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The Ideal of a Knight Banneret Written by: Christian P. Nelson Known in the Royal Order of Chivalry as: Sir Hamish MacKay Knight Banneret “the Swordbanger” In choosing a Bible character that I believe exemplifies the station of Knight Banneret I had a wealth of people I could have wrote about. I chose one in particular not because of his renown among great men, not for is courage ageist all odds, or for his prowess in battle; but his virtue, noble conduct, and courtly love for one genteel woman. I attempt to appeal to the side less thought of about knights, they were great warriors but they were also men of repute among nobility and commoners a-like. Boaz (BOH az) quickness or strength; 12century B.C. Ruth 2:1 Boaz was a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem most likely a nobleman of his day. He was a man of faith who was capable, wise, and kind. When Boaz discovered Ruth (the widow of his relative Mahlon) in his fields gleaning what was leftover from the harvesters, he welcomed her looking past her Moabite heritage, and praised Ruth for her devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Boaz being a man of largesse was continually providing for the widow Ruth. Ruth, being a foreigner was even given the privilege of being treated like one of Boaz’s own servant girls and was permitted to rest and drink whenever she whished, as well as being called daughter by Boaz himself. At mealtime Boaz invited the famished young Ruth to eat with him and his harvesters. In one instance he charged his servants to take care of Ruth by taking stalks of barley from the bundles and leave them on the ground for her to pick them up. He also instructed her to bring her shawl to him, as he poured six measures of barley into it saying; “don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed”. In my estimation Boaz has gone above and beyond for this poor widow not looking down upon her or her plight. Instead has taken the opposite approach, the knightly noble approach. Sometime later, Naomi urged Ruth to find a husband, and she helped Ruth present herself to Boaz. Flattered by her humble trust, Boaz followed local Israelite custom and discussed Ruth’s marital status with her closest male relative. Ruth’s relatives declined to marry her, so Boaz marred her and claimed responsibility for the property of Elimelech, the deceased husband of Naomi and father-in-law of Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had a son, Obed, and were the great-grandparents of King David. The Knight Banneret’s Scripture James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
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