Ruth 4:14a – The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer." (NIV)

While standing by my mother's hospital bed. I found myself attempting to understand what was really going on. I was familiar with the bed; mother had been in that bed at home. The oxygen tent was the added component; Does it mean that my mother is really sick? At age 13, before the fulfillment of my desire for my mom to leave the hospital, she took her last breath and went home to be with the Lord — at the age of 40. What I did not realize was that my mother had made a deathbed request of my father to marry her sister so that his three children would have a mother to care for them. My father and aunt took this responsibility seriously — shortly after my mother's death, my father and my aunt were married.

This occurrence reminds me of the biblical custom of a kinsman-redeemer: a male relative who shares the same racial, cultural, or national background as another. In the Old Testament, the word kinsman is most often used as a translation of a Hebrew word that means "one who has the right to redeem". An outstanding example of this custom is found in Ruth chapter 4, where Boaz, a near kinsman of Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law), acted as a redeemer in accordance with Jewish law, and married Ruth. The line of David traces through this union and is the one from which Jesus was born.

Ruth 4:17 – The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (NASB)

In the New Testament, the title redeemer is applied to Christ, Who became our Kinsman-Redeemer. Christ, as Saviour, freed mankind from sin by His sacrifice — His death on the cross. Thus, our kinsman-redeemer paid the full price to redeem us now and into the blessing of eternal life.

Hebrews 2:17 – For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. (NIV 2011)

Consider this: Have we been freed from sin by the acceptance of Christ as our kinsman-redeemer? And if we have accepted Christ's sacrifice for sin, how are we exhibiting this new life to others who need to be freed from the chains of sin to become brothers and sisters with Christ?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming (saving) us from the power of sin by the sacrificial death of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We are so grateful to have become brothers and sisters with Christ our Saviour, Who has become our Advocate with You, for which we give You glory, honour, and praise always. We pray in Jesus' holy name. Amen.

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