TEXT: Ruth

SUBJECT: Christ in the Old Testament #14: Kinsman-Redeemer

Today, with God’s blessing, we’ll proceed in our study of Christ in the Old Testament. The word, "Christ" does not appear in the Book of Ruth, but He is its central character. Without Him, it’s no more than a Love Story. A well-written one, to be sure, but of no lasting value.

What Boaz did for Ruth and her family points to what Another Redeemer does for us. That Redeemer is Jesus Christ who saves us from a Poverty and Despair much worse than what the Moabite girl suffered so long ago.

Now for the story.

The Book is carefully dated. The opening verse tells us when these things occurred, "in the days when the Judges ruled".

That was not a good time to be an Israelite! It was an age of apostasy, warfare, and chaos. Because the people turned their backs on God, He turned His back on them. They staggered from one catastrophe to another.

In Ruth’s day, they were suffering from a long and deadly famine. Judah was hit hardest, it seems, and the town of Bethlehem in particular. A man lived there named, Elimelech; his wife was Naomi; they had two sons: Mahlon and Chilion. Things got so bad for the family that they quit their home and moved down to Moab.

That was a very bad decision! The Moabites were an odious people. God called them His "Washpot". Before the days of indoor plumbing, that’s where you "did your business". We’d call it a Bedpan! That’s what God thought of the Moabites. He told His people to stay clear of them and to give them no place among the inheritance of the Lord, Deuteronomy 23:3,

The Word could not have been plainer. Yet Elimelech disobeyed the Word and took his family into Moab. This led to more sin, for sons took Moabite wives. Had they lived, they would have had Moabite children. A family in Israel would have been assimilated into a People hated by God.

But of course, they didn’t live. The three men died in Moab, under the judgment of God.

It’s no wonder the old woman renamed herself, "Mara" which means "bitter".

The descent into Moab resulted in loss—a loss of land, a loss of property, a loss of integrity, a loss of life. In ten years, everything was lost!

Naomi put it well,

Ruth is a Book for people who’ve lost something. You’ve lost your health; you’ve lost your marriage; you’ve lost a child, a parent, a friend; you’ve lost yourself, your soul, your hope.

In other words, the Book is for everyone. Like Elimelech, all of us have lost Something. We have lost Fellowship with God and all the good things that go with it. Peace of mind, for example, satisfaction, love, hope, community, and other things that make life worth living.

Everything was lost.

The human race went into sin "full"; we came back "empty". Looking at life "under the sun" the wisest of men could only say,

When Naomi and Ruth had hit Rock Bottom, God did something. They heard a rumor—and it was true,

In other words, the famine was over. Naomi could go home. Ruth could go with her, if she wanted to.

This seems to be a common mercy. If the Bible teaches anything, it teaches the universal goodness of God,

No one deserves His mercy, of course. But even the least deserving get it all the time. The loudest blasphemer speaks evil of God on the very breath God gives him.

The common mercies of God are given to all, but they have a special effect on His People. Romans 2:4,

That’s what it did for Naomi and girl from Moab. It brought them back into the Land of Promise and to the God who made the Promise. Though born into idolatry, Ruth had chosen the LORD God of Israel,

For Refuge, she had come

People who come to God have a promise.

No one is disappointed in God! He’s about to prove that Ruth’s faith has not been misplaced.

Shortly after coming to Israel, Ruth goes to work. She goes into the field of Boaz, a wealthy farmer. She’s not one of his "hired hands", but is only "gleaning" his field.

God cares for the poor. In Israel He commanded farmers to leave a little behind in the harvest. Poor people who wanted to work could come behind the pickers and find a little for themselves. That’s what Ruth was doing.

Before long, Boaz rides by and spots the hard-working immigrant. He finds out who she is and tells the foreman, "Nobody touches the foreign girl and leave a little extra behind".

When she comes home, Naomi is amazed at how much she’s gotten. She asks where she got it. When she finds out it was Boaz’s farm, she knows what the man is up to!

The little gift of grain indicates that he’s going to redeem the family—pay off their debts, buy back their farm, marry the girl, and father a child for the dead husband.

He’s a man willing to do the right thing. From the heart.

But just to be sure, Naomi tells Ruth to take off the widow’s outfit, put on her prettiest dress, splash on some perfume, and pay the man a visit tonight.

After dinner, Boaz lies down on the threshing floor and goes to sleep. At midnight, he wakes up—with young lady at his feet. Startled, he wonders what she wants. She tells him. By "popping

the question". She wants him to redeem her.

Why did she want this?

It wasn’t because she was lonely or "in love" with the man. Redemption was not a mating ritual. It was Religious Ceremony. It was of the highest importance in Israel. Here’s why:

Israel was a group of families. Every family, of course, had its "name". The name must be preserved until the coming of Messiah. In that way every member of the family (living, dead, or unborn) would share in the blessings of Christ.

The "names" were connected with the land. At the Conquest, each family got its own land. They were to stay on that property until the Kingdom of God came to earth. That’s why Naboth, for example, was so stubborn about selling his land to the king. S.G. DeGraaf writes,

Because the whole nation must have their share in Christ, no name could be allowed to perish. But that caused a certain problem. What if a man died before he had a son? What would become of his name? God had an answer for that. It was called a Levirate Marriage. It’s described in Deuteronomy 25.

To keep a man from losing his name and land, a near relative would marry the man’s widow and have a son who would legally be the dead man’s heir. If you recall the name, Onan, that’s what he was killed for—for selfishly refusing to give his dead brother a son.

The man who married the widow and fathered another man’s son was called the Kinsman-Redeemer. Through his heroic work, the Dead would Live.

Because he was a near relative, Boaz was qualified to redeem Ruth and buy back the family land. Being ‘able’ to do something, however, is not the same as doing it. Another man was more closely related than he, but he wouldn’t do the right thing.

But Boaz did. In a public ceremony, he redeemed the family, and in time, fathered the son of Mahlon, and kept the name alive. For his good work, he was richly rewarded—both then and forever.

Everyone admired the man and sang his praises. But more than that, the son he sired would himself have a son named Jesse. And Jesse would have a son, too. His name was David, the king of Israel.

In effect, it was a dead man who fathered the King of Israel and, through him, the Savior of the World.

What does the story mean to us? It’s very simple, really. What Boaz does for Ruth and her family, Jesus Christ does for us—only more.

Like Ruth, we are cursed foreigners--"Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world".

…And that’s not the worst of it. We’re also like Ruth’s husband, Mahlon—"Dead in trespasses and sins".

Without a Kinsman-Redeemer there is no hope, absolutely no prospect for a good life in this world or the one to come. But we have a Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

He is qualified to Redeem us. Why? Because He is a close relative of everyone here. If you read the Book of Matthew only, you’d think Christ can only save the Jews. For Matthew takes His line back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and no further (though a couple of Gentiles sneak in).

But thank God for Luke! He’s a Gentile himself, and in his genealogy, he takes the Lord Jesus all the way back to Adam!
That means Christ is your Cousin! It makes no difference if you’re Jewish or Gentile, black or lilly-white, Asian, American Indian, or anything else. The whole human race descended from one man, Adam. And Jesus Christ is his grandson. Which means He’s related to you.

He’s qualified to Redeem you from your evil and meaningless ways.

And not only "qualified", He’s also "willing". Jesus Christ did not die a reluctant death. Though it was more appalling than we could imagine, He didn’t drag Himself to the cross. But went eagerly. Why? To redeem sinners. Like you.

That’s what the story means to non-Christians. You have a Savior, both willing and able to save you for your sins. You receive what He offers through faith alone.

But what about the rest of us? What response does the story demand of us?

Confidence. The doubting, wavering, wondering Christian puts Christ in a bad light. His Word says, "He is able to the uttermost to save those who come to Him". If that’s true, why do you worry so much? Why do you doubt God loves you? Why do you wonder what will become of you when you die?

The Redeeming work of Christ guarantees your salvation—even when you mess up! When you’re a bad husband; when you yell at your kids; when you forget to pray or read the Bible; when you miss church for no good reason. These things are wrong, of course, but they don’t cancel the Redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

The weakest believer can "Boldly come to the Throne of Grace". Why? Because—despite his many faults—he is redeemed.

Joy. Do you think Ruth moped around after Boaz redeemed her? Do you think she looked back wistfully on the good old days in Moab? I don’t think so. She rejoiced in her redemption.

You have more reason to joy in Christ than she ever had. So why don’t you

Nothing separates you from His love. Thus, in good times and bad, you can "Delight yourself in the Lord your God". So why don’t you?

Witness. "Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so". Has Christ bought you back from spiritual poverty and death? If so, why don’t you tell somebody? Why not today? Tell someone who doesn’t know the story. And who needs to hear it.

That’s it for now. Jesus Christ is the Kinsman-Redeemer of every believer. Let’s join the ladies choir,