Ruth 2:20. “And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, ‘Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.’ And Naomi said unto her, ‘The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.’”
KINSMAN-REDEEMER. Amidst great departure in the nation – a man of honor A mighty man it is true, a man of wealth, a man of integrity. Not too high to see the needs of others around him; Not too low to lose the respect of those who know him – The KINSMAN-REDEEMER.
In his field the was much activity – the time of harvest was here In his field there was unity – laborers and gleaners worked together In his field there was purity – the women who worked there were safe
In his field there was plenty – for him, his servants and the poor – The KINSMAN-REDEEMER.
In his field there was counsel – between the master, the servants and the widow In his field there was care – the master saw, knew and met the need of the poor In his field there was comfort – food and water for hungry and thirsty, shelter from heat In his field there was compensation – for laborers, and “Handfuls of purpose” for Ruth The KINSMAN-REDEEMER.
There was no evil-speaking in the field – the master was there There was no jealousy in the field – fairness was there There was no fear in the field – all knew the master’s will there There was no sloth in the field – the harvest was passing there – The KINSMAN-REDEEMER.
He knew his responsibility – there were rights to be maintained He knew his ability – he could meet the need of the widows He knew his heart – he didn’t ignore what he wanted He knew how to deal with the needs – he had a role to fill as… The KINSMAN-REDEEMER.
“There is no question, O God, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the great Kinsman- Redeemer for his bride today. Everything I see in Boaz can be clearly seen in the Lord Jesus and His relationship to His bride. May all who are part of this body of believers realize our privilege to be known by Him and chosen by Him. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
GIVE THANKS The value of giving thanks for all the blessings we received should never be underestimated. When Ruth came home after gleaning all day in the field of Boaz she had "about an ephah of barley." That would be close to thirty pounds of grain, which would normally be an unheard-of amount for a gleaner to gather. It was obvious to Naomi that something special had happened in their lives and behind it, God was working on their behalf. When we receive unexpected gifts or more than we had expected, we have a tendency to be suspicious of the reason behind the gift. It seems like we suspect the giver has some expectations of us that are beyond what is normal. So instead of being grateful we wonder if there is some obligation tied to the gift. We have gotten used to greed that comes more easily than gratitude. It is easier to ask for help than to accept the fact that someone wanted to give the gift without strings attached and without being asked. We are slow to give thanks without restraint to another person because we think in terms of giving to others to get favors back.
Furthermore, we may be embarrassed by the generosity of others when we realize we have been taking and expecting to receive, rather than looking for ways to give with joy. "God loveth the cheerful giver." We may honestly feel unworthy of blessings bestowed on us by others and their generosity convicts us of our lack of giving simply because we are grateful to God for what He has allowed us to have. Some people see generous gifts almost as a form of money and payment that has as its motivation the measure of worth. The costly gifts are worthy gifts and the cheap gifts are not of value. When that happens, we are looking at the gift rather than the giver.
Pride shows its ugly head when we feel worthy of receiving generosity and ingratitude for what has cost someone who may have just wanted to show appreciation. The big pile of grain Ruth brought home after the day's work was proof of the generosity of Boaz, and both she and Naomi were grateful for this provision he provided for them. No doubt Naomi was surprised and thankful for the amount of grain but also for the cooked food Ruth had left over from her lunch. She had worked all afternoon and was probably hungry but was conscious of the need of her mother-in-law and brought the food to her. No one else knew she had kept the leftovers to share with Naomi. There is something about being thankful that has a lasting appeal to those who know what we have done for them but do not advertise so others will know and think well of us. We have the weak, the aged, the handicapped and lonely who need our assistance and will be thankful for the little things as well as the big things. These people need our time, empathy, encouragements, talents and financial aid. We need to show our gratitude to God by practical living by faith unselfishly. Naomi was immediate in her expression of gratitude to the Lord and her benefactor.
The details of what and how generosity was motivated may not be known as far as the details, but like Naomi expressed herself, we should "in everything give thanks." Joyful gratitude has a significant impact on the giver and there is something that is not forgotten when an act of kindness is truly appreciated. Naomi believed Boaz's act of kindness deserved a reward from God and did not hesitate to say so with a grateful heart. Ordinary people of faith see God's hand at work in the ordinary things of life. Prayer is a way of expressing gratitude for someone else when we bring that person's name before the Lord for His attention and commendation. A prayer commendation is one way to show gratitude both to God and the person whose name we mention to Him.
Boaz was known to Naomi as a close kinsman-redeemer who knew his duty was to keep a family and property together. Ruth probably didn't know all of those things of which Naomi was aware such as the fact that Ruth's husband, Mahlon, who had died was the legal heir to the field of Elemelch, and that a dead man's wife was part of that inheritance. Ruth was no longer an outsider and was considered one who was guaranteed grain until the end of both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. The lack of food was no longer a problem because Ruth was being protected by Boaz from harm, verbal abuse, ridicule and innuendo from the young men because she was a stranger. Now that was past. It should be normal for us as those who the Lord has blessed through the efforts of others to express our gratitude for the privilege of steady work, gifts that express friendship, kindness that has been shown. We give words of gratitude to God through whom "all blessings flow." We "count our blessings" and praise God for His goodness to us. It is only right for us to pray the prayers of thanksgiving for those who have benefited us that we might enjoy what we have and in turn demonstrate our gratitude by being faithful.