OUR FATHER WHO SET UP THE LINEAGE OF OUR GREAT REDEEMER TO ITSELF, HAVE A KINSMEN-REDEEMER 

Continuing with the story of Boaz and Ruth, a legal matter needed to be dealt with before they could marry.

Another man was first in line to redeem the land and the family members of the men who had died in Moab. 

This man had the role of kinsmen-redeemer who is a senior relative who can take over the guardianship of a family if the family suffers the loss of its progenitors. This is done primarily to perpetuate the existence of the family and its name in the land.

Boaz, with integrity, in the presence of witnesses, presented the man who was first in line the option of redeeming the lineage of Abimelek. To do so, he would have to buy the land Abimelek  owned from his widow Naomi and by marrying the widow of the son of Abimelek who had died before having children

The man who was first in line, realizing that the undertaking of such a redemption would complicate his own inheritance, relinquished his option to redeem the land in the presence of all the people who were there.

Boaz then announced to everyone that he would step in as kinsmen-redeemer and purchase the land from Naomi, Abimelek's widow and marry Abimelek's son's widow, Ruth.

Hearing this, the community leaders blessed Boaz as Ruth chapter 4 verse 11 records;

Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

Those men in the humble village saying these words, knowingly or unknowingly, were making a eternal declaration that would reverberate throughout history regarding the continuation of the lineage that would bring forth the redeemer of the whole world.

Boaz and Ruth had a son whom they named Obed and  Obed had a son name Jesse and Jesse had a son named David. David became  King of Israel and it is this throne of David that  our Redeemer Jesus the Christ will inherit.

The lineage of our great Redeemer Jesus Christ itself had a kinsmen-redeemer step in to redeem it and perpetuate it into the future so that our Lord could be born in Bethlehem as a son of David.

Amen.