GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
RUTH 4:9-10
9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, Kilion’s, and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his inheritance, so that the name of the dead will not be cut off from among his brothers, or from the courtroom gate of his village. You are witnesses this day.”
The order of the books of the Bible is not part of the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration. If we wanted, and if it were desirable, we could arrange the books in alphabetical order (Acts, Amos, 1-2 Chronicles, etc.). In the traditional “English” order, Ruth follows Judges. This is one of the happiest arrangements possible in Scripture, since Ruth contains a story that happens during the time of the Judges but with results that resound throughout the rest of the historical books like Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.
It’s also delightful to see Ruth here following Judges because of the horrible atrocities of the final chapters of Judges. The dark idolatry and syncretism of chapters 17-18, and the equally dark and murderous rape of the Levite’s concubine followed by the near destruction of the tribe of Benjamin, are contrasted sharply by the bright and increasingly brightening tale of Ruth.
Here Boaz marries Ruth, or at least we see the legal portion of a marriage taking place. In a sense, this is part of the unseen delay in the coming of the bridegroom in Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins, when the bridegroom was “a long time in coming” (Matthew 25:5). There were several matters to be settled, and the legality and public declaration of intent was one of them. A grrom might also have things to arrange such as a new and bigger bed, some other additional furniture, and general housecleaning. He might also have a gift to prepare for his bride, or a bride price for his wife’s father. Additionally, an ancient Jewish tradition tells us that the groom’s father was the final step of approval for a wedding. Finally, the bridegroom would arrive, and the celebration would begin.
Ancient weddings in Israel did not involve a vow ceremony like we expect today. Once a couple agreed to marry, the marriage in a sense was full and final. Even before a couple consummated the marriage, if they were pledged (betrothed), a divorce was required to end the contract (Matthew 1:19).
Based on what we see in the Old Testament, the process of a marriage involved three steps:
1. Contract. A couple was bound and betrothed to one another, as we see with Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:18-20). This also seems to have involved a public statement of intent (Ruth 4:9-10).
2. Consummation. Once the agreed upon price was settled between the bride’s family and the bridegroom, the marriage was declared either formally or informally, and the couple consummated their marriage while family and friends waited. There might be a feast to celebrate the event prior to the consummation (Genesis 29:21-24).
3. Celebration. Following the couple’s union, a longer celebration was enjoyed by the family, generally for a week (Genesis 29:27; John 2:1-11).
Incidentally, this passage in Ruth is the place where at last we discover which of Naomi’s sons had been Ruth’s husband: Mahlon. It was Mahlon’s line which Boaz agreed to fulfill. Boaz says “Today you are witnesses” twice to emphasize the point for the people listening. They could be called legally as witnesses of the claim at a later time.
We, too, are witnesses, although in a different way. We are witnesses of God’s love for us and of the way he saved all people. If someone doesn’t know they’ve been rescued, they will refuse the rescuer. They will reject God. It may be that by the way you talk and act you will be the only Bible another person will ever “read” or come into contact with. When people hear you, do they hear their Savior God? If people around you would be shocked to find out that you are a Christian, what kind of witness have you been? If you haven’t been the best witness to the marriage of Christ and his Church, today is a good day to start. Jesus tells us not to hide our faith under a basket. Let it shine! Today you are his witness!
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota