Preschool
Choose you this day whom ye will serve (Joshua 24:15).
A Token of Commitment
Memory Verses
Primary
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
Junior
Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
Background Scripture: Ruth 3-4
Lesson Scripture: Ruth 4:1-12
Introduction
We are studying one of the most beautiful Old Testament stories typifying the relationship found between Christ and his beloved church. This story is based on the Levitical law found in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. It is saturated with the principle of the Hebrew word chesed, meaning loving-kindness. In this case, it reaches out to the cause of the deceased and carries on their legacy. Jesus Christ comes to us as a redeemer when we are “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Jesus has shown favor toward us, redeemed us, and restored our lost inheritance. Ephesians 2:13-22 describes the token of Christ’s love-purchase through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Key Verse
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
Lesson Scripture
Ruth 4:1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s:
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
Studying the Lesson
All of the characters in this account are simply going about their day-to-day activities and facing life’s daily challenges. Yet in the background, God was intricately weaving the threads of redemption. God had already made provisions for Ruth’s welfare through the Mosaic laws of marriage before she left for Israel with Naomi. God often uses the mundane articles of life to bring about his will.
The word token, although not mentioned in the lesson text, means something given or shown as a guarantee of authority or right. When Boaz bought back Naomi’s land, the purchase included an inheritance to be passed down to Ruth’s children. The near kinsman plucked off his shoe, signifying the relinquishing of his authority over the possession. This was the token of a binding legal contract and was witnessed by the elders of the city.
Ruth and Boaz’s story represents God’s love. According to Jewish tradition, Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab. It is said that her beauty was outstanding and her character irreproachable. She was, however, a representation of the gentile race—without God and without hope of an inheritance in Israel. Even so, she left all her old companions, her family, and her country and came to live among God’s people, there confessing she was a stranger. Likewise, sin has ruined our right of claim to any inheritance from God. It has separated us from Him; therefore, we, too, come to Him with a willingness to leave all for his name’s sake.
Boaz, on the other hand, is a representation of Christ. He met the requirements of the kinsman-redeemer and was able to restore the inheritance of Ruth by showing his favor toward her. When Boaz first went to Ruth and stated that she should remain with his reapers until the end of harvest, she fell before him and said, “Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” (Ruth 2:10). Boaz’s answer was both a prayer and a benediction upon her: “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (v. 12). What a picture of a loving God and a humble sinner!
Practical Truths for Today
Throughout time, God has offered tokens to mankind showing his love and commitment to saving our fallen race. The rainbow is a token from God declaring that He will never send a global flood upon the earth again. The peace we experience in our new birth is a token of God’s acceptance of us and his forgiveness of the sin in our life. Perhaps the greatest token God gives to mankind is the token of the Holy Spirit, signifying an intent to purchase and redeem us completely from our fallen state and bring us to be with Him forever in eternity. We experience daily tokens of God’s presence and nearness in our lives as we meditate on his Word, follow Him, and are obedient to our vows.
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord” (Isa. 59:20). The word redeemer in this verse is talking about Jesus and is the same Hebrew word used in our text to describe Boaz in relation to Naomi. The kinsman-redeemer of the Old Testament had to be a close blood relative to the one being redeemed. Jesus comes to us, taking upon Himself the likeness of man (Heb. 2:14). He was the son of man as well as the son of God. He came to the fallen human race and redeemed it as a close blood relative, giving us the token of promise through his Holy Spirit. In another parallel of Boaz and Ruth, Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, redeems the church, a predominantly gentile bride.
The Holy Spirit is given as a token to the true believer to help guide us through life. He is the unique part of the Trinity that dwells within the individual believer’s heart and witnesses of God’s will and desire. One of our baptismal questions asks, “Do you believe in the Holy Ghost which proceeds from the Father, that He is an abiding Comforter who comforts us when we do right, and reproves us when we do wrong, and guides us into all truth?” He guides us by speaking the will of the Father to us (John 16:13). This is not only done by Him speaking directly to our heart but also through the brethren, through the church, and through God’s Word. We can safely say the Spirit is leading if the direction we are feeling lines up in all these areas. God will never send us direction that does not agree with his Word, his church, and his people. He cannot deny Himself.
Questions
- Give some thoughts on the other near kinsman who chose not to redeem the inheritance. Do you think he was blessed in his decision? Nothing is ever heard of him again.
- What are some other tokens not mentioned in the lesson that God may employ?
- How was Boaz able to marry Ruth when the law specifically forbade marriage to foreigners?
- What should I do if I find my direction not lining up with the church and my brethren?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).