We met Boaz in Chapter 2 of Ruth. He owns the fields that Ruth is gleaning in. Some of his character traits are stated clearly in the text. We know that he was older than Ruth, because in Chapter 3 he thanks her for not running after a younger man. We can tell that he was wealthy, he OWNED the fields that Ruth was working in, and he had lots of servants. He seems to have had a place at the city gates with the other elders, because in Chapter 4 he goes and sits at the gates with them while he waits to conduct his business with the other relative. So he was wise and well respected in the community. We can also tell the he was not only kind, but thoughtful as well. He offers Ruth a place with his maid-servants, and instructs that no one give her a hard time. That is kindness. He also offers her lunch, knowing that if she and Naomi had just come into town, and she was there gleaning, Ruth could not have had much food available to her. He gives her more than enough grain, so she can take some home to Naomi. That is thoughtfulness.
I think that he must have known Elimelech and Naomi when they were younger. Were they cousins...2nd cousins? Bethlehem was not a big place, I am sure that everyone knew everyone. Did Boaz and Elimelech play together as boys? Did their families celebrate holidays together? Was he at Elimelech and Naomi's wedding? Did Boaz rejoice with Elimelech when he had two sons? What did he think when Elimelech decided to move to Moab? I wonder if he tried to talk him out of it. I think that his heart must have broken when he heard that Naomi had come home a widow, with her son's widow by her side. I think that is why he is so struck by Ruth and her care for Naomi, and I think that is why he goes above and beyond for her on that first day. He is remembering he cousin and friend, and doing for Ruth what he could not do for Elimelech.
In Chapter 3, when Ruth comes to the threshing floor, he is clearly honored and maybe a bit surprised by her request that he act as kinsman-redeemer and marry her:
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
(Ruth 3:10 - American Standard Version)
He agrees to marry her, and redeem Elimelech's inheritance, but only on the condition that the nearer relative does not want to. I wonder if Boaz knew what this other cousin was going to say before he asked him. He seems to have because when he first presents the deal Boaz does not mention Ruth, only that Naomi is selling a piece of land. It is only when the cousin says that he is interested in redeeming the land does Boaz tell him that condition is that he marry Ruth. At this point the cousin says that he can't do it, he is already married, and he does not want to risk messing up his own inheritance, so he tells Boaz to go ahead and redeem the land. I was reading some commentaries today, and one was talking about this point of the 2nd relative being married and not wanting to go forward with the deal because of the risk to what he already had. It made me wonder, why was Boaz not married? Was he a widower? It seems unlikely that he would have never married, but I suppose that is possible as well. Whatever the case, Ruth was God's provision and grace to Boaz, as much as he was to her. She is young and strong, full of compassion and determination, and she brings him financial gain as well.
The story ends with Boaz and Ruth having a son, Obed. We are then told that Obed is the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David...so Boaz and Ruth are in the line of Christ. (Matt 1:5)
What we see in Boaz is a foreshadowing of Christ the true Kinsman-Redeemer, the one who identifies with us in our time of need, and acts our behalf to be our salvation.
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