Saturday, July 30, 2016
Ruth 4:9-10 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day."
THE KINSMAN REDEEMER
What happens if my husband dies? We perhaps don't like to think about such things, but there are times when the LORD God ends a marriage through death. Yet, if a marriage is ended by the LORD, then the remaining spouse may wonder how he/she will live, especially if the widow is a young "stay at home" Mom.
There are options in our day. A widow may qualify for a welfare program. A widow may return home to live with her parents. A widow may re-marry after time. In Israel there weren't as many options.
There were no government funded welfare programs. Many women didn't have jobs outside the home. In a small Judean village there might be bleak prospects for remarriage.
The LORD God established the Kinsman-Redeemer for just such circumstances. The Kinsman-Redeemer was to be related to the widow, willing and able to pay off debts and to "redeem." When Ruth came to Naomi's hometown of Bethlehem, she had just lost her husband. She was a foreigner and stranger without a husband or means of support. Boaz agreed to be her Kinsman-Redeemer.
Boaz reminds us of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. He came down from heaven and took on human flesh and blood. He became one of us (but without sin). He was willing to die to pay our sin debt and redeem us from our former masters: sin and death. Finally, He was able to pay the debt that none of us could ever pay. Christ has bought us and made us His own. Christ has joined us to Himself by faith. Now we look forward to the wedding celebration of heaven.
What a celebration that will be!
