kinsman-redeemer

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law. – Ruth 2:14-23 ESV

In verse one we were introduced to Boaz and told that he was a kinsman or relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. The Hebrew word the author used is mowda and it refers to a close relative. This is important, because in verse 2o, Naomi refers to Boaz as “a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And the Hebrew word she used is ga’al, which refers to a close relative who holds the responsibility of acting as guardian and protector for those family members who might be in need.

…to act as kinsman, do the part of next of kin, act as kinsman-redeemer. (“H1350 – ga’al – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 30 Dec, 2016)

This provision was established by God in the Mosaic Law.

If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. – Leviticus 25:25 ESV

It also extended to care for widows. In the book of Deuteronomy we read:

If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. – Deuteronomy 25:5 ESV

So the kinsman-redeemer was an individual who was required to play a significant and God-ordained role in the lives of those in need. He was to be their advocate, redeemer, protector, surrogate, avenger and benefactor. Strong’s Concordance provides a comprehensive description of the role.

…by marrying brother’s widow to beget a child for him, to redeem from slavery, to redeem land, to exact vengeance.

So when Ruth returned to Naomi and informed her of all that had happened and about her surprising encounter with Boaz, Naomi is thrilled. For the first time in a long time, she was receiving a bit of good news. While she firmly believed that God was the one who had brought all the misfortune on her (see Ruth 1:13), she was willing to see that God was the one who had guided Ruth to the field of Boaz. This had been a divine encounter.

The author goes out of his way to remind his readers that Ruth was a foreigner and not a blood-relative of Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest,’” – Ruth 2:21 ESV

This is significant. Ruth is a non-Israelite. Even though, as a Moabite, she was a distant relative because she descended from Lot, the nephew of Abraham, she would have been considered a Gentile, a non-Jew. She was not a worshiper of Yahweh. Her people were seen as enemies of the Jews. This makes Boaz’ treatment of her all that more remarkable. He was showing her undeserved, unmerited favor and kindness. But at the same time, he had been impressed with her unconditional love for and commitment to Naomi. He had earlier told Ruth:

“All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” – Ruth 2:11-12 ESV

Ruth, a Moabite, had been willing to leave her homeland and her family in order to care for her mother-in-law. She had stepped out in faith, casting her lot with Naomi and her God, relying on Him to meet their needs and provide for their future well-being. She could have stayed in Moab and remarried, beginning a new life. But she had told Naomi, “wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God. Wherever you die, I will die—and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you!” (Ruth 1:16-17 NLT).

There is something familiar in Ruth’s actions. They are reminiscent of what Jesus saw in the lives of the Gentiles among whom He ministered. When Jesus had encountered a Roman centurion whose servant was paralyzed, He marveled at the man’s faith. The centurion fully believed that Jesus had the power and authority to order his servant’s healing and it would take place. And Jesus told His disciples:

“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 8:10-12 ESV

Ruth’s faith in God was seen in her commitment to place all her hope for her future in His hands. She was a Moabite widow living in foreign land with her nearest relative being another widow who had no capacity to care for her. And yet, Ruth got up in the morning and headed to the fields, determined to work, but also dependent upon the favor of God.

Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. – Ruth 2:2 ESV

And God had come through. He had led her to the field of Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer. God had chosen to show favor on Naomi through Ruth, the Moabite. When Naomi, a Jew, had lost all hope, her Gentile daughter-in-law had stepped up, casting all her worries and cares on the God she had committed to follow. And God must have looked down from heaven and said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Luke 7:9 ESV).

Redeemed!

Ruth 3-4, Romans 2

Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning. – Ruth 3:13 ESV

The story of Ruth is really the story of God and His relationship with man. Here was Ruth, a poor, widowed Moabite, a non-Jew, who found herself living with her widowed mother-in-law in Bethlehem. They have nothing. They have lost their husbands and have no source of income. As women, they are vulnerable and helpless. They have no rights. And Ruth, as a Gentile, is particularly hopeless, because the Jews would have viewed her as an outsider and undeserving of Yahweh’s kindness, let alone their own. But Naomi knew the laws concerning the Levirate marriage. She understood that the nearest kinsman of her deceased son was obligated by law to care for her daughter-in-law. And it was Naomi’s wish that Ruth be provided for and protected so that she might have the joy of perpetuating her dead husband’s line through the bearing of children. Ruth followed the instructions of her mother-in-law and appealed to Boaz as her kinsman-redeemer. She boldly confronted him and asked him to become her provider and protector by marrying her. “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (Ruth 3:9 ESV). Here was this poor Gentile widow appealing to the much more wealthy and powerful Boaz to do what the law of God required him to do. She was putting herself at his mercy. She was appealing to his grace and kindness. Without his help, her future was bleak and hopeless. Her very existence depended upon his reaction to her cry for help.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God is our redeemer. And we are each like Ruth, helpless and hopeless and in need of someone to rescue us from our dire and desperate condition. Like Ruth, we are undeserving and unworthy of God’s kindness. But because of what Christ has done on our behalf, God is obligated to extend mercy and grace to us, regardless of our worthiness. Christ’s death on the cross has made our redemption possible. God has provided a way for us to be made right with Him. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14 ESV). The story of Ruth is the story of mankind and God’s desire to redeem and restore them. Ruth provides a picture of the individual who recognizes their need and humbly places themselves at the mercy of their redeemer. She came with nothing and was depending on Boaz for everything. We must come the same way to God. We must appeal to Him, not based on our merit or worth, but on the basis of His own requirements. His Son’s death has paid the price for our sins and we must come based on that one fact alone. In essence, we must ask God to spread His wings over His servant, for He is a redeemer.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Boaz was a man of character. He was a man of integrity. When Ruth came to him and appealed to him as her kinsmen-redeemer, he did not take it lightly. Even when he knew that there was another relative who had the first right to play that role in Ruth’s life and not only redeem her, but also the lands that belonged to her deceased husband, Boaz told Ruth, “Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you” (Ruth 3:13 ESV). He was going to do the right thing. Boaz knew the law as well. He was fully aware of Leviticus 25:25-28 and what it said about the redemption of property. He was also familiar with Deuteronomy 25:5-10 and what it taught about levirate marriage. But not only did Boaz know what the law said regarding these things, he was willing to obey them – at all costs. Paul warned the Jews, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (Romans 2:28-29 ESV). Boaz was a good Jew. But not because he knew the law and had been circumcised according to the law. He had a heart that was receptive and obedient to the will of God. He wanted to do what God wanted done. It’s interesting to note that when Boaz made the other gentleman aware of his responsibilities as kinsman-redeemer, he only told him about the land belonging to Ruth’s deceased husband. Immediately, the man was ready to redeem the land, but when he found out that his responsibility included taking Ruth as his wife and making sure that her children were included in his inheritance, he quickly relinquished his rights as kinsman-redeemer. He knew the law, but did not have the heart to keep it. It was too costly for him. “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it” (Ruth 4:6 ESV). Paul warned, “It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:15 ESV). Boaz was willing to do what the law required, regardless of the cost. He obligated himself to redeem Ruth and become her provider and protector.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

God has redeemed me. He has bought me out of my slavery and spiritual poverty, providing me with new life and a position as His child in His family. And all I had to do was admit my need and appeal to His grace and mercy made possible by the death of His own Son on the cross. But I also want to be like Boaz, who was not willing to simply know the law or will of God, but was willing to do it. His actions revealed his heart. He was a man of integrity, not because he had all the proper spiritual credentials, but because he was willing to live his life according to God’s standards, regardless of the cost. Throughout the story of Ruth, you see what happens when men and women do things God’s way. Ruth listened to the advice of her mother-in-law and placed herself at the mercy of the Hebrew law of the levirate marrage. She was a Gentile who knew nothing about this law, but was willing to rely upon it for her future. Boaz was willing to listen to God’s call for him to perform the duties of the kinsman-redeemer. And the result was that Boaz redeemed Ruth, made her his wife and they had a son. And that son would become the grandfather of King David, into whose line Jesus Christ would be born. When men and women live their lives God’s way and allow their hearts to be directed by His Spirit, the outcome will always be according to His divine plan. Our obedience always results in God’s blessing.

Father, thank You for redeeming me. Thank You for providing a way when I had no way out. May I never take Your love, mercy and grace for granted. Help me to be a conduit of that same love, mercy and grace to those around me, willingly sacrificing my comfort and security for the sake of others, just as Boaz did. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Devotionary

The Bible Made Accessible and Applicable

Unexpected Faith.

Ruth 3-4, Romans 2