Boaz is amazed at Ruth’s selflessness. He recognises that she is not acting for herself alone but rather has a higher noble purpose in view. There was an inherent problem in her and Naomi’s situation that was of concern to God according to the law. God wanted to ensure that the legacy of his promise and purpose flowed down through the generations of his people without interruption. Family name and property were important in God’s plan overall because the nation and the land were vehicles through which God was going to speak to the world. Naomi and Ruth’s husbands, however, had died, as had Naomi’s sons. This left only Ruth, her daughter-in-law, and no heir to carry on the family legacy and inherit their property. But God had made provision for just this kind of situation in the law. The law stipulated that the widow of the dead man should marry one of her husband’s relatives (who is therefore called the ‘kinsman-redeemer’), with the first son of that union becoming the dead man’s heir. It is this that Naomi and Ruth have in mind. It is the fulfilment of God’s plan. It is so easy to live life consumed by our immediate desires and miss the fact that there is a great plan unfolding that we are called to participate in. It is so important that we regularly lift our heads up from the day-to-day necessities and pleasures of life and embrace a higher purpose.
Reflect on where you fit in with God’s purpose.
Read Ruth 3:1 – 4:12
