Redemption

What do we do here?

Save the lost!

Introduction

We’re going to talk about Ruth today, but first we need to understand one of those important Bible words, redemption.

Redeem-1. To buy back

2. To free from what distresses or harms

3. To atone for

This word can have several different meanings depending on the context we use it in.

For example, if I were to sell you [kid’s name] a video game, then, latter on, I buy it back from you, I will have redeemed the game. Or, perhaps there is a child in an abusive home and a lovely family adopts them to free them from something that is harmful; the child will have been redeemed.

Christians use this word mainly to describe what Jesus did for us. We separated ourselves from God because we were disobedient to Him. This means we could no longer fulfill the purpose for which we were created. God created us to be with Him, but our sinfulness prevents us from being in God’s presence. God need to engineer a way for our sins to be erased, or for us to be freed from the consequences of sin. And so, God gave His only Son, Jesus, to become man, die on cross, freeing all who believe in Him from the consequences of sin. This way we can now be in the presence of God, fulfilling our purpose, since Jesus took on the punishment for all sin. So, if we do what Jesus tells us to do to have His sacrifice applied to us, we will be redeemed, bought back from sin by Christ, freed from the distress and harm of sin.

Ruth

The story of Ruth has a very apparent message of redemption. Here’s the Cliff’s notes of the story. There was a man named Elimelech. He had a wife, Naomi, and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Elimelech and his family lived Bethlehem, but there was a famine, so they left and went to Moab. Elimelech got sick and died in Moab. His sons married after he died; Mahlon married a Moabitish named Ruth and Chilion married one named Orpah. Unfortunately, Mahlon and Chilion suffered the same sickness of their father and died leaving all three women widowed. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and Orpah and Ruth decided to go with her. But Naomi felt it was going to be too hard for only her to make her daughters-in-law comfortable, so her asked them to go back and live with their own mothers. Orpah agreed, but Ruth was intent on caring for Naomi.

When they got to Bethlehem, Ruth immediately went out to look for work gleaning, gathering up what the reapers had left in the fields from harvesting. Ruth found her work in the field of a man named Boaz. Boaz happened to be out in his fields later and noticed Ruth and asked about her. When his worker had told him what he knew about Ruth, Boaz told told the young worker men to be respectful to her and offered her to drink of the water that was drawn for the workers. Boaz also told his workers to drop some of the barley on purpose so that Ruth would gather more. By the end of the day, Ruth had gathered about an ephah (a little more than a bushel) of barley. This continued until the harvest was complete. After the harvest, Ruth’s spirit changed. She and Boaz had become quite enamored with each other, but, since the harvest was over, they did not see each other any more. Since Boaz was a relative of Naomi, she devised a plan to make Boaz fulfill his honor in reference to Mahlon and Ruth. Boaz welcomed the opportunity and responsibility, but there was one problem. The one who would assume the responsibilities and role of Ruth’s dead husband Mahlon was to be the closest relative, and there was one closer in relation to Ruth than Boaz.

Ruth 4:1–13 ESV

1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that 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 gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Ruth 4:1–17 ESV

1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that 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 gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:1-13

Boaz found the relative and talked with him

This is a love story if you haven’t figured it out yet. Ruth and Boaz are in love with each other and Boaz has every intention to marry Ruth. The issue in this fourth chapter is not so much Ruth as it is the land. Naomi unexpectedly decides to sell the land and there is a nearer relative than Boaz who would get first “dibs” on the sale. So Boaz intercepts the relative at the city gate and presents the options of the sale of the land. But to understand why the sale takes place as it does, we need to look back in Leviticus for the year of jubilee.

Ruth needed a caretaker

Leviticus 25:25–28 ESV

25 “If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. 28 But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

It could have happened this way. Neither Naomi nor Ruth had sons which would be rightful heirs to the land in the year of jubilee when the land would be returned to the original family. The relative could have purchased the land without the risk of losing it in the year of jubilee because there would be no male heir of Elimelech to claim it. Instead, Boaz shares with the relative his intentions to marry Ruth regardless of who redeems the land. The relative yields because Ruth is of childbearing age and knows Boaz’s intentions to marry Ruth and father her child and the first son mothered by Ruth would be a legitimate heir to the land in the year of jubilee. This would mean that the land would be returned to Boaz, Ruth, and their son at no charge and the relatives investment would be completely lost. For this reason, the relative passes at the opportunity to redeem the land and passes it to Boaz. So the land is redeemed by Boaz; he marries Ruth; and she mothers his son, Obed, who would become the grandfather of David.

So ends the love story of Ruth and Boaz. In the same way Boaz redeemed the land Naomi was selling and by extension both Naomi and Ruth, Christ redeems us.

So the land is redeemed by Boaz; he marries Ruth; and she mothers his son, Obed, who would become the grandfather of David.

As Christians, covered by the blood, we are bought.

Acts 20:28 ESV

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Cor. 6:19-20

1 Cor

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Cor. 7:23

1 Corinthians 7:23 ESV

23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.

Have you been redeemed? Yes

Are you, as the old hymn goes, washed in the blood of the lamb? Yes

Have you been buried with Him in the waters of baptism and raised to walk in a newness of life? Yes

Are the answers to all these questions yes? Yes

Do you know someone who would answer know? Yes

Think of this person. Close your eyes and bow your head. Pray.

“Dear God, please open this person’s heart so they will accept your lordship in their life and be redeemed. In Jesus’ name. Amen”