I just recently read the book of Ruth. I love that story! For as long as I can remember, it's been one of my favorites. It's so exciting to see someone who makes right and unselfish choices be rewarded with more than she could have ever dreamed!
As I read, though, a new thought occurred to me. Now, I must admit that there is no way to prove my theory. Maybe it was just the Lord's way of broadening my mind to be open to His voice in some specific area of my life right now. The Holy Spirit has an incredible way of speaking to us through His Word in ways that might not "preach," but still impress on us strongly His wisdom, direction, and presence. At any rate, the new thought did stir my mind to wonderment.
The new thought revolved around the kinsman-redeemer. If you've read the book, you know exactly who I'm talking about - the unnamed, seemingly selfish man who held the position of closest of kin to Naomi and Ruth. (If you haven't read the book, stop reading this, spend 20 minutes reading Ruth, and then come back - and tell me what you think about my thoughts!) So many times I've heard of his selfishness compared to Boaz's acts of unselfishness towards Ruth and Naomi. But this time as I read the story, I couldn't help but wonder if this man truly was selfish.
Yep, call me crazy, but let me share a few thoughts with you.
First of all, check out Leviticus 25:25. "If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold." That's where Naomi and Ruth were - they needed to sell the land that had been in Naomi's family so they could survive. The idea was that they really wanted to keep the land in the family, even if it was the extended family. The immediate kinsman-redeemer would have had no problem with that, but then Boaz added in the idea that he'd have to take Ruth as his wife! Think about this for a minute. We know nothing about this other man. When he said he couldn't take Ruth as his wife, there are any number of reasons why this was true. He could have already been married and been loathe to take a second wife. Can you blame him? Multiple wives cause trouble! He could have been a widower with a daughter, afraid that if he took a new wife and had a son, the son would technically belong to Ruth's former husband, and the inheritance would not be in this man's own family. There are so many technicalities we know nothing about simply because we have no concept of the traditions and lives of the ancient Israelites. It's so very foreign to us!
But, let me present another thought. This one is just "feelings," but I think it's valid. My darling hubby made the comment that if Ruth were made into a chick flick movie today, you would be on the edge of your seat hoping that this "other guy" said no! I mean, think about it. Boaz had his eye on Ruth from day one. According to Israelite tradition - and instruction from the Lord - landowners were supposed to allow poor people to come behind their own workers and gather up the pieces that the harvesters left behind. In fact, they were supposed to make sure that they didn't cleanly harvest the land so some of the poor would be cared for. Boaz was a kind man, and people probably knew that. He probably had regular poor folk gleaning on his property. So, what was it about Ruth that made him notice her? Could he have been smitten? So maybe she stood out because she was a foreigner and she was new, but then he heard her story, and she impressed him. And Ruth seemed to be pretty excited about Boaz, too. You can almost sense it in her excitment as she tells Naomi about Boaz. I think they really loved each other! I can imagine both of them being on pins and needles waiting for Boaz's interaction with the "other guy." And I can imagine the relief and joy when the "other guy" said, "No thanks!"
So, what's my point? Just this...we can't automatically assume that just because someone does what seems to be the "wrong" thing means they're truly wrong. There are a bunch of facts we don't know! Also, we can't automatically assume that what society - or we - think is the right thing is truly the will of God. He works in strange ways! We can see that all through Scripture. I, for one, am excited about watching God work. I want to keep my eyes open to see how He puts aside the ways of this world to forge a beautiful path showing His will. Isn't it fun to be His children?
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