Boaz is a wealthy and honest businessman. He is obviously wealthy because he owns fields, has many people working for him and he has the money to ‘redeem’ or buy the land from Naomi that belongs to her husband’s clan. In addition, he is honest. He doesn’t sneak around to accomplish his purpose but rather follows the laws of the Bible and the land. He follows the laws of Leviticus regarding only making one pass on a field during harvest and leaving the rest for the poor. He is honest in respecting the spirit of the law. Unlike the Pharisees who make the law legalistic, he seems to understand God’s heart and asks his workers to purposefully leave barley for those coming behind. When he wants to redeem Ruth, he submits to the law regarding a kinsman-redeemer and lets the one who is the closest relative have first refusal of the land. I am sure he wanted to marry Ruth, a woman of noble character and yet He trusts Yahweh and goes about it honestly. “All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it.” (Ruth 3:12, 13)
Boaz is wise. He runs his business of farming in such a way that he knows what is going on. We find him working alongside his men and sitting, talking and eating with those who work for him. (Ruth 3:2b; 2:14) “Tonight he [Boaz] will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.” “At mealtime Boaz said to her, ‘Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.’ When she sat down with the harvesters, he [Boaz] offered her some roasted grain.”
He is shrewd. Whatever the custom of the day, Ruth clearly communicated to Boaz that she wishes to become his wife. Rather than scheme or make promises that are not his to make, he honestly replies that there is a closer kinsman redeemer who must first be approached. He is shrewd in how he sets forth the offer and does not make it an easy decision. (Matthew 10:16) There is no, “Hey, Ruth is a beautiful, sweet woman. If you buy the land she will become your wife according to the Levitical law and you will hopefully have children together.” Instead, Boaz talks about the land and as an ‘afterthought’ lets the relative know that ‘Oh, yeah. A new wife comes with the deal. The law locks you in and you will have to provide for her and her mother-in-law.’ He is wise and shrewd. It is worth reading this in Ruth 4:1-12!
Does this not also show faith? I am sure if he is willing to marry her that he must want to. He has already said that she is known as a woman of noble character which is quite something. Ruth must have been extraordinary to be known this way and not simple as ‘the Moabitess.’ And yet he doesn’t break the law or do things underhandedly. In fact, Boaz calls together 10 elders of the town (who met daily at the city gate) and if he had lost out to the closer kinsman-redeemer who was not willing, there would have been witnesses to that fact. No, Boaz knows if the Lord wills. He has the faith talked about in Matthew 17:20-21.
This devotional has been a challenge to me. Jess is attending a small school where she will be the only girl in her grade next year. Thus, we want to change her to another school. The public school in our catchment is very immoral in many ways, and we had a negative experience with Joey (our African son) that took about 2 years to recover from with respect to his self-esteem. I want to scheme to get her into the other public school outside of our catchment. I want to find someone who will let us use their address to ensure her entrance. In fact, I even went as far as to ask. But I see now that I need to be like Boaz. I need to trust that Romans 15:4 is true. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. So along with me, I encourage you to be a Boaz. For me it means trusting God that Jess will go to school where He wants her to be. I will follow the correct chain of command, be wise and shrewd, but won’t scheme or, as Matthew 6:34 implores, worry. Let us join in prayer for each other as we try to be of good character and let our light shine.
Our song for today is I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin.