by Don Hatfield
Chapter 4
1. Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat him down there and behold the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he said Ho, such a one! Turn aside sit down here. And he turned aside.
1a. I, Boaz knew that not only did I need to speak to my fellow kinsman but I also needed to wait for Gods timing. And so I went to the public meeting place and I began to pray again asking Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord is peace, to let me follow His will and not mine. For I knew that often I would pray for Gods will and then be dismayed if things went opposite of what I thought Gods will to be. Just as I finished my prayers I looked up and behold the one the one I was praying about came walking by. I greeted him and asked if he could sit for a moment and he sat down beside me.
2. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, sit ye down here. And they sat down.
2a. Then amazingly ten men of authority here in the city in the land of Judah came walking by all together. I then asked them to sit also and then to my surprise they did for I expected at least one of them to have pressing business elsewhere.
3. And he said unto his kinsman Naomi that is come again out of the country of Moab sold a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech’s.
3a. Then I told my kinsman of Naomi who had sold the land and went into the land of the descendants of Lot. I told of her hardships there and the death of her husband Elimelech and their two sons. I told of Ruth who had followed her back to the land of Judah. I told all because of Jehovah-Shamman, the Lord who is there, hears all and sees all. I did not want to leave any room for reproach no matter what the outcome of my words.
4. And I thought to advertise thee saying buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou will redeem it redeem it but if thou will not redeem it then tell me that I may know for there is none to redeem it beside thee and I am after thee. And he said I will redeem it.
4a. Have you ever had your hopes dashed and destroyed in a moment. With those four words that my kinsman uttered mine were. Those four words I will redeem it shattered all of my plans and dreams. All that I thought I would gain seemed to be lost in a moment. I stood there in my silence and then a still small voice whispered to me asking me a simple question. Am I El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty, still enough for you Boaz. In a moment in a twinkling of eye I knew in my heart that El Olam, the everlasting God, was more than enough and I praised Him there for I knew that Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, would be with me for eternity though all else was lost and He would be enough.
5. Then said Boaz, what day thou buys the field of the hand of Naomi thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead to raise up the name of the upon his inheritance.
5a. Then again that small voice whispered to me and I thought to remind him of the consequences of his redemption. For everything comes with a price and the price of his redeeming was that it included Ruth so that the dead sons of Naomi would be remembered and in a sense live again. As I told him this the thought went through me that El Olam, the everlasting God, could raise the dead and though they be dead to the world they could speak through another such as Ruth because she now believed in El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty.
6. And the kinsman said I cannot redeem it for myself lest I mar my own inheritance redeem thou my right to thyself for I cannot redeem it.
6a. Then he said to me I cannot redeem it and that was enough. Many would question his motives were they corrupt or noble. Were they selfish or giving? We often spend our days and nights debating and discussing things that ought to be left alone instead of just acting on what Elohim, God, has brought to light. How many useless discussion have been centered on the statement I think they did this because of this and that. For me it was settled with the four words I cannot redeem it, those four words were enough for me for they were the words of El Elyon, the Most High God my redeemer.
7. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing for to confirm all things plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor and this was the testimony in Israel.
7a. We all have our different customs in our different lands to confirm and exchange of things, a handshake, a hug, etc. Our custom was to take off our shoe and hand it to the other person.
8. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
8a. Then he took off his shoe and handed it to me. This signified an outward sign of an inward change between two people. It was given so that all could see and no mistake could be made to the meaning of the words we had exchanged. As we did this a picture of Ruth flashed through my mind and a thought came with it. This same inward sign of her belief in El Olam, the Everlasting God, showed itself on the outside. It showed in her demeanor, the way she acted, the way she spoke, the way she dressed. As I took the shoe I thought the words mean little if there is no exchange. It is easy to say we believe in Jehovah Mekoddishkem, the Lord who sanctifies you, but if there is not setting apart, no outward change then I guess you could question if there was ever and inward exchange.
9. And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people. Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s and all that was Chillion’s and Mahlon’s of the hand of Naomi.
9a. Then I spoke unto all that were there as I held the shoe in my hand. You have seen the exchange and I that have acquired that which belonged to Naomi.
10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess the wife of Mahlon have I purchased to be my wife to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place ye are witnesses this day.
10a. It was strange how I felt as I saying these things. It was strange the way Jehovah had planned our lives and our laws. Though Mahlon was dead yet he would live again and all those who came before him and if El Olam, the Everlasting God, blessed Ruth and I with children they too would go on and on. Just as our creator is everlasting I see that He has made a way for us to be everlasting with Him. Praise His gracious guiding hand for He is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There.
11. And all the people that were in the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and Leah which two did build the house of Israel and do thou worthily in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlehem.
11a. Once in a while we the people of Jehovah, the Existing One, could come together and dwell in unity with one another. I know that we who believed in Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is Peace, should always be that way but it was seldom so. This time all who were there agreed and more than that gave their blessing. What struck me as odd however was the fact that they said they hoped my name and Ruth’s name would become famous throughout the land of Judah and in the town of Bethlehem.
12. And let thy house be like the house of Pharez whom Tamar bare unto Judah of the seed which the Lord, Jehovah, the Existing One, shall give thee of this young woman.
12a. And as I listen to them it seemed as if they were prophets and were speaking what Adonai, Lord, Master, would have them say without realizing what they were saying. I must confess that at my age (80) I had wondered if I would even be able to produce children.
13. So Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife and when he went in unto her the Lord gave her conception and she bare a son.
13a. And so Ruth and I married and Jehovah, the Existing One, gave me a son. My story ends here but His story has never ended and never will. I praise Him that I followed Him and did what I believed He was telling me to do. And I, Ruth who have come to know El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty, end my story here also and praise once more El Olam, the Everlasting God for His mercy to I who He brought out of Moab, the land of the descendants of Lot.
14. And the women said unto Naomi. Blessed be the Lord which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman that his name may be famous in Israel.
14a. And to my shock and amazement the women of the town came to me Naomi
and began to praise Jehovah, the Existing One. They came to me who had called herself Mara in her bitterness. They came to me and proclaimed that God had not left me but had blessed me. I stood there in silence and let his grace wash all over me. I stood there in humiliation praising the One whom I had practically cursed. I, Naomi, said nothing for to say anything would only add to the shame I felt. It would only add to the shame of my lack of trust.
15. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life and a nourishes of thine old age for thy daughter in law which loves thee is better to thee than seven sons has born him.
15a. Back from the dead does anyone come back from the dead. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord that Heals, had brought me back from the dead through another. I who was once dead was alive again through and by the grace of Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will Provide. He has provided me life in death. I who had nothing left to offer and nothing left to give have been raised up by the One to whom nothing is needed. Without cause that is what grace is. It is without any cause and I bow my knees to my Creator who without cause has loved me.
16. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom and became a nurse unto it.
16a. I took the baby even though he was not of my body and nursed him. He was not of my flesh but he was of my spirit. I knew that even though he was of the flesh of Boaz and Ruth moreso he was of the Yahweh, Lord Jehovah, for it was Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There, that took me to the land of Moab. The land of the descendants of Lot. It was Jehovah Shammah who brought Ruth to my family. It was Jehovah Shammah who brought us back to the land of Judah. It was Jehovah Shammah who led Boaz to his field on that day. And it was Jehovah Shammah who brought this child into the world by His miraculous guidance.
17. And the women her neighbors gave it a name saying, there is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed, serving, he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18-22 Now these are the generations of Pharez. Pharez begat Hezron. And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab. And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon. And Salmon begat Boaz and Boaz begat Obed. And Obed begat Jesse. And Jesse begat David.
And so my story also ends but does it. No! For Jehovah gives us eternal life and I too along with Ruth and Boaz have met my Savior Jesus here in Heaven. Jesus who was descended on the human side through David and on the Heavenly side from JEHOVAH SHAMMAH – THE GOD WHO IS THERE.