April 25

April 25

Ruth's Redemption -- The law of the kinsman-redeemer & the genealogy of Jesus.

Today's Readings:

Reading 1: Ruth 4

Reading 2: Matthew 22:23-33

Reading 3: Matthew 1:1-6

And so we reach the beautiful conclusion of the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. The nearer relative is initially willing to redeem the land (a process by which the kinsman-redeemer pays for the land and then effectively gives it back to the displaced relative as their living). But when he learns there is a Levirate marriage involved in the transaction, he declines to redeem because he does not want to jeopardize his existing children's inheritance by fathering sons with another wife.

So Boaz can fulfill his promise to Ruth and thus bring fresh hope and provision to Naomi. She was the one who left the land during the famine, and now in her old age, she will have a home, grandchildren, and safety.

The elders of Bethlehem bless Boaz with the words, "May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah."

As is often the case, God decides to bless them even more than that; their son Obed becomes the grandfather of King David, and an ancestor of our Lord Jesus, the most famous child of Bethlehem! As Jesus describes in Matthew 22, God is the God of the living, not the dead. He desires to do more than we can ask or imagine.

May the Lord bless you today and make you fruitful in ways beyond your imagination!

Have a great day!

Mark.