2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The concept of the kinsman-redeemer was instituted by God through Moses’s writing in LV 25:25 to instill upon the nearest relative of a widow his responsibility to take care of the widow. In ancient times, a Jewish farmer was told to plant his field with the idea in mind that when the harvest is reaped, he will not take the “corners and gleanings.” This concept is explained in LV 19: 9-10. “When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of your fields, and do not go back to cut the heads that were left. Do not go back through your vineyard to gather the grapes that were missed or to pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor people [including widows and orphans] and foreigners. I am the Lord your God.” The same principle is repeated in DT 24: 19. If you stop and think about it, this was the ancient Jewish version of Social Security. There simply had to be a way to provide food and care for the most basic needs of people who found themselves in the predicament of losing a spouse and not having access to another means of providing for themselves and/or their young children. It is appropriate to mention this to gain an understanding of the situation that the widowed Naomi and her also-widowed daughter-in-law, Ruth, found themselves.
RU 2: 1-2, “Naomi had a relative named Boaz, a rich and influential man who belonged to the family of her husband Elimelech. One day, Ruth said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the fields to gather the grain that the harvest workers leave. I am sure to find someone who will let me work with him.” This is how Ruth happened to be where she could met Boaz. (3) “So, Ruth went out to the fields and walked behind the workers, picking up the heads of grain which they left. It so happened that she was in a field that belonged to Boaz.” When Boaz saw her, he asked who this foreign woman was. A man there answered that she was the Moabitess who had returned to Israel with Naomi. When Ruth stopped to rest after having worked all morning, Boaz said to her, “Do not gather grain anywhere except in this field. I have ordered my men not to molest you. And, when you are thirsty, go and drink from the water jars they have filled” (7-9). This offer of kindness was unexpected by Ruth, and she asked Boaz to explain. His answer is in RU 2: 11, “I have heard about everything that you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. I know how you left your father and mother and your own country and how you came to live among a people you had never known before.”
I often assert that what is found in the OT is frequently a foreshadowing of something made clear in the NT. Boaz’s response to Ruth in (11) is just such a verse. A look at EPH 2: 14-15 shows what I mean. “For Christ Himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With His own body He broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with Himself, in this way making peace.” God’s hand can be seen in both of these verses as well as their relationship to one another. The reason for this is even more clearly revealed when one considers the ultimate result of the union that is to happen as the story of Ruth and Boaz unfolds. When Ruth takes almost 25 pounds of grain back to Naomi, she tells her mother-in-law that she had been working in a field belonging to Boaz. Naomi’s response is seen in (20). “ ‘May the Lord bless Boaz!’ Naomi exclaimed. ‘The Lord always keeps his promises to the living and the dead.’ And she went one, ‘That man is a close relative of ours, one of those responsible for taking care of us.’ “ In this case, a woman from Moab is accepted into the family of her husband because of the goodness which was a product of her faith in Jehovah. The barrier had been broken down by the absence of the idolatry of her birth family in her life.
RU 3: 1, “Some time later Naomi said to Ruth, ‘I must find a husband for you, so that you will have a home of your own.” To this end Naomi advises Ruth to wash and perfume herself and go to Boaz, who she knows will be threshing barley. Naomi tells her to not let Boaz see her arrive and to wait until he lays down to go to sleep. Then she should get under the covers at his feet. Naomi did as she was told. RU 3:8-9, ”During the night he woke up and suddenly, turned over, and surprised to find a woman at his feet. ‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘It’s Ruth sir,’ she answered. ‘Because you are a close relative, you are responsible for taking care of me. So please marry me.’ “ Boaz reacted to this remarkable request in a way that only God could have directed. He was loving , compassionate, and honest. He told Ruth that Elimelech had one other relative who was closer than him whom he would seek out for her in the morning. Then, he reassured her that she would not be left without someone taking care of her. RU 3: 13, “Stay here the rest of the night and in the morning we will find out whether or not he will take responsibility for you. If so, well and good. If not, then I swear by the living God that I will take the responsibility. Now lie down an stay her till morning.’ “ Boaz also told Ruth not to go back to Naomi empty-handed, so when she arrived home, she had a lot of barley for them to eat with her.
PRAYER: O Lord, You inspired Moses to set up a model program for the care of the poor and downtrodden. It was Your idea to instruct the ancient Jews to assign the responsibility for these vulnerable people to a kinsman-redeemer, a nearest relative. You also saw to their provision in the instruction to Jewish farmers to leave their “corners and gleanings” for the widows, orphans, poor, and foreigners. These instructions reveal the generosity and compassion of Your heart. As we follow the story of Ruth, we see an example of Your principle put into action. The obedience of the people in this story is a great demonstration to us that even through they had no idea of the long-range importance their obedience would have to all mankind. They obeyed You anyway. Let us be encouraged to follow this wonderful example of obedience in our own lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I will continue with the conclusion of the story of Ruth, and then we will look at some of the NT revelations that help to give us God’s perspective on the issues raised. In the meanwhile reflect on the condition of obedience in your own lives. Know that God reveals the compassion of His own heart, because He loves us enough to want us to use it as a paradigm for ours. Be encouraged in your faith. Know that God’s greatest desire is that we will all endure in it, so that we can enjoy eternal fellowship with Him in heaven. Peter and I send you our love too.
race Be With You Always,
Lynn