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Welcome back, my friend! If you’re in or keeping a watch on central Florida, please pray with me for protection over those who haven’t even recovered from Hurricane Helene as Milton threatens to make landfall later this week. Thankfully, this path is projected to vary widely from Helene’s deadly stomp through Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, but two major storms in as many weeks has us wondering what will the next seven weeks be like? God knows, He sees, He is here with us. I’ll praise Him in the storm!
Last Week’s Work
WRITING TYPES
The narrative we identified in Ruth 1 continues here in chapter 3. I also noticed three instructions in verses 11 and 13, all of which were spoken by Boaz to Ruth:
- Do not fear (v11)
This one seemed particularly appropriate to the weather and other things out of control in this world right now! - Remain tonight (v13)
- Lie down until the morning (v13).
Next, the Spirit prompted me to notice a reference to Hebrew law again in Ruth 3:9, and 12-13 (see Ruth 2). More about that in the section called Historical Context, below. Last, in v9, I noted poetry again: this time Ruth references Boaz’s poetic expression from Ruth 2, in her statement, spread your wings over your servant. We know Naomi instructed Ruth to go to Boaz that evening (3:3-4), but the text says nothing about asking him to redeem her. In the Ruth 2 study, I loved how Boaz described her trek to Bethlehem (2:12) as coming under Elohim’s wings for refuge/protection. That she used similar language to ask for Boaz’s help couldn’t be coincidence. Did she do that to remind him of their previous conversation?
LITERAL CONTEXT
As I mentioned last time, Naomi and Ruth had no one to provide for them. They were able to eat during the barley harvest because Ruth gleaned. But once the harvest was over (as it would have been if Boaz was threshing and winnowing the grain), how would they survive?
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
From my research for Ruth 1, the author of Ruth is unknown and it was believed to be written about 1010 BC. In Ruth 2, I discovered Naomi and Ruth’s return from Moab could have taken place during a conflict between the two countries, and this term gā’al, translated redeemer, referred to a man who fulfilled certain next-of-kin obligations under Hebrew law, including:
- Levirate marriage, or marrying a brother’s childless widow and having at least one son by her who would bear the deceased relative’s name and perpetuate his lineage (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)
- Redemption, or purchase, of a poor relative who sold himself into slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49)
- Redemption of the field of a poor relative sold to raise money (Leviticus 25:25)
- Avenging the murder of a dead relative (Numbers 35:16-19).
As I consider these duties, especially the second one, I’m reminded of Jesus’s statements: everyone who sins is a slave to sin, and if the Son sets you free, you are truly free (see John 8:34-36 NLT). I’ve heard it said everything in the Old Testament testifies to Jesus. I know these characters appear in his genealogy (Matthew 1:5-16). It’s breathtaking how I find Jesus everywhere I look in these sixty-six books written by dozens of different men over 1500 years!
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
I reviewed the interlinear text of several phrases in verses 11-13, but what really caught my attention was as the Lord lives in 3:13. I assumed this was probably an oath Boaz made to Ruth, but there was so much more in the detail around the word for lives (ḥay, H2416).
Here’s the definition I found at Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon on blb.org: of God, as the living one, the fountain of life (emphasis mine). The entry also included a reference to Job 19:25: For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. As I read Job 19, I realized this statement is made after Job’s lamentation about being abandoned by family. That made me think of Naomi, whose Israelite family died, and then half of her Moabite family abandoned her when she headed back to Bethlehem. Also, the word translated Redeemer in Job is the same Hebrew word (H1350 gā’al), we see throughout Ruth. From that, the Spirit reminded me of two promises: first, Boaz’s to Ruth that he would redeem her and save her life, sealed not only this oath, but also by his provision of food for her and Naomi throughout the harvest season (Ruth 2:21-23, 3:15). And second, Jesus’s promise to redeem all those who believe in him from eternal death, the punishment for unforgiven sin (see Romans 15:12-21).
What awesome revelations! Friend, this is the third time I’ve studied the book of Ruth inductively, and every time, I get a glimpse of new and amazing treasure here! Let’s keep digging!
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up the second half of our Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (for v10, I’ll start at this blb.org page) to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in and log what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: if you’re interested in verses other than 10, follow the above link, then point to the TOOLS button to the left of the verse you want to study, and choose Cross-Refs from the menu. - REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations’ version of the same verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT using this biblehub.com page. You can compare your own verses from that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass icon there.
Lord willing, I’ll be back next week to show you what I discovered. I hope you join me then!