TODAY’S SCRIPTURE Ruth 4:13-17
There is a reason that the Bible is still the #1 bestselling book on the market, especially in a postmodern society. The reason is it is great literature. The Bible is filled with every type of genre imaginable.
The book of Ruth has all of the makings of a #1 bestseller that would also result in a blockbuster movie. The story will have the reader crying, laughing, and sitting on the edge of his or her seat because there is suspense at every turn.
The plot of the story covers the life of Naomi. She and her family leave their home in Bethlehem because of a famine. They flee to Moab, but after a certain amount of time passes, her husband and two sons die, leaving her a widow with two widowed daughters-in-law. When Naomi hears that the famine is over in Israel, she and her daughter-in-law Ruth return to Bethlehem. However, the coming harvest does not solve the issues the two now face in Israel. They need a male who would provide an income. During this period that someone is called a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz, the third character in this story, is that person. In today’s text, the women in the village are celebrating because Naomi’s family now has a redeemer, not only in Boaz, but also in the child born to Boaz and Ruth.
As Matthew points out in his genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5), Jesus comes from this fine lineage of redeemers. He is in the fact the greatest redeemer not only in His lineage, but in all of history. It is through His blood that He has bought and brought us out of spiritual famine and emptiness and given us a full relationship with God, just as Boaz did for Ruth and Naomi physically. Jesus is the one who restores our lives and gives us nourishment in our old age. He is renowned by both Jews and Gentiles because it is His redemption that has brought us together as one.
Today, I will…reflect on my journey from a child of the world to a child of God. I will think back on my life when it was empty and think how God redeemed me and how He brought me into a spiritually full relationship with Him.