How does Boaz's kinship to Naomi connect to Leviticus 25:25 on redemption? Setting the Scene • Naomi has returned to Bethlehem destitute (Ruth 1:21). • Her late husband Elimelech’s land is sitting idle; without male heirs, it could slip permanently from the family line. • Ruth, the Moabitess, is loyal to Naomi but also without provision. Understanding Leviticus 25:25 “ ‘If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, his nearest kinsman is to come and redeem what his brother has sold.’ ” (Leviticus 25:25) Key points: • “Nearest kinsman” (Heb. go’el) = blood relative with the right and duty to buy back land sold in hardship. • Purpose: keep inheritance inside the covenant family and guard Israel’s tribal allotments (Numbers 36:7). • Act of grace: the redeemer absorbs the cost so the impoverished kin regains life and future. Boaz’s Kinship Link to Naomi • Ruth 2:1 — “Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing…whose name was Boaz.” • The Hebrew term for “relative” signals covenant responsibility; Boaz is within Elimelech’s clan, therefore qualified to act on Leviticus 25:25. • Naomi identifies him: “The man is a close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.” (Ruth 2:20). • The presence of a nearer go’el (Ruth 3:12) reinforces the legal framework: only a blood connection empowers redemption. Outworking of Redemption in Ruth 4 1. Land Redemption • Ruth 4:3-4 — Boaz states, “Naomi is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.” • He offers the nearer kinsman first refusal, honoring Leviticus 25:25 procedure. • When the nearer kinsman declines, Boaz publicly purchases the field (Ruth 4:9). • Result: the property stays within Elimelech’s lineage; Naomi is economically restored. 2. Marital Redemption • Ruth 4:5 — Boaz links land purchase with marrying Ruth “to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.” • Though this blends Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (levirate marriage), both laws share the goal of preserving family lines. • The elders bless the union; Obed is born, giving Naomi an heir (Ruth 4:14-17). Foreshadowing Greater Redemption • Boaz pays a personal cost, acts voluntarily, and secures inheritance for others—echoes of the ultimate Redeemer. • Isaiah 59:20 speaks of the coming “Redeemer” (go’el) for Zion; Titus 2:14 reveals Christ “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness.” • Ruth and Naomi’s regained future anticipates believers’ restored inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-4). Takeaway Boaz’s blood relationship to Naomi activates the Leviticus 25:25 provision, allowing him to reclaim land, raise up offspring, and transform loss into legacy—a concrete illustration of God’s redemptive plan that reaches its fullness in Jesus. |
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