Kinsman-Redeemer

#1 · May 25, 2007, 6:12 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 25, 2007, 6:12 pm
Posted by: <@...>
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight the man was startled, and he turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your maidservant. Spread your wing [of protection] over your maidservant, for you are a next of kin. (Ruth 3:7-9 AMP)

Ruth was a precious woman from Moab who entrusted her life to the sovereignty of God. After the death of her Israeli father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband, she left her family and homeland to accompany Naomi, her mother-in-law, to Bethlehem, her husband's birthplace. Once there, God led her to the grain fields of Boaz, a kind and wealthy relative of her father-in-law, where she could safely seek out food, and gave her favor in his sight.

Naomi desired to secure a permanent home for Ruth where she would be well provided for, but Ruth's Moabite roots presented a problem (see Deuteronomy 23:3-4). She sent Ruth to the threshing floor that evening, knowing that Boaz would be there winnowing grain. She instructed Ruth to notice the place where Boaz rested and, when he slept, to uncover his feet and lay down.

Uncovering his feet meant the removal of his sandals. While it is unclear whether Ruth knew the significance of this act, Boaz certainly did. It represented a separation, a removal of union, a relationship broken - a symbolic reminder of Deuteronomy 25:5-10. It was an appeal to her kinsman to restore the breach by redeeming her through the covenant of marriage.

Dig deeper into this wonderful story and you'll see one even more stunning. The book of Ruth is prophetically the story of the Church and her Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ Jesus, Who answered Her cry for restoration by redeeming her through the cross and establishing an eternal covenant with Her through His blood. Isaiah called Him the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In (Isaiah 58:12). Mary poured out perfume on the feet of her Kinsman-Redeemer and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3). In the midst of the struggles surrounding his life, Job declared, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" (Job 19:25 KJV). We have reason to rejoice! Our Redeemer lives!

Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross! Thank You for establishing an eternal covenant with me through Your blood. You are my beloved Kinsman-Redeemer, and I celebrate You! I love You, Jesus. Amen.
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Posted by: <@...>

And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight the man was startled, and he turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your maidservant. Spread your wing [of protection] over your maidservant, for you are a next of kin. (Ruth 3:7-9 AMP)

Ruth was a precious woman from Moab who entrusted her life to the sovereignty of God. After the death of her Israeli father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband, she left her family and homeland to accompany Naomi, her mother-in-law, to Bethlehem, her husband's birthplace. Once there, God led her to the grain fields of Boaz, a kind and wealthy relative of her father-in-law, where she could safely seek out food, and gave her favor in his sight.

Naomi desired to secure a permanent home for Ruth where she would be well provided for, but Ruth's Moabite roots presented a problem (see Deuteronomy 23:3-4). She sent Ruth to the threshing floor that evening, knowing that Boaz would be there winnowing grain. She instructed Ruth to notice the place where Boaz rested and, when he slept, to uncover his feet and lay down.

Uncovering his feet meant the removal of his sandals. While it is unclear whether Ruth knew the significance of this act, Boaz certainly did. It represented a separation, a removal of union, a relationship broken - a symbolic reminder of Deuteronomy 25:5-10. It was an appeal to her kinsman to restore the breach by redeeming her through the covenant of marriage.

Dig deeper into this wonderful story and you'll see one even more stunning. The book of Ruth is prophetically the story of the Church and her Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ Jesus, Who answered Her cry for restoration by redeeming her through the cross and establishing an eternal covenant with Her through His blood. Isaiah called Him the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In (Isaiah 58:12). Mary poured out perfume on the feet of her Kinsman-Redeemer and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3). In the midst of the struggles surrounding his life, Job declared, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" (Job 19:25 KJV). We have reason to rejoice! Our Redeemer lives!

Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross! Thank You for establishing an eternal covenant with me through Your blood. You are my beloved Kinsman-Redeemer, and I celebrate You! I love You, Jesus. Amen.

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