The court, so to speak, is
in session, and Boaz, the nearer kinsman, and ten elder witnesses are
in place. Curiosity is running through the group except for Boaz who
is on a mission. To be wedded to Ruth is the goal, and Boaz knows the
impediment for this to take place. What will he say to the men? What
will be his persuasion, and how will his words affect his future? We
begin to see in chapter four and verse three of the book of Ruth
where we read:
And he said unto the
kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, is
selling a parcel of land, which [was] our brother Elimelech's:
It is
interesting to note that Boaz doesn't begin his discussion blatantly
saying, “Listen, I want Ruth to be my wife, and I am here to be
sure that happens.” No, rather he begins by telling the background
directly to the kinsman with the other ten men as witnesses. He said,
“Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab.” Boaz
is narrowing the field of focus with the nearer kinsman and with the
ten men. We remember that the entire city welcomed Naomi back when
she returned to Bethlehem from Moab, so most likely all who were
involved in this legal setting were familiar with her. Rather than
pointedly and directly asking this kinsman to give up his post, Boaz
begins his entreaty with wisdom by slowly introducing his plan.
In
addition to narrowing the kinsman and ten witnesses' focus, Boaz
tells them Naomi, “is selling a parcel of land, which was our
brother Elimelech's.” Once again we notice the wisdom of Boaz
as he shares. He brings the kinsman's attention toward something of
which he knew the man would be interested, land. Most people who were
able jumped at the opportunity to own more land. More land could mean
more means, and it was profitable to have a larger amount of harvest
than previously known. When the opportunity for more land arose,
those who were able usually bought it immediately. Also, the fact
that the land was “Elimelech's” who was now dead was important.
This meant that someone close to Elimelech was entitled to be next in
line to inherit the land. Boaz knew as he narrowed the subject that
the interest of this kinsman redeemer would begin to peak as good
fortune was arising in his mind.
We can
learn from Boaz' opening statement. Sometimes what we desire doesn't
need to be blurted out immediately. It is often better to begin our
conversations with background, and as a wise advocate, we can help
others to become familiar with our story. We should never expect
people to do what we want them to do unless they have our
information. They cannot do it to save their lives, however, if we
build the story as Boaz' demonstrates, our end result may be exactly
as we desire. It is good to remember that we have an advocate in
Jesus our kinsman redeemer, and the background and story that He
presents on our behalf far exceeds any promotional job we may speak
on our own. We can be assured that Jesus is doing all He can because
of His love toward us even as He spoke in a parable found in the
gospel of Matthew in chapter thirteen and verse forty-four where we
read:
Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has
found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has,
and buys that field.
Next
time we will see the offer that Boaz presents to the kinsman, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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