The Heart of Boaz, the Tenacity of Ruth (Part 4)

Boaz understands rejection, prejudice and stigma. He must have grown up with it. He knows what it means to grow up being called all sorts of ugly names. Perhaps that’s what draws him so powerfully towards Ruth.

You see, Boaz’s mother used to be a prostitute. Yeah.

Before she left her life in Jericho, she made a living out of selling her body. The Bible records that when Joshua sent out 2 spies to the land of Canaan, Jericho to be specific, the 2 spies arrived at the house of one prostitute, Rahab. She took them in and hid them from the King and his soldiers. 

Had it not been for Rahab, the Israelite spies’ mission in Jericho would probably have foiled. Maybe not. We don’t know. All we know is that she plays a very central role in this portion of history by giving the spies refuge from the King of Jericho. But before she lets the two spies escape through her window, she asks them a favour. She asks that when they return together with the Israeli army to capture the city of Jericho, she and her extended family be saved from the destruction of the city.

Soon after that, the Israelites marched around the city wall for 7 days. The walls of Jericho eventually came crumbling down, but without Rahab and her family. Rahab and her family are spared from the destruction that befalls Jericho.

We are not sure of what happens to Rahab’s extended family after being saved from Jericho. However, we learn that Rahab, the prostitute, went on to live among the Israelites. Like her future daughter-in-law, she leaves everything behind to go and embrace a new way of living, with foreign peoples. There, she marries a man named Salmon, who happened to be one of the two spies that had taken refuge in her home. Between them, Rahab and Salmon produce this wonderful man, Boaz.

In Part 3 of this series we learned that the meaning of the name Boaz is “strength is within him”. Now we know where this strength comes from. Boaz had two bold parents. His mother, a former prostitute leaves everything in order to go live among the Israelites. His father, Salmon, is bold enough to overlook the tainted past of Rahab, and he grafts her into the Israeli nation.

Fast forward a couple of decades when Rahab’s son encounters Ruth.

Just like his parents, Boaz is not fazed by the foreignness of Ruth. Ruth is intriguing to Boaz. There is something about her that excites him, something that sparks immense interest in him. But he doesn't make a move, other than showing some level of favouritism towards her. We showed in the preceding chapters how he made sure that young Ruth was taken care of by his workers.

Unbeknown to Boaz, Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi’s mind is on overdrive, thinking what she can do to help Ruth find a husband in Boaz. Now according to Jewish culture, if a man died without a male heir, his brother would then be obligated to marry his wife. The first son that the wife bore would, by law, become heir to the deceased’s estate. If the deceased didn't have a brother, the next closest relative would be then stand to marry the man’s widow, the aim being to ensure that the estate of the deceased stayed in his family name. Such a man was called a guardian-redeemer, or family-redeemer.

So when Naomi hears that Ruth had been working in Boaz’s field and that she had found favour in the eyes of Boaz, she suddenly had a glimmer of hope, and I’ll tell you why. Boaz, was a close relative of Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech, and by default, Ruth’s husband Mahlon. And as we've just learned, according to Jewish custom, in order to preserve the estate of a son-less deceased man, a close male relative would have to marry the widow of the deceased in the hope that this secondary marriage would produce a son who would then inherit the estate of the deceased.

So Naomi is excited by this. Not only is she excited by the prospect of Ruth finding a husband who would preserve and redeem the estate of the family, but she knows that Boaz is really good man. A man of integrity and great character. Ruth would be safe in the arms of Boaz.

Naomi comes up with a plan, which if it materializes, would change the fortunes of both Ruth and her.

And this is where it gets really, really interesting. Naomi suggests to Ruth that after the day’s work, when Boaz is sleeping at the threshing floor, Ruth goes to where Boaz is sleeping and uncovers his“feet” and lie there. She tells Ruth that after this, Boaz will tell her what to do after that. Hmmm…

Let me unpack this in the next chapter.

(image from www.biblefilms.blogspot.com)