When Joshua died, the people declared they would be faithful to God. That did not happen. Very quickly they all began to do what was right in their own eyes. They included God, more as a side thought, believing themselves protected by Him regardless of their idolatrous lifestyles. God, on the other hand remained faithful to all His Promises. From the beginning, He promised a Joyous Kinsman Redeemer for fallen humanity. He told Eve that her seed would crush the head of serpent. In doing so, Jesus purchased the deed of earth with His own blood. But I am getting ahead of the story. So let us step back to look at the book of Judges and then Ruth.
The book of Judges is a sad and dark book in the Bible. It is filled with failures. God chooses judges to guide the people. However, all through the book of judges even the judges become further and further flawed. Not until Samuel do you find a judge who truly follows God’s commands with all their heart. Gideon for a while was a bright star. But before his death he made a golden ephod, telling the people to follow only God to be their King. But alas, they worshipped the golden object instead.
Samson was a mess, but still ultimately did God’s will. Even if only after losing everything. Judges shows God’s faithfulness to the nation regardless of the people. It also shows how God could use the least of us to accomplish His will with even a thread of faith.
How Low Can a People Go?
Still in the end, the book ends with a true picture of how debauchery had thrived within the nation. A Levite priest gives his concubine to a group of sexual perverts from the tribe of Benjamin to save himself from these men’s sexual assault. They sexually abuse her to her death. He then cuts her body into pieces and sends it to the other tribes, inciting a civil war. Then the book of judges ends with this.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21: 25 (NASB)
John MacArthur comments, “Judges 17-21 vividly demonstrates how bizarre and deep sin can become when people throw off the authority of God…This was an appropriate, but tragic conclusion to a bleak period of Israelite history”1
They had failed to heed the warnings in Deuteronomy. Soon God would appoint Samuel as the final judge through whom He would give the people Kings—both good and bad. That is the case with human Kings. Yet, it is through the line of King David that the Joyous Kinsmen Redeemer for the nation and for the gentiles would be born. Only He could truly save and redeem the earth. How appropriate then that during the days of the judges, we are introduced to Ruth.
Trials to Test the Faith Leading to God’s Providence
Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. Ruth 1 (NASB)
So, rather than trust God, Elimelech took his family to the land of Moab and settled in. He named his sons Mahlon (meaning sickly) and Chiliion (pining or wasting away). Odd names perhaps depicting their own spiritual state at the time. We do not know a lot about Naomi’s faith at the time. However, she dutifully followed her husband.
3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4 They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.
Naomi decides to return to the land of Judah. Once might surmise that throughout the 10 years, she had demonstrated a faith in God despite her husband’s lack thereof. I say that because Ruth chooses to believe in Naomi’s God and go with her.
Tragedy Turns to Triumph
Despite all the darkness seen in the book of Judges, we are presented with an epic love story. Ruth chooses to follow Naomi, out of loving devotion to her.
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus, may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” Ruth 1 (NASB)
On her return, she first said that God had dealt bitterly with her. Yet, little did she realize, God was about to make her infamous. His blessings would surpass anything He had taken from her. It would even surpass her wildest imaginations as through a joyous kinsman redeemer, she would become heiress to the world’s joyous kinsman redeemer.
Once in the land of Judah, they had no money and no means of support. Ruth asks to go with the poor and glean from the fields behind the others. God’s law had included a provision to provide for the poor and the stranger.
9 ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19 (NASB)
So, willingly, Ruth went out to walk behind the workers and gather enough for she and Naomi.
An Act of God—She Meets Her Joyous Kinsman Redeemer
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 The servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus, she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”
She happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. He happened to come from Bethlehem at that same time. And he realized who she was and what she had done. He saw her true beauty. Furthermore, he addressed her as daughter suggesting he was much older than she. Yet, he had no son of his own. He was very wealthy and was related to Elimilech and therefore could redeem Abimelech’s land.
He Saw Her and Had Compassion on her.
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”
Also note his acts of kindness to provide for her and to protect her from harm. Certainly, in a time when many did whatever they thought right, a Moabite woman could have been preyed upon. Much like how Jesus sees you and me.
Ruth Seeks Her Joyous Kinsman Redeemer
God Wrote in Leviticus 25
23 ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. 24 Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.
25 ‘If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.
48…One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him
These laws were to protect the land, the heritage of the people, and provide a way of continuing the lineage of even the deceased.
A Proposal of Sorts by Ruth
Ruth must have thought this man kind, but she was not aware of who he was until she told Naomi of him. Can you imagine? Naomi believed all was lost and Ruth came to tell her of Boaz. She must have said, “Boaz? You met Boaz? He is a relative and can be your kinsman redeemer.”
So, Ruth does as Naomi told her. She goes to the threshing floor and lays down at the feet of Boaz. When he awoke, she asked him to redeem her. He said he would if the nearer kinsman did not.
Proposal Accepted with Glee
Listen to these his words toward her:
8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.” 10 Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. 12 Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13 Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until morning Ruth 3
The Joyous Kinsman Redeemer Eagerly Completed His Promise
The next morning, he hurried to the square where he offered the land and Ruth to the nearer relative. He declined as he did not want to potentially harm his own inheritance. Happily, then Moab declared.
10 Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11 All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Line of David Began Here
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So, they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Boaz a Shadow of Our Joyous Kinsman Redeemer
Three things were needed to be a kinsman redeemer according to the law. 1. Must be a relative of the impoverished or deceased.
2. Must have the means of redeeming them.
3. Must be willing.
In the case of Ruth, both were needed. Not only redeem the land; but the lineage of Abimelech was to be preserved. God chose a gentile Moabite woman to be in the line of Jesus Christ. How fitting. A gentile bride who entered the land of Judah by faith in God and because of love.
The same is true of us. Jesus is Our Joyous Kinsman Redeemer.
When I look at Boaz, I think, you remind me of somebody named Jesus. Because what he does with Ruth and with this land is a picture of what Jesus Christ will do. The Goel, the kinsman redeemer, is one of the clearest pictures of Jesus in the Bible– a bridegroom who buys a Gentile bride and prepares that Gentile to be his wife.
Skip Heitzig
The Gentile bride is the church. Jesus gave a parable in which he said, the kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and for the joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has, and he buys the field. Real quickly, fast forward to the ultimate real estate transaction in history, Revelation chapter 5.
You don’t have to turn there, but in Revelation chapter 5, John sees the scroll in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, written on the inside and on the outside, sealed with seven seals. And somebody said, who is worthy to take the scroll and then loose the seals? And nobody came forth.
So John said, I wept much. Why did he weep? Because he realized what is being held is the title deed to the Earth– the title deed to the Earth that was lost when Adam gave it away, essentially, at the fall to Satan the usurper, who became the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air. And nobody came forward to redeem it, and so he wept much.
Revelation chapter 5 is what we call– or what you would call, if you’re in the real estate business– the closing, where Jesus, at the end, comes to fully redeem the Earth. He redeemed by his own blood. He is the kinsman who was related– that’s the first qualification– he was related. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
So first qualification, he’s related us. That’s why there was an incarnation. Jesus became a man, flesh, and blood, because now he’s related to us, as the Goel. He was willing to do it– the second qualification. He says, nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down and take it again. So he was willing to do it.
And third, He was able to do it. He had what it took to pay for it. What did He use for his payment? Blood. Paul said, feed the flock of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Jesus Christ, related, willing, and able, steps forward and takes the scroll from God the Father on the throne.
And that is the picture of what goes on during that tribulation period, and ends when Jesus comes back, to rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lord over the field from which He purchased the bride– the bride of Christ, the church. So yeah, it’s a great story. ..
What’s amazing is that the book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, which were such dark days. And in the midst of such dark days, such a beautiful love story occurs. Here’s the parallel. We live in a dark day and age, but behind the scenes, God is all about preparing a bride– the church.
And everyone who says, yes, Jesus, yes, Lord, I give myself to you, I surrender myself to you, becomes part of that great company– the bride of Christ– comprised of Jew and Gentile– largely Gentile– that he calls out, that become his own, and will enjoy that inheritance forever. Father, as we close this book, we open our hearts to these great truths of a kinsman redeemer, and of the great providence of almighty God.
Lord, you gave, through Your spirit, in this book of Ruth, a picture, a preview in very easy-to-understand form of what is going to take place with a greater transaction at the end of time, When the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb of God slain, steps forward and takes that scroll and unlooses the seals, fulfilling the qualifications, and redeems the world lost at the fall, and buys and redeems the world back to You, Father.
And then Jesus will rule and reign over this creation for 1,000 years of a restored Earth. The field itself will be renewed, and the church, the bride, will be in that field ruling and reigning with Him for 1,000 years. Lord, thank you for this preview of great and coming attractions. And I pray for anyone who doesn’t know You, hasn’t committed their life to You, that they would say yes to Jesus, yes to the Savior, yes to the bridegroom, the lover of their soul.2
References
1 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Study Bible, 2006, Thomas Nelson, Inc, pg 515
2 Heitzig, SKIP; Ruth 1-4 – The Bible from 30,000 Feet – Skip Heitzig – Flight RUT01; Flight RUT01 | SkipHeitzig.com accessed 4/6/2024; or listen at https://youtu.be/LqI5z16rLgs?si=oBpkatt4n5QQKI-U
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2024
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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