Ruth The story of Ruth tells of a kind and loyal woman and of the hidden providence of God, who makes all things work together for the good of those who love him (Rom 8:28). This story, part of the history that leads to the Messiah himself, starts with sadness but ends happily. Ruth lived during the turbulent period of the judges. A foreigner from Moab, she married into an Israelite family from Bethlehem when that family was living in Moab. All the men of this Israelite family died in Moab, leaving behind three widows—Ruth, her mother-in-law Naomi, and her sister-in-law Orpah. When Naomi decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem, Ruth cast her lot with her mother-in-law. Ruth’s declaration of love, loyalty, and faith in the Lord (Naomi’s God) has few equals (Ruth 1:16-17). As Naomi had expected, the situation in Bethlehem was difficult for her and her daughter-in-law. Ruth, by her own initiative, undertook solving the problem of food for herself and Naomi through the hard and risky task of gleaning in the grain fields (2:2). She acted with modesty, grace, and courtesy, but also with determination, focus, and endurance. With Naomi’s encouragement, Ruth then took the...

The Family Redeemer The idea of a family redeemer, established in the law of Moses, finds a vivid example in the story of Ruth. In that book, the expression “family redeemer” has a specific, technical meaning. Elsewhere, the underlying Hebrew term go’el is translated “nearest relative” (Num 27:11; 35:19, 24). According to the law, family redeemers had three main responsibilities in Israel: 1. Leviticus 25:23-34 stipulates that if an Israelite became so poor that he had to sell his land, a family member was to pay off the debt so the land would remain in the family. If no relative could purchase the land and the seller was unable to buy it back, the land still reverted to the seller or his heirs in the Jubilee (fiftieth) Year. Two examples of family redeemers buying land for their relatives are Boaz (Ruth 4:1-12) and Jeremiah (Jer 32:6-15). 2. Similarly, if an Israelite became so poor he had to sell himself into debt-slavery, a family redeemer was to buy his relative from service to a non-relative (Lev 25:35-55). The poor Israelite would pay off his debt by working for his relative, who could be expected to treat him better than a stranger would. 3. The family redeeme...