Kinsman Redeemer

RUTH 2 | BRIDGET NAISMITH

One of the best things about this time of year is the singing of carols with the expectation that Christmas is coming! In Luke we read the beautiful song of Zachariah when he looks forward to how God would come to earth in the person of Jesus and redeem those who trust Him.

We can learn more about what a redeemer means in the book of Ruth. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were living in the land of Moab. They were both poor and vulnerable widows. Naomi decided to return to her homeland Israel, and her devoted daughter-in-law Ruth decided she would go with her. When they arrived in Israel, they followed the custom of the day and earned their living gleaning in the fields. However, God had a plan for them. He would use a man called Boaz who was a distant relative, qualified to be a ‘kinsman redeemer’ who would take Ruth as his wife, support her and buy back the land owned by the family, have children and continue the family line. The story tells us because Boaz loved Ruth he was willing to pay the price to be her redeemer. Ruth was saved from ruin, and Boaz and Ruth would become the great-grandparents of King David and ancestors of the Lord Jesus.

This is such a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us. When He was born as a baby in Bethlehem it was part of God’s plan that He should live and eventually pay the price for us in His death on the cross so He could redeem us from the devastating consequences of the sin in our lives.

“It was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors but with the precious blood of Christ” 1 Peter 1:18.