Boaz Redeems Ruth

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. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: 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. I thought...: Heb. I said, I will reveal in thine ear 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. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. 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. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: do thou...: or, get thee riches, or, power be famous...: Heb. proclaim thy name And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. left...: Heb. caused to cease unto thee kinsman...: or, redeemer And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. a nourisher of...: Heb. to nourish thine...: Heb. thy gray hairs And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it 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. Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, Salmon...: or, Salmah And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. - Ruth 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 Ruth 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” (v. 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 (Heb. 10:11-14; 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 (Isa. 42:4). “He shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 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” (v. 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 (Rom. 3:19-20, 28; 8:3-4; Gal. 3:10, 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 (Matt. 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 (Ps. 2:8; John 17:2; Rom. 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” (vv. 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 (Eph. 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 REDEMPTION.

    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 (Ps. 24:3-6). He alone is willing to redeem us at the price demanded by divine justice (Heb. 10:1-5. Christ alone is a just and legal Redeemer for sinners (Isa. 45:20).

    A PLEASURABLE REDEMPTION.

    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 (Heb. 12:2; Isa. 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 PRECIOUS REDEMPTION.

    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 (Ruth 2:20; 4:11-4). Even so, all who have tasted the free grace of God in Christ count him, his blood, and his redemption precious (2 Cor. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 2:7). It is precious because the redemption of the soul is precious (Ps. 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 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 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 (Heb. 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 Cor. 1:26-29).

    A PUBLIC REDEMPTION.

    "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." (vv. 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 (v. 8), so the Lord Jesus Christ took off his grave clothes and ascended up to heaven, “having obtained eternal redemption for us!” (Heb. 9:12; Rom. 4:25).

    A PURPOSEFUL REDEMPTION.

    "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." (v. 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 (Psa. 22:30; Isa. 53:10; Tit. 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 PARTICULAR REDEMPTION.

    “Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased!” (v. 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” (Isa. 53:8; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 5:25-27; Heb. 9:12; Rev. 5:9).

    A PRODUCTIVE REDEMPTION.

    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 (v. 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 (Matt. 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 (Gal. 3:13-14). A redemption which accomplishes nothing is a useless redemption. Such redemption is not found in the Bible.

    A PERFECT REDEMPTION.

    “Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife” (v. 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 (Rev. 19:1-9). What a day that will be!

    A PRAISEWORTHY REDEMPTION.

    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 (v. 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.”