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Part 20 ---The series on Ruth began in Part 10--- Act 2 of our love story----- “Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, from the clan (a group of families with a common ancestor) of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz….’he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.’” Ruth 2:1,20b ----and enters our Prince Charming. As we learned in Part 11 of our story, there was almost nothing worse than being a widow during this time period. As widows, Ruth and Naomi could only foresee difficult times for the remainder of their lives. Widows were taken advantage of, ignored and almost always in poverty. We also learned in Part 11 that in this time of history, God’s law provided for the nearest relative of the dead husband to care for the widow, but because Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, had no relatives in Moab, her future looked hopeless. It does not even appear that Naomi was aware there were any of her husband’s relatives still living back in her home-town of Bethlehem. But God knew, and in His infinite mercy, gently guided Naomi back to her homeland where hopelessness turned to hope. “His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!” Psalm 30:5 Night: period of darkness between sunset and sunrise; figurative of suffering, sorrow or sin. “By day the Lord directs His love, Kinsman-Redeemer: The law…this was about family business, nothing romantic about it. The law called him a “kinsman-redeemer”, and he would have to be a relative of the dead husband who volunteered to take complete responsibility of the extended family left behind. (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10 for more on this law.) Also, the man would “lay with the woman” and the first-born son would carry on the deceased husband’s name and receive his part of the family inheritance. If the nearest relative did not want to take her and her family in, then the next nearest relative would have the responsibility; however, if all of the men in the family decided they did not want the obligation, the widow would most likely spend her days in poverty. In the Israelite culture the inheritance was passed on to the son or nearest male relative, not to the wife. Because these inheritance rules were so harsh, law provided the “kinsman-redeemer” and “gleaning” laws to assist the widows and orphans. Who is this new character in our story? This man called Boaz? Ruth 2:1 states that he was a relative of Elimelech (Naomi’s deceased husband), thus making him one of her kinsman-redeemers. It also states that Boaz was a man in good standing. We will see as we go through the remainder of the book of Ruth that Boaz was a man of honor, a man of integrity, a sensitive man given to much kindness, an ordinary farmer yet a successful and shrewd businessman, causing him to be a man of wealth. His mother, Rahab, was a prostitute; therefore, he could have been an outcast among the people, especially in his early years, yet we will see that God chose him to be an ancestor of Jesus. “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; His Word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.’” 2 Samuel 23:2-4 A Kinsman-Redeemer is a person who is willing to set aside their personal interests in order to restore a relative to their rightful position, or to ensure that the name of a brother will not pass away. A Kinsman-Redeemer is a relative who will get or buy back, recover, pay off a debt, ransom and deliver from sin, fulfill a promise, make amends or atone for, and restore to favor. And His name is Jesus…come meet Him in the Holy of Holies.
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MELISSA PETTY © 2008-2009 All Rights Reserved
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