that she was asking Boaz to marry her. Finally, she gave the basis of her request, For you are a near kinsman. In this request, Ruth actually departed from Naomi’s specific instructions and added something of her own. This is significant, since again it shows Ruth’s devotion to Naomi. Naomi only wanted to obtain a husband for Ruth, a concern of the older widow for the younger widow throughout the book. But by invoking the goel, the kinsman-redeemer custom on her own initiative, Ruth’s subordinated her own happiness to her family duty of providing Naomi with an heir. She thus further embodied the ideal of chesed and showed herself worthy of becoming a full member of the people of Israel.

Verse 11 shows Boaz’s comforting of Ruth. The comfort was: And now, my daughter, fear not. The promise was: I will do to you all that you say. In other words, he will fulfill his obligations as the kinsman-redeemer. The reason was: for all the city of my people do know that you are a worthy woman. In Hebrew, that phrase is "a woman of valor." So it is obvious that in the two to three months since Ruth arrived at Bethlehem, her reputation as a woman of virtue had become common knowledge all over the city, especially among the city elders. Having said this, however, in verse 12 he pointed out there is one obstacle. Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer, but he is not the kinsman-redeemer. Under the Mosaic Law, the duty fell upon the closest male relative, unless he waved his right of priority. As an upright Israelite, Boaz bowed before the Law rather than scheme to circumvent it.

In verse 13, Boaz gave his instructions and plans. The instruction was: Tarry this night. The word in Hebrew is lun and not shachav, and that is significant because shachav does carry sexual connotations but lun does not. So, by the use of this verb, all ambiguity is removed concerning the sexual implication between the two. When they were in the very crucible of temptation, they proved themselves righteous by choosing integrity over passion. The plan is spelled out next, and the timing was: and it shall be in the morning. Boaz promised to resolve the issue the very next day. It will not be allowed to linger indefinitely any longer and the whole issue would be settled within a day. Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet until the morning and then she left while it was still dark to avoid damaging either her reputation or his. While nothing actually wrong took place, this would avoid any unnecessary gossip.

Verse 16 describes the return of Ruth and Naomi’s inquiry: Who are you, my daughter? Not that she did not know that it was Ruth, but the question was asked in the sense of "to what condition have you come?" "How do things stand with you?" In other words, are you his wife or not? In verse 17 Ruth tells her mother-in-law about the gift of Boaz: These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, Go not empty to your mother-in-law. As a kinsman-redeemer, his relationship is more with Naomi than with Ruth. Verse 18 presents Naomi’s conviction. She did understand from the gift sent by Boaz via Ruth that this was a commitment that he will see the matter all the way through to its conclusion, be it what it may be.

IV. THE REDEMPTION OF RUTH – 4:1-17

Verses 1-2 describe Boaz’s stage setting at the city gate – the place where legal transactions were concluded. Verses 3-4a record Boaz’s challenge to the near kinsman: Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s. As Jeremiah 32:6-12 shows, the land is normally first offered to a member of the family before being offered to anyone else. This was what Naomi was doing. The near kinsman had two options: Buy it before them that sit here, meaning the people in general, but if you will not redeem it, then tell me. The reason was: that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides you, since he was the first in line; and I am after you, Boaz was second in line. So what Boaz will do is dependent upon what the near kinsman will do.

In verse 5, Boaz then presented to him one further obligation that he was obviously not aware of: you must buy it also of Ruth. The kinsman would buy Naomi’s property and she would then have some income. But this would not solve the problem of an heir. If he bought the field, he automatically bought Ruth as well, and the purpose would be: to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. This was the concept behind the transaction. The importance to an Israelite was to have an heir living on the family land, because the loss of land-heirs amounted to personal annihilation, which in the biblical context was the greatest tragedy possible. The issue here was not the continual conscious existence of the soul after death, which, biblically, was always true anyway, but the continual existence of the person in the memory of the family, the clan, and the tribe. To raise up the name of the dead, then, was to provide an heir to keep the deceased in existence on ancestral property over his inheritance.

Verse 6 then records the kinsman’s negative response. The rejection of the offer was: I cannot redeem it for myself. This was the legal renunciation to act as the goel, and now, Boaz can keep the promise himself. The reason he gave was: lest I mar my own inheritance. He then made the offer: take you my right of redemption on you. The reason was: for I cannot redeem it. He did not say he will not redeem it, but that he cannot redeem it. It probably meant that he was not rich and, therefore, he could not both redeem the field, and then also bring Ruth into the equation. He simply could not carry the double financial burden. Any addition to his family would ruin his children’s inheritance. How that would happen is that he would have to buy Naomi’s property from assets that were part of his own estate, only to loose that investment when Ruth’s first son claimed what was his as Elimelech’s heir.

In verses 9-10 Boaz takes full responsibility as the kinsman-redeemer in front of many witnesses. Verses 11-12 record the response of the witnesses; they declare three blessings: First, the blessing upon Ruth – may Ruth build up the house of Boaz. Second, the blessing upon Boaz – make yourself a well-established name through your marriage to Ruth. Then came the third blessing upon the house of Boaz: and let your house be like the house of Perez. Perez was the result of a Levirite marriage. He was the son of Judah from whom Boaz came. The witnesses point out: whom Tamar bare unto Judah. Tamar was also a widow and had a child by an older man.

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. God has now paid Ruth’s wages in full: He gave her a son and not a daughter, thus allowing the family line to continue. The blessing of Naomi is found in verses 14-17, with the declaration of the women in 14-15. The blessing was: Blessed be Jehovah. The reason was: who has not left you this day without a near kinsman. The redeemer here was not Boaz, but the son that has just been born, because he will be the one who will some day redeem the whole of Naomi’s possessions. As the son of Ruth, he was also the son of Naomi, and as such, would take away the reproach of childlessness from her. Ruth was the only one who could raise up a son to inherit the estate of Elimelech, and so he will comfort her and tend to her in her old age, and thereby, become her true goel. This is the only time the term goel is used of a child, not of an adult. This is the child that Boaz promised would carry on the name of Elimelech and inherit his property.

Then the women said something about Naomi and Ruth: for your daughter-in-law, who loves you,...has born him, who is the one that has provided her with an heir and has exercised true chesed. In Leviticus 19:34, Moses instructed Israel to love the stranger. But now it is the stranger from Moab who will show the Israelites what this means. Then they said of Ruth: who is better to you than seven sons. This is the value placed on the Gentile Ruth by the Jewish women of Bethlehem. In a society that preferred sons to daughters, placing Ruth on such a high level marked the respect this woman had achieved among the women of Bethlehem.

In verse 17a the women declared: there is a son born to Naomi. This implies that the child was Naomi’s son in more than just an abstract, legal sense. It appears that Naomi was to raise the child as if he were her own son. He was to be her son in the ordinary sense, requiring her to care for him; requiring care, affection, discipline, and guidance. This role involved either temporary or permanent custody of the child, since the child would have been brought to live with Naomi permanently. But in light of her age, she might have been in a similar role to a mother who provides day-care for the children of others, and not the legal mother or nanny. The author views Naomi as a mother, rather than a mere guardian. The term "foster mother" is probably the best term to describe what is really happening here. Ruth gave one last gift to Naomi; the gift of a son to care for as her own; a son to replace the deceased ones; a son who would later reciprocate her care as she grew older. Ruth performed this act voluntarily and out of deep love for Naomi. Other daughters-in-law would not be willing to volunteer their child for such a service. Naomi did not assume the legal status of a guardian, adoptive mother, or foster-mother, but she became the foster-mother by Ruth’s loving initiative, not by law.

And they called his name Obed. Obed means "the serving one." This was based upon what he would become to Naomi. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. This phrase may indicate the author’s purpose in writing the book. Since the Books of Samuel never provide a genealogy for David, this book provides the genealogical link between the Books of Joshua and Samuel concerning the lineage of David.

V. THE GENEALOGY – 4:18-22

The book concludes with a list of ten generations. The Boaz line began with Perez and not with Judah. This kept the genealogy to ten generations. The Judah factor was obvious anyway, but not which line of Judah. Therefore, this made it clear; it was from the line of Perez. According to rabbinic tradition, Ruth lived all the way to see the reign of Solomon. That would mean she lived quite a long time, but there is no biblical evidence for this whatsoever. With the story of Ruth, there is the genealogical link that connects the son of Judah, Perez, all the way down to King David.