Costly redemption (Ruth 3-4, Psalm 37, Acts 4)

Ruth had been left a childless widow, she was in a foreign land and had sought the protection of the LORD. Our Psalm (written by one of her great grandchildren!) for today tells us “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) and “those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land” (37:9). Was David describing what his great grandmother had done? And perhaps he thought of his great grandfather as he wrote “the righteous is generous and gives” (psalm 37:21).

It certainly seems a fitting description for his godly ancestors. Ruth had left her moabite family to become one of God’s people even though the future had looked so bleak. She had no husband, no child and Naomi was well past giving her another husband. But Ruth delighted in the Lord, she trusted in his provision and protection.

Sometimes when we pray the answer is “no”, God knows that what we are asking for is not best for us, sometimes He answers with “slow” – it’s a good thing, but not yet, keep praying! Sometimes He says “go” and grants what we have asked for, and sometimes He says “overflow” and gives us more than we can imagine.

This is what Ruth experiences! In Boaz, she finds not only redemption, but that she will become the great grandmother to the great king David, and then of course to our great redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ!

The tension builds in the narrative as we discover that there is a closer relative who could redeem the land for the family, but when he discovers that to redeem the land would have included marrying Ruth and having children and giving inheritance to Naomi, he says its too costly. But Boaz is delighted to pay the price for her redemption.

In Boaz we see a picture of our bridegroom, the one who delighted to pay the price for our redemption. He was generous and gave his own life for us (Psalm 37:21, Mark 10:45). When we think how costly it was for Jesus, it is amazing to consider that He was delighted to do it. Such was His love. He knew that it was the only way, for as Peter tells us in our reading from Acts 4 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Spend some time thanking God for your costly redemption and delighting in Him!