In our last lesson on the book of Ruth, our story had Naomi whispering a strange, mysterious process into Ruth’s listening ears. It was all about this new concept of a “kinsman redeemer.” Have you ever considered what this really means? It was important to Ruth, and it is very important to us today.
WELCOME
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DEFINITION OF A KINSMAN REDEEMER
Of course a “kinsman” implies one who is related to you. God created us to live as families. When you lose someone dear to you in your family, another family member should step up and help to fill that gap.
In Ruth’s case this person was Boaz. Ruth had married into the family, but Boaz was related to her husband who had died while they were living in Moab.
In the Old Testament days this concept went much deeper and carried much more responsibility than we can see on the surface from our modern times. Let’s look at Deuteronomy 25:5-6 to understand more about this concept of the kinsman redeemer.
If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)
AN IMPORTANT LAW FOR ISRAEL
Ruth’s husband had died without a son. She and Naomi had returned to the land of her husband’s birth to live. It was now acceptable for one of her husband’s brother’s to marry Ruth in order to produce a son to carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name would always be a part of the land of Israel.
In this case, Ruth’s husband’s brother had also died. The next step in this important process to secure the family name through a son would move to the next of kin. In our story; Ruth had no idea who that person would be. She wasn’t even aware of the concept of the kinsman redeemer. Naomi was going to fill her in on all of the details; but as readers of the story we can clearly see how it was God’s hand that guided Ruth to Boaz.
GOD WAS STILL KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO ABRAHAM
Why do you think God would have given such an unusual law as the law that He gave to Israel for the kinsman redeemer?
I can think of two reasons.
If you ponder all of the Old Testament history which we have studied up until this point, you will remember how Israel lost sight of God. The floundering nation had to endure slavery and a wilderness experience in order to return to God. Then God began to fulfill His original plan again; the plan to make Israel into a holy nation.
A HOLY NATION
God was forming a nation for all nations to look up to and know that The God of Israel was the God of all.
So he used Moses and Joshua and others to bring Israel into The Promised Land. The families of each tribe of Israel were all allotted their own inheritance from God within the lands that they occupied.
The land that became Israel was to be their possession FOREVER.
EACH FAMILY WAS RESPONSIBLE TO GOD
When you have a gift from God that you must maintain forever, there comes a lot of responsibility to go along with it. Each family was told to multiply and fill the land. It was important to God that the inheritance He had promised the seed of Abraham be kept to belong to the seed of Abraham. That meant that each family should pass on their portion of the land from generation to generation. The laws were set to make this happen.
It wasn’t like the laws in the land of America today where we can buy and sell to each other however we please.
A family NEVER lost possession of its land.
There were laws and traditional ways set up from the foundation of the nation that always helped the land to return to the family which had originally inherited it. One of these laws was the law of the kinsman redeemer. By using this law; the land would never leave the name of the original family who owned it.
This was a perpetual inheritance; never to end.
TODAY THE LAW IS A SPIRITUAL LAW
I doubt Ruth realized the significance of any of these facts when she married into Naomi’s family. The actual physical law was hidden from her.
Perhaps the spiritual laws of a kinsman redeemer are also hidden to many people who should know and understand them.
Are you aware that we too have a kinsman redeemer?
It is true!
Though it seems impossible that any gentile would be accepted into the nation of Israel as a part of their inheritance. We Gentiles are outside of the original family right?
No!
GOD MAKES A WAY
I say no because if you have come to Christ, as Ruth came to Boaz; He is our spiritual kinsman redeemer.
By knowing and loving Jesus, anyone can come into the gift of spiritual inheritance. It isn’t the actual physical land in Israel which we inherit. This spiritual inheritance is something even more valuable and amazing. It is the promised land called The Kingdom of Heaven.
So I am asking you to consider your own spiritual inheritance as we continue telling our story of Ruth and Naomi in the land of Israel.
As we hear the details that Naomi suggests to Ruth, consider what they mean to you in relation to your relationship with Jesus Christ.
CLAIM YOUR SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE
As we watch the love story of Ruth and Boaz unfold, consider that an even greater love story is available to all who follow Christ.
The Church is His Bride and He is our Kinsman Redeemer. Through Jesus all people who wish to follow God can be grafted into Israel’s spiritual inheritance .
Just follow along with Ruth. Trust as she did.
Listen carefully as Naomi guides Ruth and tells her what to do.
Naomi (in this story) is like unto The Holy Spirit in our spiritual story. She is the guide that leads the two lovers to come together in the most unlikely event of human history that we may ever experience.
Watch as a gentile is redeemed by a kind and loving Jewish man.
Let’s continue this story to see what God is going to do next.