CHAPTER 4

VS 1
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.

The "gate" was the entrance to the city.
Men sat there to do business with other men.

Boaz went to the gate to find a specific man who was a closer kinsman to Naomi than he.
His purpose was to see if the man would exercise his right to redeem the Land
of Elimilech (Naomi's former husband.)

When Boaz saw the man, he called to him.
The man's name is not given.

The call of Boaz to the man indicated he wanted to do business with him.
The man answered by coming over and sitting down.

VS 2
And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

Now, Boaz gathers ten other men to be "witnesses" to the business.

3 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:
4 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.

Boaz informs the man that Naomi wants to seel the land of her inheritance.
Also, he informed the man that he was the nearest "kinsman" to redeem the land.
In those days, land inherited by God's decree, must stay in the family.

The man saw dollar signs, investment with return!
So, he readily agreed to purchase the land.

5 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.
6 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! The situation has CHANGED.
The man who is to redeem (purchase) the land must MARRY the "heir-apparent."

The law of Levirate marriage applied!
If there had only been Naomi (who was older), marriage would not have been necessary,
because she could no longer bear children.
But there was a daughter-in-law - RUTH!

So, redeeming the land would include marrying Ruth, since the land would eventually
be hears by inheritance.
The man realized he would incur the liability for Ruth and any children they might bear.
Perhaps he was unable monetarily to incur such debt.
Perhaps he knew she was a Moabite by birth, and marrying her may also incur a
LOSS of his own inheritors.
Whatever he thought, caused him to decline the offer.

VSS 7-8
7 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.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

The custom was this:
If a man was offered to purchase, then decided NOT to do that,
he would take off his shoe and hand it to the one who WOULD make the purchase.

So this close kinsman redeemer, OFFERED the purchase to the NEXT one - BOAZ!

9 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.
10 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.

Now, Boaz reminds the 10 witnesses they have to bear witness to the transaction.
He declared not only to purchase the land but also to marry Ruth, who was heir-apparent.

VSS 11-12
11 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:
12 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.

Now, those witnesses made a prayer.
The prayer was that Ruth would bear children and they would be strong like the 12 sons
born to Jacob, Rachel, and Leah.
Also, that they would have cunning abilities like Tamar, who was married to Judah's son.
She married Er, but his wickedness caused him to be killed.
Then, according to Levirite marriage, Judah gave her to Onan, Er's brother.
But Onan rufused to give her children, and God killed him too.
Shelah was Judah's 3rd son, and was too young to marry Tamar.
Even after he was old enough, Judah refused to give Tamar to him.

Then Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and had sex with Judah.
Her cunning ways gave her a pregnancy, and a claim to Judhah's inheritance
for her twin sons Zerah and Perez.

Therefore, the prayer of these elders was that Ruth would have sons by Boaz, who would
be strong and cunning.
That's important to see in the latter verses.

VSS 13
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.

Ruth DID bear a son.

14 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.
15 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.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

Women, around Naomi, praised God for having given Ruth a son which left Naomi a
kinsman.
And, they proclaimed that he would be famous in Israel!

Naomi was given the son in her lap, which was a sign that he was her heir.

VS 17
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.

Obed, the name means SERVANT!
He served God by producing a son named Jesse, who produced a son named David!!

Therefore, Obed, produced heirs which included a king of Israel!!

VSS 18-22
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Judah was the tribe from which kings would come.
Through Tamar, came Pharez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Salmon and Boaz.

Then Boaz produced a son named Obed, and Obed produced Jesse, and
Jesse produced DAVID!!

Now, understand this: Through the lineage of David, came JESUS!!

Therefore, the Moabite Ruth, was grandmother to David!!

I pray you can see the love, mercy, grace and design of God through this.

A Moabite, proclaimed by God to NEVER enter the "tabernacle" was given
the privilege of being David's grandmother.
Therefore she is part of the lineage of Jesus.

No matter who you are, what you have been pay attention to God
working "all .... things together for GOOD to them that LOVE God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)

God can take brothers who sold their brother into slavery and make a NATION!
God can take a cunning daughter-in-law and put her in the lineage of David.
God can take a woman cursed from his tabernacle and bring JESUS!

Just imagine what God can do with YOU, if you have love like Ruth.

Remember these verses? " 16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD
do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. " (Ruth 1:16-17)

If ANYONE commits to Jesus as LORD and SAVIOR, he/she will have THAT LOVE!!