“‘The LORD bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living or the dead! … He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.’”
Ruth 2:20
The walls of bitterness built up in Naomi’s spirit have come tumbling down. She now has the eyes to see that she is not forsaken. But we can ask a question from this text: Whose kindness is she referring to? Is it Boaz’s or the Lord’s? I think the answer is both because the heart of Boaz here reflects the heart of God. And through Boaz, the Lord’s kindness is evident to the formerly-embittered Naomi.
Now with her attitude transforming, Naomi also offers us new information: Boaz is their relative, and thus one of their redeemers! This means he has the right to buy these destitute women out of their poverty and restore them. The prospect of freedom and hope sets the stage for the climax of the book.
Before we get to that climatic point, we need to return to the life of Ruth. The Lord has used her to draw Naomi from hopelessness to hope. It’s wonderful! Yet while Ruth points to Jesus, she is not Jesus. She has her own hard story within God’s greater story of grace. Her heavenly Father will meet her there, just as He does for you and me.
Now with her attitude transforming, Naomi also offers us new information: Boaz is their relative, and thus one of their redeemers! This means he has the right to buy these destitute women out of their poverty and restore them. The prospect of freedom and hope sets the stage for the climax of the book.
Before we get to that climatic point, we need to return to the life of Ruth. The Lord has used her to draw Naomi from hopelessness to hope. It’s wonderful! Yet while Ruth points to Jesus, she is not Jesus. She has her own hard story within God’s greater story of grace. Her heavenly Father will meet her there, just as He does for you and me.
Scripture Focus
Ruth 2:20-23
Insight
Friend, the Lord has never and will never leave you nor forsake you.
Bible In A Year
- Numbers 17-18
- Psalm 70
- John 11