Finding Jesus as the Kinsman-Redeemer (Ruth)

Ruth – “The Kinsman-Redeemer”

Key Verse: Ruth 4:14 — Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.”

Explanation: It is difficult to recognize the poignant beauty of this affirmation of blessedness unless we realize that by the end of chapter 1 of Ruth, Naomi had fully embraced despair. Losing her husband and her sons, her life was precarious and her future was less than certain. She expressed the hopelessness of her situation when she said, “Do not call me Naomi (meaning Pleasant); call me Mara (meaning Bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:20-21).

In contrast, Ruth’s determination to abide with Naomi even in her dejection demonstrates a depth of character that is inspiring. What motivated Ruth? She testified herself, “where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth had obviously come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and was determined to put her trust in Him—even as her life circumstances were devastated.

The narrative is clear enough. Ruth caught the attention of Boaz, a relative of Naomi. What attracted Boaz to Ruth? She was foreign, but her character and faithfulness was evident. It would be easy to think that Ruth was deserving of the blessing she received. But the key to her future blessedness was embracing Naomi’s God—even while Naomi was not holding steady in her own faith.

In the fullness of time, Boaz and Ruth were married and produced a son named Obed. The child was presented to Naomi and set upon her lap—indicating that he would be considered the son of Naomi as well as Ruth. I have often imagined this woman battered by loss glowing with a heart full of joy as she held that little boy. This is an important affirmation of hope for anyone who is experiencing a season of tragedy and loss. If we’ll just trust in Him, the Lord can mend our broken heart and restore our joy.

Obed is also a link in the line of promise that would lead to David—and eventually to Jesus Himself. That means that Ruth—along with Rahab the harlot from Jericho—is in the lineage of Christ. And, by Jewish convention, so is Naomi.

Our great God and Savior, who read from Isaiah 61:1-2 when He appeared at the synagogue in Nazareth, fulfills the promise of Isaiah 61:3 to all who put their trust in Him. He grants “those who mourn in Zion…a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

Make the same choice Ruth made. Let go of your mourning and ashes. Receive the oil of gladness He offers, and but on a mantle of praise to His everlasting glory. Let Him be your Kinsman-Redeemer.

Part 1- Interview with Alisa Childers

Tim Moore: Our guest today is a young lady who has a gift for speaking with winsome clarity into our very confused culture.

Some of you will be familiar with Alisa Childers. She is a well-known Christian singer and song-writer. She was a featured voice on the powerful apologetics film, “American Gospel.” Alisa also shares insights and wisdom through a blog. If you don’t know her already, you’ll be eager to seek her materials online. Alisa, I’m so glad you could join us today!

Alisa Childers: Oh, it is great to be with you, thanks for having me.

Tim Moore: Well, it is our pleasure for sure. And you know I’m one that had heard your powerful Christian voice on Christian music first, but I really paid attention when you spoke out on “American Gospel.” Tell our viewers a little bit about that project and how you became involved.

Alisa Childers: Well, that is an interesting story. I had not heard of the American Gospel the original one, because I was in the second one. So, I hadn’t heard of that until somebody made me aware of it, and I watched that first American Gospel movie, I think it was called, Christ Alone, and I just loved it. And I’m not even kidding, the next day I got an e-mail from Brandon who is the director and producer of American Gospel asking if I’d like to be a part of the second one that he was working on that was going to directly address Progressive Christianity. And boy, I was fresh off of just watching that first one and I knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of. So, I said, “Yes,” and I am so glad that I did. I think he did such a fantastic job answering some of the claims of Progressive Christianity, specifically as they relate to the atonement of Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross.

Tim Moore: Yes, ma’am, I could absolutely agree. And as a matter of fact, I hope our viewers will go back and watch not only the first “American Gospel” but the second that you participated in. But for today let’s dive into the book of Ruth. This is one of the two books of the Bible that are named after women, the other one of course being Esther. And unlike Queen Esther, Ruth was not even a Jew by birth.

Alisa Childers: Yes, that’s right. And I love, the book of Ruth is actually one of my favorite books in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. I think maybe Daniel eeks it out a little bit there. But I love the book of Ruth, I think there’s so much richness to learn from it. And yes, I am excited to talk about it today.

Tim Moore: Well, Ruth demonstrates and offers a beautiful example of how God turns tragedy into beauty. Can you speak to your experience of that truth in your life perhaps?

Alisa Childers: Yes, it really does, doesn’t it? Because you have Ruth she is from Moab, she’s not a Jew and she essentially ends up widowed. And of course, we don’t have to go through the whole story right here, but God really does redeem her story in such a beautiful way. And He has done that in my life. And I think probably the most shining example of that is the story that I tell in my book, “Another Gospel” of essentially being a life-long Christian and loving Jesus as far back as I can remember. But having my faith intellectual challenged by a Progressive Christian pastor, who was honestly making a lot of the same claims that Atheist and Agnostics make. And so, I went through a faith crisis that was really at the time, there was nothing about it that was beautiful to me at the time; it was very lonely, it was terrifying, it felt like I was drowning in doubt. And yet, the Lord used that difficult time in my life to lead me to the study of apologetics, and really begin to rebuild my faith. And so, honestly, the fact that I’m even sitting here talking to you today is an example of God taking those hardships and turning them into beautiful things. Because it is such a joy that I get to help other people who are going through their own kind of faith crises, through the content that I produce, and just being able to write and speak to it, to hopefully help some others along who might be in the position I was in before. And God is so faithful to do that.

Tim Moore: He certainly is, and your writing is indeed beautiful, just like your singing. I appreciate the insights that you share, that the Lord has laid on your heart. But really from your study, and we credit Him, but I’m grateful that you are a willing conduit of that blessing to many others. And so, that crisis of faith that you speak about is almost like Naomi, at one point she was ready to consign herself to permanent grief. But Ruth, her daughter-in-law choose life, to go on living and to honor both Naomi, and the God of her people. In that regard Ruth is a tremendous exemplar of faith. Tell us a little bit more about your love for Ruth as the person, and character she was.

Alisa Childers: Yes, she is an interesting character in that she and her fellow sister-in-law Orpah they come back with Naomi from Moab when they hear there is food in Bethlehem, and they go back there. And basically, Naomi just says, “Go back to your people. Go back to your gods. Leave me alone.” She is basically even when they get to Bethlehem she says, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara, call me bitter. And she’s basically, God has brought this great grief on her life. But then there is Ruth who just seems to constantly cling to life, to goodness, and to beauty. And she doesn’t go back to her people. She says, “Your God will be my God.” It is that famous speech that Ruth gives to Naomi, you know I’ll die where you die, you’re God will be my God. And she gets essentially sort of grafted in, as we see as the story develops. But yes, I do think it is a great example of faith.

And we think about faith being a sort of trust, right? The Bible talks about faith being an active trust. And I think that Ruth really shows that in the way she clings to Naomi, she goes back with Naomi. And it seems like every decision she makes, everything she decides to do is something that not everybody would try to do. She could have just consigned herself to grief with Naomi; but she continues to make these choices that lend toward trusting in the God of Naomi. And so, I think it’s just a really beautiful story and example of God’s sovereignty of course, but of Ruth living that out and watching what God does in her story.

Tim Moore: It is an incredible story. In the previous books that we’ve already reviewed, God had clearly established a special relationship with the Jewish people choosing them as His own inheritance and promising to bless them. But He also intended for them to be, as I’ve already mentioned with you, a conduit of blessing to the Gentiles. So, how does Ruth demonstrate the blessing that flowed through the Jewish people into the Gentile nations?

Alisa Childers: Yes, so this is multilayered, right? Because with Ruth we have sort of this, on the top of it we have this example of somebody who is not Jewish essentially being grafted into the Jewish people, being accepted, and this is sort of foreshadowing the Gospel being given first the Jews, and then to the Gentiles of course. So, we have these little hints throughout the Old Testament that God is doing something with the Gentiles. Right? We have other examples of this as well all throughout the Old Testament of non-Jews being grafted in, essentially to the people of God, and to the Jewish nation.

And then this sort of multilayered aspect of this too is that Ruth is the, I believe, the great-great-grandmother of King David. And of course, we know the Messiah is going to come through the line of David. And so, it awe-inspiring to see that in the lineage of Jesus you have certain Gentiles who God grafted in. And its just kind of neat to see that, that you have just basically this widow who isn’t even from Israel, essentially make it into the lineage, the genealogy of Jesus, and a woman too. So, it is very interesting how God choose to accomplish that in the life of Ruth, and through the life of Ruth.

Tim Moore: It is, Ruth is a foreshadow, as you said of the providence of God, whereby Gentiles, you, and I and all of us who have put our faith in Christ who are not of the seed of Abraham by direct lineage are grafted into the family of God. So, she is a forerunner of all of us. But you also mentioned that along with Ruth, one other Gentile woman back in this era of the narrative of Scripture is a prominent character who is also in the lineage of Jesus. And someone who might have been a very unusual character to be grafted into the lineage of Christ. Who was that, and why is her story so special?

Alisa Childers: Yes, and this is so sweet. I just think that when you really think about the couple of women that are actually mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. They’re probably not the people that you would choose on a human level because here you have Ruth who is not even a Jew.

And then the other woman that is in the genealogy of Jesus that we find in Matthew, in the first chapter of Matthew is Rahab. And of course, Rahab was a prostitute, and her story is one of those well known stories from the Old Testament when Joshua had sent spies into the land of Canaan, to Jericho to see what is going on. And she essentially shows faithfulness, in fear of the real God, and so she protects them, she actually lies to protect them. And she ends up being grafted into the Jewish nation and makes it into the genealogy of Jesus as well.

And I don’t know, I just think there is something really quite beautiful about those choices, that you have such a picture of redemption. I think sometimes we tend to think, oh, man I am too far gone, I am too far gone for God to love me. Or sometimes we can erroneously think, “God would never save somebody like me, or maybe I’ve done too many wrong things.” But just look at these women that are in this genealogy of the Messiah, of Jesus, you have a non-Jew, and then you have an actual prostitute, of course she didn’t remain a prostitute but that was her past, that was her background, but God used her. And then we have all of that documented in that genealogy we find in Matthew which is, to me its kind of mind blowing, and it really shows the heart of God toward people. It shows His heart toward redemption. Which really I think the whole book of Ruth really is about redemption. It’s about that foreshadowing of the Gospel coming to all people, and how God is going to accomplish that. So, really cool stuff that is pretty multilayered I think.

Tim Moore: Well, while there is no dramatic Christophany, or appearance, if you will, of the pre-incarnate Christ, in the book of Ruth, there is a clear type of the Messiah. Who is that?

Alisa Childers: Yes, so this is the cool part of the story here is you have Ruth essentially telling Naomi, of course we know back from Old Testament Law that Israelites were commanded to sort of take care of the foreigner and one of the ways they were commanded to do that would be to let them sort of gleam the outside of the fields and take what is left over, essentially, as far as I understand it. So, Ruth was going to do that. She said, “I’m going to go see if I can find favor with somebody. And so, she begins to glean, in her mind what might have just been a random choice, the field of someone named Boaz. But then we learn that Boaz is actually related to Naomi and essentially acts as kinsman redeemer. And so, this is a big theme in the book of Ruth. And kinsman redeemer means one who redeems. And this is mentioned, as far as I understand it, 13 times in the book of Ruth, this is a massive theme in the book. And so, essentially what he ends up doing is he buys back the land of Naomi and marries Ruth, fathers a son with Ruth to basically keep that family line alive.

But what is so stunning to me about this is that when Naomi comes back and she says, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara,” about being bitter, and God having afflicted her life is what she said. You know you have Ruth sort of forsaking her pagan heritage, following the God of Naomi. And then with Boaz coming in he redeems them to keep that family line alive, but also it is like redeeming them because they could have been utterly destitute, they had nothing. They had nothing when they came back in utter poverty. So, not only was that a way that God used that kinsman redeemer to provide sustenance for them and life. But also, to again, like we know, the lineage of Jesus goes through Boaz and Ruth. Which again, just so fascinating the connections that only a sovereign God could connect, so it is a beautiful story.

Tim Moore: It certainly is. And Naomi herself also exemplifies the redemption offered by God because Naomi who had said, as you already cited, “Call me Mara. Call me bitterness.” She came back and as Ruth was faithful. And as Ruth was redeemed and her life was restored by being married to Boaz their child Obed became the beloved grandchild of Naomi. And I can almost picture, because the Scripture describes her sitting with this child on her knee, and this woman who had given herself over to absolute bitterness and grief, is now restored to joy with this new life, this new child. And as a grandfather, myself, I understand that because my grandchildren bring me great joy.

Alisa Childers: Yes, I don’t know if you know this, but we just became grandparents as well. So, my oldest step-daughter and her husband just had a little baby boy. Yeah, there is just something so special about that grandchild, and even the way that is so healing in a lot of ways. So, I think it is very cool.

Tim Moore: Well, Miss Alisa, congratulations to you and your husband, your whole family, and I pray that you all have lots of time together with that little one. Now, I also know Alisa that you have been a very powerful voice in our culture, not just through the film, “American Gospel” but through your ministry, through your blog and your website, warning of the dangers of Progressive Christianity here in America. The false gospel that undermines the truth of the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ. Tell us about your work.

Alisa Childers: Thank you for asking that, because this is something that is, it is not an easy lane to be in because typically what I’m doing most of the time with my book, and with my YouTube channel and podcast, is I’m sort of addressing the movement of Progressive Christianity and trying to give Christians language, and arguments to basically refute it. Because as you mentioned it really is a false gospel. A lot of people are under the impression that Progressive Christians are just a group of Christians who might be embracing a broader understanding of social issues, or they might be little bit changing their minds on some politics. And while, all those things are present, it’s really a movement of people that have redefined God, they’ve redefined Jesus, and they have really diminished the authority, and the inspiration and our view of those things in regard to the Bible. And it’s really giving you a different God, and it is not a God who can save you.

And so, my heart is to provide… I have a YouTube channel and a podcast where I interview really great experts on some of the relevant topics as they relate to Progressive Christianity. And hopefully to help give Christians some language, and some biblical data, and some apologetics in whatever they might need to be able to converse with people that they love, people in their life who might be being swept up by this false gospel of Progressive Christianity. And so, I’m just thankful to the Lord that I am able to do that. And I’ve had a lot of really great responses from people who have just articulated that, this really helps me to talk with my loved one that is swept up in this. So, that is my goal, and that is my heart.

Tim Moore: Most Christians are familiar with Isaiah 61:1 & 2 because that is the passage that Jesus read when He stood in the synagogue in Galilee, that of course being in Luke chapter 4. But the next verse describes the restoration that Ruth experienced, because he said, that he came to “provide for those who grieve in Zion and to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” That is Ruth’s life story and Naomi’s in a nutshell. What would you say specifically to young women today, who wonder if anyone loves them with a real love?

Alisa Childers: Oh, goodness. What an opportunity to get to speak to that because I think that is the thing that, especially when it comes to women our culture is so confused, right? We have so many mixed messages we are sending women. My next book is all about these messages that we are being told, like you are enough, everything you need is inside yourself, there is nothing outside of yourself that you need in order to find wholeness, or to be healed, or anything like that. And what a terrible message to send especially to women, who we all know that we can’t as Allie Beth Stuckey wrote in her book, “you’re not enough and that is okay,” the self can’t both be the problem and the solution.

So, a lot of women, I think, have a lot of brokenness in their past for all sorts of different reasons, and the world tells us to just look inside of ourselves for the answers, but we are not enough on our own, we do need to go outside of ourselves to a God who is enough, a God who is perfect. And I think that if women could especially just get their mind around the fact of how much God really does love them, and the only way that we can know and understand God’s love is to spend time getting to know Him in His Word. Reading books like Ruth to see the heart of God towards His people.

Sadly, I think so many people spend so much time just reading the sort of problematic verses from the Old Testament, or quote on quote, “problematic verses” from the Old Testament that might be put on social media by an atheist, or even by a Progressive Christian to try to show how evil the Bible is, or morally dubious the Bible is. This happens all the time. And sadly, I think a lot of people get their view of God from some of those posts, by these cherry picked verses that are taken out of context.

But when you really get to know God and His Word, when you read how His divine hand lead Ruth through that. When you see His heart toward Deborah. When you see His heart toward Esther. And how He leads these women through their lives, you get to know a little bit about His nature and character. And really what you find is a God who is so merciful, who continually holds back His hand of judgment and gives people years to repent, and to turn to Him. And sadly, I think sometimes we only get the passages where you see the judgment being enacted, and then people take that out of context and they are very surprised by that, so it gives them a skewed view of God.

But I would just say to women out there, get to know Him in His Word. Read the entire Bible through. There are lots of great apps to help you do that in a year. And before you make any judgments about this, or that, read it all the way through, get it in your bones a little bit and see what picture of God emerges. Because what I read when I read Scripture is a God who is loving and merciful. And very, very much so toward woman, which stands in direct contrast to what many ancient books portray the gods, or whatever their god would be and their attitude toward, especially women, but humans in general. So, get to know God and His Word and I think you’ll see that love that He has for you.

Tim Moore: You certainly will. And I will say this as a father, an imperfect father of three daughters, and you have two daughters, I would point my daughters to the Father who is perfect, and to the God who loves them better than I ever could. So, for all the young women who are watching this program today we pray that they come to know the God that Ruth came to know, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who loves each of us for who we are but because He created us, and because we are precious in His sight. That’s what gives us value. And so, Alisa, thank you for your bold voice, again, you are an exemplar to young woman, to woman in general for being outspoken in your love for the Lord. To being candid about some of the challenges you’ve had, but the way the Word of God has illuminated, the God who loves you, and who loves all of us.

Alisa Childers: Oh, thank you so much for those encouraging words, and it’s just been great to get to come on and talk about Ruth. And I don’t always get a chance to talk about something like a Bible book, or a book from the Bible that specially, so this was really fun, and it got me back into Ruth a little bit trying to back and study it, which is so fruitful and awesome. So, thank you so much.

Tim Moore: Well, thank you very much. We hope that you’ll come back again, and we look forward again to being able to share your writings. We’ll make sure our viewers know about your website and blog. But for today, Alisa, Godspeed.

Alisa Childers: Thank you.

Part 2- Signs of the Time- Do-Over

Tim Moore: Most of us remember playing games as kids. My brother and I used to play a lot of baseball and football in the backyard. Whenever a play didn’t turn out quite right, or resulted in a disputed call, we’d call out, “Do-over.”

Everyone understood that a do-over would simply cancel out a bad or uncertain play. Sure, some great plays were probably voided, but that fresh start covered over a lot of mistakes and allowed play to continue.

Ruth and Naomi certainly got do-overs in their lives.

Most adults look forward to a New Year because it represents a sort of do-over. We make new resolutions to finally start that diet, or get in shape, or stop spending so much. We’ve probably all resolved to stop bad habits or develop good new ones.

But in reality, there is nothing magic about the transformation from one year to another. Most resolutions are quickly broken. Gyms and diet promoters know that January is their cash cow, but that most new patrons fall off long before their new membership expires. Psychologists estimate that it takes at least 21 days to lock in a new habit, and most people are simply not disciplined enough to stay on target when the habit they’re trying to form goes against the grain of an existing bad habit or their personality.

Radical transformation in our personalities, let alone our habits, is difficult and rare. But Jesus offers us a real do-over. He offers us a chance to wash away all the dirt and grime that has accumulated in our lives over the years, what we call sin. He offers to give us a new heart, replacing what He calls our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Sinners’ lives are radically transformed when they put their trust in Jesus Christ. And our transformation as believers gives us something even better than a lifetime warranty, eternal life with Christ!

As the old saying goes, “But wait, there’s more!” The Lord doesn’t just zap us with a new and improved attitude when we believe in Him. His Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, ensuring that we are continually transformed into the likeness and image of Jesus Christ. That’s why I can say with a straight face, I’m not perfect, but the Lord is not done with me.

And, Jesus has promised that in the fullness of time we will undergo one more really radical transformation. When He comes again for His Bride, the Church, in an event called the Rapture, Christians who have already died will be resurrected. Those of us who are still alive will rise up with them to meet Jesus in the air. And we will be given gloried bodies, glorified minds, and glorified hearts. We will no longer be trapped in bodies that are decaying, with minds that are failing, with hearts that tend to stray from the Lord, back into our old sinful habits.

As our current Lamplighter magazine describes in detail, Jesus has promised to make all things new. Don’t wait! Supplies of His love and grace are not limited, but this is a limited time offer!

Part 3

Nathan Jones: I like your reference to do-over, Tim. I think that it is something we can all relate to.

Tim Moore: I that’s because all of us need a fresh start at times, whether with a new job or a transfer, or in playing a game, or even because we accepted Jesus Christ. Everyone who put their trust in Christ at some point had to come to grips with their great need for a Savior.

Nathan Jones: Well, Tim, do you think Ruth anticipated the restoration that awaited her when she returned with Naomi back to Judah?

Tim Moore: No, I really don’t think she did. I think she was merely living faithfully. As she said, “Where you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” And because she chose to live faithfully she is a profile in righteousness.

Nathan Jones: I agree. I don’t think most of us have a clue where God is leading us, or the blessings that He has in store for us. Paul cites Isaiah and says, “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Tim Moore: The only question is whether we’ll trust in Him. And, although Jesus is not mentioned by name in the book of Ruth, Boaz as the kinsman redeemer points directly to the coming Messiah. That is why our key verse is Ruth 4:14.

The Key Verse Commentary on our christinprophecy website will explain why that verse captures Ruth’s theme and highlight another important verse or two.

Nathan Jones: We’ve been moving steadily through the Old Testament for the past three months. We pray this series has been a blessing to you as we’ve followed God’s metanarrative and seen how Jesus Christ is woven throughout the Bible. But next week we’re going to pause briefly on our journey through the Old Testament.

Tim Moore: That’s right. Today we talked about a do over. For the next three weeks we’re going to bring you highlights from the wonderful streaming conference Nathan planned, focusing on the Great Reset. You won’t want to miss these highlight episodes. Until next week, this is Tim Moore.

Nathan Jones: And Nathan Jones, saying, “Look up, be watchful, for the Lord, our Kinsman Redeemer, is drawing near. Maranatha!”

End of Program