RUTH 3\u20134<\/b><\/p>\n
So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, \u201cBuy it yourself.\u201d And he removed his sandal<\/i><\/p>\n
(Ruth 4:8)<\/i>.<\/p>\n
As we in the late twentieth century read the last half of the book of Ruth, we are made acutely aware of the immense cultural and temporal gap that separates us from that day and its practices. Although what is happening may seem strange, this passage actually gives us a glimpse of the practical application of certain divine mandates buried in the book of Leviticus which we easily miss\u2014mandates which mercifully provide for societal protection of the weak and unfortunate.<\/p>\n
In Leviticus 25, under the more general discussion of the year of Jubilee, we are also confronted with the idea of redemption. When we hear the word redemption,<\/i> our tendency is to think in terms of God\u2019s supernatural work in saving His people. But the primary emphasis in Leviticus 25 is on redemption in the here and now\u2014redemption of land and homes to their original owners and redemption of people to personal liberty out of slavery or servitude. It is redemption on a human scale which recognizes, with occasional references, Yahweh\u2019s sovereign ownership of all things (25:23, for example).<\/p>\n
The theory of Leviticus 25 is played out in Ruth 3\u20134 as Naomi determines to sell the land belonging to her dead husband in order to gain capital to survive. What is potentially confusing in chapter 4 is that two different Israelite regulations come together in this one episode. Initially the unnamed kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 4:1, 3) is willing to redeem the land from Naomi. However, Boaz then reveals that along with the land comes the obligation to fulfill the levirate regulation. This meant that whoever redeemed the land also had to marry the dead man\u2019s relative so as to maintain that family line of descent (Deuteronomy 25:5\u20136). For one reason or another (perhaps his own family situation), the unnamed kinsman-redeemer could not, so he deferred to the next in line for redemption. This was Boaz. In a modification of the negative stipulation of Deuteronomy 25:7\u201310 (where a man unjustly refuses the levirate obligation), the transaction was finalized by exchanging a sandal.<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Psalms 36\u201337<\/p>\n
Acts 22<\/p>\n
In Ruth we see God\u2019s providential hand guiding events, and providing for redemption. But we also see faithful people who are willing to follow God\u2019s commands to show mercy to His people. Consider how God wants you to show mercy to His people who are in need near you. Like Boaz, be willing to take risks to help God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
For further study: Leviticus 25; Isaiah 43:1\u20137; Amos 2:6; 8:6; Galatians 6:7\u201310<\/i><\/p>\n
tuesday<\/p>\n
july<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RUTH 3\u20134 So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, \u201cBuy it yourself.\u201d And he removed his sandal (Ruth 4:8). As we in the late twentieth century read the last half of the book of Ruth, we are made acutely aware of the immense cultural and temporal gap that separates us from that day and its practices. … Continue reading “REDEMPTION IN RUTH”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}