The Covenant in the Gate: Text: Ruth 4:1-12
Introduction: The Public Display of Redemption
We come now to the climax of this magnificent story, a story that began in famine, death, and bitterness, and now concludes in a public, legal transaction at the city gate. This is not some backroom deal, not a whispered arrangement. Redemption, if it is to be true redemption, must be brought out into the open, under the sun, before witnesses. God does not save us in a corner. Our salvation was accomplished on a hill, outside the city, for all the world to see, and our confession of that salvation must likewise be public.
The book of Ruth is a masterclass in showing us how God's grand, cosmic purposes are worked out in the warp and woof of ordinary life. We have seen God's providence in the gleaning of fields, in a midnight conversation on a threshing floor, and now we see it in the legal proceedings of a small town. The city gate in the ancient world was the place of business, the courthouse, and the public square all rolled into one. It was where elders sat, disputes were settled, and covenants were made. For a transaction to be legitimate, it had to be done "in the gate."
Boaz is a man of his word. Having promised Ruth he would act, he does not delay. He goes straight to the place of public reckoning. And what unfolds here is not simply the resolution of a property dispute or a marriage arrangement for a destitute widow. It is a living parable of our great redemption in Jesus Christ. Every detail is pregnant with meaning. We see a lesser redeemer who is willing but unable, a greater redeemer who is both willing and able, and a transaction that secures not just a parcel of land, but a name, a lineage, and a future that will stretch all the way to the throne of David, and ultimately, to the throne of David's greater Son.
Let us not forget the context. This all happens during the time of the Judges, a period of moral anarchy when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." In the midst of that covenantal chaos, here is a man, Boaz, who honors God's law. Here is a community that respects the due process of that law. This chapter is a bastion of covenantal faithfulness in an ocean of apostasy. It is a picture of how God preserves His purposes and His people, even when the broader culture is rotting from the head down.
The Text
Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field which belonged to our brother Elimelech. So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” So the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and so you shall achieve excellence in Ephrathah and shall proclaim your name in Bethlehem. Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.
(Ruth 4:1-12 LSB)
The Legal Proceeding (vv. 1-4)
The action begins with Boaz taking the initiative. He is not passive; he is a man of purpose and integrity.
"Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, 'Turn aside, my fellow, sit down here.' And he turned aside and sat down. Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, 'Sit down here.' So they sat down." (Ruth 4:1-2)
Boaz goes to the gate, the center of public life. His timing, orchestrated by the subtle hand of God's providence, is perfect. The nearer kinsman just happens to be passing by. Boaz calls him over, addressing him familiarly, "my fellow," though the Hebrew is more literally "so-and-so" or "a certain one." It's striking that the Holy Spirit does not see fit to give us this man's name. He is Mr. Anonymous, a man who had the first right of redemption but who, in the end, forfeits his claim and with it, his name in this sacred history. He is a picture of all who come close to redemption but ultimately turn away for selfish reasons.
Boaz then assembles a jury. He gathers ten elders of the city. This was the required number for a public, legal quorum. This is not a casual chat; it is a formal, legal proceeding. Boaz is doing everything by the book, ensuring the transaction is above reproach, public, and binding. This is how our Redeemer, Jesus, operates. He fulfills every jot and tittle of the law. His work of redemption is legally perfect and publicly attested.
Boaz lays out the first part of the case to Mr. So-and-so. Naomi is selling the family plot that belonged to Elimelech. He presents the man with his legal right and obligation as the nearest kinsman. "If you will redeem it, redeem it... for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you." The man's response is immediate and enthusiastic: "I will redeem it." Of course he will. From a purely financial perspective, this is a good deal. It's an opportunity to acquire more land, to increase his own estate. The land is the thing. He sees a good investment, and he jumps at it.
The Sticking Point (vv. 5-6)
But Boaz is not finished. He now introduces the crucial detail, the part of the deal that separates a mere financial transaction from a true act of redemption.
"Then Boaz said, 'On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.'" (Ruth 4:5)
This is the fine print, and it changes everything. The deal is not just about land; it is about a person. It is about Ruth. And it's not just about acquiring a wife; it is about the levirate obligation to raise up an heir for the deceased, Mahlon. Any son born to this union would not carry the name of Mr. So-and-so, but would be the legal heir of Mahlon and would inherit the very land that Mr. So-and-so just agreed to buy. The land would not be added to his estate permanently; it would pass to another.
Suddenly, the deal is not so attractive. The response of the nearer kinsman is just as swift as his initial acceptance, but in the opposite direction. "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance." What does he mean? He means that the cost is too high. He would have to pay the redemption price for the land out of his own pocket, but the land itself, and the fruit of it, would ultimately go to the son of Ruth and Mahlon. His own sons would get nothing from it. His estate would be diminished to benefit another man's line. It would "ruin" or "mar" his own inheritance. He is willing to get, but not to give. He is willing to profit, but not to sacrifice.
This man is a perfect picture of the law. The law can show us the opportunity for righteousness, it can outline the requirements, but it cannot provide the heart to fulfill them at personal cost. The law is willing to acquire the property of God, but it is unwilling to be married to a Gentile bride at its own expense. It is a fair-weather redeemer. When the cost gets too high, it backs away. "You redeem my right... for I cannot." The law confesses its own inability. It must step aside for a greater principle, a greater person.
The Transfer of Rights (vv. 7-8)
The refusal of the first redeemer leads to a formal, public transfer of that right to Boaz.
"Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, 'Acquire this for yourself.' And he removed his sandal." (Ruth 4:7-8)
The narrator pauses to explain this custom for later generations. The removal of a sandal was a public sign of a relinquished right. To walk on a piece of land was to claim it. To give your sandal to another was to give him your right to walk on, possess, and own that land. Mr. So-and-so publicly and formally hands over his right, his shoe, his claim, to Boaz. He is stepping out, and Boaz is stepping in.
This act of taking off the shoe is significant. In the law of Moses, if a brother refused the levirate duty, the widow was to pull his sandal off and spit in his face, and his house would be known as "the house of him who had his sandal removed" (Deut. 25:9-10). It was a mark of shame. Here, the shame is not emphasized, but the legal reality is the same. The first redeemer is unable to perform the duty, and so he yields the right. Boaz, our Christ-figure, takes up the sandal. He takes up the right and the responsibility that the other man laid down. He is willing to pay the price.
The Public Declaration (vv. 9-12)
With the right now legally his, Boaz makes a public declaration to the elders and all the people.
"Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 'You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died... you are witnesses today.'" (Ruth 4:9-10)
Boaz's declaration is comprehensive. He is not just buying a field. He is redeeming everything that was lost. He acquires all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. And central to this, he acquires Ruth the Moabitess to be his wife. Notice his stated purpose: "in order to raise up the name of the one who had died... so that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off." Boaz's motive is not self-aggrandizement, but self-sacrificial love. He is acting to restore a name, to continue a line, to bring life out of death.
This is precisely what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. We were the ones who were destitute, aliens, without an inheritance, and with no future. Our name was cut off. Christ, our great Boaz, came to the gate. He paid the price, which was not silver or gold, but His own precious blood. He was not ashamed to take us, His Gentile bride, the Church, to be His own. And He did it to "raise up the name of the dead," that is, to give us a new name and a new inheritance in Himself, who died and rose again. He redeems us, not to add to His own celestial portfolio, but to give us His name and His inheritance.
The response of the people and the elders is a joyous affirmation and a blessing.
"And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, 'We are witnesses. May Yahweh grant the woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel... Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the seed which Yahweh will grant you by this young woman.'" (Ruth 4:11-12)
The community erupts in blessing. They are the witnesses, and they call upon Yahweh to make this union fruitful. They compare Ruth to Rachel and Leah, the matriarchs who built the entire nation of Israel. This is an astonishing blessing to pronounce upon a Moabitess, a foreigner. It shows her complete acceptance into the covenant community. Grace has triumphed over the dividing wall of hostility.
And then they add a second, very specific blessing: "May your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah." This is a startling reference. The story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38 is a messy one, involving deception and what appeared to be gross immorality. Yet Tamar, like Ruth, was a Gentile woman who acted in bold, unconventional faith to secure her place in the covenant line. And from that irregular union came Perez, whose name means "breach" or "breaking through." He was the ancestor of Boaz himself. The elders are saying, "May God cause your family to break through in the same surprising, powerful, and world-changing way." They had no idea how prophetic this was. For from the seed of Boaz and Ruth would come David, and from David would come the Messiah. This union, this redemption at the gate, was God breaking through into human history in a decisive way.
Our Kinsman Redeemer
The story of Boaz at the gate is our story. We, like Naomi and Ruth, were empty, impoverished, and without hope. We had an inheritance, but we had lost it through the famine of our sin. There was a redeemer who had the first right, and that was the Law.
The Law looked at our situation and said, "I will redeem the property. I will take the human race as an asset." The Law is interested in what it can get. But when the full terms were revealed, that this redemption required taking a broken, sinful, Gentile bride, and dying for her in order to give her a new name and an inheritance that was not the Law's own, the Law had to confess, "I cannot do it, lest I mar my own inheritance." The Law cannot operate by grace. It cannot die for another. It must step aside.
And so our greater Boaz, the Lord Jesus, stepped in. He was not ashamed to call us brethren. He took the right of redemption. He went to the gate, to the public place of execution, and there He paid the full price. He purchased not only our lost inheritance but our very selves. He took us, the Church, from every tribe and tongue and nation, to be His bride. He did it not to enrich Himself, for He owns all things, but to give us His name, His righteousness, and His eternal inheritance.
The transaction is done. It was witnessed by men and angels. The sandal has been exchanged; the price has been paid. And the blessing of God has been poured out. God is building His house, not with two matriarchs, but with a great multitude whom no man can number. And our house, the Church, is indeed like the house of Perez. We are a people of the breakthrough. In Jesus Christ, God has broken through the barriers of sin, death, and ethnic division to create one new man. The story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful story in its own right, but its truest and highest beauty is seen when it points us to the cross, to the empty tomb, and to our great Kinsman Redeemer, who saw our desperate need and said, "I will redeem it."