THURSDAY May 12, 2022

Redemption’s Story

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....”
Ruth 4:9-10

When the book of Judges concludes, the book of Ruth opens with a beautiful story of redemption. The book of Ruth is a love story. Ruth, a Moabitess, journeyed to Bethlehem with Naomi, her mother-in-law. Naomi’s husband and two sons had died in the land of Moab.

It is important to understand the significance of the decision Ruth made to be among the Jewish nation. God had judged the Moabites for their unkindness to Israel:

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever (Deuteronomy 23:3-6).

Boaz was a kinsman redeemer. As a close relative, he could purchase Naomi’s land and marry Ruth. He was not concerned about his reputation, unlike another close relative, who said: “...I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it...” (Ruth 4:6).

Boaz married Ruth and her lineage weaves its way into the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This love story mirrors for us Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who made Himself of no reputation and became a kinsman to us. Through the death on the Cross, Jesus redeems sinners. Both Jews and Gentiles are able to receive His salvation.

The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.
~C.H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!