The Kinsman Redeemer - Ruth 4:1-22

Did you know that you and I do not own anything? God is the owner of everything; we are just the users. Now when we act like we are the owners, that is idolatry. To realize that we are but the users is stewardship. This principle applied especially to the people of Israel. God not only owned their land, but he assigned the land to the various tribes, and the tribes to the various families. The land had to stay within the tribes and the families. If a family became poor and had to sell their land, the property would revert back to them in the year of Jubilee, or a relative could redeem the land and the people for them. This is the law of the kinsman-redeemer, and it comes into prominence in Ruth 4.

Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, who is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a plot of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: and I thought to tell thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right for thyself; for I cannot redeem it. 

Now this was the manner in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm all things; a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

Well, the one word that is repeated over and over again is the word redeem. He’s talking about redemption. And uh, there are three aspects of this redemption that we need to understand, and then in these three aspects, see the redemption that we have in Jesus Christ. First, let’s look at the characteristics of the redeemer. Not everybody could be a redeemer. Number one, he had to be a near kinsman. Now this law is spelled out for us in Leviticus 25. That chapter talks about the year of Jubilee. And it says that if a poor person had to sell himself to be a servant, a kinsman could redeem him. If he had to sell his property, a kinsman could redeem him. But the person had to be a near kinsman. It could not be simply a distant relative or a concerned friend. Now for Jesus Christ to redeem us, he had to become our near kinsman. That’s remarkable, isn't it? The Lord Jesus Christ took upon himself flesh and blood. Why? To become our near kinsman, that he might pay the price to redeem us, to deliver us from death, to deliver us from debt, to deliver us from fear, to deliver us from bondage. He became our near kinsman. 

A second characteristic was this, that the kinsman had to be able to redeem. A poor kinsman could not redeem you. Ruth could not redeem Naomi, Naomi could not redeem Ruth. The person had to have freedom and finances. Now a person who was in bondage could not redeem somebody else who was in bondage. A person with no wealth could not redeem someone else. But you see, Boaz was a near kinsman and Boaz was able to redeem. He was a wealthy man. Just think of the wealth of our Lord Jesus Christ—the riches of his grace, the riches of his mercy, the riches of his kindness. And yet he became poor to make us rich. It’s a beautiful picture here of what the Lord has done for us. 

Thirdly, he had to be willing to redeem. Now the other kinsman was not willing to redeem. Why? He was afraid he would jeopardize his own inheritance. Boaz wasn't concerned about preserving his name; he was concerned about doing the will of God. The other kinsman said, oh, I might mar my own inheritance. The Lord Jesus is willing to redeem. God is not willing that any should perish. He who bore our sins on the cross bore our sins because he wants to save us. God is uh, merciful and gracious and kind, and the redemption that we have comes because he is willing to save. Actually, Boaz combined two Old Testament laws: Leviticus 25, redeeming the land, and Deuteronomy 25:5-10, the marriage of a brother to his sister-in-law on the death of his brother. When a woman lost her husband, in order that she might have children to maintain the property and maintain the family name, a brother was to marry his sister-in-law. And Boaz combined these two laws. Boaz told this unknown kinsman, now when you buy the land, you’ve got to buy Ruth with it. Ruth is a slave and you’re going to have to buy her and make her your wife. The unknown kinsman said, I cannot do that; I'm unwilling to mar my own inheritance. The Lord Jesus not only purchased our inheritance for us, but he made us a part of his inheritance. 

The cost of the redemption. A price had to be paid. God does not save us by his love; he saves us by his grace. Grace is love that pays a price. And God was willing to obey his own law and pay the price. What was the price? The wages of sin is death. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. God obeyed his own law and sent his own Son to redeem us, and he redeemed us by the shedding of his blood. In whom we have redemption through his blood, Ephesians 1:7. Peter tells us that we are not redeemed from our empty life by corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, 1 Peter 1:18-19. The Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for us through his blood eternal redemption, Hebrews 9:12. 

Let's look thirdly at the consequences of this redemption. Ruth's life was put back together again. Naomi's life was put back together again. The past was taken care of; all of their debts were paid. The present was taken care of; they were free, they were no longer enslaved. You see, Boaz actually bought Ruth to be his slave. But where there's love, nobody worries about that. He loved her and purchased her, and she was enslaved by love to Boaz for the rest of her life. So their past was taken care of, their present was taken care of, their future was taken care of. They had an inheritance in Boaz and his wealth. You see, even though salvation is free, salvation is not cheap. Somebody had to pay a price. Oh, there are those who say, well, I believe God, being a loving God, will just forgive me. He will, if we'll claim the price that he's paid. Suppose someone steals your automobile and goes out and drives recklessly and wrecks your car. And then they find the wreckage, then they find the person who committed this crime, and you meet in court. And the judge says, well, this fellow's not really too bad; I think we'll just let him go. And you say, just a minute, Judge, somebody's got to pay for this. I have to get a new car. I have to get my car repaired. Who's going to pay for that? Now the same thing is true in the realm of the spiritual. We have sinned. We are under obligation to God. Like Ruth and Naomi, we are in bondage, we are slaves, we are bankrupt, we are strangers. But somebody has to pay the bill. Who is going to pay the bill? Only the Lord Jesus. There was none other good enough to pay the price for sin. He only could unlock the gates of heaven and let us in. 

Everybody likes a story with a happy ending, and the book of Ruth is that kind of a story. The book opens with three funerals and three widows weeping, but the book closes with a wedding and then ultimately the joyful birth of a baby boy. At the beginning of the book of Ruth, everything is falling apart, but at the end of the story, life has been put together again and God is glorified and people are being blessed. Let's look at Ruth 4 beginning at verse 9 and let's discover five different areas of life that received blessing because of Ruth. In Ruth 4:9-10 we see the first area where the blessing came: Ruth was a blessing to Boaz. 

And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 

It’s interesting to note how the relationship changed between Ruth and Boaz. In chapter 1, Ruth did not even know Boaz; they were strangers. In chapter 2, they became acquaintances. She realized that she was gleaning in the fields of Boaz. And oh, how gracious and kind he was to her, and he was her benefactor in chapter 2; they were acquaintances. Then she discovered he was a kinsman, and in chapter 3, she put herself at his feet, and he received her and said, I will marry you. And so the benefactor becomes the potential bridegroom. And then in chapter 4, they were married, committed to each other for life. And God used Ruth to be a blessing to Boaz. Boaz loved Ruth. Boaz wanted Ruth for himself. Boaz was gracious and good, generous and kind, and he poured out all of his love upon this sweet little girl from Moab. The only way she could get into the tribes of Israel was by marrying someone like Boaz. And he paid the price. It was not cheap, either. Not only did he purchase the land, but he purchased Ruth. Literally, she became a slave, but she never thought about that because she loved him so much. Have you ever stopped to think that you and I should be a blessing to the Lord Jesus Christ? Ruth was a blessing to her kinsman-redeemer. You and I should be a blessing to our kinsman-redeemer, the Lord Jesus. We are a part of his bride. We should bring joy to his heart. We should seek to honor his name. We should rejoice in his presence. Are you today a blessing to your Lord? Can the Lord look down upon us and say, here is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased? 

In verses 11 and 12 of Ruth 4, Ruth was a blessing to the village, to the town of Bethlehem. And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: and let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman. You see, when Naomi came back to Bethlehem bringing Ruth with her, she did not bring much blessing. She was bitter. She was complaining against the Lord. She was not the best neighbor. She was not the most joyful friend. But now, Naomi and Ruth have had their lives put back together again, and the village is saying, the Lord bless all of you. There were two requests that they gave, this crowd that had gathered at the gate. Number one, be fruitful. Build a family. They mention Rachel and Leah, who had been the founders really, the mothers of Israel. And uh, Judah, of course, was a son of Leah, and Bethlehem was in the tribe of Judah. Be fruitful and build, build this lovely family for what purpose? To be famous. May the Lord make you famous in Bethlehem. Well, we would not be thinking much about Bethlehem were it not for Ruth, because Ruth gave us ultimately David, and David ultimately gave us the Lord Jesus Christ. And we don't think of Bethlehem today as a place of death; we think of Bethlehem as a place of life, because there in the little town of Bethlehem, the Lord Jesus was born. 

Thirdly, she was a blessing to Naomi in verses 13 through 16. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter-in-law who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath given him birth. And Naomi took the child, and laid him in her bosom, and became a nurse unto him. Ruth loved Naomi so very, very much. And she was loyal to Naomi, and uh, she lived to serve Naomi. And now that Ruth is married, she can be an even greater blessing to Naomi. She bore a grandson to Naomi, and this grandson helped to maintain the name of these people in Bethlehem. When Naomi came back to Bethlehem, she complained because her hands were empty, but now her arms are full of a beautiful little life that one day is going to bring into the world the Son of God. We have a genealogy at the end of this book, and you see Obed, the little boy, was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, and when you go down a number of generations, the tribe of David, the family of David, gives to us the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Well, she was a blessing to Boaz, and she was a blessing to the village, and she was a blessing to Naomi. She was also a blessing to the whole nation of Israel. Here in verses 17 through 22, we have the genealogy that ends with David. Now that's an interesting thing. Here's a genealogy ending with the name of David. The name David means beloved. And David, of course, is the one whom the Jewish people revere so highly. God chose the family of David through whom the Messiah would come into the world. And so here is little Ruth, a blessing to the whole nation of Israel. One of our problems today is we don't realize, we don't believe, that one individual can make much of a difference. We're so accustomed to big numbers, big conventions, and big committees, and big organizations. But one person can make a difference. Because of Ruth's faith and obedience and submission, the nation of Israel was blessed with their Messiah. 

Well, this leads us to the fifth area of blessing. Because of Ruth's obedience and submission, she was a blessing to the whole world. Here we are today studying, many centuries later, the life of this dear woman Ruth. She has been a blessing to the whole world. Now that night when Ruth put herself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest, she had no idea that her name and her testimony would be spread throughout the whole world. But it has been, and it will continue to do so until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. And so her story is a blessing, her testimony is a blessing, her example is a blessing to the whole world. But most of all, because of her obedience, as I have already said many times, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. Bethlehem became the birthplace of the Savior, and that Savior is the Savior of the world. Boaz is a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, our kinsman-redeemer, who purchased a whole world of lost sinners by his blood shed on the cross. 

Well, God can put your life together again. Sometimes we wonder why certain things happen, but when the child of God is in the will of God, he doesn't have to be afraid of the providence of God, because God will work out his blessed will in a beautiful way and accomplish his purposes. Have you put yourself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest? I don't know where this study finds you today. You may be running away from God. Remember, Naomi tried to run away; didn't work. You might be trying to cover up your sins. Naomi tried to cover up; it didn't work. You may be bitter, angry with God or angry with people. Well, Naomi was angry and bitter, but it didn't do her any good. It was not until Ruth put herself at the feet of Boaz, entrusted her future to him, that things began to change. And now in chapter 4 of the book of Ruth, all of these people who at one time were carrying burdens, fighting battles, all of these people became a blessing to one another. Do you want to be a blessing to people today? Do you really want the blessing of God to flow through your life to encourage other people? Then put yourself at Jesus' feet and let him have his way.