Ruth: Kinsman-Redeemer
"Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!'"(4:14)
The book Ruth tells a short and beautiful love story that takes place during the dark and destructive period of Judges. It is the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who marries Boaz, a Judean man and becomes the great-grandmother of King David. Through this faithful couple, the book beautifully shows the nature of love and redemption between the people of God and the God of Israel.
The story begins with Ruth’s decision to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the deaths of their husbands. Naomi decides to return to her hometown of Bethlehem, and Ruth accompanies her with a firm resolution, saying, “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” In Bethlehem, Ruth happens to glean in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy landowner and relative of Naomi according to God’s wonderful providence. Impressed by Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, Boaz shows her kindness and generosity.
Seeing an opportunity for Ruth to secure her future by marrying Boaz, Naomi advises Ruth to approach him and ask him to act as a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz willingly agrees to this idea and faithfully takes on the responsibility. The book concludes with the birth of Ruth and Boaz’s son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. In times when there was no king in Israel, God was preparing for the royal line for His people, and ultimately for the King Jesus, the Son of David.
Although Naomi claims that God has dealt bitterly with her, the story ends with the women recognizing God’s provision for her. Naomi blames God for the loss of her two sons, but Ruth, her daughter-in-law, is praised as better than seven sons. God is always faithful in providing and protecting His people. Especially, God’s faithfulness shines all the more as He provides His people with all the blessings of salvation in Jesus Christ, who is our kinsman-redeemer. Boaz was a qualified redeemer to Naomi. He was a family member with the means and willingness to purchase her land and marry Ruth. Likewise, while we all left God and were perishing as the spiritually impoverished, Jesus became one of us to purchase and secure us the heavenly inheritance as a self-sacrificing husband. Jesus Christ is our great Redeemer, and the book of Ruth foreshadows His work beautifully.
The narrator of the book never once mentions God doing anything directly in the story, but God’s providence is at work behind every scene of the story, weaving together the circumstances and choices of all characters. Was Naomi’s tragedy God’s punishment? Yes, but it was also a way of God’s restoration. God weaves together the faithful obedience of His people to bring about His redemptive purposes. We see in Ruth an example of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Her faithful love both to Naomi and Boaz brings her into the privileged lineage of Christ. These seemingly mundane events in the story are woven into God’s grand story of redemption in Christ, not just for Jews but for the whole world.
