“Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, He, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt 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. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest 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 dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 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 Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. 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. 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 like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman. 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. 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. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi: and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:1-171Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 3And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: 4And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt 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. 5Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest 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 dead upon his inheritance. 6And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. 7Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel. 8Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9And 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 Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. 10Moreover 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. 11And 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 like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 12And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman. 13So 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. 14And 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. 15And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 16And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:1‑17)).
The complete and thorough espousal of our cause by Jesus is that which leads to our espousal to Him. When once I learn my own utter weakness and incapacity as a sinner to rightly respond to the claims of God, I am glad to have my case taken up by One who can settle every difficulty and liquidate every claim that lay against me. This Jesus does.
By nature my relationship to God is grave and serious to a degree. The Psalmist acutely felt it when he said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psa. 51:55Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:5)). To this true witness Paul adds his testimony, “And you who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:1-31And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Ephesians 2:1‑3)).
What solemn statements of God’s Word regarding man in nature!
Born in sin—shapen in iniquity—dead in sins—children of disobedience—children of wrath. Man’s history begins in sin, and ends in wrath. Such, dear reader, is your present relationship to God if not yet brought, through grace, to own your state, and to trust simply in the Lord Jesus. If this latter be true of you, however, everything is changed, and the above-quoted Scriptures, though they most truly describe what was your relation to God, in no wise apply to you now. Everything is altered the moment I have simply come to Jesus. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself” (2 Cor. 5:17-1817Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:17‑18)).
Jesus is my Savior, and does a Savior’s part, and all this in view of a deeper purpose of His heart, that is, to have me in relationship to Himself, as a member of His Body, that blessed assembly, which, as His Bride, He will have forever by His side, the partner of His joys and glory, as well as the witness of His grace.
To have believers thus united to Himself is that for which He apprehends us. No pains, no trouble, are spared to effect this deep and eternal purpose of His heart, and in the action of Boaz, in this 4th chapter, we have this precious truth illustrated.
“Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there; and, behold, the kinsman, of whom Boaz spake, came by.” Boaz states the case to this nearer kinsman; but is there any help to be got from the nearer kinsman? Will he redeem? No, he cannot. He says, “I cannot redeem....lest I mar mine own inheritance.” The law can do nothing for the poor guilty sinner but prove his guilt.
You remember the parable in the New Testament of the man who went down from Jerusalem, the place of royal grace, to Jericho, the place of cursing—figure of man, as a sinner, turning his back on God and the place of blessing, and going down the high road to hell. The poor man falls among thieves, who strip him, and wound him, and leave him half dead. “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way.” By chance, mark. “Ah,” you say, “here is just the right man, here is a man of a tender heart, a man who can help,” but “He passed by on the other side.” “I cannot touch him,” he says. Why? Because to touch him would have been to disqualify himself, to make himself unclean; he would, so to speak, have “marred his own inheritance.”
Then there comes a Levite, the second functionary of the law, but he passes by too, he cannot touch him or help him. The priest and the Levite were the “nearer kinsmen” of the wounded man, they were both nationally and religiously connected with him, but they cannot help him; the law cannot help, it can only condemn those who are under it. But when the Samaritan, type of the Lord Jesus, came down, he, though not bound to touch the wounded man, who had no claim on him, came where he was, went right down to the spot where he lay, picked him up, and set him in a perfect place of safety, yea, put him in his own place. The law could not help the sinner, so passing by, it made the way clear for the Savior. The nearer kinsman could not redeem, and the way was made clear for Boaz; there was no reason why Boaz should take up Ruth’s case, save that he loved her; and there is no reason why Christ should take up our case save that He loved us.
Jesus is ready to do a kinsman’s part. He buys us and brings us back to God by the wonderful redemption price of His own life-blood which He shed for us. But you ask “Am I worthy?” That is not the question. The whole point is, not you worthiness, but the grace of Christ. A soul brought into contact with the law is necessarily miserable and self-condemned, for its claims can not be responded to, for “by the law is the knowledge of sin”; the law gives a man a sight of his guilt, his sin and unworthiness, and the deeper the soul feels that the better, for the more it has the sense of its utter ruin the more suited is it to Christ, as then it is a question of only the total ruin of the sinner and the absolute grace of the Savior. Oh, take the place of utter ruin, of being thoroughly lost and helpless; own yourself a sinner, and nothing but a sinner, and then you will find what the grace of His heart is. Nothing can be done to improve you; Christ takes up the case, and He does the whole work; it is not you doing your part, and Christ doing His, but He has done the whole work. The gospel is not, as one described it once, like a boat pulled by two oars, one oar “faith,” and the other oar “works.” That is the devil’s gospel; you do your part, and Christ will do His! No, no, He saves the soul; He puts away sin; He brings in redemption; He settles all with God; He brings us to God, and then He says, “You will walk differently now, of course, now that you belong to Me.”
“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 Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife.” The price that Boaz paid we are not told, but the property and the coveted person became his. Redemption gave him title to claim Ruth as his bride. And have we not heard of One who both said and acted thus? “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; the which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matt. 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)). The field is the world. The hidden treasure defines the souls in it precious to the Savior’s heart, and for the sake of them “He selleth all that he hath,” gives up everything, and in sorrow, and woe, and bloody sweat, and death, and for the glory of God, He, on the cross, makes propitiation, meets the righteous demands of God, pays down the ransom price of His own life, and then makes all His own by purchase. For the sake of the treasure—“His own”—He buys all.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45, 4645Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:45‑46)). The pearl is usually considered to be Christ, to possess whom, the sinner sells all. Such a thought is totally without foundation in Scripture. What has the sinner to sell? Nothing, unless you count his sins as being worth something, which is worse than folly. The sinner is guilty, defiled, ruined, bankrupt, lost, and dead in sins, and can do nothing but what ensures God’s righteous judgment. To talk of his “selling,” therefore, is folly, he has nothing to sell, and Christ cannot be valued at any price you may name.
But how simple and surpassing sweet becomes the similitude when I see Christ as the heavenly merchantman, who, beholding the Church, figured here as a “goodly pearl,” sells all to make her His own. Little wonder that He says, “One pearl of GREAT price,” for the price was Himself, and who, I say, can value Christ aright? None!
As the pearl lies deep in the mighty waters, and has to be fetched up by the venturesome diver, so the Church (composed, as it is, of sinners saved by grace) lay deep in sin, ruin, and condemnation, the mighty waters of divine wrath and judgment righteously impending on every soul thereof.
And what did Jesus do? “Christ also LOVED the church, and (1) GAVE HIMSELF for it: (2) that He might SANCTIFY and CLEANSE it with the washing of water by the Word; (3) that He might PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27)).
Yes, blessed be His name! Deep into the dark waters of our condition did He fling Himself, that by dying He might blot out our guilt, and then, rising from the dead, connect us with Himself in everlasting glory. His love was the spring of it all, and here is presented in a threefold aspect. In the past, “He gave Himself,”—that settled every question of our guilty state before God. For the present, He sanctifies, purifying us by the water of the Word. In the future, He will present us to Himself as the Bride, the Lamb’s wife, glorious and spotless, suited to Himself, His intelligent helpmeet forever, sharer of His glories and joys. What love! Our past, present, and future are canopied with a love that leaves nothing to be desired but a more appreciative heart, to return to Him the blessed affections which fill His own bosom, and which alone can be gratified by such return, for love is only satisfied with love, and can brook no less requital.
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife.” What an unexpected, but bright, and happy, finale to the path that opened full of sorrow and loneliness, when with firm purpose of heart she turned her back on Moab and its gods, to go to Israel’s land and to confide in Israel’s God. But such is this touching history (full of deepest meaning, too, as truly typical of Israel’s future days of blessing under a risen and reigning Christ), and so, too, dear reader, will it be with you, if Jesus is now the object of your heart by faith. You are related to Him in a new, living, and eternal manner, by the Holy Spirit which dwells in you. The nuptial day is not yet come, but in the meantime the Holy Spirit forgets not to say, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2-32For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2‑3)).
As espoused to Him, O beloved, let there be chastity of heart to Him, simplicity, fervor, faithfulness, earnestness, confidence, unfeigned affection, untiring industry, unswerving loyalty of love, till the moment when He shall come and gather us up to be with Himself, and then shall every desire of His heart and ours be satisfied. He will have us in His own likeness and glory, and we shall have the joy of unbroken fellowship with Him forever. I wonder not at all that in Revelation 19:7-97Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:7‑9), of that day it is said, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
It is the day for which He waits. Shall not we, with joy and patience, do the same?
The place nearest His heart, the highest place of all, is the place we shall get by-and-by. He will come and take us into the Father’s house, and then the marriage of the Lamb will be consummated.
Oh, blessed Lord, hasten the day!
But, before I close this sweet and fruitful book, I must put a few pointed queries to you?
Now, tell me, will you be there? Are you going to spend your eternity in those bright scenes of eternal joy and rest, or are you going to spend your eternity shut out from them, and in the lake of fire?
The day is coming, dear unsaved soul, when all you cling to so tightly will be torn from your grasp most ruthlessly, and you must pass into eternity. And, listen, you have not wanted Christ here, and you have lived without Him here, and you must live on without Jesus there. When a man dies here, he passes out of the sight of his fellow—men, which is the first death: but then there comes the second death, and what is that? He passes from God’s sight forever!
Ah, beloved, does he still exist? Listen! “The fearful,” that is, those who are afraid to confess Christ, ashamed to own Jesus now; “and the unbelieving,” that is, the scoffer, the rationalist, the skeptic; “and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death” (Rev. 21:88But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)).
Sinner, there is your eternity! As God lives in heaven, you must live in the lake of fire. The first death closes irrevocably all intercourse with man; the second death closes irrevocably all intercourse with God. And oh, I ask, are you going to brave it? Are you going to risk it? Do you say, “I do not believe that bit of the Bible?” Then throw it all in the fire. It is all true, or none of it is true. If God is worth believing at all, He is worth believing entirely; and whether you believe or not, still is His word true. But then there is the other side, Jesus says, “I want you to live with Me. I want you to be loved by Me. I want you to dwell forever in My Father’s house.” But man often, alas, replies, “I would rather live without God, and die without Him, and be damned without Him, than bow down to be blessed by Jesus.”
Ah, my friend, there will be no pride in hell; there will be no rebellion in hell, and you will carry down your memory with you there, and then you will remember how His grace besought you here. Oh, turn, turn to Jesus now, accept Him now, and in that day when He makes up His jewels you will be there, as, through His grace, I know I shall be there. If He has loved me enough to die for me, He is worthy of having all my heart. You may depend upon it you could not do a better thing than turn to Jesus now. He will give you rest for your conscience through His work, rest for your heart in Himself, from day to day, and, by-and-by, He will stoop down and lift you into the rest of God, where your song shall be of Him and His grace through all eternity’s blessed bridal day!
“O precious Savior, deep Thy pain,
When forth the life-blood flow’d
That washed our souls from every stain,
That paid the debt we owed.
Cleansed from our sins, renewed by grace,
Thy royal throne above
(Blest Savior) is our destined place,
Our portion there Thy love.
Thine eye, in that bright cloudless day,
Shall, with supreme delight,
Thy fair and glorious bride survey,
Unblemish’d in Thy sight.”