Ruth: The Redeemer Has Come - Week 2 (2:1-23)
Ruth 2:1-23
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A Redeemer From Bethlehem
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Ruth 2:1-23 〰️ A Redeemer From Bethlehem 〰️
This week, we're continuing in the book of Ruth with chapter 2. Now, these passages are a little longer than what we usually go through, so there's understandably a lot that we could touch on. But again, as we look toward Christmas and the first advent of Jesus, we'll peek behind the curtain of the text to see the heart of the Lord and how Jesus is the greater Boaz.
This is the chapter in which we get the subtitle for this sermon series: The Redeemer Has Come. In v1, Boaz is described as a "man of character," and later, Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz is one of their family redeemers (v20). The family redeemer was a relative who was obligated by Levitical law to protect the family connection. Most often, a family redeemer was needed to redeem a relative in 1) debt-slavery (someone who owed a debt so great, it would be paid off through a period of time of servitude) or 2) in the wake of a death. In Ruth and Naomi's case, a qualified redeemer was a man who could marry one of them, thereby keeping the family line intact and "redeeming" them from a tragic situation. And so Ruth and Namoi look to Boaz as this family redeemer, just as we look to Christ as our redeemer before God. So, as we celebrate Jesus' arrival during the Advent season, we can joyfully proclaim that the redeemer has come!
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In the Old Testament, gleaning was the collecting of grain or harvest left over by the harvesters of a crop. Often, it wasn't worth the time or effort to collect every single seed or piece of grain that was dropped, so they were left, and gleaners were those who came afterward to collect them for themselves. Gleaners would also collect the crop's outer edges on the property left there.¹ The Lord sought to ensure that those who were on the margins, socially or economically, were still taken care of as a form of communal welfare. Leviticus 19:9-10 reads, "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God." In passing the Law to Israel, God ensured that everyone was cared for, even those who were aliens to Israel or in poverty. In Ruth, gleaning is a massive piece of the cultural context puzzle, as Ruth goes to glean at Boaz's land in hopes of getting food for her and Naomi. They appeared to have everything working against them, as both were struggling without a provider, and Ruth was a foreigner to the land of Judah. Boaz's generosity is further seen in that he allows Ruth to collect an "ephah (about twenty-six quarts) of barley...enough grain to feed a working man for several weeks."²
So, as we read over this passage, we can see Boaz's character and nature in how he treats his workers and even has an awareness of Ruth's safety. When he arrives in v4, Boaz greets his workers with respect and kindness, greeting them in the name of the Lord. He knew them well enough that he recognized when there was a new face among them. When Ruth arrives among the other gleaners, in his kindness, Boaz tells her to only glean at his field, stay close to the other gleaning women, and drink from the water his workers have brought. This likely would have saved her a trip to the well, again, keeping her safe. Boaz went above and beyond in his kindness to Ruth, and it's not much of a stretch to assume that this was how he treated all of those who came to glean at his fields. Again, Boaz "was a prominent man of noble character" (v1).
If we keep our eyes peeled, we can see some foreshadowing in the storytelling, tying Boaz's treatment of his workers and Ruth to how Christ ultimately treats us (but better).
1. Boaz sees, cares for, and recognizes his workers, just as our Lord sees, cares for, and recognizes His sheep.
2. Boaz has Ruth's best interest at heart, providing in abundance and looking out for her safety, just as Christ does for us.
3. Boaz would eventually become the family redeemer, restoring Ruth and allowing her the blessing and opportunity to live in safety and have children (restoring the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply). In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus would redeem us from sin before the Father, allowing us the blessing and opportunity to live and multiply in freedom, eventually fulfilling the new covenant in the Great Commission (Matt. 28).
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
How do you see Jesus in this passage?
How would you describe Boaz in this chapter?
Why do you think Boaz treated Ruth with such kindness? What did he do to bless her?
How can we take those principles and apply them in our own lives and relationships?
How did Jesus show love and kindness to us in our rebellion? What does it mean for Jesus to have redeemed us?
How can we incorporate the same love and kindness into our own lives?
1. https://www.gotquestions.org/gleaning-in-the-Bible.html
2. Iain M. Duguid, CSB Study Bible: Notes (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 404.