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Hello again. This week, I’m praying for restoration for those adversely impacted by Hurricane Helene in the Southeast U.S. May God comfort and strengthen them for the road ahead and bless the efforts of all who help them. And I ask this in the name of Jesus, who’s mightier than any force of nature. Amen.
Here’s what I discovered from comparisons, causes, and conditions in Ruth 3.
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
This time, I found three comparisons, all in the comments Boaz made to Ruth:
- Verse 10: … you have made this kindness greater than the first…
He views her request for redemption a greater kindness than all that [she had] done for [her] mother-in-law (Ruth 2:11). - Verse 10: I also think there’s an indirect comparison between Boaz and other men in verse 10 when he says she hadn’t gone after young men, whether poor or rich. This makes me think Boaz was older than Ruth—maybe a lot older.
- Verse 12: … a redeemer nearer than I…
From the context in verse 13, this impacts his ability to redeem her: the nearer relative apparently gets first choice in the matter.
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
Of the nine cause statements I discovered in this passage, only two seem really relevant to Boaz’s promise to redeem Ruth if he can:
- Ruth’s request: spread your wings over your servant for [because] you are a redeemer in verse 9; and
- Boaz’s promise: I will do for you all that you ask for [because] you are a worthy woman (verse 11).
CONDITIONS/METHODS
I especially noticed two conditions in this chapter: Boaz describing Ruth as a worthy woman (verse 11), and his statement that the other redeemer was nearer (verse 12). These conditions highlight to me the conflict that makes this story so compelling: Ruth deserves to be redeemed. Even though she’s a foreigner, her remarkable kindness to Naomi and respect for Boaz (and even his servants!) make her desirable to Boaz. But there is another male relative of Elimelech’s who has a superior claim to her. If this scenario were set in our culture, we’d practically expect Boaz to just do what he wanted and marry her without even checking with the other man. Instead, he explains the process to her and indicates he will abide by the other man’s decision.
Dig-In Challenges
Now that we’ve collected all these facts, we need to make sure we’re viewing them the same way Ruth’s author and his audience would have interpreted this story.
Here’s how I’ll be working toward that this week:
- PRAY. Of course!
- REFINE: Next, let’s reread Chapter 3. We’ve already determined the overall writing type in Ruth is narrative, so now we’re just looking for instances of instruction, law, letter, poetry, and/or prophecy.
- REFINE: After that, let’s review the historical context of this book: We know from our earlier research that this story is set in the days when the judges ruled, and everyone basically did what they wanted to do. All the more reason that Boaz’s behavior is unusual!
We also know no author is named for this book, but the mention of King David in Chapter 4 indicates it was written after 1010BC. I would like to do a little research to see if I can find anything that further explains Boaz’s statement about a nearer redeemer.
REMEMBER: if you decide to research historical context like this, stick with factual, historical resources and avoid commentary. - REFINE: Finally, let’s examine key words and/or phrases (I’ll look at verses 10-13, plus anything the Spirit flags from the law) using an interlinear Bible, and note what the Spirit reveals. Interlinear Bibles are available on several study websites (I’ll be using the Blue Letter Bible Interlinear tool), and show a verse in the original Hebrew or Greek providing details about each word, including its meaning in context. As usual, I encourage you to log anything the Spirit illuminates from this exercise.
This “refining” step is more involved than the “mining” we did earlier, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!!