(Audio and Text Available)
Title: Three Blessings
Intro:
Just three days ago, we observed our country’s independence day. In light tof that, I want to ask you three questions as we begin today:
- Parents, do you think it’s important for our children to know our country’s history?
- Why do you believe it’s important?
- How do you teach them?
As we read this passage, and ask the Lord’s blessing, let’s keep the idea of knowing your nation’s history in mind.
(read/pray)
“And all the people at the gate, and the elders…”
Beyond just the gathering of the Elders, there were also others gathered there to see this public transaction take place. All are in unison and agreement that Boaz redeeming the property and taking Ruth as his wife is a good thing, and they respond accordingly by issuing a public blessing.
That blessing has three parts to it, and today we are going to explore each part of the blessing and their meanings and applications.
Three Parts of the Blessing:
- Rachel and Leah comparison
- Blessing of Prosperity from Ephrathah to Bethlehem
- Judah and Tamar comparison
Of note: There is nothing of significant variance among the different English translations
- Rachel and Leah Comparison
Does anyone know why this blessing is offered to Boaz and Ruth?
Between Rachel and Leah, they had 13 children, and were seen as the “Mothers of the whole Nation of Israel”
This was a huge blessing to offer.
This would be like like the blessing that I offer to Baker Mayfield: “May your career be like Tom Brady, lasting 20 seasons and brining to the great city of Cleveland by the Lake called Erie 9 Super Bowl appearances and 6 Super Bowl Championships.”
(That’s just a random example, it’s not like I’ve thought about that blessing many times or rehearsed it, or maybe whispered it to Jesus before bed each night.)
Now, imagine how strange of a blessing this might be if Boaz, Naomi, or Ruth had no idea who Rachel and Leah were!
POINT: It’s important to know history!
2. Blessing of Prosperity
This second blessing is linked to the first, and again, only makes sense if you knew the history of Israel.
I’ll assume that all of you have a rudimentary knowledge of our own country’s geography for this next example:
Andy if I said to you, “May the Lord bless you and your household from Ashland to Shelby!” How would you feel?
Now, Andy, would you still feel that way if I then turned to Jared and said, “Jared, may the Lord bless your house from Ashland to Seattle!”
Does anyone know where Ephrathah is in relation to Bethlehem?
(Would it help if I told you it was a trick question?)
Ephrathah is the ancient name for Bethlehem (Gen 35:19) and we also know from that same passage that it is the burial place of Rachel.
Matthew Henry:
They prayed for Boaz, that he might continue to do worthily in the city to which he was an ornament, and might there be more and more famous. They desired that the wife might be a blessing in the private affairs of the house, and the husband a blessing in the public business of the town, that she in her place, and he in his, might be wise, virtuous, and successful.
Observe, The way to be famous is to do worthily. Great reputation must be obtained by great merits. It is not enough not to do unworthily, to be harmless and inoffensive, but we must do worthily, be useful and serviceable to our generation. Those that would be truly illustrious must in their places shine as lights.
3. Judah and Tamar Comparison
How many of you know this story? It’s found in Genesis 38, and it’s a bit lengthy so I’ll just offer a quick recap.
I warn you, It’s a crazy story, so buckle up.
The Story of Judah and Tamar from Genesis 38
One of Judah’s sons married Tamar, he died without having any children. Judah gave the other son; and the second son died without having any children. Judah then was reluctant to give his third son, and says to Tamar, ”Wait until he grows up; he’s too young.”
After a period of waiting and all, Judah hadn’t come through with the third son, and his own wife died in the meantime.
Tamar took things into her own hands, and hatches a so scandalous that it makes what Naomi suggested to Ruth to approach Boaz on the threshing floor look tame by comparison.
What she did is she put on the clothes of a prostitute, and she went out and sat there at a place in the path where Judah was walking by. Judah-she was all veiled, had the garb of a prostitute on. He thought she was a prostitute. He propositioned her.
And she said, “Well, what will you pay me?”
He said, “Well, I’ll give you a little goat out of the flock.”
She said, “Well, how do I know you’ll come through with it?”
He said, “Well, I’ll give you my ring as a pledge.” So he came in unto Tamar, had relations with her, and gave her his ring as a pledge that he would send back a goat to her. That was what he propositioned for.
So Tamar took off the clothes of a prostitute, went back home, and was pregnant. Judah sent his servant back to get his ring back with a young little goat. The guy came and he looked and there was no prostitute sitting there in this area where Judah said she was. So he said to the guys around there, “Where’s the prostitute that usually hangs out here?”
They said, “There is no prostitute that hangs out here.”
So he came back to Judah and said, “Hey, I couldn’t find any, and the fellows said there isn’t any prostitute that hangs out there.” So Judah said, “Oh well let it go.”
Then word came to Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is pregnant.”
He said, “Bring her forth, we’ll stone her!”
So she came forth, and she held out the ring, and she said, “By the man who owns this ring am I pregnant.”
Now you see it was the obligation of a kinsman to raise up a child for the dead son. Judah was trapped by the young gal into doing it.
Judah acknowledged that he was wrong and says to Tamar, “You’re more righteous than I am. I was really withholding. You’re more righteous than I am.”
The son that was born was called Pharez. He became a part of the line of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. In fact Pharez is of the line of Elimelech, coming on down, he was one of the ancestors of Elimelech.
This is why the people giving the blessing to Boaz and Ruth bring this up. They say, “here’s a similar situation, an older man fulfilling the kinsman part, raising up a son.”
But of course, where Judah had abandoned his responsibility until he was tricked into it, Boaz is totally honorable and pursues Ruth according to the letter of the Law.
(Pray/QA)