What is a kinsman redeemer?

Personally Boaz is represented as "a kinsman" and a "mighty man of wealth." The word "kinsman" used so many times in the Book of Ruth, is elsewhere translated "redeemer", a word that gives the true import of the kinsman's service. The kinsman had the right, and the power, to redeem his brother and his brother's inheritance, if either had passed into the hands of a stranger.

Also verses 47-49, "And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: either his uncle or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he is able, he may redeem himself."

From the law of the Lord contained in these verses we observe that only a near of kin could perform the part of the kinsman-redeemer - in other words, there must first of all be relationship to the one needing redemption, either a brother (Lev. 25:25), or an uncle, or an uncle's son (Lev. 25:49). The kinsman-redeemer was to step in, in cases of disaster and difficulty, and buy back either the property or persons, or both, of the relatives who had sold themselves or their possessions to a stranger. More than this, the responsibility laid upon such was not to be shelved or evaded. The kinsman-redeemer who refused to fulfil his office was to be in disgrace in Israel. For this see Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

That man through the fall was in a condition of disaster and difficulty there is no need to explain here, and furthermy reader will readily agree that a Redeemer was certainly needed, One who was both able and willing to save. But perhaps you have never thought or noticed from God's word the necessity of such an One being related to us. If salvation was to be provided it had to come by One who could claim relationship, that is, relationship by birth. Hence it is that we are told in Hebrews 2:14-17 concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He also Himself likewise took part of the same. Forverily He took not hold of angels, but He took hold of the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." And again that well known passage in Philippians 2:7 tells us that He "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the formof a servant and was made in the likeness of men," and again Galatians 4:4, "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law," and just one other passage we would refer to in this connection, Romans 9:4-5, "Who are Israelites. and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." Herewe have the true Humanity, as well as the Deity, of Christ set forth in the one verse.

All these Scriptures, and many more, speak of the humanity of the Saviour, and from them we learn that it was as essential forthe Son of God to become Man as it was forthe Saviour of sinners to be God Himself. The two wonderful themes are inseparable, the Kinsman-Redeemer for mankind must be, and can only be, God Incarnate - Man Divine - the God-man Christ Jesus. His humanity proves His right to redeem, forthereby He became related to us - sin apart - whilst His Deity supplies the ability to redeem. The essential qualifications of a kinsman-redeemer of old were:

The Kinsman under the Law had to do two services to redeem either the person or the inheritance of his brother, if either had been sold to a stranger; to avenge the wrong done to his brother, whether (I may say) it were captivity or death.

These things are seen in Leviticus 25 and Numbers 35, where (as the Englishman's Hebrew Concordance shows us) the word for "kinsman," "redeemer," and "avenger" is the same.

This person, the Kinsman, was, as we most surely know, a type or a shadow of the Christ of God. In riches of grace, the Lord has undertaken these two services for us; ransoming us from the rightful, righteous claims of God by the sacrifice of Himself, and thus redeeming us and our inheritance; and likewise avenging us on the head of our enemy, delivering us from him who has the power of death.

Boaz goes to "the gate," the place of judgment, and there meets "the elders," who were the guardians and vindicators of righteousness. And there, in their presence, and to their full satisfaction, he sets aside the nearer kinsman, and thus gets out of the way the hindrance that stood in the way to his taking Ruth and all her burdens upon himself. Faith had counted on this, that "the man would not be at rest till he had finished the thing," (Ruth 3:18;) and so it came to pass. Boaz settles the whole affair, Ruth has but to "sit still," as Naomi had instructed her, and her Kinsman is faithful and her Redeemer is mighty.

A Kinsman in Israel was one that did not, as Naomi had told Ruth, forget his kindness to the dead or to the living. (Ruth 2:20) Nay, to the poor and to the oppressed, we may add. He was to ransom the inheritance, the sold inheritance, of his poor brother — he was to avenge the blood of his murdered brother — he was to raise up the name of his dead and childless brother. Beautiful services, showing forth grace in its riches, its depth and its variety. And Boaz is made to represent this.

*The same Hebrew word signifies kinsman, redeemer, and avenger.

Here in Ruth we find even a forth task of the redeemer. The duty of an Israelite mentioned in Deut. 25:5 to marry the widow of a deceased brother to maintain this latter's name was apparently also applied to the go'el (who could also be a remote relative). - Yet this practise was no longer customary in later Judaism.

The fourth chapter of Ruth illustrates the point. When Boaz challenged the kinsman nearer than himself as to the redemption of Elimelech's inheritance, at first the man proposed to act. All that occurred to him for the moment was the question of purchase, and it might have been a profitable transaction. When Boaz reminded him that redemption went further than mere purchase and involved his taking up all the rights and duties connected with the estate, the lifting up of the fallen, the entering into personal relationship with Ruth, and through her with Naomi, then he declined.

Undoubtedly it has. To purchase was one thing — anyone might do that: to redeem was another. The nearest kinsman had the first right, but one had to be a kinsman to have any right of redemption at all. There is no kinship between angels and men: hence no angel could redeem a man even if he had possessed the power to do so. The Lord Jesus did not become an angel; He became a Man and thereby established that kinship which qualified Him to become our Kinsman-Redeemer. How important then is the true Manhood of our Lord.

As we shall see presently there was a kinsman-redeemer in the case of Ruth who could claim priority in relationship even over Boaz, one who most surelyhad the right to redeem, and further was willing to redeem, but alas he came short in the second qualification. His ability to accomplish that work was lacking and he was rendered helpless to undertake the task. But Boaz not only had the right to redeem and was willing to do so, but best of all, he was able. So in the case of the Saviour, He had the rightto redeem man, by virtue of His tremendous stoop from the highest glory to the deepest depths of humiliation. Because He was the Son of God became Man, it settles once and for all the question of the Redeemer's righttoredeem, whilst the glorious fact that He who didbecome Man was also very God, establishes without doubt or controversy His abilityto undertake the work. But perhaps the crowning hate of all is to be found in the fulfilment of the requirement, namely, His willingness.Out of love to our souls the blessed Saviour willingly undertook our case, giving Himself a ransom for all, and now writer and reader can say (if the latter is a child of God) "The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." He who thus fulfilled all three qualifications of the Kinsman-Redeemer has accomplished the task to the entire satisfaction of a thrice holy and righteous God, and redemption is now a glorious fact, procurable by whosoever will. Appropriation by the sinner is all that is needed to obtain the blessing which Christ has secured.

But this is a digression. Though all land was to revert every fiftieth year to the family to which it had belonged, it could be bought back, or redeemed by any of the family or their relatives, before that time. See Leviticus 25:23-28. Naomi therefore, as it would seem, being compelled to sell, hoped that one of her kinsmen would buy or redeem it. Boaz, the mighty man of wealth, was one of her nearest kinsmen, and she evidently looked upon him as one likely to redeem it for her. And there was another question involved: the law laid it down that if a man died childless his nearest relative or “brother” was expected to marry his widow, and the first-born of the union was to be called after the deceased, so that his name should not perish, or be cut off, in Israel. See Deuteronomy 25:5-10. So the near kinsman would have a double duty to perform; he would not only be expected, if able, to redeem the land, but also to marry Mahlon’s widow. So, instructed by her mother-in-law, Ruth, anointed and adorned, goes to the threshing-floor of Boaz where he was winnowing barley. If he continued his work well on into the night it was to take advantage of the wind, probably. And when he lays himself down to rest at the end of the heap of grain, Ruth draws trustfully near and lays herself meekly and modestly at his feet. “And it came to pass: at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid ; for thou art a near kinsman.” It is an Oriental courtship, and strange and unbecoming as Ruth’s conduct might appear in the eyes of Westerns, it was considered perfectly proper in the “days when the judges ruled,” and would be considered so still in the East, we suppose. Her asking Boaz to spread his skirt over her indicated to him that she was willing to become his wife (see Ezek. 16:8). And though she is but a poor widow of Gentile origin, Boaz expresses himself as quite agreeable to the proposal. He says, “Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.” He means by this last (“all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman”) that he understood her motives perfectly. He had not the slightest question as to the purity of her design in coming to the floor thus at night, and he graciously promises to perform for her all that she desires. He says, “Thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.” How is it with you, believer in Christ? What are you following, or with whom do you have fellowship? Ruth, (as it became a widow) lived a life of retiring modesty and separation. And Christians are called to walk in separation from this world’s principles and pleasures. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world,” writes the beloved John. “For all that is in the world,” he says, “is not of the Father but is of the world.” The young men, poor and rich, from whom Ruth kept herself, are like the things of the world of which John speaks. The poor young men would be like those coarser and gross pleasures from which it is comparatively easy to keep oneself, if saved. “The lust of the flesh,” John calls them. But he speaks, too, of “the pride of life” which would answer more to the rich young men. These would be of special temptation to a poor young woman like Ruth, and it is of the more refined and subtle forms of worldliness that Christians have most to beware. Almost any Christian would shrink from attending a public ball, or witnessing a sensational play or reading a French novel, but Satan is cunning and he has ready for our enticement that which awakens the “desires of the mind,” if he cannot allure through “the lusts of the flesh.” Both forms of depravity are mentioned in Ephesians 2:3. They are equally destructive of holiness, and the devil does not care one whit which he uses to hinder our communion with God or mar our testimony for Christ. Oh saint of God, shun, avoid, eschew whatever is not of Christ or the Father! Follow not these “young men whether poor or rich.” Boaz says to Ruth, “Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest” (chap. 2:21). And the apostle exhorts by the Spirit, “Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). “And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest” (chap. 2:22-23). Oh, for grace to persevere in the path of separation to the end.