Redeemed!

Just as the Lord redeemed Judah, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” (Joel 2:25) the Lord God Almighty is our personal redeemer.  Yes, just as Nicole C. Mullens sings it - "my redeemer lives!"   He has already redeemed my life, from things that I have brought onto myself, and also from things, in His sovereign righteousness, He himself has allowed in. 

It’s interesting, after having been in a culture that is so aware of their physical and spiritual needs in life – coming back into American culture, I can see how often we forget our need for God.  We are easily disillusioned by the control we are able to have on our lives, and often simply forget our desperate need for a savior.  The truth is - all of us are in need.  Americans and Ghanaians alike have “wounds” and struggles, but do we take them to God for redemption, forgiveness and peace – or do we hold them in, and continue acting out of our “wounds” and human nature?

Boaz, through his redemption of Ruth illustrates how God ultimately redeems us all.   Ruth is the courageous woman who followed Naomi, her Jewish mother in-law away from her own Moabite (pagan) family, thus pronouncing her faith in Yaweh.  Their husbands pass away due to famine or disease, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Ruth’s sister in-law Orpah desperate to find a way to survive.  Orpah does as is expected and returns to her Moabite family, while Ruth “clings” to Naomi – and they travel together back to Naomi’s home, Bethlehem.  Here, Ruth takes it upon herself to go to work, gleaning in the fields. 

Interesting side note: In the Law God gave Moses, specifically in Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22, Israelites were commanded to leave part of their crops they were harvesting on the trees or in the fields.  This was specifically designed to provide for those who weren’t able to provide for themselves, and so if they were willing to do the work, there was food left for them.  Just an interesting note on philanthropy – we are keen to keeping up with every last cent we are owed, and need compensation for every extra work hour – but maybe there is a way we can “leave” part of our work, for those who are less fortunate and could really use something that may seem so small to us? This is a self-less way to give – but we will need to be pretty creative to implement it into our lives today.

So - as soon as Ruth mentions to Naomi that she was gleaning in Boaz’s fields, and the overwhelming kindness that he had shown her, Naomi says, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead! … This man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

A redeemer is defined as the person who is next of kin who is able to “redeem” their family or “the official guardian of the family’s honor.” (John MacArthur, Twelve Extraordinary Women)  The role of the family redeemer was to redeem land that was sold to get out of debt or redeem widows without children to take care of them.  John MacArthur writes, “Every kinsman-redeemer was, in effect, a living illustration of the position and work of Christ with respect to His people: He is our true Kinsman-Redeemer, who becomes our human Brother, buys us back from our bondage to evil, redeems our lives from death, and ultimately returns to us everything we lost because of our sin.”

Praise the Lord He has redeemed our lives!  Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth, and Naomi’s land for these relatives who had remained faithful even though the harshest of trials – our God has redeemed us from the grave.

He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.' - Job 33:28

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. - Isaiah 43:1