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Fr. Daoud Lamei

Introduction to the Old Testament

  • We study the history of the Old Testament by examining Biblical Characters...
    • Adam
    • Noah
    • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel)
    • Joseph (brings them into Egypt)
    • Moses (ca. 1500 BC - takes them out to the edge of Sinai)
    • Joshua (takes them into the Promised Land)
    • Judges (no kings yet, so the judges are in charge)
    • Samuel (last judge - people want a king)
    • Saul, David (ca. 1000 BC), Solomon
    • Split of the Kingdoms - North and South
    • Period of the Prophets (ca. 1000 BC until 400 BC)
    • Captivity under the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans
    • Until the Incarnation of Christ
  • "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39)
    • Christ says "Scriptures" He is talking about the Old Testament
    • How do they testify of Him?
      • Prophecy
      • Allegory (e.g. Typology)
    • Christ witnesses to this in the Disciples of Emmaus story when He expounded to them all of the Old Testament
    • "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
  • When we study the Old Testament, we do it in three levels:
    • Literal
    • Tropological (Moral)
    • Allegorical
  • For example, the book of Ruth:
    • Literal: There's a woman Naomi and her daughter in law Ruth decides to stay with her even though she's a Moabitess, etc.
    • Tropological: What can I learn from Naomi? What can I learn from Ruth? What can I learn from Boaz?
    • Allegorical: What does Boaz symbolize? Who is Ruth a type of?
  • Distribution of Books in the Old Testament
    • Torah: The Books of Moses (Genesis - Deuteronomy)
    • Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, etc.
    • Poetic/Wisdom Books
    • Prophetic Books (Minor and Major)

Introduction to the Book of Ruth

  • It is odd that a book of Scripture would be called after Ruth's name:
    • Ruth is a woman
    • Ruth is not an Israelite, but a Moabite (Moabites were usually in conflict with Israelites)
  • But we will learn that Ruth becomes a very important figure... the great grandmother of King David (and thus, the ancestor of Christ, Himself - mentioned in Matthew 1's Genealogy)
  • Ruth takes place at the time of the Judges
    • Probably in the time of Gideon
    • Period of the Judges is a cycle of:
      • Congregation strays from God
      • Someone comes up and tells them to repent
      • They repent
    • "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)
  • Characters:
    • Naomi
    • Ruth
    • Boaz

Chapter 1

  • 1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 

    • Elimelech & Naomi
      • Elimelech means "God is King"
      • Naomi means "Grace"
    • Famine in the Land
      • In the time of the judges, there was a famine - yes, a physical famine, but also a spiritual famine
      • This famine caused Elimelech to take his family and turn his back on Bethlehem and on the land God had given them, and go to Moab - a place of idolatry, and a nation does not know God. This is the beginning of the downfall.
      • We are reminded of Lot who left Abraham and went and lived in Sodom and Gomorrah - and he lost his wife, and later on his daughters were lost. We'll see that Elimelech will lose himself and his sons, and only his wife will remain.
      • Like the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30 "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho" - what happens when you leave Jerusalem to go to Jericho (represents sin)? "fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."
    • Ephrathites
      • They are from Bethlehem and Bethlehem has another name which is "Ephratha"
      • We find this name in Micah 5:2 which is a prophecy about the birth of Christ in Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." (Micah 5:2)
      • Being from Bethlehem is an honor... that's where Christ is come, right?! In those days no... it was just a small town (even how Micah describes it "though you are little among the thousands of Judah")
      • Bethlehem means "House of Bread"
      • Nowadays, every church has a "Bethlehem" - the place where the Oblations are baked and prepared for the Liturgy. It is called "Bethlehem" because Christ, the True Sacrifice, was born in Bethlehem. So leaving "Bethlehem" represents leaving (or ignoring) the Eucharist.
      • Why Bethlehem, Judah?
        • The inheritance of each tribe is kept intact, so every city belongs to its tribe.

  • 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

    • He who leaves Bethlehem to go to Moab will die.
    • Her sons take wives of the women of Moab.
      • This is a grave sin. Even from before the Law of Moses, in the time of Abraham - when Abraham wanted a wife for his son, Isaac, he sent Eleazar back to his family in Ur of the Chaldeans and told him to bring back a wife from their family.
      • The women from the Moabites would cause the Israelite men to worship idols too.
      • Sin brings sin... this wouldn't have happened if they turned around and went back to Bethlehem when Elimelech died!
    • Naomi lost everything because of Moab - her husband and both of her sons. But she took the lesson - I will not also die in Moab. I will go back to Judah.

  • 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

    • Wouldn't it have been better to stay a little hungry in Judah than to go to Moab?
      • She was eating and drinking in Moab... but at the cost of her husband and children. At the cost of peace. 
      • When you pick Moab, you lose everything.
    • "The Lord had visited His people by giving them bread"
      • Allegorical
      • The Lord visited His people in the Incarnation and gave them the Bread of Life which is the Eucharist
    • First step of Repentance: Give your back to Moab and look towards Judah

  • 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”

    So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

    • "As you have dealt with the dead and with me"
      • She counts herself as having died
    • Naomi is a good woman
      • We can see that since her daughters in law stick with her - even after their husbands died. They follow her.
      • Even when she tells them to return, they say they want to stay with her.
      • She loves them. "Lord grant you to find rest" and wishes for them to find new husbands
      • She kissed them

  • 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

    • They both said to her "We will return with you" - what is this love between Naomi and her daughters in law?
    • Don't always think of yourself, but think of others
      • When Naomi goes back to Judah, she's not going to be treated well... she doesn't have a husband, they don't have any land, she's too old to get married again... what is she going to do? She'll go back and be a beggar. And yet, both daughters in law don't think about themselves or what will happen to them. They only think of what is good for her.
      • And Naomi also is not thinking about herself, but she thinks of the daughters... how will she give them husbands? And even if she, herself, had a husband tonight... would they wait 20 years for her sons to re-marry?
    • Naomi grieves for them - to grieve for her husband and sons makes sense... but she grieves for their sakes.
    • Continue on the Way
      • Both daughters started in the right way - give Moab your back and look to Bethlehem
      • But one daughter, in thinking about marriage and children, turned back and went to Moab
        • Christ said: "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:31-33)
        • Don't look back! Forsake the things of this world and you will gain eternal life.
        • Does anyone know anything about Orpah? Has anyone heard of her? No... but the whole world has heard of Ruth. Orpah's story ends here... with returning to Moab. But Ruth's story goes on until this very day.
    • Ruth clung to her
      • Ruth is an idol-worshipper! She's a Moabite... she has no inheritance! But because of this word, she is a saint and a grandmother of Christ
      • What am I clinging to?
        • Do I cling to the Church?
        • Do I cling to the sacraments?
        • Do I cling to the Scriptures?
        • Do I cling to the daily prayers?
        • Do I cling to St Mary and the saints of the Church?

  • 15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

    • Naomi says "go back to your people and your gods!"
      • Come on Naomi! This is a chance to evangelize! To tell Ruth "come and meet my God" - but Naomi is influenced by Orpah leaving.
      • This happens to us
        • I am at a birthday party or a wedding on Saturday... and the time for Vespers comes. And even though I was planning to go to Vespers, when the time comes I see that I'm having fun, or people tell me "don't be the only one that leaves" - and I forsake what I know and I stay with them
        • My friends want to go out somewhere but I know I have liturgy in the morning. And maybe I want to go to liturgy. But they tell me "come on man just come with us just this once" - so I forsake what I know and I go with them

  • 16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

    • See how Ruth walks behind Naomi, no matter where she goes or what she does
      • When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we should keep this attitude "Lord whatever you want me to do, I will do it. Wherever you want me to go, I will go. Whenever you want me to do it, I will do it."
    • Ruth completely rejects Moab - "there I will be buried" - most people want to be buried in their home land.
    • The Lord do so to me - "this God that I don't know yet, but who I have learned from you - may he curse me if I ever leave you."

  • 19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

    • Bethlehem is a small town... so when they entered, everyone noticed. And it's been decades since she lived there. And they said "Is this Naomi?"
      • She is coming back in sadness without her husband or sons, she is much older, she is tired. She is unrecognizable.
      • When someone turns his back on the Lord for a long time, he becomes unrecognizable. "Is that really him? That's him who was with God?"
    • In humility she says "Do not call me Naomi" (Naomi means grace) "call me Mara" (Mara means bitter)
    • I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty
      • Full of grace (Naomi)
      • We all leave the liturgy full of grace... so where are we gonna go with this grace?
        • Go home, watch TV and play video games and waste a few hours? Just emptying ourselves!
        • Go talk on the phone for hours, talking about other people, gossipping, emptying ourselves?
        • Go and count the money?
        • Go and yell at my wife and kids?
        • Go and fight with my siblings? 
      • When we go home, do we go home again empty? Preserve the grace you received in the Liturgy! Let it last for you the whole week!
    • The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me
      • Why did the Lord do this to her? To bring her to repentance!
      • By the end of the story, we will find Naomi is rejoicing and is very happy... but what did it take to get there?
    • Beginning of the barley harvest
      • This is the best time of the year... they spent months and months tiring over the barley plants, and the day has come to harvest it! So everyone is rejoicing, and there is food enough for everyone.
      • The Feast of Weeks is the Jewish feast of the harvest. This is also what the Jews called Pentecost, and this was the same day that the Church received the Holy Spirit like tongues of fire.

Chapter 2

  • 1 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.

    • It turns out that Naomi has a relative who is very wealthy, well known in the town.
    • Boaz means "strength"

  • 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

    • Even though she told people to call her Mara, the Scripture still calls her Naomi.
      • Reminds us of the prodigal son who said "father I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me as one of your hired servants" and yet his father treated him as his son
    • Ruth will go and look for food - imagine in Moab she would be a woman who everyone wants to marry... why would she stay here with Naomi? Why stay and beg for food?
      • Love. And humility comes from love
      • Spirit of service - Sometimes we find reasons not to serve...
        • I'm above this service...
        • What will people say if they see me serving here? Etc. She didn't think "what will they say when they see a Moabitess?"
    • Gleaning
      • Leviticus 19:9 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
      • God had given the Jews a law for gleaning that when they go to collect from their harvest, they leave the corners of the land, and they leave anything that they drop, and anything that doesn't come out. And the stranger, the poor, the widow will all come and it will be for them.
      • Ruth, being poor, was to go and glean during the harvest

  •  

    3 Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

    • "The Lord be with you" - Emmanuel means "God with us"
    • The man Boaz is a righteous man who always speaks the name of the Lord

  • 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”

    • Whose young woman is this?
      • He is surprised to see a young woman - usually those who are gleaning are poor, or they are widows. A young woman can usually get married off to someone else.
      • He isn't concerned with who she is, but with whose she is - who is her father or who is her husband?
      • The question comes for us - whose are you?
        • Reminds us of when Jacob was going to meet Esau and he sent droves ahead of him and Esau would ask each one "to whom do you belong?"
    • She came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house
      • Why is she working so hard? For Naomi!
      • Ruth is a type of the Gentiles - we, Christians, don't rest in serving God

  •  

    8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

    • Boaz took favor in her because she was a hard worker. Calls her "my daughter" - he doesn't want her to go anywhere else lest she is mistreated
    • Boaz is a type of Christ
      • He tells his daughters "stay close by my young women, the saints, be like them"
      • "Go after them" is Discipleship
      • "I have commanded the young men not to touch you" - Christ protects us
      • "When you are thirsty, go and drink from what they have drawn" - Come to me for all your needs

  •  

    10 So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 13 Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

     

    • "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner" - This is a word that we can all say to God in our prayers ("since I am a sinner")
    • Ruth left her father and mother and the land of her birth and went to the land of the Lord... this reminds us of Abraham.
    • Boaz says "The Lord give you a Full Reward"
      • This is what God promised to Abraham
      • This is what we say in the Liturgy "Remember O Lord those who have brought unto You these gifts, those on whose behalf they have been brought and those by whom they have been brought. Give them all the heavenly reward."
      • The result of sacrifice and offering is the heavenly reward.
    • Boaz is telling her that it's not just him who took notice... but the Lord took notice.
    • Under the wings - usually refers to the Cross
    • Ruth tells her "I am not like one of your maidservants" and she means by that "I'm not even one of them I'm not worthy to be one of them"
      • Another reminder of the Prodigal Son

  • 14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.

    • Ruth is rewarded for her dedication by an invitation to eat with Boaz. This meal prefigures the Eucharistic Supper.

  • 15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

    • Boaz issues an order to his servants ensuring that Ruth, a Gentile, is given equal treatment and an equal share of grain.
    • 16 LXX: "When you carry sheaves, carry them for her also; and when you throw them on the piles, throw them for her also; and let her gather from what has piled up, and do not rebuke her."

  •  

    17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

    • An ephah is like 50 pounds
    • This is more than anyone would have gleaned in one day... but because of Boaz's generosity

  • 18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.

     

    • Not only did she take the barley, but also the food from Boaz's table

  • 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”

    • Naomi uses words applicable to Christ to bless Boaz "Blessed be he of the Lord"
    • Naomi recognizes his name as a relative of theirs

  •  

    21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

    • Naomi tells her to stay close to Boaz to be secure. The same way we should stay close to the Lord Christ.
    • She stayed with Boaz' young women until the end of the barley harvest AND the wheat harvest. Two seasons. The barley harvest refers to the Old Testament. The wheat harvest refers to the New Testament. And after the two of those, we rest.

Chapter 3

  • 1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” 5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”

    • Now Naomi has a plan for Ruth, to take care of her
    • After collecting all the barley, they winnow it - they let air pass through it so that the chaff - the bad parts - are blown away. It's a night of much celebration.
    • Wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best garment - after he has finished his celebration, make yourself known.
      • What is Naomi's plan? To marry Ruth to Boaz... why?
        • She knows the Law. She knows the inheritance laws that if a man dies having no children, his brother or closest relative should take the wife as his own wife and they will have children in the name of that man. Those children will receive the inheritance of the man who died so his name is not lost among Israel.
        • She also knows that Boaz is her relative. He is the second closest relative. But the first closest doesn't seem to care... he never came to greet Naomi or anything. It's clear to her that the first-closest relative is not going to redeem them anyway.
        • She can see that God is making the way very easy - Ruth runs into Boaz and he happens to be a relative, and he finds favor in her and says good words about her, and he tells her to stick around with the other women who are under his care.
      • How do we become the Bride of Christ?
        • Boaz is Christ - when we are born, we are just Gentiles... Moabites. But what do we need to do to become a part of the Church, the Bride of Christ?
        • Wash Yourself - Baptism
        • Anoint Yourself - Chrismation
        • Put on your best garment - Imitate Christ in all your works "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
        • Go down to the threshing floor - Serve - and in service, you will meet the Lord
        • "do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking" - it is important for us to encounter God alone. Not just in the midst of everyone else.
        • "Go in" - going in to the Lord means "coming out" from the world. Come out of the cares of the world, and come in to the Lord.
        • "uncover His feet" - recognize His divine secrets. Contemplate on His Love and His Passions.
        • "lie down" - partake of His sufferings even to death

  • 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. 7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.” 10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. 12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”

    • Removing his shoe is a symbol that she is his relative
    • Under your wing
      • She makes a request of love - take my under your wing for you are a close relative
      • It's a request we can make of God - Lord have mercy on me because You created Me. Because You are Good and Loving and Compassionate. When we ask God for mercy, it's not because we deserve it, but because the Lord has all in His hands.
    • Boaz is happy because Ruth is focusing on that which is spiritual and good, as opposed to that which is worldly. She's not going after young men or rich men. She doesn't want money. She wants to do what is right.
    • "Do not fear" - this is a word of Christ
    • "I will do for you all that you request"
      • Reminds us of the Psalm that says "Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"
      • Ruth here is delighting in Boaz by doing what is good and right, by sitting at his feet. We can delight in the Lord by doing His will, and by sitting at His feet - in prayer and in supplications. And we will find that our will starts to match His will. And then He will give us the desires of our heart.

  • 14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ” 18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

    • The last day of work gave her three ephahs of barley... but a night with the Lord gave her double that.
      • It's a lesson that service gives you many blessings... but more blessings come from staying with the Lord in prayer in your room with the door shut. We do both, of course, but the theme is present here.
      • We see the same lesson in Mary and Martha - Martha was serving, and Mary was sitting under His feet... and the Lord took Mary's side.
    • How did Naomi know "he will not rest"?
      • Because he gave her six ephahs. The Lord created the world in six days and did not rest until the seventh. So when Boaz gave her six ephahs, it represented that he will not rest until the seventh.

Chapter 4

  • 1 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. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 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. 4 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.”

    • The closer relative agrees to redeem it because he wants the land! He's not worried about taking care of Naomi because she's a widow and she already had sons and they died. So he would get all of Elimelech's inheritance!

  • 5 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.” 6 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.” 

    • But then he finds out that he would have to marry Ruth...
      • This would cause problems in his inheritance because if he had kids through her, they may fight with his own kids about inheritance... or the future land would not be in his name but in Elimelech's name and there would be confusion about his land. He's not interested in that. He's interested in the land only.
      • Boaz is the opposite - he would sustain all sufferings and all pains to marry Ruth and redeem her. Christ suffered for us to make us His Bridegroom.
    • The relative reminds us of Satan because though he convinces us to desire the things of the world, and tries to tie us to the things of the world. But he cannot give us life. Christ gave us life when He took the Church as His Bride.

  • 7 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. 8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9 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. 10 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.”

    • The sandal represents that he has no inheritance in this land. He will not set his foot in that land because it is not his.

  • 11 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. 12 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.”

    • Rachel - The New Testament Church
    • Leah - The Old Testament
    • "prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem" - Prophecy about Christ's birth in Bethlehem because He will make Bethlehem famous
    • Boaz is a descendant of Perez

  • 13 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. 14 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! 15 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.”

    • The story started with funerals and death and ends with birth and new life
    • Who is the one who restores life? Nourishes? Christ
  • 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; 20 Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; 21 Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
    • So we see that King David comes from the line of Ruth, and as we know, the Lord Jesus Christ - King of Kings comes from King David.
    • Ruth is not mentioned again in the Scripture until Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Christ
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