Boaz – The Kinsman Redeemer
Boaz is actually the main character in the book of Ruth.
He is the one that becomes the focal point of the book.
Just as in our lives, we are the main character until we receive Christ and then from that point forward, Jesus becomes the main character of our story.
Matthew 1:1-4 NKJV (1) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: (2) Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. (3) Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. (4) Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
Judah and his 11 brothers were born through Gentile women: Rachel, Leah and the two handmaids.
Tamar is a Canaanite woman. Perez and Zerah were twins. Perez continues in the genealogy because He followed the Lord and Zerah did not.
What removes the curse from these Gentile women? It is their faith in the Lord.
This shows us that God is really not all that concerned where you come from but that you have faith in Him.
God does not look at the circumstances of our lives to determine the destiny that He has planned for our lives.
Matthew 1:5-6 NKJV (5) Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, (6) and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
The Law of the Kinsman Redeemer
The Kinsman was to provide for and financially take care of immediate family members in the case of their financial ruin, or bondage.
Leviticus 25:25 NKJV (25) ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 NKJV (5) “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. (6) And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. (7) But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ (8) Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, ‘I do not want to take her,’ (9) then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ (10) And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’
Jesus became our kinsman because He came into the earth and took upon himself flesh. That qualified Him to be our Kinsman. He agreed to be our Kinsman Redeemer and when our old husband died, we were free to marry Him.
Romans 7:1-4 NKJV (1) Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? (2) For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. (3) So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. (4) Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
Jesus fulfilled all of the obligations of the Kinsman Redeemer by providing for us and being our source of everything.
Ruth had nothing but because of Boaz, she became wealthy and blessed.
Ruth 2:1-3, 19-20 NKJV (1) There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. (2) So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” (3) Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
(19) And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” (20) Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Boaz was a wealthy man before he ever met Ruth.
Aren’t you glad that Jesus had every resource to take care of you before you received Him.
God has provision enough to meet every need that we would possibly have.
Boaz could fully take care of Ruth and Naomi and meet their needs and not even make a dent in his wealth.
God is so big, that if every human being on the earth was Born Again, filled with the precious Holy Spirit and was walking the abundant life that God has prepared for us, it would not even make a small dent in the wealth that God possesses.
Jesus was our Redeemer even before you came to know Him. Boaz was Ruth’s redeemer even before she knew about him and Naomi remembered him.
Ruth 3:1-6 NKJV (1) Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? (2) Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. (3) Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. (4) Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” (5) And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” (6) So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
Naomi is essentially telling Ruth to go down and ask Boaz to marry her.
Ruth 3:7-9 NKJV (7) And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. (8) Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. (9) And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”
The spreading of the (wing) cloak over the woman was a symbol of marriage. Remember the husband is the covering for the wife and her protection.
Malachi 4:2 NKJV (2) But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Matthew 9:20-21 NKJV (20) And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. (21) For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”
Matthew 14:35-36 NKJV (35) And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, (36) and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
When Ruth is saying this, she is actually asking him to marry her as the kinsman redeemer.
But he must clarify his right to marry her because there was another relative.
Ruth 4:1-13 NKJV (1) Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came 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 close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. (4) And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” (5) Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.” (6) And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” (7) Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. (8) Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. (no spitting in his face). (9) And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. (10) Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.” (11) And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. (12) May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman.” (13) So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
I can imagine that after Boaz agrees to marry Ruth and they are walking back to Boaz’s house, Ruth may have asked the question, “Why would you love me so much and want to have anything to do with me since I am a Moabite woman from a cursed race of people? Why would you love me so unconditionally and accept me just as I am?”
I believe that Boaz said, “Well, before we go home to my house let me take you to meet my mother. My mother is Rahab and she was a prostitute and God had mercy on her and received her and made her a part of the Children of Israel because she simply believed and received Him as her deliverer.”
Rahab married Salmon and they were the parents to Boaz.
Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho that ended up marrying one of the two spies sent into Jericho.
Joshua 2:1-2 NKJV (1) Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. (2) And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
Joshua 6:22-23 NKJV (22) But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” (23) And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
This is the forgiving power of God!
Matthew 1:1-6 NKJV (1) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: (2) Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. (3) Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. (4) Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. (5) Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, (6) and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
At the close of this Bible Study, some of the ladies shared about the live event with Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore that was presented Friday, May 15th. You can go to the archived video using the link below. You will need to register for a free account and then enjoy!
Click HERE to watch the Video.