20th Sunday after Pentecost “Wings of Redemption”
October 15, 2023
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Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
A few weeks back I had the goal of highlighting the story of Ruth in four parts; the book of Ruth has four chapters. In chapter 1, we focused on the word ‘lament’. Because of the death of the father & sons, the mom -Naomi- & daughter-in-law -Ruth- returned to the family hometown of Bethlehem – poor & sad; ‘empty’, said Naomi. But for Naomi, Ruth is like the light of Christ, who is committed & loyal to her so that Naomi has hope.
In chapter 2, we meet their upright relative, Boaz, who -in faithfulness to God- shows loving care for the two women who are like ‘outsiders’ = but he’s an insider. He understands that the reason the Lord put him in such a position is so that he would provide for & protect those he can. That is his God-given station in life = his ‘vocation’ & purpose. Likewise, Christ blesses US in such a way that we are to be a blessing to those around us; that’s a purpose of ours. In chpt.3, Ruth’s story moves forward with good things for Naomi & Ruth, and a lesson of redemption for us. Let me read a shortened version of chpt.3
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Ruth 3 (ESV, alt)
Then Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, should I not seek rest & security for you?
2 Boaz is our relative. He is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 So bathe and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Take note where he lies down. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what you should do.”
5 And she replied, “I will do all that you say.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 After Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was in good spirits, he went to lie down by a heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.
8 At midnight the man shivered and turned over, and saw a woman at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your handmaid. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
10 And he said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. This is a great kindness to me that you have not gone after younger men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for everyone in town knows that you are a worthy woman.
12 It is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he redeems you, fine; let him do it. But if he is not willing , then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you.”
14 So she lay at his feet until early morning. Then Boaz thought, “It must not be known that she came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Hold out your cloak. You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.” He put into it six measures of barley, then she left. 16 Ruth came to her mother-in-law, who said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. 18 She replied, “Be patient until you learn how the matter turns out. For this man will not rest unless he has fulfilled his word today.”
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Ruth has become a faithful daughter to her mother-in-law, and Naomi has become her guardian. Therefore, Naomi takes the initiative to prepare Ruth to be ‘redeemed’ as part of Elimelech’s family; and if the Lord wills, to be married again with a secure & good life. Both Naomi’s and Ruth’s actions are fitting with the covenant promises of God to Abraham’s descendants; they trust in God’s loving care for them thru His people. Likewise, The Lord led honorable Boaz to do more than the Law of Leviticus 19 said = to protect & provide for his relative Naomi; he would also provide for Ruth, which would carry on the family name of Elimelech until it found its fulfillment in the promised Christ Himself.
In this true story of history, we see some interesting OT Israelite customs that seem a little unusual to us. We can’t talk about all those details today. But we can learn a lesson here from how these three people trusted the Lord; and we can take to heart how WE will trust the same Lord in our daily walk with Him because the Lord spreads His redeeming wings over us.
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With a high school graduation speech, one of the more common themes is to encourage the graduates to ‘spread your wings and fly.’ It means is that those young people should get out, see the world, be your own person, find what you like to do, & fulfill your dreams. That’s an okay message to young adults who need to get out from under their parents roof and begin to make their own life & livelihood. However, from the Bible’s perspective, it’s a bit self-centered & incomplete. Jesus has told His people -young & old- that the greatest commandment has two parts: ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mk 12:30–31). That message sounds different than that of ‘break free, fly, do your own thing, & make your life whatever you want it to be.
‘Spread your wings & fly’ was not a message those two poor, widowed women could use in their day. In the Elimelech family, Ruth had learned to love the Lord her God with heart/ /soul/& mind, and so her life-goal was to love her mother-in-law as herself. She is truly a self-sacrificing, honorable woman. Their circumstances were dire, but Ruth did what the poor of that time did to make ends meet == gleaning grain that reapers left behind. Without knowing it, the Lord had directed her to the field of a generous & godly man, who was also a relative of Naomi’s late husband.
So now the faith of Naomi sees the hand of the Lord working in their favor; like the old saying: when the Lord closes a door, he always opens a window. God has put a kinsman-redeemer into their lives. So, she considers a bold plan, no doubt put in place with prayer: she directs Ruth to fly to the side of Boaz. She instructs Ruth to put aside her mourning clothes, and to bathe & freshen her skin with fragrant oil. These were signs that she is now available for marriage. She would then conceal herself, and when Boaz lays down after some hard work & a good meal, she would lay quietly, humbly & modestly at his feet, until he wakes & takes note of those signs. I’ll bet you can finish this old saying, that our mothers said: the way to a man’s heart is …….(thru his stomach). So Ruth would do her asking after Boaz eats.

Back in chpt.2, Boaz had praised Ruth for caring for Naomi, & for taking refuge under the wings of Yahweh-the-Lord. Now, when Boaz is awakened by cold feet, Ruth echoes those words back to him, and says, “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” In those days it was not usual that the woman would propose marriage to the man; that was usually arranged by the father or oldest brother with the other family. But without her husband around, Naomi feels her responsibility with her adopted daughter. And besides, many women know what happens if they just wait for the man to ‘propose’; it can lead to a lot of waiting.
And while this proposal doesn’t strike us as being very romantic, I think our culture is a bit spoiled with so-called ‘romance’. The reality of life in much of the world thru history is that marriage is very practical for survival & basic fulfilment. God did not create Eve for Adam for mere romance, but as a needed helpmate in life. When Ruth says, ‘Spread your wings’, she wasn’t asking Boaz to fly around the country on a honeymoon. She was asking Boaz for two things: 1) to use his ‘wings’ =his person, his power, his property= to protect, cover, & provide for her by marriage. And 2) in suggesting marriage, she was asking Boaz to be a ‘kinsman-redeemer’ for Naomi. From Ex.6, a kinsman-redeemer was a close male relative who would deliver his loved ones from danger, debt, or slavery.
This kind of responsibility is a Biblical role for men who fear & trust in God, and who honor the created differences between male & female.
Now, there were a few complications. One is that Ruth could not be seen alone at night with Boaz at the threshing floor. That would suggest sexual immorality, and be a terrible witness by these two very worthy believers. Sexual relations outside of marriage is still sin & a breaking the 6th Commandment; and living together without marriage is a stain on the holiness God expects of His people. And so, they had to be careful that Ruth returned to her home without their virtue, public faith, or the name of God being compromised by even a hint of sin, so says Eph.5:3
A second complication was that, while Boaz was related to Naomi’s late husband, he couldn’t accept this proposal to provide for them yet. There was another male relative who was a closer redeemer. Boaz would have to settle the matter with him first. Nevertheless, Ruth asked Boaz to redeem her, trusting that the Lord would make sure someone protected Naomi and her.
And that takes us back to our overall lesson for the day: Redemption. Who might need YOU to be their deliverer today? Of course, salvation belongs to the Lord, but who are those needing God’s help through you? There are babies in the womb, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, or mentally ill. In most communities, there are the needy and there are Christians that serve the ‘least of these.’ Your wings may not be very big, but they can be spread to help those the Lord has placed around you.
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The idea of ‘redemption’ can present a couple of complications for us. To ‘redeem’ means to ‘buy back’, to purchase; normally, we purchase things with money. To say that WE are redeemed can be awkward because it suggests the buying & selling of people. We bristle at the idea that we could be ‘owned’ by someone, even by God. We also struggle with redemption because we don’t want to admit that we need help; and we DO, since we are slaves to sin, & captive to the master of sin, who is Satan.
When God says we need redemption, we must admit that we are not independent; we are at the mercy of someone else, who may or may not be looking out for us. Ruth was now depending on Boaz; but would he truly care for her, or would he just be greedy to gain the property of Naomi’s husband?
When our life belongs to someone else, we will always worry about their intentions. That’s why our natural condition is so bad. Ever since our first parents foolishly declared their independence from God by disobeying Him, we -by nature- have belonged to the devil. And Scripture makes it clear that Satan does not have our best interest at heart!
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This time, in chpt.3, Boaz is the type (or symbol) of Christ, & he did intend the best for Ruth and Naomi. He listened to her request, he protected her virtue, and in the custom of the day, he gave his solemn word with a downpayment which Naomi would understand. When Ruth returned home and showed her the gift Boaz had given, Naomi said: ‘yesss! Thank you Lord!’ ‘just wait, my daughter, for now we know he will settle the matter today.’ In one way or another, they would be redeemed.
This is a live-parable of God’s own intention to spread His wings over us and redeem us. God understands our lowly & needy position. He knows our sinful independent nature, & our resistance to trust anyone over our lives. And that’s why He made our redemption so complete & clear in the unselfish giving of His own Son, without any strings attached. At the cross, the redemption of all mankind, & of every soul, was promised -and made complete- by Jesus’ innocent blood. That redemption fulfills all of the broken Law, and cancels any ‘lien’ that Satan might claim on our soul. God’s intention is your salvation; and His downpayments are the good gifts of His Spirit-filled Word, His Baptismal grace on you, and His Holy Meal of forgiveness. With those He has our full trust & hope.

With that hope, & with the cross-work of Christ, we wait – like Ruth. Our kinsman-redeemer -Jesus- will not rest in protecting & providing for us until He has fulfilled His Word, and returns in glory to take us home. Boaz was a righteous man, and he was able to declare, “As the Lord lives, I will redeem you.”
Jesus is more righteous & the very Son of God! And He has spoken even better words thru Isaiah (43): ‘Fear not, I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.’
That’s why we sing: Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! (LSB 461:8) Amen