Subject: Wisdom - Ruth

Ruth 4:1-5 (ESV Strong's)

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”

Subject:  Wisdom

Boaz is a wise man.   In this story of Ruth we have learned that Ruth was married to the son of Naomi.  She was from a different country.    Both Naomi's husband and two sons had died in Ruth's country and Ruth decided to care for Naomi and return to the land of Israel with her.    Boaz, as her nearest relative, had the right and the responsibility to marry Ruth to carry on the family name.   Yet, Boaz also knew that another relative had a closer relationship to Ruth.   Instead of just talking to the relative about Ruth, Boaz exposes to the city fathers the character of this near relative, at the gate of the city (where the business of cities was conducted in ancient times).   The man would take the land (that would boast his station in life (land ownership was, like today, a sign of prestige).   However, the relative did not want Ruth in marriage.   Boaz did!    Boaz used Godly wisdom to make sure that the man didn't come back later and claim "property" based upon a false premise of "not knowing" what was happening and/or didn't know property was included.    Boaz makes sure that the deal is a real deal.    His wisdom before on HOW to enact the deal was just as important as the responsibility to become Ruth's redeemer.   How we approach transactions like this in life is an important indicator of the wisdom we have from God.   Those who are wise, by fearing the Lord, see prior to the situation and make sure they are covering all the bases of man's nature.   Boaz knew the "nature of man" and made sure he exposed that properly before moving forward.   A wise lesson for our lives today.