The Life Redeemed

Ruth 3
Cascades Fellowship CRC, JX MI
February 16, 2003

When I was in the service, I went home to West Virginia over a long weekend. I

had been in the Navy about three years or so – just long enough for my face to become

unfamiliar in a small town. As was my habit, I left Norfolk with about 7 bucks in my

pocket, knowing I could get money from an ATM in Elkins, the city closest to my Mom

and Dad’s house.

However, when it came time to reinvigorate my cash flow – and in that time cash

flowed pretty freely from me, now much to the chagrin of my wife – I decided I didn’t

want to pay the ATM fees. Why throw money away on fees when I could spend it

whimsically on things frivolous, but fun?

I went to the local Kroger’s – the place where I had always cashed my checks

when I lived in the area. They would know me – and besides, I had my military ID, the

guarantee that whatever check I wrote would be covered. If a sailor’s check bounced, so

did his career and the military would garnish his wages to make sure it got paid in full.

I confidently strode up to the customer desk and wrote out my check, signing it with a

flourish. As a single, noncommissioned officer in the Navy, finances were not a problem.

I slid the check along with my ID card across the counter and waited to hear the soft

crinkle of money being counted.

Dead silence ensued. The customer service person scanned my check, then my

card and then me. Apologetically she handed it all back to me and said, “I can’t cash
this.” “Why?” I said. “I used to cash checks for more than this all the time here.” I

mistakenly thought that I had written the check for too large a sum – could I have been

more arrogant?

“It’s an out of state check,” she said simply.

I was stunned. I began to stammer something about being good for the money and

that the government would make sure that they got paid. Then I railed against a store in a

major tourist area – the middle of ski country – not accepting out of state checks. How

did they intend to capitalize on out of state business? By the time I had finished my

tirade, I think I had referred to people who would enforce such a policy as something that

rhymes with boron.

Anyway, as I was venting, an idea came to me. “What if I put my permanent

address and phone number on the check?” I asked.

“Do you live there?” she asked.

“When I am in town. It’s my parent’s house.”

“What are your parents’ names?”

“Cecil and Dorothy Lanham,” I replied tiredly. I was getting frustrated. Little did

I know I had spoken the name that would throw open all the doors and grant me access to

my every desire.

“You’re Cecil’s son? Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Let’s see that

check again.” With just the simple mention of my Dad’s name, I had suddenly gained

entry into that inner-circle that always gets its checks cashed. I could write checks until
the cows came home, so long as I mentioned my Dad’s name first. I was now part of the

homeboy network!

I’m not sure what that story has to do with our text – possibly nothing, I’ll let you

be the judge – but it’s one that has a number of applications. Through that one episode I

gained a wealth of life experience. Besides, I love that story and enjoy telling it.

All that aside, this morning we continue our series on Ruth, taking a look at

chapter three. Within the story of Ruth, the scene played out for us in chapter three is the

most controversial. In a story all about the noble character of the Ruth, this chapter

injects a little of the risqué. We find here activity that titillates, that excites our

imagination. We read this chapter almost breathlessly, so packed is it with intrigue and –

quite frankly – the possibility of innuendo. There is a sexual tension in this chapter that

doesn’t escape our notice, nor should it. You can be certain that the narrator didn’t intend

for it to escape our notice.

To get us in the proper frame for our exploration of chapter three, let’s recap our

story. In chapter one, we have the story of how Naomi was emptied of all hope and life.

After leaving the Promised Land with her family because of famine, she returns bereft of

her husband and sons. Only Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, remains to her. She is

bitter in life and with God. And her bitterness prohibits her from seeing how God is

working her suffering into the good he promised those who love him.

Then in chapter 2, Ruth shows the quality of her character and the value of her

place in Naomi’s life. Ruth goes into the fields to glean in obedience to God’s Law. Her

faithfulness and diligence win her favor in the eyes of Boaz, a wealthy relative of
Elimelech – the deceased husband of Naomi. Boaz blesses Ruth and ultimately Naomi

by taking Ruth under his protection and providing the means by which she can supply the

basic needs of both widows. When Naomi hears that Elimelech is the benefactor of Ruth,

she breathes her first words of hope in the story. “He is a kinsman-redeemer.”

Kinsman-redeemer. What exactly is a kinsman-redeemer and what does it mean to

be a kinsman-redeemer?

Look with me at Leviticus 25:25 and then at Deuteronomy 25: 5-7.

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property,
his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has
sold.

If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his
widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall
take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.
The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so
that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

When a person found himself in debt up to his ears in ancient Israel, he not only sold off

his property, he also sold himself and his family into slavery to satisfy his debt. Or when

a man died without an heir, his land became for all intents and purposes ownerless

because ownership was accounted through the men. So a widow, even though her

husband owned much, was essentially landless once the husband died and her survival

depended upon the kindness of her family.

The kinsman-redeemer could “redeem” or buy back the one enslaved, restoring

him to his rightful place in the covenant community by paying off his debt. The

redeemer could also to buy the lands of his deceased relative and marry his widow,

holding the land in trust until the first male child born to him and his brother’s widow
was old enough to assume the inheritance. In doing so, the covenant of God with his

people was maintained.

Now, with this definition under our belt, let’s turn our attention to our story.

Chapter three begins with a whole new twist. Where in chapter two, it was Ruth who

instigated things, in chapter three it is a revitalized Naomi.

Just as it was significant that Ruth took the initiative to glean, as God’s Law

provided, we should note that it is Naomi who shows initiative here. Primarily, because it

indicates a change of heart in her – a restored hope. Naomi has walked long in the valley

of shadow and death. She has become accustomed to darkness. As the psalmist called

out in Psalm 42, her tears have been her food day and night and her faith has been

assailed by the question burning in her heart “Where is your God?” Finally, Naomi

begins to see where God has been. Beside her all the way, providentially granting

protection, granting sustenance and granting redemption from the pit of despair.

So deep was her despair, she claimed complete emptiness. She could offer

nothing to Ruth. No chance of marriage and children. No chance of a life lived within

the covenant blessings of God. The only thing Naomi could offer was darkness. Call me

Mara. Naomi forgot that God always redeems his people. Naomi forgot that the one

beloved of God, the one called according to his purpose, always has the hope of

redemption to offer. Then she heard the name Boaz.

Allow me to just interject something quickly. If the person recently made new in

Christ or the person who has yet to know Christ, if he or she were to watch you in the

crises of life, would they sense your hope? I don’t mean the sort of mustered hope where
we bravely spout the platitudes of the Christian faith while inside we are dying. I mean

real, abiding hope springing from the reality of our redemption. The calm assurance,

even in the face of the tempest that comes from knowing that regardless of how you

weather the storm, you are in the hands of God. That peace that passes all understanding

– as the Scriptures put it – that allows you to say Lord’s Day 1 with conviction and to

draw comfort from the fact that in life and in death, body and soul you belong to your

faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Does Lord’s Day 1 bring you comfort? Does knowing you

are redeemed give you strength for hard times?

You see, that’s what Naomi forgot, she was so wrapped up in her pain. She didn’t

remember that in life and in death, she belonged to God. So she could draw no comfort

from belonging to God’s redeemed people. She couldn’t access the promises and as a

result, she failed to extend them to her daughters-in-law. Orpah in the face of such

despair fled back home to seek solace in the arms of her family. Ruth, however, flung

herself completely upon the mercy of Yahweh. And the strong arms of a Savior caught

her.

By taking the initiative, Naomi indicates that she is back in the game. She sees her

God at work, redeeming his people and she is ready to engage life as she is called to do as

one of God’s own. Like Maverick in the final dogfight scene of the movie Top Gun, she

has awakened from her long night of despair and is ready to do her duty. She takes up

her role as Ruth’s mother-in-law and begins working toward restoring Ruth’s fortunes

through the kinsman-redeemer. Naomi begins to walk in the obedience of the redeemed

life – a life given to God in faith and love.

 Now the real question is what does Naomi have Ruth do? This is the part of the

story that really piques our interest. There are a number of interpretations for what

happens next in the story – most them informed by the explicit sexuality of the modern

day. But the narrator does leave some wiggle room for interpretation – purposely. His

use of word pictures from the culture of his day that alluded to eros, or the sensuality of

lovers, captivates his readers so fully that the overarching picture being presented can get

missed. But I am getting ahead of myself here.

Naomi advises Ruth to go and get herself cleaned up, gussied up and dressed up

and then to head down to the threshing floor to put the moves on Boaz. But is that what

she is really doing?

If you read 2 Samuel 12:20, you will note an interesting thing being said about

King David. After the son born of his illicit union with Bathsheba dies, David gets up,

cleanses himself, puts on lotions, and changes clothes – indicating that his time of

mourning has passed. Now look at what the narrator has Naomi instruct Ruth to do in v.3

“…Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes….” Many have said

that Naomi instructs Ruth to make herself up to be attractive – to essentially play the part

of the harlot. But in the Ancient Near East, it often fell to the family of the deceased

husband to tell a young widow when she could put aside her mourning garb and reenter

regular society. It was only after her in-laws indicated that her period of mourning was

over that she could signify she was eligible for courtship by cleansing herself, putting on

perfumes, and the more festive raiment of the eligible bachelorette. Naomi is telling Ruth

that her period of mourning is over and that she is ready to wed again.
 Now move along here. We know that Naomi then tells Ruth to go down to the

threshing floor and to wait until Boaz is properly cheerful from the wine that flowed

freely in celebration of the harvest. Then she was to mark where he laid down and under

the cover of darkness, go and “uncover his feet” and lay next to them. Here is where the

story gets dicey, because the phrase “uncover his feet” was euphemistic in that day and

age for sexual behavior. Indeed, by doing such a thing, Ruth was proclaiming in

language Boaz could never misconstrue that she was making herself available to him.

Now, in Naomi’s scheme, Ruth was to say nothing. She was simply to wait upon

Boaz to tell her what to do. She wants Ruth to present herself as vulnerable and available

– no questions asked. But Ruth, God bless her, she is wiser than Naomi gives her credit.

When Boaz wakes up with a start and realizes that there is this desirable young creature

at his feet who has sent him a clear message of her availability, look at what Ruth says to

him.. Reading from v.9

I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment
over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”

Do you see what she does here? In one fell swoop she diffuses the sexual tension by

pointing out the duty of Boaz. To “spread the corner of your garment” over someone was

to offer them shelter – to protect them. Interestingly enough, the word in the Hebrew

translated as “the corner of you garment” in the same word that Boaz uses when he says

in chapter two that Ruth has sought refuge under God’s wings. The implication of her

statement is all to clear to Boaz. He has prayed that God would reward Ruth richly for

her life of obedience and selfless dedication to Naomi. Ruth is now telling Boaz that it is
through him that the prayer he uttered is to be answered. No wonder he calls her a

woman of noble character.

Now, allow me to note just a few points about the end of the chapter and then we

will take a moment to pull back and look at the overall picture. There are two things to

note about the end of this chapter. The first is that Boaz begins fulfilling the role of the

kinsman-redeemer immediately. He protects Ruth by having her stay near to him for the

night. Then, he rises early with her to send her home before someone wakes and begins

to speculate. He guards her against the slander of idle minds and tongues who are far too

willing to believe the worst, regardless of the truth of the matter.

The second thing to note is the fullness of Naomi’s faith. The same Naomi who

rushed down to Moab in the midst of the famine now tells Ruth to wait. Allow the

structures that God has put in place to do their work. I can almost hear her saying to

Ruth, “We have done everything the Law requires of us. Now we need to allow Boaz the

opportunity to fulfill his part. He is a worthy man, he will not rest until it is done.”

Now, what is the overarching picture presented to us in chapter three of Ruth –

that which we said could get overlooked in such a saucy chapter. Simply this, there is a

Redeemer. God has provided. Naomi, when she was lost in despair and incapable of

helping herself. When she had exhausted her every resource and still found herself

wanting – when she could do nothing for herself – God provided a redeemer. Once

Naomi heard the name Boaz, she recognized in that name the hope redemption.

When I had exerted every ounce of credibility I had my disposal – even after I had

groused and growled in dissatisfaction – the only way I could find to make up for my
lack of clout was to speak the name of my dad. Once I realized the power of his name in

the town of Elkins, I had all the clout I needed to cash my checks at whim.

When we had fallen into sin and found that no amount of good works or obedience

could save us – that we owed a debt so great we could not possibly repay, God himself

became our kinsman-redeemer. In the incarnation, he put on flesh and bone and walked

among us so that he could identify fully with us. He understands our weaknesses, our

struggles, our pain, and our fears. He became one of us so that he could redeem us – so

that he could pay the wage of our sin with his own body, with his own life, on the cross.

S.D. Gordon, a Boston preacher, once told a story about a birdcage.

He saw a young boy carrying the cage with several small wild birds in it. He
asked the boy what he planned to do with the birds. “I’m going to play with them,” he
replied. “Have some fun with them.”
“But after that?” the preacher persisted.
“Oh, I have some cats at home and they like birds,” said the boy.
Compassion tugged at the preacher’s heart and he began to bargain for the cage
with the birds. “Mister,” said the boy, surprised “you don’t want these birds. They’re
ugly… just field birds. They don’t sing our anything.”
Dr. Gordon persisted and finally struck a bargain and purchased the cage. At the
first opportunity, he released the birds back into the wild.
Then Dr. Gordon interpreted his story this way:
“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.
“I’m going to play with them, tease them, make them marry and divorce, fight and
kill each other. I’ll teach them to throw bombs at each other, “ Satan replied. “And when
you get tired of playing with them?” Jesus asked. “Then I’ll condemn them,” Satan
answered, “They’re no good anyway.”
Jesus then asked Satan what he would take for them. “You can’t be serious,” the
devil responded. “They would just spit on you. They’d hit you and hammer nails into
you. They’re no good.” “How much?” Jesus asked again.
“All your tears and all your blood. That’s the price,” Satan said gleefully.
Jesus paid the price, and set us free.

There is a Redeemer. Have you gone to him and asked, “Spread the corner of your

garment over me?” Have you asked to be redeemed? If you have, live the life of the
redeemed. A life that radiates with the quiet confidence of knowing that you belong,

body and soul, in life and in death to your faithful Redeemer. Remember, that Jesus is

your kinsman-redeemer. Call on him in the day of trouble.

If have not come to the Kinsman-Redeemer and asked him to spread the “corner of

his garment over you,” today is your day. Christ has already paid the debt – he has

already done all that is necessary. You need only receive it. Call on him and start

enjoying the life of the redeemed today. Cast yourself upon the grace and mercy of God.

Strong arms will catch you and you will live in the loving embrace of the Kinsman-

Redeemer.