Historical Background
For the historical context, you should read the book of Ruth, which is a beautiful love story. It's a short, easy read of only four chapters. But essentially it is about a Jewish woman named Naomi who leaves Israel with her husband Elimelech and two sons during a time of famine. They move to Moab and settle there, where her two sons each marry Moabite women, one of which was Ruth. In the course of time, her husband and two sons die, leaving her and her two daughters-in-law as widows.
Naomi eventually decides to move back to Israel. Although both of her daughters-in-law begin to follow her, she tries to persuade them to stay in Moab, but Ruth insists on following her. Ruth says to Naomi, "Where you go I will go. Where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God." (Ruth 1:16).
Back home in Bethlehem in the land of Israel, Naomi and Ruth struggle in poverty to survive without a man to provide for them. Ruth gleans out in the fields, walking behind the servant girls as they reap the barley harvest. She picks up the gleanings that the servant girls have dropped on the ground.
The owner of the field is a very wealthy man named Boaz, who falls in love with Ruth when he sees her. He gives special instructions to his servants to let her glean behind them, and he orders the men not to touch her. When Naomi finds out from Ruth whose field she was gleaning in, she tells Ruth that Boaz is a close relative and coaches Ruth on how to win his heart.
After Ruth follows Naomi's instructions, she ends up sleeping on the threshing floor at the feet of Boaz. During the night he awakes and finds her there. No impropriety takes place between them, but at her request, he simply covers her with the corner of his blanket. Then he also promises to redeem her and Naomi, after he first gives a chance for another relative to redeem them, who is closer in relation to Naomi than he is. In the morning, he gives her a load of barley to take back home for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi.
He and the other kinsman have a public discussion together about the opportunity, where Boaz gives him a chance to redeem them if he wants. But the other kinsman backs out of the opportunity when he finds out he would have to redeem the old widow Naomi along with the estate of her husband. Thus Boaz ends up being the one to buy the field that belonged to Naomi's late husband, and he obtains Naomi and Ruth along with it.
Boaz then marries Ruth and together they have a baby named Obed, who ends up being the grandfather of King David. Naomi is able to rejoice once again and loves baby Obed like her own child.
Boaz as Kinsman-Redeemer
Now that we've got the essential background information, let's see how Boaz actually typifies Christ. There are several references to Boaz as a kinsman of Naomi's husband. For example, in the second chapter of Ruth it states:
"Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz." (Ruth 2:1)
Amazingly Boaz was not related to Naomi by blood, but by marriage. Boaz was only related by blood to Naomi's late husband Elimelech. Later in the same chapter, Naomi refers to Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer:
“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers." (Ruth 2:20, NIV)
The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55). The following verse sums up the Lord's command regarding the responsibility of a kinsman-redeemer:
"If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold." (Lev 25:25).
This essentially teaches that a kinsman-redeemer was required to come and redeem the property his poor relative had sold, if that relative had done so out of necessity because of being destitute. More detail about the role of a kinsman-redeemer is found in the following passage in Numbers:
"Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 'If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 'If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 'If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.'" (Num 27:8-11).
One key fact in this last passage is that if there was no other relative eligible to receive someone's inheritance, then ultimately the person's inheritance would be given to the next of kin or nearest relative in his own family.
Here is another verse, in which Naomi once again told Ruth that Boaz, in whose field she had been gleaning, was their kinsman redeemer:
"Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight." (Ruth 3:2).
Notice how she referred to Boaz as "our kinsman," showing that she considered him to be Ruth's kinsman now through marriage, just as much as he was her own kinsman.
When Boaz discovered Ruth at his feet on the threshing floor at night, He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative." (Ruth 3:9). This is another example that identifies Boaz as a kinsman.
After Boaz and Ruth were married and she gave birth to Obed, it was a time of great rejoicing. "Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.'" (Ruth 4:14).
Initially one would assume the women were referring to Boaz as Noami's redeemer, but they were actually referring to the baby Obed that Ruth bore to Boaz. And he did become famous as they said he would, too. Moreover, they viewed the baby as if it were Naomi's own child. Here is the proof of this fact in the verses that immediately follow that one, where the neighbor women referred to Obed as a a restorer of life:
"'May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.' Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 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." (Ruth 4:15-17).
So not only was Boaz a type of Christ as our kinsman-redeemer, but even Obed his son was a type of Christ as our Redeemer and a restorer of life. So how does all of this point to Christ?
Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer
Scripture tells us that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, who is a descendant of David, Obed, and Boaz. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace..." (Eph 1:7)
Just as Boaz was the one responsible to redeem the property of his deceased relative Elimelech, along with his widow Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, likewise, Jesus Christ was the One chosen by God to redeem His people to God. Just as Boaz was motivated by love when he redeemed Naomi and Ruth, Christ too was motivated by love for lost humanity when he purchased redemption on the cross. Just as Naomi and Ruth were destitute without anyone to help them until Boaz came along and redeemed them, likewise, we are all helpless and destitute spiritually with no one else except Christ who alone can redeem us. It's only by His perfect, sinless blood that was shed for us that anyone can be redeemed to God. For this is what it says in the song they sing in heaven:
And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Rev 5:9, NKJV)
Only Jesus Christ the Son of God could redeem us to God. He is not only our blessed Redeemer, but He is our Kinsman, because He became one of us through His incarnation, when He took upon Himself the form of a man (Phil 2:7; Jn 1:14; Mat 1:18; Gal 4:4). He became closely related to us by being born into Adam's race through the virgin Mary. The apostle explains it to the Hebrews like this:
"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,
'I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.'”
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Heb 2:10-15, NIV).
Therefore, it was by design that Jesus shared in our humanity, becoming part of our family, and then redeemed His brothers and sisters as our Kinsman-Redeemer. Both the Lord Jesus, who is holy, and those of us whom He has made holy, are of the same family, and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord.
As a result of Ruth's unwavering commitment to the Lord and the family she had married into, she was honored to give birth to David's grandfather. What an honor it was for her, since the Lord Jesus Christ came from the line of David. Boaz and Ruth are listed in the genealogy of Christ given in the gospel of Matthew as the parents of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (Mat 1:5-6). And amazingly, Boaz was the son of Rahab, the former harlot from Jericho, who was saved by the Israelites for her faith in Jehovah (Mat 1:5; Jos 2:1, 10-14; 6:25; Heb 11:31).
May we all be committed to our family. May we also be ready to leave our natural family to go wherever God leads us, so that we can help propagate the family of God as Ruth did.
But the main point of this article is to show that Boaz was a type of Christ as our Kinsman-Redeemer. As our close relative, He purchased our redemption with his own blood in order to bring us to God. Just like Naomi and Ruth, we are all poor, destitute and hopeless without Christ our Kinsman-Redeemer, who is also our Restorer of life. I trust this has helped to give you a greater love and appreciation for Him, as well as new insights into the rich meaning of the redemption He purchased for us with His blood at Calvary. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible to help you grow in your love and knowledge of the Lord.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.
Author's note: Also see David as a Type of Christ, David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ, David -- A Man After God's Own Heart, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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