Historical Books Ruth

The Kinsman Redeemer

Discover Jesus as: Kinsman Redeemer Ruth 3-4 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 224 of 730
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INTRO

It sounds like we’ve been doing a lot of lessons, but it’s really just two lessons in the book of Ruth. Yesterday we covered chapters one and two. Today, we are going to talk about the connection between Ruth and Boaz. Remember our phrase for Jesus in the book of Ruth is Kinsman Redeemer. After leaving Bethlehem for Moab, Naomi and Ruth were returning as widows. God redeemed this situation for Naomi and Ruth. How was God going to redeem them? He redeemed them through a kinsman redeemer.

TEACHING

Ruth 3:1-2: Naomi was concerned about Ruth and wanted to find her security. She wanted to make sure that Ruth was taken care of. Naomi asked, “Isn’t Boaz a relative?” Remember, Ruth had been working in Boaz’s fields. Naomi knew that Boaz would be at the threshing floor because it was out in public. Therefore, everyone knew that Boaz went to the threshing floor at night.

Ruth 3:3-5: Naomi gave instructions to Ruth about how to approach Boaz. She instructed Ruth to clean herself up and put on her best dress. What I like about this picture is that we see what Wiersbe calls “the steps God’s people must take if they want to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord.”1These five steps were used to prepare for a kinsman redeemer. For us, this is how we prepare for our Kinsman Redeemer, the Messiah.

  1. Wash(Isaiah 1:16): As simple as this sounds, it was part of preparation (2 Corinthians 7:1-2).
  2. Anoint yourself (1 John 2:20, 27): We have an anointing from the Spirit of God.
  3. Change clothes (Isaiah 61:3; Luke 15:22): Picture the image of the wedding feast and having the right clothes. For us, it’s the robe of righteousness.
  4. Learn how to present ourselves at the feet of the Lord of the harvest: This is a complete surrender mentality, just laying at His feet.
  5. Promise to obey.2 Ruth knew how to do all this because of Naomi. This is the 2 Timothy mentality of having an older person disciple a younger one.

Ruth 3:6-7: Ruth did everything Naomi told her to do (v. 6). Once Boaz was in a good mood from drinking, Ruth secretly went in, uncovered his feet, and laid down there (v. 7). Let me walk through some cultural elements of this passage. Wiersbe explains that “to spread one’s mantle over a person meant to claim that person for yourself (1 Kings 19:19; Ezekiel 16:8), particularly in marriage.”3This action clearly communicated, “I want to get married.” Boaz was a generation older than Ruth, but she honored culture and handled this whole situation very respectfully.

Ruth 3:8-9: At midnight, Boaz was startled and woke up to find Ruth at his feet. Ruth said to Boaz, “You are a family redeemer” (Ruth 2:12). The roles of the kinsman redeemer were4:

To purchase back any property that a family member had been forced to sell in order to keep it in the family.

To provide an heir for a deceased brother by marrying that brother’s wife and producing a child with her.

To purchase back any family member who had been sold into slavery.

To avenge any family member had been murdered.

God is the ultimate redeemer who is going to take care of everyone (Isaiah 60:16).

Ruth 3:10-11: Boaz blessed Ruth, encouraged her not to be afraid, and reassured her he would do all she asked. The reason he was willing to be a family redeemer was because of Ruth’s noble character (Proverbs 31:10).

Ruth 3:12-13: Boaz pointed out that while he was a family redeemer, there was another family redeemer who had to be approached first. Boaz had a plan of action. He told Ruth to stay with him that night and to go home in the morning. Then, he would see if another family member would be willing to redeem Ruth.

Ruth 3:14-15: Ruth laid down at his feet. In the morning, Ruth was up before the sun. Boaz shoveled six measures of barley in her shawl and sent Ruth home. Boaz poured out his generosity on her.

Ruth 3:16-17: Ruth returned to Naomi to give her the details from the night before. Ruth told her everything and gave her the barley that Boaz had sent back with her.

Ruth 3:18: Naomi informed Ruth that Boaz would want to have things figured out by the end of the day.

Ruth 4:1: A closer kinsman redeemer wanted the land but did not want to marry Ruth. He turned down the offer to be the kinsman redeemer.

Ruth 4:13: Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. They conceived a child, and she later gave birth to a son.

CLOSING

Ruth the Moabite was totally redeemed! The kinsman redeemer took on the death of a family member and redeemed the whole situation. Because of a kinsman redeemer, we have the genealogy of Christ. Ruth’s son was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of David. It all goes back to Ruth saying to Naomi, “I will go where you go . . . Your God, my God.

How does Boaz, this kinsman redeemer, relate to Christ? Three requirements of a kinsman redeemer were:

A blood relationship(Leviticus 25:25; Deuteronomy 25:5-7): How does this get fulfilled through Christ? The redemption comes from Christ through our adoption as His sons and daughters (Galatians 4:3-5).

The necessary resources (1 Corinthians 6:20): We were bought with a price through Christ, who died on the cross in our place. The kinsman redeemer bought property; Christ bought us freedom.

Must be willing (Deuteronomy 25:7-9; 1 John 3:16): Jesus willingly gave up His life so you and I can be redeemed.

First Peter 1:18-19 is our key verse for a kinsman redeemer. We are redeemed from our empty way of life. Christ is our Kinsman Redeemer!

  1. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Ruth (Colorado Springs, David C. Cook, 2003), p. 191.

  2. Wiersbe, pp. 191-193.

  3. Wiersbe, p. 194.

  4. Alexander Maclaren, “Kinsman-Redeemer,” Expositions of Holy Scripture, available online at https://biblehub.com/library/maclaren/expositions_of_holy_scripture_h/the_kinsman-re-deemer.htm.

Questions

  1. Why do you think that Naomi instructed Ruth to lay at the feet of Boaz?
  2. In Ruth 3:14, why do you think Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor”?
  3. Referring to Ruth 4:7, why was it a custom for a man to take off his sandal and give it to another (Deuteronomy 25:8-10)?
  4. In the book of Ruth, who was Ruth’s Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 3:12-13)? What does that mean? Who is our Kinsman Redeemer? (Psalm 82:4)
  5. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Ruth 3-4 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Ruth 4:13-14

“Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.’”

After Ruth spent time in the fields working, Naomi encouraged her to find security for her future. Naomi understood Boaz’s role in Ruth’s life as her kinsman redeemer. According to the laws of the Pentateuch, a kinsman redeemer is one who redeems or rescues a person or property. Boaz was the male relative who had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of Ruth—his relative in need. Boaz showed honor and respect toward Ruth in this process. In time, Boaz and Ruth married and gave birth to a son, Obed. In God’s sovereignty, Obed became the grandfather of David. David was not only a great king for Israel, but he was also a part of the genealogy of your New Testament redeemer, Jesus Christ.

This example of Boaz and Ruth serves as a reminder of God’s plan to provide a kinsman redeemer for you through His Son. Jesus meets your needs and rescues you. Jesus encourages fellow believers to meet the needs of one another, just as Boaz helped meet the needs of Ruth. Jesus purchased the life of every believer through His blood on the Cross, paying a high cost. Jesus graciously showed you kindness, hope, and joy through redemption, something you cannot earn. Redemption is Jesus loving you through grace. Redemption is God’s ultimate plan for His people. Today, give thanks for your life in Christ through redemption.

“Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.’”

—Ruth 4:13-14

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Ruth 4:17 — “The neighbor women said, ‘A son has been born to Naomi,’ and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
  • Galatians 4:4-5 — “When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
  • Ephesians 1:7-8 — “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”