Christ Church

Dr. Ben Merkle

The Lovingkindness of God #2

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2:1 Boaz

In Numbers chapter 1, God orders Moses to take a census of all the men of war in Israel. And God appoints which man will stand as the head of the army of each tribe. The head of the tribe of Judah was a man named Nahshon, son of Amminadab. He was a man of great significance in the leadership of Israel at that time (Num. 7:12, 10:14, Ex. 6:23).

His son Salmon, we don’t know much about. He most likely fought under Joshua and Caleb when the Israelites invaded Canaan. And he is the man that took Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho, as his own wife. And the son of Salmon and Rahab was a man named Boaz. The book of Ruth says that Boaz was a very mighty warrior. We also know that Boaz was an Ephrathite, one of the older, established families in Bethlehem. As one commentator put it, “Boaz’s fullness is the counterpart to Naomi’s emptiness.”

2:2-7 Ruth Gleaning

The right to glean after the harvesters was a right reserved to the poor by the law of God (Lev. 19:9-10, 23:22, Deut. 24:19-22). Ruth has made it to Bethlehem just in time to participate in the harvest and wastes no time in getting out there. In God’s providence, Ruth ends up gleaning in the field of Boaz. When he visits his field, Boaz takes notice of Ruth immediately. She has already distinguished herself in the eyes of overseer of the harvesters. But Boaz already knows of her for another reason.

2:8-12 Boaz’s Favor

What Naomi had seemed to think was Ruth’s foolishness before (limiting herself to this family), Boaz now turns into a blessing. The farewell blessing of Naomi on Orpah and Ruth (1:8) is now being fulfilled in the field of Boaz (2:12). And the vow that Ruth made to Naomi (1:16-17) is now the basis for Boaz’s kindness to her (2:11). So we see two characteristics of Ruth that have been testified to in this chapter. First, she is a hard- working woman (2:7). Second, she is a woman of deep loyalty (2:11).

Notice that Boaz sees Ruth’s devotion also as a conversion. She has come under Yahweh’s wings (Ps. 57:1, Ps. 61:4, Ps. 91:4). There are several layers here.
1. Ultimately, this is about the line of Jesus. She has walked away from everything to give herself to Jesus (see Mat. 1:5).
2. The author of this story probably saw this in terms of the line of David (Ruth 4:17-22). 3. And a simple reading of this story would just see this as her giving herself to Naomi. It’s just the story of a really good friendship.
But even Boaz sees this as about an unreasonable and sudden devotion to Yahweh, and seeking refuge in him. Faith in the Old Testament, looking forward to Christ, had a different content, but the same object. We shouldn’t hesitate to be reading Christ back into these stories, even though they probably would not have been able to express the content of their faith in the same way that we would describe it for them.

2:13-18 God’s Provision

Boaz sees to it that Ruth’s gleaning is profitable. He also ensures her protection and provision throughout the day. When it was all over Ruth had gleaned a full ephah of grain – probably equal to just under 30 pounds, which is rather tremendous. At this time, this was equal to two full weeks wages for a field worker. But this is only a small thing. The provision proves that she has found favor in Boaz’s eyes, which is a far bigger deal.

2:19-23 Returning to Naomi

Ruth is quick to get home and share her proceeds with Naomi. Naomi sees that a possibility has been opened up that she did not anticipate. She advises Ruth to take her “all-in” attitude and focus it on Boaz.

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The Lovingkindness of God #1

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1:1-5 Moab

The passage begins with a time marker – “In the judging of the judges.” The book was written looking back on the period before Israel was ruled by kings, a lawless time when Israel was plagued by foreign oppression and national apostasy. At this time Israel lacked a true leader. And so it is significant that this book is about the establishment of the line of David.

Famine strikes in the house of bread. In the past, famines drove the patriarchs out of the land temporarily, to experience greater blessing – Abram (Gen. 12:10), Isaac (Gen. 26:1), and Jacob (Gen. 41-50). But Elimelech ends up in a very different story. Our temptation is to think that we see the story that God is telling and then we try to script for God how he will bring blessing out of disaster. That doesn’t usually work. We learn from history to trust in God’s promises, not to rest in your own prediction of how God will work things out.

Elimelech leaves Israel for Moab (v. 2), on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, a nation descended from Lot’s incestuous union with his daughter (Gen. 19:30-38). Relations between Israel and Moab were strained. Balaam was hired by the Moabites to curse Israel (Num. 22-24). They and their descendents were not to be permitted to come into the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:4). And during the time of the judges, Ehud killed Eglon, king of Moab ( Judg. 3:12-30) and subdued them under Israel.

And Elimelech dies (v.3). The sons then take wives for themselves from the Moabites and then dwell there ten years (v. 4). It’s time for something to happen, and what happens is both sons die. The story of deliverance in Moab is not off to a good start.

1:6-13 Goodbyes

6-9 Naomi sees the hopelessness of her situation in Moab. Hearing that the famine has lifted from Bethlehem, she begins to return home. Her daughters-in-law begin to follow her. She thanks them for the kindness (chesed) that they have shown (v. 8) and gives them a definitive goodbye (v. 9).

10-13 No, really, goodbye. Naomi explains that she is a dead end. Don’t tie your future happiness to her because she is a lost cause. The hand of the Lord, the power by which he orchestrates all that comes to pass, has gone out against her. The sovereignty of God is against Naomi, so don’t stand next to her.

1:14-17 But Ruth Clung to Her

This is the vocabulary of marriage (see Gen. 2:24). Orpah has returned to her people and to her gods. But Ruth makes a strikingly poetic vow to Naomi.

First, notice it is much bigger than just a promise of friendship and loyalty to Naomi. It includes people, place, and God. It extends beyond Naomi’s death, to Ruth’s death. And it ends with an oath before Yahweh (thus confirming that Naomi’ God is now Ruth’s).

Where did this come from? This is one of the clearest pictures of a conversion in the Bible. It closely parallels Abram’s conversion (Gen. 12:1-5), except for the fact that Abram converted after receiving a wonderful promise from God. But Ruth converts in the face of Naomi’s despair. Ruth exemplifies the Gospel commitment that Jesus would teach over a thousand years later (Mat. 8:21, 10:37, and 19:29).

Ruth is the embodiment of chesed, a term that will become a theme for the entire book.

1:18-22 A Grim Return

Ruth is determined. Naomi sees this and gives up on trying to convince her otherwise. Both Naomi and Ruth have been left empty and hopeless. One is young, resolute, and still determined. The other is every bit as determined, but it is a determination that is soaked with bitterness and resentment. She returns to God, but almost like a satellite that has fallen from its orbit and plummets to earth. Naomi seems like she has just resigned herself to the gravitational pull of God’s sovereign will. Naomi is fairly honest about where this has left her.

Now it was the beginning of the barley harvest, which was in late April or early May and was followed two weeks later by the wheat harvest. The harvest was a festival time, a time of celebration like our Thanksgiving. So how strange must it have been for Naomi to return home bitter at just this moment.

Remember also that we began the book with the statement that there was no bread in Bethlehem. At the same time that Naomi is telling everyone to call her “bitter,” God is beginning to change their circumstances. And they are about to learn that God’s ways are not our ways, and his story is not the story that we wrote for him.

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The End of Ahab

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1-4: An Alliance

Ahab had been at peace with Syria (1 Kings 20:31-34) and had even joined with Syria in other military ventures (the twelve kings versus the Assyrian Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar, 853 BC). But eventually Ahab grew weary of the peace and began thinking more of the cities that had been lost to Syria. Thus, Ahab allied himself with Jehoshaphat to attack the Syrians.

5-9 Ahab’s Prophets

Jehoshaphat was a faithful king (1 Kings 22:43 and 46) and wanted to hear from the Lord before beginning this campaign. Ahab gathered his prophets, a host of around 400 men. Apparently, about 400 was the necessary number to be a respectable prophetic host (1 Kings 18:19). Ahab had gathered his prophets together before and it didn’t go well for him. Learning from lessons doesn’t seem to be his strength. But Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from one of the Lord’s prophets.

10-14 On the Threshing Floor

Two scenes unfold at the same time. The first was Zedekiah before Ahab. The threshing floor was a wide open place that was only used for threshing at a certain time of the year, and therefore was available for large gatherings the rest of the year. Essentially, you can think of the threshing floor like we would think of
the fairgrounds.

Zedekiah really prepared for this moment and brought his own prop. Horns signify might and power. They show up in horned crowns in ANE images, see also Deut 33:17 and Jer. 48:25. At the same time, the messenger comes to Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord and gives him a warning. The prophets have all agreed upon the word that would be given and they have spoken with “one mouth.”

15-23 The Real Truth

We learn a whole world about Ahab in verses 15 and 16. Ahab both wanted a lie and didn’t want a lie. He was deceived and knew the truth. And so Micaiah gives him the real truth. Israel will lose their king and they will be “like sheep without a shepherd.”

Micaiah has given a glimpse into the throne-room of God, where the host of heaven is gathered. The host of heaven is the angelic realm of both unfallen and fallen angels. It includes the demonic powers that were worshipped as pagan deities. And though the host includes fallen powers, it is clear from this passage that they are all under the sovereign power of God (Deut. 4:19, 17:3, 2 Kings 17:16, 21:3, Jer. 8:2, 19:13, 33:22).

24-28 Micaiah the Prophet

Micaiah’s words are rejected and he is struck by Zedekiah (cf. John 18:22, Acts 23:2). He is thrown into prison (cf. Jer. 20:2, 32:2, 37:15, Mat. 21:35, 23:29, Acts 7:51-53) This is how prophets are treated.

29-37 The Random Arrow

The king of Syria wanted Ahab dead and ordered his troops to hunt for him. But Ahab disguised himself in the battle and sent Jehoshaphat in his royal robes (v. 30). But Ahab’s disguise was not nearly as effective as the decree of the Lord. The flight of an arrow, shot at random, that hit right between the joint of the armor, strikes Ahab down.

38-40 The End of Ahab

Ahab’s inglorious death fulfilled the prophecies of Elijah and of Micaiah. And Israel was left without a shepherd. Despite the glory of the buildings that Ahab built, his house was left desolate.

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Ahab and Naboth

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The Text: 1 Kings 21

1-3 Naboth’s Vineyard

Although the capitol of Israel was Samaria, and this is where Ahab’s palace was, Ahab established what was essentially a summer home in Jezreel. The city overlooked the valley of Jezreel and was known for breathtaking views to the northeast, towards Syria. As Ahab looked to establish his connection with Ben Hadad, it made sense for him to develop an opulent estate in Jezreel. Ahab’s family became quite attached to this palace. It is here that Jezebel will be later thrown from the window (2 Kings 9:30-37). And it is here that Jehu will slaughter Ahab’s seventy sons (2 Kings 10:1-11).

Naboth had a vineyard here, just next door to Ahab’s palace. And Ahab began coveting the land for his own. Selling to Ahab was prohibited (Num. 36:7, Lev. 25:23), which is why Naboth refuses to sell.

4 Sullen and Displeased

The two words here describe both stubbornness and ill-temper. It takes two ingredients to create a good sulk. You have to be displeased with the situation and you have to refuse to get over it. A real estate deal gone bad is a great picture of what this looks like. We always see so much potential in the opportunities that are just out of our reach. And our inability to let go of these things can put us into a funk.

5-7 Enter Jezebel

Jezebel’s statement to Ahab is dripping with irony. Is it Ahab or is it Jezebel that exercises authority over all Israel? The relationship between Ahab and his wife is such a striking picture of a very particular and very common kind of manipulation that it is worth taking a moment to examine.

First, men frequently have very fragile egos. This can be good because it drives them to achievement. But it can be bad because it makes them so susceptible to manipulation. Nothing is easier to control than a man whose insecurities are obvious. Be careful, men, about what whispers you let yourself hear. In particular, the claim that your greatness is being neglected or insufficiently rewarded is poison to your soul.

Second, women who have found this button to push can get anything they want out of their husbands, but they make their marriages miserable. Wives, do you fuel contentment or discontent in your husband? How many women tell themselves that they are being Abigail when they are actually being Jezebel.

8-16 Proclaim the Fast

Jezebel orders two sons of Belial to accuse Naboth at a fast. A fast is a strategic moment for making an accusation against Naboth because suspicions would have been aroused. Two witnesses were required to make the charge (Deut 17:6. 19:15, and Num 35:30). The charge was cursing the King and God and the penalty was death (Ex. 22:28 (cf. Acts 23:5) and Lev. 24:16). With Naboth out of the way, Ahab was free to seize the vineyard.

17-26 The Curse

Elijah returns to give Ahab some bad news. As the worst Israelite king of all time (v. 25, cf. 2 Kings 21:3), Ahab gets a whopping curse levelled at him. Fist of all, note that even though we saw Jezebel’s hand behind all this, Ahab remains responsible. He cannot say, “the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” To be have been manipulated is not an excuse. It’s an extra sin. Ahab will be cut off. Just as he has done to Naboth, so will be done to him. Ahab is killed in battle and the dogs licked his blood from the chariot (1 Kings 22:38). Jezebel is thrown from the heights of Jezreel and the dogs ate her (2 Kings 9:30-37).

Joram, the son of Ahab, is killed by Jehu and his body is thrown onto the ground of Naboth’s vineyard (2 Kings 9:24-25). Ahaziah, who is the grandson of Ahab and the king of Judah, is killed by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27-29) and his forty-two brothers (2 Kings 10:12-14). Seventy sons of Ahab and then all the descendents of Ahab are all killed by Jehu (2 Kings 10).

In fact, even the genealogy of Jesus is expunged all the descendants of Ahab (Mat. 1:8, 2 Kings 8:16-18).

27-29 Repentance

At hearing this, Ahab is brought to repentance. There doesn’t seem to be any insincerity here. Just as he was in a funk at being refused Naboth’s vineyard (v. 4), now he mourns over the curse that is on him. And God acknowledges Ahab’s sorrow. It is only enough to postpone the curse, however, and does not delay it. Ahab has been capable of these kinds of turns on a dime throughout his life.

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