Wednesday, November 3, 2010

God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part IV - The Providence of God, Part 6 of 23

TEXT: Ruth chapter 4

IDEA: Boaz acts shrewdly in order to act righteously.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that shrewdness is not incompatible with righteousness.

When you say that someone is "good" or "godly," is that negative or positive?

Neither Boaz nor the closer relative did anything morally wrong.

I. Is it sinful for righteous men and women to act shrewdly to accomplish their objectives?

What did Boaz want in this interaction with the nearer kinsman? Boaz wanted to get the right to marry Ruth.

Why do you think he started the conversation by talking about the land, something we had not heard about before?

II. The land was attractive and it was a good acquisition.

Naomi must have had the land, but apparently she was going to sell it. Without an heir at her death, her field would pass over to her nearest kinsman.

The two widows were unable to work the fields by themselves and therefore the land was of little use to them; therefore Naomi resolved to sell it.

According to the Law, when family property went up for sale, the nearest kinsman had the responsibility and the first rights to redeem it and buy it back for the clan. If he could not do it, then it would go to the next kinsman in line.

The kinsman quickly agreed to buy it for himself. It was a good deal, and the land would pay for itself.

III. Boaz hasn't mentioned Ruth or Naomi in the transaction.

"When you buy the field from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased."

Ruth was a deal-breaker. Why?

Boaz may have counted on some anti-Moabite sentiment which might have made the man less inclined to redeem the field.

If the man wanted to acquire the land to keep it in the clan, then he would also have to assume responsibility for rescuing the line of Naomi's dead husband, Elimelech (Ruth 4:5). He would do that by marrying Ruth and having offspring with her.

In the ancient world one of the most dreadful curses one could invoke on someone was, "May your seed perish and your name die out" (Isaiah 53:8).

Whatever enthusiasm the man had for the land, he did not have it for Ruth and Naomi. Her son, if she bore one, would get the land.

Conclusion:

Boaz approached the subject indirectly by talking about the land. Was that dishonest?