Seeing Christ In Ruth: A 5-Day DevotionalExemplo

4:1–6 Boaz tells the next of kin that Naomi is selling land that belonged to her late husband, Elimelech (v. 3). If Naomi were the only surviving relative, the land would be all there was to redeem because she was beyond childbearing age and therefore the duty of the redeemer would not include a levirate marriage. Boaz makes clear up front that if the relative will not redeem it, he will do so as the next closest kin. After the relative agrees to redeem the land, Boaz lets him know that this also involves marrying Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, *the Moabite*, the widow of Elimelech’s son Mahlon, in order to continue the family line (v. 5). This is more than the relative can accept (whether the cost is too high because of an existing family or insufficient funds or some other reason, we do not know), and he yields the “right of redemption” to Boaz (v. 6). Boaz is the only one who has the willingness and the ability to redeem Ruth. In this respect he represents the nature of grace ultimately found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was under no obligation to redeem sinners, and could have left them all to their just condemnation, but willingly took on human flesh and paid the required redemption price: death on a cross (Rom. 6:23; Phil. 2:5–11). 

4:7–12 The witnesses verify that Boaz has done everything necessary to redeem Naomi’s land to continue the legacy of her husband Elimelech and that of his sons, and to perpetuate their line by taking Ruth to be his wife. In evoking the Lord’s blessing of offspring, the witnesses first refer to Israel’s wives Rachel and Leah, and then to the unsavory story of Perez’s parentage. This was another levirate marriage situation, but whereas Judah’s son had refused Tamar’s legitimate claim (Genesis 38), Boaz has honored the obligation. 

The story of God’s people has always been one of human frailty and God’s overriding grace (2 Cor. 12:9–10). Contrary to our natural instincts and the way the world intuitively operates, God delights to draw near to and magnificently use those whom the world considers weak, needy, helpless, and marginalized.