Grace: God's Unbelievable Redemption

Grace is not only God's unending provision and God's unlimited resources, above all, it is God's unbelievable redemption! This truth is especially evident in Ruth 2:20. I said last week that we would take a closer look at verse 20 this week, the key verse not only in chapter two, but in the entire book of Ruth. So let's do that now; let's take a close look at Ruth 2:20.

There is a lot to be learned here that will introduce us to what is yet to come in the Book of Ruth. Naomi made two statements in this verse during her conversation with Ruth. First, she said, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" (v. 20a). Second, she said, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives" (v. 20b).

First, the phrase, "the living and the dead," has been interpreted as a reference to both Naomi and Ruth ("the living"), and Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion ("the dead"). It is thus taken as the equivalent of "everyone." God "has not forsaken" (v. 20a) Naomi and Ruth, but God "has not forsaken" (v. 20a) Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion either. His "kindness" (v. 20a) is to the whole family. Naomi's statement may indicate that she already anticipated what was about to take place.

Second, Boaz is described here as "a close relative" (v. 20b). Literally, it is the Hebrew word "ga'al," meaning "kinsman redeemer" (as in the NIV). Boaz, by law, could fulfill the duty of preserving the name of the dead by marrying Ruth. He had already begun to fulfill this duty by providing food and protection for her.

The root of "ga’al" means "to redeem" or "buy back," usually with an emphasis on the redemption being the privilege or duty of a near relative. The responsibilities of the "ga’al" included avenging the death of a murdered relative (Num. 35:19), marrying a childless widow of a deceased brother (Deut. 25:5-10), buying back family land that had been sold (Lev. 25:25), buying a family member who had been sold as a slave (Lev. 25:47-49), and looking after the needy and helpless members of the family (Lev. 25:35), as Boaz had already been doing.

It is difficult to know how conscientiously this law was observed since the Israelites broke most of the covenant laws in the time of the judges, but Jeremiah 32:6-25 indicates that it was still binding in the sixth century B.C., many years after the time of Boaz. What we are about to witness in the Book of Ruth is that righteousness still existed in Israel, even in the time of the judges. At Bethlehem, where so much sin and rebellion existed, there was yet one godly man by the name of Boaz. He would certainly carry out his God-given task. We are about to experience unbelievable redemption in the Book of Ruth.

Let's return to our opening question from a couple weeks back: What is grace? Benjamin Warfield said, "Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving" (George Sweeting, Great Quotes and Illustrations, cited in Swindoll's Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1998, 253). Here Ruth had begun to experience just that, free sovereign favor, even though she didn’t deserve it.

That is what grace is. It is God standing ready with unending provisions. It is God standing ready with unlimited resources. It is God standing ready with an unbelievable redemption just for you! God's grace stands ready for you! Like Naomi and Ruth, trust God no matter what is happening around you. At all times, no matter where you are, trust God. He will, by His grace, meet your every need. Amen.