If you can imagine this scene in your mind. Boaz, determined to get the woman that he fell in love with pacing back and forth in front of the city gate. He told Ruth that he would take care of everything and for her not to worry. At the city gate, there was so many people going about their day to day routine because the city gate was the hub of the city. Interesting enough, the city gate is where all the legal matters were taken care of as well. Boaz was smart. He knew at the city gate he could take care of everything plus have the witnesses that he needed.
After reading this story, one may wonder how long did he stand at the gate waiting for this relative. Time wasn't a factor because here's a man that's determined to redeem Ruth. Boaz is just like Christ. Christ waits around for us to redeem us from our life of sin. He doesn't get impatient for us to come through the city gate and see Him there with His arm stretched out for us to run to them. Christ is there and He paid the ultimate cost to redeem us. Boaz is willing to do whatever he has to do to redeem Ruth. What makes Christ willing to do what he did to redeem us? What makes Boaz willing to do what he needed to do to redeem Ruth? Love.
Boaz was a wise man. He didn't come to the city gate without a plan or strategy. Notice when he first talks to the kinsman, he didn't mention Ruth. He wanted to know if the kinsman would redeem the property first. Property had to be redeemed before people could be redeemed. When the relative found out he had to redeem a widow, and a widow who was a Moabite, he backed down. Redeeming Ruth would complicate the kinsman inheritance in 2 ways. First, he feared if he had a son with Ruth, some of his estate would be transferred to Elimelech's family. Second, she was a Moabite and under the Mosaic Law an Ammonite or Moabite couldn't enter the congregation of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 23:3).
Boaz was willing to put himself in this complicated situation. Christ put Himself in a complicated situation when He came into our lives. When Christ came into our lives, it wasn't to complicate it more, but to give us hope. Boaz was Ruth's hope for not becoming a desolate widow. Boaz knew that he could take care of her and give her the life she deserved. Christ came in to give us abundant life. He didn't want us living in the sin of desperation trying to please our flesh only to reap more corruption. That wasn't his original plan for us. He knew that in order for us to live the life He intended for us to live He had to redeem us.
When Boaz redeemed Ruth, Ruth wasn't the only one who received a blessing. So did Naomi. Naomi was so blessed that all her friends gave praise to the Lord in verse 14. When Christ redeems us from a life of despair, others around us are blessed as well.
God used the Book of Ruth to prepare us for the births of King David and the King of Kings, our Messiah Jesus Christ. Ruth wasn't aware that her life would be recorded and read for many generations to come. She didn't fully understand her purpose in life. She didn't know that through her lineage the Savior of the world come. You and I may question our purpose in life. Be sure my friend that your purpose is great. Greater than you know. Live your life in such a way that many generations will read it after you're gone and they will find their purpose in life.
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