K - Kinsman Redeemer

One definition of a kinsman is: a blood relation or a relation by marriage. 

I love the book of Ruth in the Bible. It is only four chapters long, but it's packed with everything a good story needs like sorrow, adventure, direction and even romance. It's the story of mainly Naomi and Ruth. Naomi moved to a distant land with her husband and two sons, Ruth was married to one of the sons and Orpah was married to the other.  Naomi's husband and sons both died making all three women widows. Naomi realized that without children or grandchildren this foreign place was no longer her home. She was sad and bitter and decided to move back to her own people and tells her two daughters in law that she is leaving, and they need to stay in their own land, among their own people, and get married again for they are both young. Orpah is happy to stay but Ruth has learned of Naomi's living God and wants to know more. She tells Naomi that she wants to go with her, she pleads with her, "Entreat me not to leave you, or turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die; and there I will be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17). How could Naomi turn her away?  So off they go to Bethlehem. Yes, that Bethlehem. 

Ruth keeps her promise to take care of her mother-in-law and goes out to glean in the fields and as the Lord would have it she ends up in the field of a man named Boaz. Boaz turns out to be Naomi's kinsman. Back in those days a kinsman could marry a widow and buy the land to honor the husband who had died. Their first child would take the name of that widows first husband so that he would have an heir. Boaz falls in love with Ruth and is happy to find out he can marry her. Their first child will make Naomi a grandmother in honor of her son. The Lord heard Naomi's prayers, she had lost everything, including all hope, and the Lord in His everlasting love restored her. 

Ruth, was a Moabite, a pagan, but she left that behind to follow and know Naomi's God. She saw something in Naomi that she wanted, a faith that would move her to go back to her home and trust that God would take care of her. God protected them on their journey, and He paved the way for Ruth to be at the feet of Boaz. The Lord had gone before them. 

The roll of the kinsman as redeemer was a huge ask.  If he was already married, he would take on this second wife, acquire her land by payment and give it to her first child. Incidentally, Boaz was not the first in line as kinsman. He had to let that guy know that he had the first right of refusal. That first kinsman didn't want to ruin his own inheritance, so he declined. 

There is so much more to this story, it's filled with compassion, empathy, sympathy and the thing I love about it, is that it is a picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. He paid the price, marries us (if we choose to be His bride) and makes us heirs into the family of God. He gave everything up for us! We have a love story with Lord. The Bible is His love letter to us, so we can get to know Him better. How lovely is that?  

Boaz and Ruth named their son Obed. Obed is the father of Jesse who is the father of King David, and the lineage of Jesus Christ is from line of David. That little Moabite woman, Ruth, is mentioned in the lineage of Christ. She obviously didn't live to see that, but her name is forever written in the Book.

There are many wonderful lessons in the book of Ruth, so as we approach the celebration of the resurrection think about this: You have a Kinsman Redeemer in Jesus, He loves you with an everlasting love and He gave His life for you. My prayer is that we would  be like Ruth and say, "I want that kind of love."

Pouring hope, 
Nen ♥