11. (a) Why did Boaz not immediately accept Ruth’s proposal and act toward her as a repurchaser? (b) How does this apply in the antitype?

¹¹ Boaz is an honorable man, a man of great self-control, and he reminds Ruth that there is a man in the family relationship that is closer to Naomi than he is. He himself is the nephew of Naomi, whereas this closer relative is a brother-in-law of Naomi. He is the one who should have the first opportunity to buy this hereditary possession of Naomi, to act as the repurchaser, the goʼelʹ. This does not mean that Boaz is not willing, after being an old bachelor for so long without family responsibilities, to do his duty, even if it means becoming father of a family. He is willing to make his contribution to the royal line leading up to the promised Shiloh of the tribe of Judah, to which Boaz belongs. This applies in the antitype to the Lord Jesus Christ as the heavenly goʼelʹ, Repurchaser or Redeemer. But first of all he leaves the Naomi class and the Ruth class exposed to whoever is pictured by “So-and-so,” the brother-in-law of Naomi.

THE REPURCHASER FACES A CHALLENGE

13. What action did Boaz take to bring the matter to an end?

¹³ Now the climax of events on this significant day rapidly begins to unfold. “As for Boaz, he went up to the gate and began to sit there. And, look! the repurchaser was passing by, whom Boaz had mentioned. Then he said: ‘Do turn aside, do sit down here, So-and-so.’ Hence he turned aside and sat down. . . . He now said to the repurchaser: ‘The tract of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech, Naomi, who has returned from the field of Moab, must sell. As for me, I thought that I should disclose it to you, saying, “Buy it in front of the inhabitants and the older men of my people. If you will repurchase it, repurchase it; but if you will not repurchase it, do tell me, that I may know, for there is no one else but you to do the repurchasing, and I am next to you.”’ At that he said: ‘I shall be the one to repurchase it.”’​—Ruth 4:1-4.

14. How did “So-and-so” respond to the challenge of becoming the repurchaser?

¹⁴ Ah, yes, “So-and-so” is willing to buy the property; that will increase his own proprietary holdings in Bethlehem. And as for this old woman, Naomi, she has lost her power of reproduction, so there is no fear of having a child by her to whom the property will pass on; so he will have the whole property of Naomi to himself, in addition to what he already has. “Then Boaz said: ‘On the day that you buy the field from Naomi’s hand, it is also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead man, that you must buy it so as to cause the name of the dead man to rise upon his inheritance.”’ Ah, now that is a different matter. It is too much responsibility; it might complicate matters. Faced with this unexpected challenge, the repurchaser replies to Boaz: “I am unable to repurchase it for myself, for fear I may ruin my own inheritance. You repurchase it for yourself with my right of repurchase, because I am not able to do the repurchasing.” So he takes off a sandal and hands it over to Boaz as an attestation of the agreement.​—Ruth 4:5-8.

15. What course did Boaz follow?

¹⁵ “So-and-so” has failed to meet the challenge. But not Boaz. He accepts the arrangement; he is happy to do so. And he says to the closer relative and all the people: “You are witnesses today that I do buy all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. And also Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I do buy for myself as a wife to cause the name of the dead man to rise upon his inheritance and that the name of the dead man may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.” Thus Boaz fulfills Jehovah’s purpose regarding responsibility toward a brother, whereas “So-and-so” is disgraced in the eyes of all the people in the gate.​—Ruth 4:9-12.

16. Whom does “So-and-so” represent in modern times?

¹⁶ But, whom does “So-and-so” represent in modern times? And how does this challenge affect us, some thirty centuries later? Since “So-and-so” stood in the way of Boaz for a while, he represents a class here on earth who stand in the way of Jesus Christ the bridegroom to whom both those of the Naomi class and those of the Ruth class are betrothed spiritually. This “So-and-so,” who was the brother-in-law to Naomi and who could have taken the place of Elimelech and could have raised up a seed, pictures one who fails of his duty, a mere pretender Christ, a false prophet, of whom the Lord Jesus Christ warned his followers saying: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise [in the time of the end] and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones,” that is, the Naomi class and the Ruth class. (Matt. 24:24) So it is with this false Christ class of today. Oh, they want to capture the congregation, the remnant espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they want the patronage of these and the support of these, but they do not want the responsibility of making the Naomi class and the Ruth class fruitful with Kingdom interests; that would be too much work. It detracts too much from their own selfish interests. They are not interested in the kingdom of God. They prefer the League of Nations and now the United Nations of the present time. They do not want to tie in with the royal lineage of Shiloh, the King Jesus Christ. This attitude of mind and course of action could fit only the religious clergy of Christendom. They have failed to accept the challenge of Jehovah’s service and make his purpose their way of life. From such Jesus warned us to flee!​—2 Tim. 3:5; Rev. 18:4.