Boaz is a biblical character depicted in the book of Ruth. Boaz is known to be a wealthy prince who owned large tracts of land in Bethlehem, the town made famous as being the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The name Boaz has been mentioned approximately twenty-four times in the scriptures to mean different things i.e. the temple. Let’s take a quick look at this man and why he was significant in the bible without any further ado:
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The story of Ruth and Boaz
Boaz was the son of Salmon and Rahab and as a prince (of the people), he grew up in wealth and abundance. Despite the opulence that surrounded Boaz and his family, it never was an excuse for him to not put in the hard work. He’d occasionally walk around the barn to inspect his grain as his workers threshed it.
He’d normally do that to prevent theft which was quite common back in the day as throngs of people were living in abject poverty during a time of stinging famine. After the severe drought was over, Boaz chose to rest after giving thanks to God and reading the Torah.
Ruth was a Moabite, a tribe known for their paganism. She and Naomi, an Israelite, found their way back to Israel after they heard good tidings about God has blessed them with food after the long drought. That’s how Ruth found herself in Boaz’s farm threshing and it didn’t take long before Boaz took note of her.
Since Boaz was kind and received them warmly, Naomi asked Ruth to return to Boaz later that night and have sexual relations with him. Boaz woke up when he felt someone lift his sheets. There, Ruth immediately made her true intentions for ‘uncovering his feet’ known. Instead of rebuking her, Boaz thanked Ruth for her honesty and rewarded her with barley.
He fell for her loyalty and faithfulness and that’s how they ended up together. Boaz, who knew what Ruth had been through, followed God’s command and took care of them, gave them food, and offered them protection. The latter kind of love and care for the Moabite widow is what made Ruth fall in love with Boaz and they got married afterward.
What was Boaz’s family tree?
As earlier mentioned, Boaz was the son of Salmon and Rahab. He was a close relative of Elimelech, who was Naomi’s husband. Boaz died shortly after they got married. Thankfully, Ruth had already conceived and bore him a son named Obed. Obed married and had a son named Jesse.
Jesse also grew up and got married and had a son named David, who would later become one of the most famous kings of Israel. Long story short, Boaz was King David’s great grandfather.
What is Boaz’s significance in the bible?
A lot can be learned from Boaz and how he lived his life in the bible. For one, he was a hardworking man. Despite having come from a wealthy family, Boaz didn’t leave anything to chance. He always walked around the fields to supervise the threshing of barley from time to time.
Besides being hardworking, Boaz was also praised for being Godly. According to Ruth 2:4, Boaz strived to please God in virtually everything that he did. He always greeted his workers with “the Lord be with you” as they worked on threshing his barley. (sunnyflowerdelivery.com) The latter is what drew a lot of respect from his workers who eventually christened him as their prince.
Boaz also showed the importance of being kind. From the way he treated his workers to how he treated Ruth after revealing her pure intentions, we can all learn that the true measure of a man is by how kind he is towards those who cannot repay him. The latter is why modern Christians are often urged to emulate Boaz in their day-to-day living.
According to the scriptures, Boaz did his duties as a lawfully wedded husband. He did provide, protect, and loved Ruth thus protecting him from shame and embarrassment the best he could. It’s because of doing all these that God showered Boaz with much more favor in his life. Despite his vast wealth, Boaz was humble enough to serve Ruth; a Moabite widow who came to Israel with absolutely nothing to offer him in return.
What happened to Boaz and how did he die?
Even though the bible wasn’t clear about the fate of Boaz as far as his death is concerned, we are told that he passed away shortly after his marriage to Ruth. The details aren’t mentioned so it’s safe to say that Boaz may have died as peacefully as he once lived. The latter wouldn’t be surprising given that he had God’s favor owing to the way that he lived his life. After his death, Ruth took over all of his belongings and continued Boaz’s legacy until the time of her death years later.