Ruth 4:12 (Part II)
Ruth 4:11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May YHWH make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel;
12 “Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah,
through the offspring which YHWH will give you by this young woman.”
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Now remember Boaz has agreed to serve as the family’s redeemer. As such, he has purchased Elimelech’s land and has agreed to marry Ruth.
He has done this in order to raise up an heir with Ruth for Elimelech’s house.
Not only that, the townsfolk have resoundingly approved the arrangement. In turn, they have also joyfully blessed the new couple and the union that is before them.
Well, last week we looked at verse 12 and the details of the second part of that blessing. This morning I want us to return to that second part of the blessing and reflect on what we have seen.
Now my reason for doing this is because the author intends verse 12 to be the culmination of the entire book FN#1. In other words, verse 12 is the point which defines, clarifies, and pulls together everything we have seen in the account.
Verse 12
Notice at once, as we begin, it is vital to keep in mind that the folks at the gate as well as the original readers would have been well aware of all the details of Judah and Tamar. In fact, the mere mention of their names would have brought their full story to mind (Chappaquiddick) FN#2. Therefore, when the author includes this blessing, he does so with the full intention that his readers will see and contemplate the contrast between the two accounts FN#3. Why? It is here in this contrast that the full glory of God is seen shining through the entire account of Ruth.
Notice then, the townsfolk ask God to make the new couple’s house like the house of Perez, who Tamar bore to Judah. Importance: the account of Judah and Tamar is one of the most messed up stories in the whole Bible (Gen 38:6-26). It is spiritual, relational, and moral disfunction at its highest. Therefore, at first glance, it seems obvious that no one in their right mind would want their house to be like the house of Perez. So why in the world did the town folks give such a blessing? Not only that, if the author is building the case for the glorious kingship of David, why did he intentionally include a blessing that airs all the family’s dirtiest laundry. Why not just mention that the townsfolk blessed the couple and then move on? Remember, last week we saw that one of the most obvious reasons for this blessing (both the townsfolk giving it and the author including it) is the direct relevance of the story of Judah and Tamar to that of Boaz and Ruth. Notice then, not only are Judah and Tamar a part of the same family line as Boaz, their relationship is also one of kinsman redemption. In other words, what we have just watched unfold in the book of Ruth, is exactly the same sort of thing that was going on in the account of Judah and Tamar.
Now this is the first point I want us to explore a bit further: notice then the striking parallels between the story of Judah and Tamar and that of Boaz and Ruth: Not only that, notice the author has conveyed the account of Boaz and Ruth in such a way that it underscores these similarities. In other words, the author fully intends you to notice these parallels and to ponder their significance: First, both accounts concern a marriage of redemption, the purpose of which is to raise up an heir for the deceased kinsman as testimony to God’s promises. Second, both accounts begin with unfaithfulness and idolatry (be it temple prostitution or residency in pagan Moab). Third, in both accounts there is the removal of two sons due to their wickedness and apostacy. Forth, in both accounts the closest relative (the one to whom the responsibility of redemption falls) refuses to redeem his kinsman’s widow and therefore is removed by God from the role/future of His people. Finally, in both accounts the two widows (Tamar and Ruth) put aside their mourning clothes for other ware, in order not to be recognized (c.f. Gen 38:14-15 and Ruth 3:3). Simply put, for both the author and the townsfolk the similarities between these two accounts are striking. In other words, to them, God is doing the same sort of thing in this same family line once again and we need to notice it.
However, that said, in the book of Ruth there is not the utter mess that we find in the account of Judah and Tamar. Instead, in the book of Ruth, kinsman redemption is done faithfully and in a manner that is pleasing to God. In other words, unlike Judah, Boaz does redemption right. Likewise, unlike Tamar, Ruth seeks redemption in a righteous way. Importance: there is a very real sense that the author intends us to see the account of Ruth as the redemptive reversal and grace given correction of Tamar’s story FN#4.
In other words, in the book of Ruth we see God’s grace redeeming the very custom of redemption, so that through it, He may bring about the true redeemer, who will accomplish all that this redeemer custom promises.
As such, the entire book of Ruth is permeated with God’s redemptive grace. Thus, in the account of Ruth we not only see a preparation for the renewal that God will one day bring, we see that very grace and renewal already at work. Notice the result: as the author builds the case for David’s kingship, the contrast between Ruth’s account and that of Tamar, underscores that God’s grace and presence have been behind every aspect of Ruth’s redemption. In other words, the account of Ruth is truly the work of God. Therefore, David is truly the king of God’s own doing. Not only that, for the reader (both then and now) the contrast the author deliberately establishes by including the details of verse 12, confirms that in every part of the book we are to see God’s grace, salvation, and character on display. In other words, what we thought we saw as we read, is in fact what we saw: God’s grace, glory, and care at work in the lives of His people FN#5.
The second point I want us to reflect upon is what the blessing shows us about Ruth herself: Notice then, despite the fact that Ruth is a foreign-born widow, the townspeople publicly describe her as a young marriage eligible woman FN#6. In other words, her conversion and YHWH’s acceptance have completely remade and repositioned Ruth in life. In fact, it is Ruth’s conversion that is at the heart of everything else God does throughout the book. It is the miracle in the book of Ruth upon which everything else in the account turns. Think about it: it is what makes Boaz and Ruth’s entire marriage possible. It is the singular reason that the whole town embraces/approves their union. In turn, it is the singular reason behind Boaz’s initial kindness to Ruth back in the fields (2:8-12). Importance: Ruth’s conversion is the very essence of the future/salvation that the book proclaims. As such, in Ruth we not only see a preparation for that future/salvation, we see the very heart of that future/salvation already at work. So yes the book of Ruth builds the case for David’s kingship; and yes in the book of Ruth we see the redemption of the very kinsman redeemer custom; but at its heart the book of Ruth is doxological. That is, in its every detail, the book puts on full display the very love, care, and grace that God promises to all His children. In fact, by including the contrast of the blessing in verse 12, the author drives that singular point home to every one of his readers.
Bottom line: As we pop the corks and join in the long-awaited celebration, we suddenly hear a voice from somewhere in the crowd, saying hey wait a minute. You see, it seems that there is one teensy little detail that we have all forgotten. Remember, Naomi and Ruth? Well remember we left them back at the house after Ruth arrived home early in the morning from the threshing floor (the end of chapter 3). Not only that, they have been there this whole time. They have no idea how any of this has turned out. Instead, they have been waiting and praying and praying and cleaning. Well somewhere between verses 12 and 13 somebody remembers them and sends a lad to run and let them know how everything turned out. FN#7
Footnotes
1] Verse 12 serves as the summation and culmination of the account of Ruth. The remainder of the book will begin to show us the outworking of what God has established in Boaz and Ruth’s union.
2] Chappaquiddick is a great example of the sort of collective national sensibility at work here. 911 is another good example. To this we can add the fact that the vast majority of the people at the gate were probably related to one another in some manner. Bethlehem was the region where this line of God’s people were largely settled. In other words, for the vast majority of the people gathered at the gate, the line of Parez was their own family line/family history. As such, they would have known that history well. Finally, we see this very sort of thing throughout Scripture, where an author or speaker will invoke a whole account through just a bare mention of a pertinent detail. Take for example, when Jesus is hanging on the Cross and says “My God, My God why have you forsaken me”, every bystander there knows that He is pointing them to Psalm 22, a psalm that depicts the very scene playing out before their eyes and which begins in tragedy but ends in triumph.
3] As far as the contrast between the two accounts goes, consider: not only are the townspeople who originally gave this blessing aware of all the details of Judah, Tamar, and Boaz’s family line, they have just witnessed a very different realization of the kinsman redeemer relationship play out before their very eyes. It is this blatant contrast between the two accounts that is behind much of their reason for giving the blessing as well as for the joy with which it is given.
4] Notice: we see this very same sort of redemptive reversal in the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts. Remember, at Pentecost, people from many lands all heard the Gospel proclaimed in their own language. Thus, Pentecost is said to be a redemptive reversal of the confusion of language that took place at Babel (Gen 11:1-9). Thus, in Acts (just as in the Book of Ruth) God’s grace redeems/corrects the mess and confusion brought about by sin that the witness to His salvation may shine forth clearly.
5] The author intends the book of Ruth to engage us and draw us in. Therefore, like Namoi we only have glimpses of God’s hand at work. Thus, like Naomi and her plan, we suspect, hope, and pray that all of this is God’s doing, but certainty will have to wait for God’s work to unfold. The result is that just as the outcome of the proceedings at the gate provide validation for Naomi, so too verse 12 is given to provide us with the same validation and clarity. It assures us that from verse 1 of the account, this all has been God’s doing.
6] The Hebrew word here for “young woman” (נַעֲרָה) emphasizes that the female is a young marriage eligible person. Importance: notice the hope, redemption, and acceptance at work here: on all accounts Ruth is twice excluded from this description. On the one hand, she is a widow and thus not a blushing maiden. On the other hand, she is pagan born and thus not at all eligible for Israelite marriage. However, YHWH’s grace and acceptance have completely remade and repositioned Ruth in life. It is this conversion that is reflected in the townspeople’s’ description of her.
7] One final point: the kinsman redeemer custom was not exclusive to Israel. However, like all pagan counterfeits, the practice of the nations was a bleak shadow of what God intended. However, through God’s redemption, reform, and cleansing of this custom, He established it to point to the salvation that He alone will provide. Not only that, what in pagan hands was merely a land grab by relatives, in God’s hands became a profound witness to the very reclamation/ redemption/inheritance of the whole of creation (the whole earth). In turn, it stood as a divine testimony and assurance to the ongoing place of each one of His children in the future that He has promised. And if that were not enough, through God’s redemption of the mess with Tamar, God uses this very redeemer custom as a key step in bringing about the true redeemer, who will accomplish/realize all that this redeemer custom promises.