One of the great hymnwriters of all time was P.P. Bliss. Bliss and his wife were killed in a train wreck around Christmas in 1876. He was on his way to join D.L. Moody in an evangelistic campaign. Among the personal effects of Bliss were a set of words entitled, "My Redeemer." They were later set to music and have become one of the Church's most cherished hymns. When I read this portion of the Book of Ruth I find myself singing:

I will sing of my Redeemer,

And His wondrous love to me;

On the cruel cross He suffered,

From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer;

With His blood He purchased me,

On the cross He sealed my pardon,

Paid the debt and made me free.

Before us is a wonderful illustration of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, and how He paid the debt and made us free. It is the story of how Boaz, as a kinsman-redeemer, redeemed Ruth. In our last study we learned about the role of a kinsman-redeemer. Now let's notice the only example of a kinsman-redeemer in the Bible. From this example we learn 3 things about our redemption.

First, notice with me:

1. THE REQUEST FOR REDEMPTION

Ruth had a need for a kinsman-redeemer. Likewise, we have a need for a Redeemer. The law had provided for her a kinsman-redeemer and the Lord has provided for us a Redeemer. You might say that for both Ruth and ourselves, redemption is for the taking.

First, we see Ruth:

A) Asking For Redemption

Let's go back and consider a few verses that we considered in our last study. Notice Ruth 3:6-9, “And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.  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.”

She said, "for thou art a near kinsman.” She recognized Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer and requested that he be her kinsman-redeemer. Her actions were a custom of that day in which one asked another to be their kinsman-redeemer. She was asking Boaz to be her redeemer.

Ruth requested and Boaz responded. Notice Ruth 3:11, “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.”  On Ruth's part it was as simple as that. All she had to do was ask. And when she asked, Boaz said yes! The Bible tells us in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Salvation on our part is as simple as asking. We are told in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”  If we will ask Him, He will accept us. Salvation is as simple as that. We acknowledge that Jesus is the only Redeemer and we ask that He be our Redeemer. To anyone that ever asked, Jesus has never said no!

We also see Ruth:

B) Assured Of Redemption

Ruth was assured of redemption by two things Boaz did. First there was his promise. Notice Ruth 3:13, “Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth: lie down until the morning.”

Boaz assured her that he would do the part of the kinsman. He promised that he would take care of everything. All Ruth had to do was ask and everything else was up to Boaz. Ruth was to rest in his promise that he would redeem her.

I have heard people say something like, "If we do the best we can, then that will be enough, for that is all we can do." May I be very clear and say that doing the best we can is not enough. Furthermore there is nothing we can do. Salvation is not based on what we do, but what He has done. Our part is to ask and the rest depends entirely on Him. We rest in what He has done. Jesus took care of all that had to be done for our redemption.

 The songwriters said it well:

Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling.

My hope is built on nothing less,

Than Jesus blood and righteousness.

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe.

Tis done, the great transactions done.

Then she was assured by his provision. Notice Ruth 3:15, “Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.”  He gave her a token, 6 measures, (24 gallons or 88 pounds of barley) to assure.  He said, "I will redeem you and here is a small token to prove that I mean what I say."

Notice Ruth 3:16-17 , “And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.  And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.”   She walked in the next morning and Naomi asked, "Who art thou, my daughter?” She was asking if she was future wife of Boaz. Ruth said, "Look for yourself. What do you think?"

The Lord loads us down with proofs that we are redeemed. He gives us the evidence that we are His.  There is an internal proof. Something happens on the inside. There is an external proof. Something happens on the outside.

Both His promise and provision give us assurance that He has redeemed us just as it assured Ruth that Boaz would redeem her.

Secondly, we see:

2. THE REQUIREMENTS OF REDEMPTION

In order for Boaz to become Ruth's redeemer, there were certain requirements. There was certain business matters of which Boaz was responsible.

First, the Kinsman had to be:

A) Worthy

I say worthy in the sense of meeting certain qualifications. For one thing, He had to be a relative. Not just anyone could be a redeemer. He had to be a kinsman. We read in Leviticus 25:25, “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.”

Boaz met this qualification. Do you remember Ruth 2:19-20, “And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.”

Boaz was a near kinsman, thus was qualified. Did the Lord Jesus meet this qualification? We read in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

He that was God became man. He that was Divine became human. He became one of us. He became a relative of the human race. We read in Philippians 2:7, “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

There was a day that the Lord of Glory forsook His royal chariot to alight on this earth. You could say that he undressed Himself. He gave to the clouds His bow. He gave to the sky His azure mantle. He gave to the stars His jewels. He gave to the sun His brightness. He that was from eternity was embodied in human flesh, demonstrated in human life, and was crystallized in human form. He became kin to us!

Not only did the redeemer have to be a relative, but he also had to have the resources. He had to have the money and means to pay the price. He had to be rich enough.  Did Boaz meet this qualification? Notice Ruth 2:1, “And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.”  He was a man of wealth. He was financially able to be her kinsman.

Did Jesus meet this qualification? Was He able to redeem? Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  Also we read in Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

He was more than able. He was a relative and He had the resources. When Ruth asked Boaz to be her redeemer, He said yes, for he knew that he could be her redeemer. Our Lord is qualified to be our redeemer.

Dr. L.R. Scarborough, while president of Southwestern Seminary in Texas, was preaching on the story of Jonah and the whale. When he got home, his son said to him, "Daddy, did you really mean what you preached? Do you really believe that?  Daddy, do you believe that a fish could swallow a man and keep him alive for three days and three nights?"

This great man sat his son down and said, "Well now son, let me ask you a question. If God could make a man to begin with out of absolutely nothing and if God could make a fish to begin with out of absolutely nothing, son, don't you believe that God could make a fish that could keep a man alive for three days and three nights?" The little fellow said, "Well, if you're going to bring God into it that's different."

When you look at the wonderful story of redemption you see Jesus stepping into the situation and He steps into it as a qualified, able redeemer.

Secondly, the kinsman had to be:

B) Willing

Boaz was a relative and had the resources, but there was one slight problem. Notice Ruth 4:3-4, “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. And he said, I will redeem it.”

Boaz was a near kinsman, but there was one that was nearer. The nearer kinsman was the first one in line to be Ruth’s kinsmen redeemer. Boaz said, "Ruth, if he chooses to redeem you, then I'll have to let him. But if he don't, then I will redeem you."

Now notice how things happened. We read “Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down” (4:1-2).  The first thing the next morning Boaz went up to the gate. The gate was the center of the life of a community and a city. It was the place where people met and fellowshipped. But more important it was the place that cases were heard and contracts were made.

Boaz waited until the nearer-kinsman passed by and he hollered at him. “Ho, such one! Turn aside and sit down. I want to talk with you about something.” Then Boaz asked that the elders sit down. Boaz was asking for a court hearing. Boaz put the case before the elders and the nearer-kinsman.

“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. And he said, I will redeem it” (4:3-4). 

Boaz told him about the situation. There was a parcel of land that Naomi had lost. He carefully lays out the details of the case. He reminds the nearer kinsman that he was the first one with responsibility of redeeming Naomi. Boaz asks if he would redeem the land for Naomi? He said, "Sure, I'll redeem it." 

I'm sure Ruth's and Naomi's heart sunk when they heard him say "yes." But Boaz had a trump card up his sleeve. Notice Ruth 4:5, “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.”

He says, "By the way, if you buy the land, you will also have to marry Ruth. She is the wife of one of Elimelech's sons." When he hears that he changes his tune. We read, “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” (4:6).  When he realizes that a wife comes in the deal he decides that he doesn't want to be a kinsman redeemer. Legally he was qualified, but personally he disqualified himself. He said, "I don’t think I want to do that"

That opened the door for Boaz, the next in line to be a redeemer. He was both worthy and willing to be a kinsman-redeemer. Notice Ruth 4:7-10, “Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.”

Boaz says, "I’ll buy her." In those days the transfer of a sandal symbolized a change of ownership and came to be used as a sign of any agreement made and publicly witnessed between two parties. The nearer-kinsman pulled his shoe off and said, "Here, she's yours."

In our case there was a near-kinsman. That nearer-kinsman was the law. That law declared we were sinners. That law showed that we were sinners. That law showed that we needed a Saviour, but it could not redeem us. But there was one that was both worthy and willing, both available and able. Paul said in Romans 8:3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” 

Our flesh is a near-kinsman. But our flesh cannot save us. But Jesus is able and willing! Praise God He was willing! He is the kinsman was able and willing! He is our kinsman redeemer.

Thirdly, we see:

3. THE RESULTS OF REDEMPTION

We see two things that resulted from Boaz becoming Ruth's kinsman-redeemer and the results of our redemption.

First, there is:

A) The Position Of The Saints Is Established

Notice Ruth 4:11, “And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.”

She is no longer called a Moabitess but a woman. They express their wishes that she be like Rachel and Leah. the mothers of Israel. She has a new position in life. Redemption takes the outcasts and makes them part of God's family. It makes a sinner a saint. It makes a hell-bound sinner a heaven-bound saint.

Secondly:

B) The Praise Of The Saviour Is Expressed

Notice the latter part of verse 11, “And do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.”  They said in effect, "May you be praised for what you have done." When we stop and think of what Jesus has done for us, the heart wants to sing out: "To God be the glory - great things He has done."

Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer;

With His blood He purchased me.

On the cross He sealed my pardon,

Paid the debt and made me free.