Boaz Responds

Boaz Responds

In another Liam Neeson movie besides The Grey, Rob Roy, the following dialogue occurs between Robert Roy McGregor and his son: 

Father, will McGregors ever be kings again?

All men with honour are kings, but not all kings have honour.

What is honour?

Honour is what no man can give you and none can take away. Honour is a man's gift to himself.

Do women have it?

Women are the heart of honour, and we cherish and protect it in them. You must never mistreat a woman or malign a man, nor stand by and see another do so.

How do you know if you have it?

Never worry on the getting of it. It grows in you and speaks to you. All you need do is listen.

Ruth proposes marriage and Boaz responds with surprise.  “The Lord bless you, my daughter.”  He stays respectful.  “This hesed of yours is greater than what you showed earlier.  You haven’t run after the younger men – rich or poor.  And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid – I’ll do everything you’re asking me to do.  Everyone in town knows that you are a woman of noble character.” 

Boaz said that this last kindness – hesed – her proposal to Boaz – exceeds what she showed earlier.  Boaz is probably referring to her decision leave Moab to care for Naomi.  All the while, her motivation has been selfless, for Naomi's sake, not her own.  This young woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties fulfills Isaiah 32:8, "The noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands."  Ruth’s convictions, her ideals, her motives and her conduct are one. 

And notice how Boaz describes her: having noble character.  Here is Ruth, once a poor foreign widow, having risen to maidservant, now a desirable, noble woman.  And we find the same term – woman of standing, woman of noble character -- applied to Ruth that was used to describe Boaz at the beginning of chapter two.   Boaz and Ruth are equals – not because of bloodline, or race, or social standing, but because of their character.  Ruth, because of her character is the peer of this wealthy, influential, lifelong resident of Bethlehem, who also happens to be a class act himself.  Nobility is not a matter of who your parents were, or how much money you have.  Nobility comes from the heart – like the kingdom of God, it is within you – in our midst. 

Boaz takes the high road, the noble way, the character way.  He doesn’t exploit Ruth.  He protects and honors Ruth in this most vulnerable moment.  He relieves her fears.  Despite his now-clear attraction to her, Boaz will once again do the right thing.  He sends Ruth home with a generous gift of barley. 

Ruth has followed Naomi's instructions faithfully, and the Sovereign Lord rewards his courageous faithful ones with a guaranteed hope. 

What does it mean for you to be a person of noble character?  What does it mean for you to be a noble man or woman in the next twenty-four hours?  What does it mean for you to honour another?  By what person, who perhaps can do nothing for you, will you show your character most?  Husbands, wives, what does it mean for you to be a protection and a place of refuge for your significant other?  Singles, what does it mean to be a man or woman of character in your world? 

The plot thickens.  Boaz puts an asterisk to his answer.  “It’s true I am a kinsman redeemer, says he.  “But there’s a relative who’s closer still.  Stay here overnight.  In the morning, if he wants to redeem, fine -- let him redeem you.  But if he isn’t willing to redeem you, as sure the Lord lives, I will."    

As sure as the Lord lives.