Kinsman-Redeemer: a male relative whose responsibility was to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need

“You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’ You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life,” (Lamentations 3:57-58).

I do not like to ask others for help. Instead, I try to do everything I can on my own. I don’t want to become a burden or bother, and I don’t want to feel indebted to anyone. Sometimes this is detrimental to me, as trying to do too much on one’s own can lead to exhaustion, frustration, and self-neglect. Nevertheless, one learns to carry on and do what one can.

However, circumstances of this past year have made some things impossible for me to fulfill on my own, as I simply don’t have the time, the means, or the tools to complete them. If, like me, you live in Missouri, you’re well aware that our weather has been crazy these past few months. Most recently, we have experienced several severe storms and received a substantial amount of rainfall. Unfortunately, April showers brought more than just May flowers.

I have a very large yard, and needless to say, it became a jungle, preventing my kids and I from going outside to enjoy the few days in which it did not rain and even making it difficult to get to my vehicle. I’ve been without a lawnmower since it was taken last October, and with my current limitation of funds, I resorted to asking family members to borrow one. I planned to do the mowing myself; I just needed the equipment to do it.

I was cleaning out my youngest child’s room and purging things the other day when I heard the noise of a lawnmower. I assumed it was the neighbor, but when the sound got closer, I went to investigate. From the door, I saw a truck sitting in my driveway, and when I went outside, there was my brother-in-law, mowing my overgrown lawn.

If you’re a person used to doing everything yourself, with the heaviness of stress, uncertainty, and responsibilities weighing on your shoulders day after day, you can likely understand why the kindness of my dear brother-in-law completing the simple act of mowing my yard brought me to tears. He was my kinsman-redeemer that day. It was one less worry taken from me, and I am so grateful to him.

We can further learn about and appreciate the blessing of a kinsman-redeemer within the Bible.

Ruth

(Ruth 1-4)

Ruth was a Moabite woman who had married an Israelite man, one of Naomi’s sons, after the family fled Bethlehem due to famine. While living in Moab, Ruth’s father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband all died, leaving Ruth, Naomi, and Ruth’s sister-in-law, Orpah, widowed, poor, and vulnerable without a male relative to care for them.

Naomi decided to return to the land of Judah after hearing that the famine was over. Orpah chose to return home to live with her blood relatives, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi’s side, instead remaining a permanent part of Naomi’s family.

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me,’” (Ruth 1:16-17). 

After reaching Bethlehem, Ruth went to work gathering food for Naomi’s and her survival as they had no male provider. Unbeknownst to her, God placed Ruth in fields owned by Boaz, a relative of her deceased father-in-law. Boaz noticed Ruth working and asked the overseer who she was. He was told she was Naomi’s daughter-in-law who returned with her from Moab.

Knowing she was a relative and impressed with her devotion to Naomi, Boaz showed kindness to Ruth. He encouraged her to gather grain only from his fields where he assured her that she would be safe from harm, provided her with water and food, and had his workers leave extra stalks of barley for her.

Ruth returned to Naomi with more grain than normal for a day’s work by one woman. Therefore, knowing someone had shown her favor, Naomi asked in whose field Ruth worked. Ruth told her about Boaz. “’The Lord bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.’ She added, ‘That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers,’” (Ruth 2:20).

Ruth continued working in the fields of Boaz. Naomi, seeing an opportunity for future comfort and happiness for her daughter-in-law, encouraged Ruth to approach Boaz in the hope that he, as a kinsman, would marry Ruth and continue her late husband’s family line. Boaz was willing but there was a closer relative who had the opportunity to fulfill the duty before Boaz could.

Boaz met with the other relative who was interested in buying the land left by Naomi’s late husband. However, the man was not willing to marry Ruth to redeem the property and lineage for her late husband. Therefore, Boaz, next in line, agreed to do so.

“Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!” (Ruth 4:9-10).

Boaz became both Ruth’s and Naomi’s kinsman-redeemer through the marriage. God blessed them with a son they named Obed, who was the grandfather of King David.

Like Ruth, my kinsmen have been a blessing to me this past year, especially these last couple of months. They’ve helped me repair things broken, spent hours with me clearing my yard of limbs, assisted me with moving and hauling things bigger and heavier than I could manage, cooked for me, kept my fridge stocked with eggs (the equivalent of gold these days), and displayed to my sons how men should treat women and help those in need, especially relatives.

No matter your family situation, you have a kinsman-redeemer…we all do…the ultimate family guardian. Jesus came to redeem us all from our sins. As children of God, He rescued us from death. “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you,” (Isaiah 44:22).

Through His precious blood, Jesus paid our debts, and just as Boaz made Ruth his bride, Jesus made His church, the collective body of believers, His bride. “For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth,” (Isaiah 54:5).

If you are feeling alone and burdened, vulnerable without help, in debt from sin you can’t find a way out of, look to Jesus. He’s already redeemed you. You simply have to accept that blessing of love and forgiveness and become part of the family of Christ.

“…In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding…” (Ephesians 1:4-8).

Have a blessed week!

-Becky