​Welcome! We are working on Ruth Chapter 4.
 
In Chapter 3, the marriage contract was worked out on the threshing floor between Ruth and Boaz. Ruth pledged loyalty to Boaz in terms like that of her pledge to Naomi, and Boaz accepted and gave his blessing. He gave a gift of barley to Naomi as a wedding payment and Ruth took that to Naomi.
 
However, the matter of the legal wedding had to be worked out by Boaz. He protected Ruth's reputation by having her leave the threshing floor while it was still dark. Naomi said Boaz would act the next day.
 
Chapter 4 resolves this in public with the community and the elders giving witness to the wedding of Boaz and Ruth as legitimate in law and in agreement.
 
The encounter with Boaz and the next-of-kin is comical. One of the commentators I read said it was burlesque. The next- of-kin is eager to get the inheritance, but when he finds out he has to marry Ruth to get it, he declines. The public way of declining was to take off a sandal and give it to the other. Boaz declares he has acquired from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Naomi's deceased husband and sons, and in marriage to Ruth, preserved the name of the dead.
 
Boaz and Ruth are married, and have a son. The women give a blessing to God for Naomi, for the daughter-in-law who  loves Naomi, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne a child who is a restorer of life to Naomi. Naomi becomes  his nurse, and the women give the child the name of Obed, and declare, "A son has been given to Naomi."
 
The last paragraph is a genealogy, and the last verse is "Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David."
 
The first use of the law is "to establish justice, preserve peace, set boundaries to evil doing, and protect those in society who are marginal and vulnerable." (note on 4:5 from the Lutheran Study Bible.) But the law only works when the community respects the laws for a just purpose. The witnesses do that, and Boaz uses the law on behalf of Naomi and Ruth. Why is it often so hard for that to happen?
 
What laws are used to defeat the purpose of the law in our time? What laws uphold the purpose of the law? Can you give an example of each?
 
Naomi has recognized the hand of God in the actions of Ruth and Boaz, and has gone from emptiness to fulness. When our emptiness goes toward fulness, do we see the hand of God? Do we credit God for the kindness of people?
 
Blessings are pronounced time after time after time in the book of Ruth. Can we learn to bless and receive blessings more than we usually do?
 
Boaz is listed in the genealogy as the ancestor of King David , as is Ruth through their son Obed. The foreign woman is directly related to the king who is the pattern for kings. Do foreigners often enrich the country they come to? Does this have something to do with the hand of God?
 
But in the genealogy in the beginning of Matthew, Ruth is listed as a forbearer of Jesus along with Boaz. How long and how patiently does God work?

​Welcome! I'm late this week, hampered by a bad foot which finally seems to be healing. Again, it would be very helpful at the end of this session if you would check the like button and make a comment, which will be visible to everyone who reads this blog, and we will be a group who can communicate with each other.
 
Naomi, who has described herself as Mara (bitterness), begins the chapter by telling Ruth she is going  to provide security for Ruth. Naomi is moving from emptiness to fulness, and her caring for her daughter is part of that process.
 
A continuing surprise for us is that caring and acting for others is a blessing for us, not a heavy burden. Isn't  
It almost always an unexpected grace rather than a reward for being or doing good?
 
The rest of the chapter is a study in ambiguity. Is Boaz being manipulated or given a chance to do what he wants to do? Is the Hebrew word for feet about feet or the male sexual organ? Did the couple sleep or make love? Are the six measures of barley to Naomi the marriage price? The story engages the hearer and in  sense teases the hearer. The resolution takes place in chapter 4.
 
The blessing in this chapter is again from Boaz in verse 10. "He said, 'May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich."
Now the pledge give to Naomi is extended to Boaz, and this becomes Ruth's wedding pledge.   
 
Boaz calls Ruth a worthy woman, and that is a common description of the role and value of women in Wisdom Literature. The old testament is not exclusively patriarchal or matriarchal, but there is an interplay that involves both men and women. It is very clearly an affirmation of Ruth.
 
The roles of both men and women are a present concern in our society and churches. Does mutual respect provide a setting for our interplay with each other?