When Your Life Goes From Empty to Full
Studying Ruth 4.
The final chapter of Ruth is about how Naomi’s life went from empty to full.
God’s role in filling up Naomi’s life again is heavily emphasized.
The Redeemer Pays the Price (Ruth 4:1-12).
The price is too great for the close relative (4:1-6).
Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to inform you, saying, “Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.” And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
Boaz went to the city gate because that was basically the “city courthouse.” Any business transaction or legal proceeding took place in the city gate.
Boaz calls ten of the city’s leaders to come to be witnesses in what is about to take place, and then he calls the close relative he told Ruth about in the previous chapter.
Boaz then explains to the close relative Naomi’s situation and urges him to buy back the land for Naomi’s sake. This property could provide a source of income for Naomi for the rest of her life - but it had to be “bought back.” Naomi obviously had no means to repurchase the property, so a close family member was supposed to step in and help.
The close family member agrees to redeem the property.
But then Boaz tells him about the final piece of the puzzle. Not only must the property be purchased, but Ruth must also be married and an heir raised up to keep Naomi’s family name going.
Here’s what this means:
The one who purchases the property for Naomi will have to pay for it out of their own pocket.
The heir born to Ruth will be the one to inherit the property and not the children of the one who purchased it.
The one who purchased the property has to pay a heavy price, only for the property to be eventually turned over to someone else. This would not be a “profitable investment.”
When the close relative hears about this, he says, “I can’t do it. It will ruin me financially.” He then tells Boaz to go ahead and redeem the property himself and marry Ruth.
Boaz is willing to pay the price (4:7-12).
Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”
And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman.”
The transaction is sealed by a normal custom for that time - the close relative took off one of his sandals and gave it to Boaz.
Boaz turned to all of the city's leaders and said they witnessed this legal proceeding. He would purchase the property for Naomi and marry Ruth to raise an heir for Elimelech.
The people and leaders at the gate affirmed that they had witnessed what had occurred and pronounced God’s blessings upon Boaz and the family of Naomi and Ruth.
Jesus is Our Redeemer Who Was Willing to Pay the Price.
Boaz made a significant sacrifice to “redeem” Naomi and Ruth. His sacrifice points us to an even greater sacrifice made by our Redeemer.
Jesus became poor so that we might be rich.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
I don’t think we are capable of wrapping our minds around everything Jesus gave up for us. This passage from 2 Corinthians 8:9 helps us to understand the significance of His sacrifice to some extent.
Jesus was willing to pay the price for us, although that price meant He must become poor so that we might become rich. What grace He has shown us!
The price required for our redemption was Jesus’ own blood.
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
What was the significant price Jesus had to pay to redeem us? The price was His own blood.
He came to this earth and took on flesh (John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-8) to die on a cross for sinners (Romans 5:6-9). No other sacrifice could have redeemed us (Hebrews 10:4).
And He was willing to pay the price.
Naomi’s Life Goes from Empty to Full (Ruth 4:13-22).
The blessings of God (4:13-17a).
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.”
In some of Ruth's final verses, we see Naomi’s life going from empty to full.
They had sold the family land – Boaz bought back the land so it would remain in Naomi’s family.
Her husband had died – she gains Boaz, who will be a “restorer of life and a nourisher” of her old age.”
Her sons had died - her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who was better to her than seven sons, gave birth to a child.
This poor lady had suffered extraordinary heartache - she even thought God Himself had turned against her (Ruth 1:20-21). But God demonstrates His faithfulness to Naomi and brings His blessings back into the forefront of her mind once again.
But we don’t only see the blessings of God in Naomi’s life - but the plan He had in mind from the foundation of the world was still at work.
The plan of God (4:17b-22).
And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
What a “plot twist” we find at the end of this book - Ruth and Boaz are the great-grandparents of King David.
Ruth and Boaz are also mentioned in the genealogy of another King - Jesus Christ, “the Son of David” (Matthew 1:1, 5). And again, we are reminded of this truth about the Bible:
The story of Ruth is not really a story about Ruth, Naomi, or even David. All the Scriptures ultimately point to Jesus Christ (Luke 24:25-27, 44-45).
God can use what appears to be a devastating tragedy to bring about the ultimate triumph.
What a dark moment Ruth 1 was! But what a scene of celebration and rejoicing Ruth 4 is! There is a powerful parallel to what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
God’s plan of redemption, salvation, and taking our lives from “empty to full” was accomplished through the darkest moment in the history of our world – the death of God’s own Son.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (Acts 2:22-24)
When we were without an inheritance like Naomi and Ruth, the Father qualifies us by His Son to be “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12).
When we were lost in the darkness like Naomi felt she was without her husband and sons, God delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).
When we needed a Redeemer like Naomi and Ruth did, the Son of God came to redeem us by paying the highest of prices – His own blood (Colossians 1:14).
God be praised that when our lives were empty because of our own sin, He didn’t leave us to the fate we rightfully deserved - but He sent His Son to die for us, to offer us a gracious gift we did not deserve.
Eternal life (Romans 6:23).
I’ve started another Substack called Jameson’s Book Notes - I won’t publish nearly as often over there. It will be a place where I post quotes and thoughts from various books I’m reading. I also plan to write brief book reviews of books I’ve finished reading.
Here is the first post, it’s from Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Talking to Strangers.”
So many people today think their life is full... but it is in fact empty without Christ!