My Name Is Boaz...

I was a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem...

Dear Fellow Believers,

I am Boaz, a figure you may be familiar with from the Book of Ruth in your Holy Bible. My life's story, woven with the threads of kindness, respect, and righteousness, can serve as an example of how God's divine plan unfolds through the good we do in our lives.

Belonging to the tribe of Judah, I was a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem. My life took a significant turn when a Moabite woman named Ruth came to glean in my fields. Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, an Ephrathite relative of mine, had shown exceptional loyalty and love to Naomi, choosing to leave her own land and people to support her widowed mother-in-law.

Recognizing Ruth's virtuous character, I instructed my workers to leave extra grain for her to gather. I treated her with kindness and respect, not because I expected anything in return, but out of my commitment to honor God and His commandments. I understood that Ruth, a foreigner, and a widow, was under God's special protection.

As time passed, Naomi guided Ruth to approach me to take on the role of a kinsman-redeemer, an important duty in our culture that involved marrying a widow of a deceased relative to preserve the family lineage. Despite there being a closer relative, I was determined to fulfill this role. Following the legal procedures of our time, I officially became Ruth's husband.

God blessed Ruth and me with a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of the greatest king of Israel, David. This blessed lineage would, in time, lead to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

I share my story with you to inspire righteousness, kindness, and respect in your lives. God's divine plan often unfolds in ways we cannot fathom. Our duty is to live according to His word, treat others with kindness, and uphold justice. In this way, we participate in God's work, playing our part in His grand design.

In God's abiding grace,

Boaz