Boaz is a wealthy farmer in Bethlehem, and he is what a godly man of means looks like. He greets his workers with a blessing. He notices a foreign widow in his field and makes sure she's safe and fed.
When the time comes, he doesn't take shortcuts. He does things in the open, by the law, at the city gate, and he pays the price to redeem what Naomi's family had lost.
“
The Lord repay you for what you have done... under whose wings you have come to take refuge!
Name means
Often linked to “in him is strength”
Home
Bethlehem
Role
Landowner and kinsman-redeemer
Read in
Boaz's story
The low point: At the city gate
Beginning
“The Lord be with you”
He comes to his field and greets his harvesters with a blessing. They bless him back.
High point
He notices her
He tells Ruth to stay in his field, orders his men not to touch her, and blesses her faith.
High point
Extra for her
He shares his meal with her and has his workers leave extra grain on purpose.
Turning point
Midnight at the threshing floor
Startled awake, he blesses Ruth and promises to act, but there's a closer relative first.
Turning point
At the city gate
He settles the matter in public. The nearer redeemer declines.
Ending
Redeemed
He buys the land, marries Ruth, and their son Obed is born.
Starts as a respected farmer in Bethlehem. Ends as the redeemer in David's family line.
Where Boaz lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
Boaz appears only in Bethlehem.
How Boaz is wired
The Peacemaker
Enneagram 9, Reformer wing
Steady and gracious, he keeps the peace and does what is right without fuss.
This one is debated. Here's why we land here.
At their best, toward 3 Under stress, toward 6
Why we think so
1
Calm and gracious. Even startled at midnight, he responds with blessing, not alarm. ()
2
Doesn't force his way. He honors the nearer relative's right before his own. ()
3
Settles things peacefully. He handles the redemption openly with the elders as witnesses. ()
Does it by the book: the right order, the right place, the right witnesses. ()
The Achiever. Decisive action. “The man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” ()
The Loyalist. Little recorded. He seems at peace throughout.
The case for a 1
His integrity and careful legal process could make him a Reformer with a Helper wing. His unhurried, peaceable manner tips it toward 9.
Other lenses
Big Five. Three chapters, so read this lightly.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: Steady and principled.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Boaz
Kindness, integrity, generosity, patience.
Where Boaz struggles
Little recorded. His carefulness could look slow to someone waiting on him.
Boaz chose to pay the price for someone with no claim on him. That is grace.
Boaz had the right to redeem and the willingness to do it, even when it cost him. Christ is our true Kinsman-Redeemer: He became one of us so He could buy us back, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” ().
Questions to sit with
1
Who is gleaning at the edges of my life that I haven't noticed?
2
Where is God asking me to do the right thing slowly and in the open?
Study Boaz with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
