Week 4: Ruth 4 — Redemption Fulfilled at the Gate (The Go’el, the Sandal, and the Line of David)

In this episode of Modern Mind, Ancient Book, we explore Book of Ruth chapter 4 through historical context, Hebrew word study, literary structure, rabbinic interpretation, and Christian theology.

Ruth 4 brings the book’s tension to completion. What began in famine and emptiness now resolves through public redemption, covenant faithfulness, and restored inheritance. At the city gate, Boaz acts as go’el—kinsman redeemer—fulfilling redemption through lawful action before witnesses and securing the future of Naomi, Ruth, and the line that leads to David.

In this study we examine:

• The city gate as Israel’s legal court
• The role of the go’el (kinsman redeemer)
• Why the nearer redeemer declines
• The meaning of the sandal transaction
• Land, inheritance, and covenant restoration
• Rabbinic insights from Rashi and Ruth Rabbah
• The literary structure and chiastic symmetry of Ruth 4
• Naomi’s reversal from emptiness to fullness
• Ruth’s inclusion in the Davidic genealogy
• How this chapter points forward to a greater Redeemer

Drawing from academic research, prioritizing .edu scholarship alongside Jewish and Christian sources, this episode shows that biblical redemption is not abstract—it is public, legal, costly, and restorative.

For the Christian seeker, Ruth 4 reveals how covenant faithfulness works in real history and why this small family story becomes part of the royal—and ultimately messianic—storyline of Scripture.

Walk the Way — Modern Mind, Ancient Book — Subscribe for more.
Visit: modernmindancientbook.org

#Ruth4 #BookOfRuth #KinsmanRedeemer #BibleStudy #BiblicalTheology #DavidicLine #HebrewBible #ChristianTeaching #JewishRoots #ScriptureStudy #OldTestament #ModernMindAncientBook

Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Modern Mind, Ancient Book, Walk Away.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Chip, did you know that the legal system plays a very large part in understanding the Bible? I actually did know that. Yes. I knew that. Hello and welcome to another Modern Mind Ancient Book. My name is Roger. I'll be your host today. Chip, thanks for joining me. Hi, it's a pleasure, man. If you'd like to reach out to us, please feel free. Modernmind Ancient Book dot O R G. That's where you can get started. It's a webpage. You can do anything you want to. You can also contact us. Please feel free. We are listed everywhere the podcasts are listed, and we have a little bit more presence on YouTube. We've got some great shorts, we've got some great extra content in there, including some writings and that kind of thing. So please go to YouTube and subscribe. We'd really appreciate it. We want to thank you for joining us today. So thank you so much for being here. Today we are going to finalize the Book of Ruth. Chip, are you excited? I am excited. This turned out to be a beautiful little book. Very deep. Yeah, it's much more than we imagine. Yep, I think. So, okay, we're gonna deal with chapter four of the book of Ruth. Ruth is four chapters in length, and uh, you know, it just so happened that each week we got to cover four chapters because we're going through each book of the Bible in four weekly segments, except for Genesis. That one got me. It took five weeks.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, well, that's a that's a long beginning.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Yeah, and it and it was nowhere near what I actually wanted to talk about. Well, we'll we'll get back to it. Yes, sir. Okay, so Ruth has a literary structure. Um, it's been that way all the way through it. Today we're gonna talk about uh chapter four. So the theme is legal redemption, public validation, meaning the society around you has to approve of that which you were doing in this particular society. This is an agrarian society, this is a society that is beholden one to the other, yep, and that's the way the legal system itself was set up, God's economy is that you do what's right for your neighbor, just like Jesus taught us, love your neighbor as yourself. Yep. And then because the legal justification was there and the public validation was there, then there can be covenant fulfillment.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Yep, so so Ruth basically stepped into this and and fulfilled her part.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Ruth stepped into this and executed it perfectly, like she knew what she was doing. Yep. And Boaz would not rest until it was completed. He's a man of honor. Being the redeemer. Yep. It's Modern by Nature booked contention that if you want to know what Jesus did, we're about to learn about it right now. Amen. So scene one is a legal negotiation, it happens at the city gates. Yep. Scene two is covenant execution, meaning Boaz, he makes his legal request, and then because the other, the one who had right claim, would not do what was necessary, Boaz got to um take that legal legal obligation onto himself. And then scene three is uh restoration, and then the genealogies that everybody skips, which are paramount, and I mean the absolute most important things in the Bible are the genealogies. Yep. So uh the book of Ruth, chapter four, also has what's called a chiastic structure, meaning it forms an X. The writing, the the document itself, in its form, forms an X. So A, Boaz goes to the gate and gathers witnesses. It's a public setting, elders are seated. B, land redemption is introduced. Naomi's land is offered, and the nearer redeemer agrees initially. He wants it, right? Part C, but there's a marriage obligation. He has to take a Moabite if he's gonna redeem the land. Ruth must be included. Yep. And raise the name of the dead. So the first boy must take the name of a limelech. D, this is the central access, he refuses. He says, I cannot redeem it lest I impair my inheritance. We're gonna talk about that a little bit later. But this is the theological center of this. The cost of redemption is exposed. Okay. I want you to think about that in terms of who Jesus is as we continue forward. Part C again, legal transition via the sandal. Basically, he's handing him his way, right? Yep. So the way that he walks, the path that he's in, he's passing it on. Now it's a Boaz. He's saying this is your path. This is a symbolic act, and it's the transference of rights, of the right to redeem. B, Boaz declares full redemption. He gets the land and Ruth and the name of Elimelech is preserved. And then A, witnesses confirm and bless. There's public validation again, and then invocation of Rachel, Leah, and Perez. We're gonna talk about that a little bit more too. So there's a narrative completion layer on this one, though. The book ends with more structure than every other book before it, because that's the way Hebrew writers write. There's always a resolution in the documents. So this section extends beyond this chiasm to fulfillment and to a legacy. And that's why I say this is a prophetic book. Yep. So, okay. E, marriage and conception, Ruth becomes a wife and God grants a child. Fne Mara, she gave herself a name. Unlike in every other instance where God is involved, the people receive a name. Right. Naomi gave herself a name, Mara, the bitter one. But now she gets to rejoice because a son is born to Naomi, and the emptiness is reversed. Restoration. The Son comes, and Israel is restored. That's really cool. Gee, then there's the genealogy to David, and that same genealogy lands where?

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Well, I mean, it ends up with David if if you look at the Old Testament, but it progresses to Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yeah, at this point we're looking forward to David, but we're gonna find out about David that David isn't the one.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

And then that very same genealogy is the one that Jesus has found in. So here's the structural insight. A for A, Public Witness Frames and Legal Act. B for B, land redemption expands into full redemption. C for C, marriage obligation and legal transference. D, the refusal reveals the true cost. Somebody has to pay that cost. Okay? Now here's the interpretation. Ruth four answers the tension of three. Ruth three says, will redemption happen? What did Naomi say to Ruth? Wait because the man will not rest. Yep. In Ruth 4, who will bear the cost? The center, D, it shows not all redeemers are willing to pay the redemption price because it requires sacrifice. And this is this is all about the legal system that Jesus existed in and redeemed us through. This is teaching us it. Yep. Boaz becomes the true redeemer because he's willing where all others are not. Right. Yeah, that's cool. It's really good. Okay, so here's um kind of how three and four tie together, okay? Naomi seeks rest. Naomi receives rest. Chapter three and four. Ruth risks at the threshing floor. Ruth is secured in marriage. Redemption requested, redemption enacted. Three and four. Promises with complications, and then the complication resolved. Right. Okay? That's how, like, so when you look at these documents, and this is why I keep telling this to our audience, this is why I gave you this advice. You can't read these books for the details if you don't understand this first. Right. You have to understand the structure of the documents and the gist of the stories, how they play out and what they mean in the context of their book. We we've talked about this previously, that there's an author, and that this author, in this time period, at this time, with his mind, meant something to the readers of that day.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Right, and then we we established this was probably written by the time of Samuel. So after the fact, during the King's period.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Yeah, yeah. This is yeah, this is King's period writing. It's it's backward looking, hindsight is always 2020, and so we're looking toward David. So basically what happened is the prophet realized oh my gosh, this led us to David. Yeah. That there's great significance in this one little story in the midst of chaos and disobedience. There was one family. There was one family who lived for God's glory, and that led to David. And that's what this was written about. Okay. Redemption moves in stages. Alright, it's requested, it's tested, it's completed, and then it's realized. This is wisdom for all of us. Yeah. You know, so what do you want in life? Well, I want Modern My Nature book to be wildly successful, not for me, but for you. Yeah. Because I want you to learn the Bible, I want you to live the Bible, I want you to value the Bible. And then I want to take this to a whole other level. I want to find I want to provide free resources that are based on academia that bridge that gap from a man that I absolutely adore, Dr. Fluser, who you can't listen to because he puts you to sleep, to wild and useless entertainment. Right. I want to meet right into the middle of it where you're entertained and loving the Bible in all of its detail. Okay? I request that. Now I have to test it. And that's why we're doing this podcast. I like it. That's why we're doing YouTube. What we're doing is we're putting together a program that you like, that hopefully you like. And we want your feedback. We want you to reach out to us. We want you to tell us how you feel, what you think. We want to know if this is rewarding to you. We want to know if you want this to change a little bit. This is our test. This is our test for you. We're trying to reward you with more of Jesus. And in order to do that, we need your feedback. So please reach out to us. Once that is completed, then we're going to realize something that you're going to get the benefit of for absolutely free. Yep. And these principles, listen, you can you can do this in your life. We want you to request from God. We want you to test it in your life. We want you to complete it, and we want you to realize all the goodness of the coming kingdom today and for your neighbors. We want you to realize that Jesus is King and that He's coming. And that when He comes, the door closes forever to the future. And we want you to be in that future. Please repent and call out to the living God, the one who came and rose from the dead and undid all of the evil that took place at Eden, redeeming you and giving you new life. That is Jesus, the risen Savior.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Yep, and it's free for all who seek it. All you have to do is reach out your hands and grab it.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Just like Modern Minuteship. The story is built around cost. Okay? So, what's the cost? How do you how do we deal with the cost, right? Because in Israel at this time, first of all, the Moabites are enemies. Secondly, Balak and Balam did some really horrid things, and the Moabite women caused Israel to lose thousands and thousands of people. Yes, they did. Okay? And everybody was cursed from that event. That was not a good event. And so, you know, there's a stigma here. Except for Ruth is different. Yeah. She's the one new man.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Yeah, she's not that separated from the uh the calamity with the Moabite women in the past either. If you look at how close this is to that period of time. She's not.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

So we're talking like two generations. And here's that legal system again, okay? So Jesus said, He stands at the door and knocks. If you will open it, he will come in. Redemption requires both your desire and your sacrifice. Yep. If you give up your life in this world, you will gain eternal life. Jesus taught us exactly these things. Okay? Now, you make your request in private and you realize it in public. Yep. Alright? Principles. Biblical principles for life. And that's exactly what happened. Ruth went in private, but the request was realized in public. Right. Because Boaz, who is also a legal authority, I want you to understand something. When it says Boab went up to the gate and sat down there, it's not because he just went to the gate and sat down there. It's because he was a ruler in the area.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Yeah, that's where people conducted business. That's right. When I first read this, I was reminded of these little American towns where the old men used to sit around and play checkers in front of the courthouse. There you go. And conduct business.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Yeah. Yeah, they were working out the future of the little city, weren't they?

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah, yeah, they were. And nobody, you know, everybody knew what they were doing, and nobody realized how powerful they were. They looked like old guys just hanging around playing checkers. But they made all the decisions. They were ironing out all the problems. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

And that's exactly who Boaz was. Boaz was a wealthy man in a little town who, you know, ran a business. He he was a wealthy landowner and uh he was well respected. He knew everybody, and everybody knew him. He knew exactly where the other Redeemer was, right? He knew exactly how to find him. And the minute he made the request, the other redeemer went and immediately sat down with him. Yep. Because Boaz had the authority to do such things. Yep. Boaz was not a small man.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, and I get the sense the whole town was pulling for Boaz and Ruth because of Ruth's character and Boaz's character.

SPEAKER_00 13:42

Well, we know that everybody knew of her goodness, right? So, you know, I mean, just note that as a Bible reader, you want to develop these characters in your heart and your mind so that you understand what this text is about. This is not a romance book, it's a part of it. It is a part of it. I mean, love and marriage is important, but I want you to understand something. That in the night she came to him, because and and let's go back to Genesis real quick, okay? In the nighttime the light shined. Right. And that was the first day. Yep. Right? In the daytime came creation. What happened in this book? In the nighttime, the opportunity came to bring light into the world, a new child. Women on Friday, on Shabbat, they're the ones who light the candles because they're the light bringers. Yep. This is a long-standing history and tradition. In the daytime, Boas went and he created the new way, which is the way that was permanent, that was prior not available. Right. So the two, and then the two came together, they let they they leave and they cleave and they become one flesh, and they have a child, and they raise that child up in the ways of the Lord. I mean, this is all about Genesis, this is all about the seed war.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

And you know that they did it because the the uh the product of that is Obed, the product of Obed is Jesse, and the project product of Jesse is David.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, they're their lineage is a faithful people. Certainly is. Yep. So, you know, here we are living out Genesis, and what does this tell us? This is like Seth, this is like Enoch, this is like Noah. This is back to that seed war understanding, right? That in this world, in the midst of judges, with all of the great darkness in the world, with Israel failing left and right and center, in the center of this, God redeemed a family for himself, and they were the righteous seed that would carry on to bring the king that everybody changed their mind and wanted to be like the nations, but God brought them a king that was not like the nations. Yep. Because God is still the ruler of this little yeah, it's it's really interesting.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

So he's got this is the beginning of the of the remnant arc, if you ask me. Yeah. Maybe not the beginning, but it's certainly part of the motif.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Yeah, the beginning of the remnant arc was Seth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, uh, yeah. I mean, that, but what you're talking about is just another motif that comes all the way through from Job. It's at the very earliest stories. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Genesis 1 through 6 or 1 through 10 is not earlier than Job. But what I'm saying is Job is the earliest written story that we have. Okay. So what you learn from all of this is that there is a uniting theme and a uniting story that plays out in repeating motifs over and over and over again, and that these things they're pointing always towards something else. And in today's, in today's world, we're still waiting for the fulfillment that Ruth is pointing to.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Yeah. And she acted righteously even though she couldn't see you thousands of years down the line.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Just like Abraham. She believes God. Boaz believes God, and it's credited as righteousness. Yep. Okay. What was done in the night is known in the day. Now Jesus taught us that too. You sin in the night, it's going to be found out when the day comes. Yep. Right? Now, in this case, it wasn't sin, it was the blessing. And then in the day there was new creation. So, how about this? If you wish to create evil, that will also be brought to light. That's a fact.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Be careful out there, boys. Well, I mean it's appointed everyone wants to die, and then the judgment, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Yes. So biblical redemption moves from hidden faith to visible reality. Now, let's go back to Mara. Because I I tried to develop this in the beginning of this, and I hope that it lands at this point. I feel like Naomi, she she understood, she followed her husband, they did what they needed to do. They left Israel because of raiders, right? The Amorites, the Midianites, all these people were causing problems. They were running out of food, there were problems, the fields were being destroyed, the food was being stolen, war was afoot, and you know, this family left and they went to Moab because the Moabites are great warriors. They always have been. And they had great food at the time. Well, they weren't being taken advantage of. Exactly. Right? So, you know, they go to this place and they're outside of the covenant reality of what God commanded. I know that Naomi said she re she wrestled with God. She truly became Israel on this day. Yep. She ripped her clothes, she laid down in the dust, and she said, My name is Mara because I've forsaken you. And then she said, Girls, go to your families because she was leaving a place she never belonged. Yep. She was going back home no matter the cost. She counted the cost. But Ruth wouldn't deny her. Ruth stayed. Think of Peter. Yeah. He denied her. No matter what the cost was, Ruth knew the cost too. She was going back. No, I'm not saying that Naomi was poor. They were not poor. They had money, they had means. But they had no way to secure those means in a male-driven world. They were in trouble. She was in trouble. But you know what happened? Ruth counted the cost, and she went with her, and Naomi's salvation came from the goodness of her neighbor. The neighbor loved her as herself. Yeah. That's what Jesus, when he speaks and taught, he was teaching from his own family history. These are his people. Literally. Yeah, literally. Yeah, literally. This reveals Jesus' world to me in just such an amazing way. To know that he honored and cherished these people, that these were his people. And that he knew these stories like the back of his hand. I know he did because now that I've learned them, I hear him speaking it. Yeah. I can see it. I know what he was saying. And it's so beautiful. So Naomi's arc, it's structural. Okay? She begins empty. She's Mara. She's broken. She seeks rest. And how does she seek rest? She returns back to God. Yeah. And then she receives fullness because her neighbor loved her as herself. Yep. And God redeemed it. Yep. By a righteous man. Interesting. Israel was redeemed when faith came to a Gentile because the true Israelite redeemed the Gentile.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

Yep, so it sounds very to me. Okay, so the genealogy is not an appendix. It's not something that you should forget, overlook, not care about. This is Jesus' family. Yep. It's a structural endpoint. The story is designed to land on David. This is specifically structured to bring you to the king that Israel was going to demand. And you know how we know it's not good? And we're gonna get to it. But in Samuel, God tells Samuel, Don't worry, Samuel, they're not rejecting you, they're rejecting me. Yeah. And then who did they reject? Jesus. Okay? Because the first Redeemer is not willing to pay the price. Right. It's the second one. Yep. I'm just in shock. I love this book. I just absolutely love this book. I can't wait to really teach it. When we can go back through the words, I'm telling you this. Jesus used all of these words. All of them.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Well, yeah. Well, I mean, my opinion is he didn't study scripture. He was scripture.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

He's the word. Yeah, well, he was he was he was the one watching Nathaniel under the tree. Yeah. So the the story is the story is designed to land on David, and and this is covenant history. It's not just isolated narrative. Right. Remember, the Bible speaks in covenant. In in whose name are you known? There's nothing greater to be said about you. Than to know whose name are you known. When people think of you, when they talk about you, are you known by your faith in God or are you known by something else? If you're not known by the name, you're not known by the right name. That's fact. I don't want to expound on that too much. But just know if the spirit just moved in you at what I said, it's time to return to Jesus. Text the text is this Ruth 4 to 1 4 1 to 22. Legal redemption fulfilled, covenant continuity, restoration, and the line of David, which brings us to the true king. Now, Ruth 4 resolves the tension of the narrative by moving redemption from private intention to public legal reality. What was initiated is a risk, Ruth 3. What's completed is done in law, Ruth 4. God took a risk when he was willing to be murdered, didn't he? Yeah. Not for him. Yeah. Well, I mean, he he literally lost his life. Yeah. He counted the cost and he thought himself, he thought us worthy of sacrificing himself. I should say he gave up his life. That's right. Just think about that a little bit. God counted the cost and he loved you anyways. He's better than I am. It's so good. I'm probably more like the first goal, the first redeemer. I might have just passed because it makes it too hard. You know, you got wives that don't like each other, kids that are gonna fight. I mean, there's a lot of things that we focus on.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Tie up your capital. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

I mean, thank God for mercy, huh?

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Gotta make the payment on the wine pro the new wine press that you got some tire.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Yeah. The chapter demonstrates that biblical redemption is not merely relational, it is legally enacted, publicly witnessed, and covenantally binding. How was Jesus crucified? Publicly. Yep. And it was legally enacted, wasn't it? Sure was. And it was covenantally binding because we needed the blood. We needed the sacrifice. Blood covers sin. And guess what happened? Just like in Ruth, it results in the restoration. In this case, Naomi's restored, but in our case, the world is restored. Yeah, the ultimate kinsman redeemer. And the establishment of the kingly line. It's found in sacrifice. The academics treat this as you know something that they emphasize the legal precision, okay? So the gate scene, the importance of the public wisdom, and rat rabbinic traditions, they highlight the integrity of Boaz and legitimacy of Ruth's inclusion. Basically, this Israel knows that Gentiles can and should be included. They just haven't recognized Jesus yet. Right. Christian readings consistently recognize this chapter as a key moment in the unfolding unfolding genealogy that leads to Jesus. Ruth one, emptiness begins, famine and exile. Ruth two, provision appears, gleaning and favor. Ruth three, redemption is requested. Ruth four, redemption is completed. I want to tell this story on the world line right now, okay? Israel, chapter one, the emptiness begins, they fail. Joshua's not can't keep it. Judges break everything, they are taken into captivity, and then they're in famine and exile. Chapter 2, provision appears. Here comes the Prince of Persia, Cirus, the anointed one. He gives them favor, they can glean from him. They go back, they rebuild the temple, they request redemption from Rome. Chapter 3. There's a risk and there's a covenant appeal, but they don't take it, so they return to chapter 1 again. But the request was heard, and the request was understood. And you know what that request was? It was for the world first. It was given to Israel and then passed to the world because the world will be included with Israel when chapter 4 happens and the redemption is completed by the law, the witness, and the restoration.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

All nations will be blessed.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

Jesus is chapter is Ruth. The narrative shifts from nighttime creation, the threshing floor, to daytime realization for everybody at the city gate. From secrecy to publicity, from vulnerability to legal security. The city gate is the legal court of course of Israel. Boaz went up to the city gate as the recognized place of judgment, negotiation, and covenantal transaction. The elders sit as witness, the legal matters are settled publicly, and the community validate validates that this is accepted. Yeah, it's in the daylight, everybody can see what's happening. Academic sources consistently note that the gate functions as an ancient Near Eastern legal forum, not just a social gathering place. There was typically one way in and one way out of a city to keep it safe. And during and in this place, there were soldiers and people gathering and booths for sale and food for sale.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Yeah, so it wasn't just like a like a port cullis and a drawbridge. I mean, literally, if you look at the excavation of gates, even non non-um Israelite gates, you know, there's several there's several rooms attached.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yeah, they're like they're like open-air markets and places for soldiers. There's quarters, there's baths.

SPEAKER_01 27:39

Everything is there. Yeah, and I mean later in the Bible, when they're talking about Jerusalem's gates, I mean, you can really get a sense of how many people were hanging around or or literally adjacent to the gate, attached to the gate in a room. That's right. It's just really uh just amazing.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

Now, Boaz introduces the situation as Naomi wants to sell her land. When did it say Naomi was selling her land? I didn't get that idea. It never did. Yeah. See, but the thing is, is without a male heir, she's got a problem. Not that it can't be passed on to Ruth, it can be. As a matter of fact, it is passed on to Ruth. That's why Boaz says if you take the land, you have to take Ruth. Right. Because Ruth is the apparent heir.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Right. Well, she's the wife of one of the apparent heirs, right? Yeah. So I mean, technically, if she were a Jewish lady, she would have, I should say an Israelite lady, she would have the right of of what is it, a level right marriage. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

So so here there was provision already given for women to own land. All right, so now you have Naomi and you have Ruth, and you have no male in the household. That's why Ruth could not be excluded from the deal. Right. Because it was sanctioned by Moses. It was sanctioned by wisdom that you couldn't just throw her out. Right. And so, um, there you go. So naming now, she wasn't selling the land, but Boaz used this, right? Like this is this is the right way. Yeah. The land has to be redeemed in the tribe. They knew these legal obligations and contractual requirements. You know that Israel was owned by God? Well, yeah, still still is. That Jerusalem is owned by God? Yeah. And that it has to be redeemed from the nearest redeemer, the one who currently owns it, the principalities and powers of the air. Did you know that Israel, shortly near the Dead Sea, is gonna have one of the largest homosexual um festivals that's ever been done?

SPEAKER_01 29:33

Yeah, like a pride festival at the Dead Sea.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Yeah. The land has not yet been redeemed.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

Well, you know, it's got what Midian and Edomites on one side and Idomans on the other.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

Yeah, it's it's interesting. The the legal obligation has not been settled for the land yet. Okay, so now Naomi's selling this land in Elimilex's closest redeemer has first right. At first, the nearer redeemer agrees because he wants the land. Right. But when Boaz as Ruth the Moabite must redeem, must be redeemed, also, he was hoping that wouldn't be true. Right? Yep. It's not like they didn't know about her. Yeah, so he just basically legally vows out. Yeah. The inheritance must be raised in the name of the dead. So he has to have a child with this Moabite, and then that Moabite's gonna be included in the land. He says, No, I'm not doing that. Right. Well, the cost is too high for him. The cost is too high. Personal cost. So redemption is desirable when it profits, but not when it involves self-sacrifice. Right. Oh boy. So the text states, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I impair my own inheritance. The legal concern is blending inheritance lines. The economic risk is cost without immediate return. And here's what the rabbinic people say. Some traditions suggest fear of jeopardizing lineage, mixing with this Mullaby. Right. So rabbinic sources also often preserve the anonymity so that this redeemer was not mentioned. But they say he's unnamed because he refused the covenant responsibility. He did not do what he was supposed to. Right. He was the unfaithful one. Right. He was willing to he was willing to give it up. The rabbis don't see that as positive. So, the sandal ceremony, this is interesting. The removal of the sandal formalizes the transfer, right? I I doubt many people have thought about this. They may just not have understood it. But it's it's a sim, it's a public symbolic act, and it does confirm the legal agreement. And if you read it, it actually says this is the way they did this in this day. Right. Which tells you that this is editorial that was written afterward. Right. That that tradition wasn't necessarily a thing because during the king's period it was ruled differently. Right? Now, this is rooted in Deuteronomic or legal tradition from Deuteronomy. Okay? So this shows symbolic acts blended as a functioning binding legal confirmation. I talked about it earlier, but this is what it means. You're taking your shoe off, only one, and you're saying, like, this is my partial, this is partially my way. I don't want it. I'm giving you my way. This is my right. The path that I travel in, I'm now sharing with you. Right. You can have my path. That's what that means. So it's about the direction of travel, it's about where your feet carry you. That's really cool. Ancient Hebrews think very symbolically like this.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

Right. Okay? So next time I'm borrowing money from someplace, I can just hand over a sandal and call it good.

SPEAKER_00 32:42

It's a legitimate transaction, it's not just a custom. This is this is something real. Um, so Boaz is the public redeemer. He redeems the land, he takes roof with his wife, he raises the name of the dead. He's the true legal redeemer, according to Deuteronomy. This is complete redemption, property, lineage, household. Boaz does not take part in the responsibility or part of the responsibility. He takes all of the responsibility because he's a good man. He's righteous. He's a good man. He's the redeemer, the one who must restore the family line, property, and justice, and must be willing and qualified to act within the covenant law. Now, there's a witness or assembly. This is called the Kahal, and it's a public validation, meaning it was witnessed, ratified, understood, and everybody bears witness to it. You know, Paul talked about this a lot when he said, just go ask the people who saw it happen.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

The public witness was very, very important in this culture because the name is important. Shem, in whose name are you known? This is the preservation of legacy. It's to raise up the name of the dead. It's in whose father, whose tradition are you believing and living within? Redemption is included in identity and continuity. You can't be the king of Israel if you're not from Judah. Right. Because your fathers matter. This connects directly to the genealogy at the end of the chapter. The unnamed Redeemer, he's unnamed because he refused his role in the covenant, and now he's in narrative obscurity. Boaz is named and remembered. Ruth is named and honored. The rabbinic tradition strongly affirms that Ruth is no longer treated as an outsider. Her actions demonstrate full covenant alignment. The public blessing confirms her place within Israel. She became the one new man. I believe this is what Jesus was telling us to become. I really do. I don't think it's anything less than this. I think the foot of the cross is supposed to lead us to love for his ways and a desire to walk in it. Whatever that means, I can tell you this: if you don't do it, you're least in the kingdom of heaven. If you do do it, you're greatest. I'm challenging you to be greatest because Jesus is worth it. Love the Bible and do what it says. Go back, find a love for the law, the prophets, and the writings, and walk in the ways of Jesus. I find nothing but blessing in it. Yeah, it's actually it's life. It's the truest life, it's the wisdom of God. Now, women declare blessings. Naomi has a redeemer, and now she has a child in her arms. The community recognizes God's action. Restoration is not only legal, but it's for the betterment of the community and for the flesh. God is always concerned about you. And so he returned her to rejoicing the day a child was set in her arms, and that child would lead to be the king. So good. Early you'll see there. Now there's some symbolic um provision, okay? She was given barley six measures, right? So this is actual redemption, actual child, actual restoration. Now, there's a continuity between the promise and the fulfillment. Those measures were that of men. They were going to be redeemed. Okay, in the fleshly sense. Now, what this reinforces is that it's not emotional, it requires real things in the real world, and everybody around has to witness these things happen. Because the human world is the very image of God. Right. He doesn't do things only in the darkness, he does things to bring about the new thing. This is a biblical theological structure, and it informs later biblical theology. Without understanding this, it's hard to understand why Jesus had to be so publicly executed.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 37:05

It has to do with witness. It has to do with witness. So here we go. Boaz is willing, able, and acting on behalf of the vulnerable, but he needs to operate within Israel's laws. He anticipates he doesn't replace the greater redeemer. Right, so he's a he's a type. He's a type. Now Ruth is an outsider. She begins as a Moabite and she ends as the great grandmother of David. Covenant inclusion is real. When Jesus tells us, or I'm sorry, Paul tells us that we are the wild branch grafted into the root, that there that there is a natural branch that's also in the root. It's all about the root. It's not about the branch. Don't be arrogant against Israel because they don't see him today.

SPEAKER_01 37:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 37:59

They will. Covenant inclusion is real. The genealogy is not a filler, it's the point. Perez, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, King David. The story feeds directly into Israel's kingship and their redemption for a while that shapes natural national history. Listen, when David becomes king becomes king, it's not super great. Okay, it's not perfect. But it is the greatest time for Israel. It's a time of redemption, it's a time of restoration, it's a time of repentance for a short time.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Yeah, very short time. It's better than judges. Yeah, yep. Two kings. And then it all falls apart again.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Okay, so it's all about the land. You know, they're gonna go in, they're gonna redeem the land, they're gonna become one people again. Um, you know. Ruth 4 completes the story, it brings redemption into the public legal sphere. This chapter reveals that redemption in the Bible is not something outside of the law, it is very, very lawful. And Ruth, once an outsider, is then publicly established within Israel. And I'm just telling you, listener, uh for us as the Christian people, we want to be publicly established as someone who is not cursed of God. Israel, the rabbis see us as turning away from the God of Israel. Partially because they mistake who Jesus is, but also partially because we don't love the Bible and the things that it commands. We don't see Moses as valuable, we don't see the wisdom of God as valuable. What we see it is as a set of laws that's been cast off, but it's so far from that. It is so far from that. Stick around for a while, learn and see that Moses was a great man, and that he was honored by Jesus on the mountain at the Transfiguration. Yep. When Jesus walked with Moses on the mountain, he fulfilled what could not be fulfilled by Moses because Moses came into the land where he couldn't do it at the end of Deuteronomy.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Yeah, isn't it interesting though that Moses lived 120 years and that's what God said was a full life?

SPEAKER_00 40:23

Yeah, because he was blessed from God.

SPEAKER_01 40:25

That's cool.

SPEAKER_00 40:25

Moses was the greatest of men, but he's not good enough to go into heaven. Right. He's not good enough. On his own. That's right. It's still all about Jesus. But Moses is a great man. Don't discount him in what he said. Study it and find out what's right. Do what Jesus said. Love Moses and walk in his ways. It's not that complicated.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

Well, it's it's so simple a child can get it. I wouldn't say it's complicated, but it's it's a tough, a tough walk.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

Well, what it is is it's been broken by thousands of years of bad theology. Yeah. We just we've lost Jesus' way. And it's my prayer that we recover it. We thank you for joining us. We're very happy to have made it finally uh through the book of Ruth. I can't wait to get back to it, probably in a few years, anyways. Uh we're on to Samuel's now, which we're gonna just treat as one book. First and second Samuel are one book. So um we're on to that. We hope you're enjoying it. Please feel free to reach out to us, modern mindship book.org. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you and bring you peace. Chip, thanks for joining me.

SPEAKER_01 41:37

Hey, man, it's been a pleasure. God bless you all. Bye-bye.