Happy Monday! Today we will start our study of Ruth, chapter 2, but before we begin we are going to look more in depth at the role of the kinsman-redeemer. This is an important relationship for us to understand in the context of the book of Ruth. Almost everything that happens from chapter 2 – 4 is related to this concept.
Here is what we found out about how the kinsman-redeemer could function...
1) redeem property once owned by an impoverished relative which might have been sold out of economic necessity
2) redeem impoverished relatives who were forced to sell themselves into servitude
3) avenge the murder of a relative
4) act as recipient of money/property paid for a wrong committed against a deceased relative
5) assist relative in a lawsuit so that justice could be served
6) redeem a clan widow facing old age along without anyone to care for her
To Make a Connection... Look up Lev. 25:47ff to read the first time the general concept of the kinsman-redeemer is introduced in the Bible
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Ruth 2:1-6.
Grab your notebook and answer the following questions...
1. What do we learn about Boaz from 2:1?
2. How did Ruth respond to her current circumstances?3. What custom is described in Lev. 19:9-10?
a. Who are the people for whom provision is made?
b. What do we learn from Deut. 24:19-22 that was not stated in the Lev. 19 passage?
* In Deut. 27 and 28, Moses reminds the people of the blessings/curses that accompany obedience/disobedience. Deut. 27:19 states "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow..."
4. The possibility of a land-owner refusing to allow the impoverished to glean from his field may be a concern to Ruth. What does she say that indicates her concern?Just for fun...
Although the kinsman-redeemer had the responsibility to redeem the needy in his clan, the choice to do so remained his. Can you remember? If he refused, his family line would then be known as the ________ __ __ ______________ (Deut. 25:10)?
