Treasures New and Old

God’s Pattern for His Disciples: Kinsman Redeemer

We are taking a deeper look at that discipleship lifestyle than we did in 2020 by looking at what I call God’s pattern for His disciples.

I have laid out some heavy truths in the last seven articles as we search God’s pattern for His disciples. God’s pattern for the way we ought to live. I recognize that they have been heavy in the sense that they have been admonishments as well as encouragements that we are to follow.

They have included the following topics:

What Being a Disciple of Christ Means
Guarding our Hearts
Making our Calling and Election Sure
Being of One Mind with Christ and One Another
Making No Provision for the Flesh but Also Replacing Those Sinful Behaviors with Godly Behaviors
Disciple’s Control of Their Tongue
Holding Fast to our Head, Jesus Christ

What is a Kinsman-Redeemer?

This month I would like to switch over to something very positive. A look at the relationship we have with our Rabbi from a different perspective. He is our rabbi, our teacher, our master – but He is also our Kinsman-Redeemer. That’s a beautiful relationship that depicts God’s agape love toward us, his disciples. Therefore, I would like to take this article and walk through the importance of the Kinsman-Redeemer in our life by using the examples in the Scripture of Boaz and Ruth. Let’s begin:

What is a Kinsman-Redeemer?

We’ll dig into both an excellent redeemer example and an Old Testament gospel story – that of redemption . . . But first, let’s dig into the reason for why Boaz and Ruth got together in the first place. Also, why Boaz became an excellent example of a kinsman-redeemer. It starts with the levirate marriage which has been understood to exist for thousands of years.

1. What is a levirate marriage?

A levirate marriage is literally a “marriage with a brother-in-law.” The word levirate, which has nothing to do with the tribe of Levi, comes from the Latin word levir: “a husband’s brother.” In ancient times, if a man died without a child, it was common for the man’s unmarried brother to marry the widow in order to provide an heir for the deceased. A widow would marry a brother-in-law and the first son produced in that union was considered the legal descendant of her dead husband.

The practice of the levirate marriage was understood long before the Mosaic Law. We see in Genesis 38:6-7, an example of this kind of marriage with Judah’s sons as each one died without issue while married to Tamar. Not exactly a beautiful story, because Onan sinned greatly by refusing to give a child to Tamar lest his own inheritance be marred since the first child would have been his older brother’s.

So, this first example is partially what not to do in such a marriage. But it was this principle that brought Boaz and Ruth together since Boaz was willing to give Naomi a child through Ruth to replace those sons that had died. I will only mention Genesis 38:6-11 for you to read on your own time.

Genesis 38:6-11: Judah’s sons Er, Onan, and Tamer

The practice became Mosaic Law years later. Although well established as a practice, it became part of the Mosaic Law with clarification on behavior and the requirements to be fulfilled as part of the duty a man would have on behalf of his deceased brother with his brother’s widow. Let’s look at the law as written in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 25:5-10:

If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

This was also important from a tribal law perspective. Another aspect of the levirate law was the importance it had on inheritance. In the Mosaic Law, family inheritance was to stay within the family as each consecutive generation was born. In order to help keep that inheritance within the family, it was importance that each man had an issue, a son, to carry on his family name and collect the inheritance. The onus to have descendants was especially heavy in the eldest son. Therefore, the levirate marriage was important to ensure that each son had someone to inherit his portion. The next son in line would marry his brother’s widow, providing that the first male child became his brother’s. All children after that would be his own. In this way, his deceased brother would have had his inheritance redeemed by his younger brother through the marrying his widow. This background provides us with the opening of Boaz and Ruth’s story. First a look at the redemptive law of inheritance:

Numbers 36:7-9: “So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.”

2. What is the story of Ruth and Boaz? The story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful story, but it has a number of underlying truths that if you just read the story for its romance you might miss. Here are a couple of interesting facts that follow:

While sojourning in the land of Moab, Naomi not only lost her husband, but her two sons as well. Therefore, Naomi, should she go back to Israel, would have no one to inherit her land. She knew this when she decided to return to Israel and send away her two daughters-in-law back to their own people.

It is very fortunate, however, that Ruth loved Naomi so much that she didn’t want to part from her. When you read the story of Ruth you find that she had fallen to love also with Naomi’s God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Ruth was a Moabite woman who had come to Israel as the widow of an Israelite man. She had returned with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who had also lost her husband. This was not an easy decision on her part. She was a foreigner amongst the Hebrews. She would not be readily accepted.

Naomi and Ruth lived together in a humble situation, and Ruth went to the fields each day and gleaned food in the fields during the harvest.

Boaz was the landowner where Ruth came to find grain. He knew of her situation and told his workers to leave plenty of grain for her to find. Boaz also offered her food with the other workers and encouraged her to work in the safety of his fields throughout the harvest.

Naomi noted that Boaz was a close relative who, according to Jewish law, had the right to marry Ruth after the death of her husband. Naomi encouraged Ruth to go to Boaz in the evening and present herself as willing to accept a marriage proposal from him. When she did, he was pleased, yet noted that there was one relative who was closer in line to marry Ruth.

The next day, Boaz met with this relative and presented the situation. The relative turned down the offer as he felt it would cause harm to his own family situation and inheritance. Boaz then made a commitment in front of the town’s leaders that he would take Ruth as his wife.

Boaz and Ruth were married and soon had a son named Obed. Naomi’s misfortune turned to joy as she became a grandmother and technically, as per the levirate law, a mother to Obed who would receive her deceased husband’s inheritance. Obed would later become the grandfather of King David, who would also be an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Ruth is one of four women specifically named in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. Matthew 1:5-6 says, “And Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah;”

Don’t forget that Ruth is a Gentile, not a Jew, and this plays an important part in the kinsman-redeemer analogy between Boaz and Ruth and Jesus Christ and the Church.

Seven brothers story in Matthew

In Matthew 22, Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees with a convoluted question based on the law’s requirement of levirate marriage: “The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had [married] her” (Matthew 22:23-28). Jesus cuts through the hypothetical and teaches the reality of the resurrection (verses 29-32).

3. What can we learn from Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi?

Loyalty: we can learn a lot from the relationship of Ruth and Naomi, and loyalty is among the lessons. Ruth was the Moabitess daughter-in-law of a Jewess named Naomi. They were living in Moab when both of their husbands died. Naomi planned to return to Israel and encouraged Ruth to stay in Moab and return to her mother’s family. There would be nothing for Ruth in Judah, Naomi told her.

Fidelity: rather than heed Naomi’s advice, Ruth begged Naomi to allow her to emigrate to Judah. Ruth’s statement of fidelity is touching: Ruth 1:16-17: “And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.”

- These beautiful words of commitment are sometimes included in wedding vows.

Solemn Vow: Ruth expressed her loyalty to Naomi in a solemn vow, calling judgment upon herself if she ever left her (Ruth 1:17).

Commitment to Jehovah: Ruth made a commitment to follow Naomi’s God as well (Ruth 1:16). She would abandon the gods of Moab, and Ruth and Naomi would both be committed to the one true God of Israel.

Family: Ruth and Naomi were family. They had lived closely together for some time due to Ruth’s marriage to Naomi’s son. Ruth and Naomi had already developed a strong relationship prior to this decision by Ruth to go to Israel with her mother-in-law. Ruth 2:11 says of Ruth, “And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.”

Repentance: forsaking all of the false gods of Moab for the one true God.

Respect, love, friendship, and humility

Reward for obedience: look at Ruth, Chapter 4, and see all of the rewards Ruth accumulated to herself – which she was not expecting when she committed to go to Israel and Naomi.

4. Ruth and Orpah made different decisions

Naomi then told Ruth, “And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister-in-law” (Ruth 1:15). Ruth’s response revealed the difference between Orpah and herself. “And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her” (Ruth 1:16-18).

5. What is a Kinsman Redeemer?

The kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need. The Hebrew term (ga-al) (Strong’s H1350) for kinsman-redeemer designates one who delivers or rescues (Genesis 48:16; Exodus 6:6).

The kinsman-redeemer can redeem property or persons: Leviticus 25:47-49: “And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family: After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.”

God is Israel’s Redeemer, the one who promises to defend and vindicate them. He is both father and deliverer (Exodus 20:2).

So what, then, are the qualifications of a kinsman-redeemer? He must have the right to redeem – a close relative. He must have the power, ability, or means to redeem. He must also be willing to redeem. In that willingness accept the sacrifice and inconvenience it will bring. (Undoubtedly there could follow blessings afterwards, but first comes the sacrifice.)

Jesus became a man and obtained the right to redeem. Being both God and sinless gave him the power to redeem. He was most certainly willing to redeem and sacrifice by leaving the glory of heaven for a human body, take on our sins and die, and during that time be separated from the Father all to redeem humankind – you are me. His reward? The redeemed living with Him for eternity (something we do not deserve).

6. Why did the nearest kinsman redeemer refuse to marry Ruth?

In Ruth 4:3-4, Boaz speaks to the first kinsman-redeemer of Ruth and says, “And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee . . . .”

Initially, this first man felt the acquisition of additional property would be a good move. But after first accepting the offer, Boaz informs him, “Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance” (Ruth 4:5). The man then changed his mind, “And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it” (Ruth 4:6).

Why did the man change his mind and refuse to marry Ruth? What did he mean in Ruth 4:6: “And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.”?

- Already married with sons?
- Didn’t want a Moabitess wife?
- Didn’t want to mar or divide his wealth between estates (his and Naomi’s son)?

7. Was it against the Mosaic Law for Boaz to marry Ruth, according to Deuteronomy 23:3?

Deuteronomy 23:3: “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD forever:”

Deuteronomy 7:1-3: “When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorities, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: Neither shall thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”

1. Notice that in Deuteronomy 7:1 that the Moabites are not mentioned or forbidden, Ruth was a Moabitess.

2. The wording of the law in Deuteronomy 23:3 forbids only the naturalization of Ammonites and Moabites. It says nothing about their dwelling in the land of Israel, and it does not explicitly mention marriage.

3. Ruth was a proselyte to the Jewish religion. Her words to her mother-in-law, Naomi, indicate her devotion not only to Naomi but to the God of Israel: Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God (Ruth 1:16, paraphrased).

4. In Jewish commentaries, rabbis generally interpreted the command of Deuteronomy 23:3 to apply to a male Moabite, but not to a Moabitess: “their female counterparts, even the convert herself, are permitted immediately” (Misnah Yevamot 8:3).

5. God blessed the marriage of Ruth and Boaz and used the union to further His plan to bless Israel (Ruth 4:13-22). Proof of God’s acceptance.

8. What did it mean to spread the corner of your garment over someone?

Ruth was instructed by Naomi to go to the threshing floor when all were asleep, lie at Boaz’s feet, take his cover at his feet and cover herself with it, then wait until the man understood that she is there and do as he instructed. To cover herself with his blanket was a sign that she was willing for Boaz to be her deliverer, her protector, which in this case implied marriage. I am not sure she understood the kinsmen-redeemer concept, but Naomi certainly did and hoped that Boaz would accept the responsibility and take Ruth as his wife, which would more readily draw Ruth into the community as well as provide an heir for Elimelech’s inheritance.

Ruth 3:4-5: “And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.”

Ruth 3:8-11: “And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

Ezekiel provides some clarification on this act of Ruth’s towards Boaz as God Himself declares that He covered Israel as a husband chooses a wife. Although this verse is nestled in other verses that talk about how sin has led to Israel’s nakedness and bloodied body, and that God would still take her and clean her up for Himself, the principle of covering her to make her His is exactly what Naomi hoped Boaz would do with Ruth.

Ezekiel 16:8: “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.”

The context here notes God’s role as a husband for Israel.

Boaz understood that Ruth was asking him to take her as his wife.

Boaz is “a guardian-redeemer.”

She was following the plan given to her by her mother -in-law, Naomi.

Boaz said he needed to discuss the necessary arrangements for marriage with those in his community because it dealt with a widow of an Israelite relative (Ruth 4), specifically, to address the one who was a closer kinsman.

9. Who is the true redeemer in the Book of Ruth?

A redeemer is a male who delivers or rescues someone or something by paying a price. To redeem is, literally, to “buy out.”

Perspective 1: Boaz is the redeemer in the Book of Ruth. Boaz: “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers” (Ruth 2:20, BSB).

Perspective 2: The LORD is the true redeemer in the Book of Ruth. He is the ultimate kinsman-redeemer. The Book of Ruth ends with the notation that Obed was King David’s grandfather. From other Scriptures, we know that Jesus Christ is from the line of King David. This ties Jesus to the family of Boaz through David who also has become a part of the royal line.

Boaz foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate kinsman-redeemer who will redeem a bride for himself – the church.

Boaz: kinsmen-redeemer who is a Jew

Ruth: bride to be redeemed and virtuous women who is a Gentile

Jesus Christ: kinsmen-redeemer who is also a Jew and of the royal line

Church: bride to be redeemed who is primarily Gentile in makeup

Consider the story of Ruth and Boaz written in the Old Testament long before Jesus Christ came on the scene. Many generations will pass after Ruth and Boaz, through Obed, through Jesse, then David and onto Jesus Christ being born of a virgin, Mary. Yet it is a perfect example of what a kinsman-redeemer does in redeeming under the levirate marriage law for deceased kinsman in order to ensure their inheritance.

And we have an inheritance through Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer. It’s also interesting to note that Ruth is a Gentile. The church today is primarily made up of Gentiles. Boaz is a Jew. Jesus Christ is a Jew. It’s also interesting to note that Ruth, a Moabite, was not forbidden to marry a Jewish man, only forbidden for ten generations to go into the temple. Subsequent rabbis have interpreted the verses requiring Moabites to stay out of the temple as pertaining only to males. Thus, allowing the offspring of the Moabitess wife to be considered a Jew right away. Whether that was God’s intent or not in the Mosaic law, it bespeaks of how quickly we as a Gentile church, bride, are immediately partakers of the inheritance we have in Christ as Ruth was to whatever Boaz owned.

We, as Christ’s disciples, enjoy that inheritance as part of His church. Jesus Christ is our kinsman-redeemer.

Maranatha!

Bro. Joe

References

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Sefaria. Misnah Yevamot 8:3. Retrieved September 17, 2024. Retrieved from https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Yevamot.8.3?lang=bi

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