Kinsman Redeemer - Ohana, Week 9 Day 3, Ruth 2
You won’t catch me saying this very often but on occasion,
every very once in a while, Disney gets downright Biblical. And in the oddest places, like Lilo &
Stitch. “Ohana means family, and family
means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten”
Some things from the cultures of Old Testament days really
don’t have a modern day equivalent.
Kinsman redeemer would definitely be one of those. But “Ohana” comes pretty close.
Basically it means that the family, or in this case, the
extended family or clan takes care of their own. If a woman from the clan is widowed and
without sons to take care of her, the closest relative to her deceased husband
from the family or clan is supposed to marry her and provide an heir to take
care of her and preserve the family name.
If someone from the clan has sold themselves into slavery and is unable
to work their way out, the closest relative is supposed to pay for their
freedom. If their property has been lost
and they can’t afford to buy it back, the closest relative is supposed to pay
to get it back.
Kinsman redeemer means family, and family means nobody gets
left behind, or forgotten.
Some people are better at keeping their family obligations
than others. In this case a man by the
name of Boaz steps up to the plate. Well
find out later that it really isn’t even his responsibility because he isn’t
the closest relative. Sorry, I cheated
and read ahead so I know what’s going to happen. Kind of hard to un-know something once you
know it. Yeah, Boaz steps up to the plate
to take care of the family. Let’s run
down what he does in Chapter 2 of Ruth.
First, he’s checking out the harvesters in his field. It sounds like he’s a pretty good boss. He wants to know who the new girl is,
Ruth. When he learns who she is,
daughter-in-law of his kinsman, he meets with her, insists that she gleans in
his fields, grants her protection from his men and access to water. None of these is inconsequential. Gleaning was a sort of support for the
poor. A part of the harvest missed or fallen
on the ground and left behind for the less fortunate to pickup and eat or
sell. Protection by staying with his men
and servant girls would have meant safety in a very unsafe world. And water that we take for granted was hard
to come by and fiercely protected. Here
Ruth is given it freely. Boaz, a good
boss and a good kinsman.
Then he eats a meal with her. Finally, he instructs his men to watch her. He instructs his men to make sure that they
leave an abundance of good stalks of grain for her to find. And because of Boaz’s kindness, Ruth gathers
a great deal of grain.
All of this from Boaz treating his kinsman with the respect,
generosity, and consideration that would should give to a “daughter.” Except that Ruth really isn’t a
daughter. She’s not an Israelite. She’s a Moabite. Strictly speaking, Ruth is a foreign woman and
would not be considered a kinsman, or kinswoman if you prefer. She’s technically isn’t a relation at all by
the standard of the day. So why does he do it? Why does he treat her like she is a part of
the family, a kinswoman? He does it
because he has heard of Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi. He does it because she has left her family
and her people behind, to live with people she did not know. And he says, “May the Lord repay your for
what you have done. May you be richly
rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to
take refuge.”
As Ruth said in chapter 1, “Your God is my God.” And another branch is grated onto the tree of
God’s people. It’s grafted not by birth
but by decision and faith. It’s grafted
by a conscious decision to follow God.
And now, Ruth is part of the family with a kinsman redeemer. And a kinsman redeemer means family, and
family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten.
.Ruth didn’t forget Naomi.
And now Ruth won’t be forgotten either.
I suspect that if God is a pet “person” that he would favor
dogs. That’s just a theory on my part and not Gospel, so you cat folks are free
to disagree. I’m just projecting a bit
of myself onto God’s personality since I’m more of a dog person myself. No offense meant and hopefully none taken.
And I think God would have at least two dogs.
One would be the purest of pedigree.
The other is most definitely a shelter dog of unknown parentage (yeah, I
know God knows everything, but work with me here) and confused pedigree. A mutt if ever there was one. But that mutt is every bit as much a part of
God’s family as the purest of pedigree. God
doesn’t judge you by where you’re from. God doesn’t judge you by your parents. God
judges you by your choice to follow Him and be a part of His family.
I find great comfort in that, being a mutt myself. But I’m God’s mutt. And there ain’t no better Master to
serve. He makes you part of His
family. And I hope you’ll forgive all
the mixed metaphors in this post. And
one final thought, Ohana!
God, You have a way of picking up strays. You find those in need of a home. You find those in need of someone to care for
them. And when You find us You welcome us. You take us in. You make us a part of Your family. And all we have to do is choose to be a part
of You and a part of Your family. And
once we’re in, we’re in for good. We’re in
Your goodness, Your loving, Your grace.
It’s good to be a part of Your family, because someone in Your family never
gets left behind, or forgotten. Thanks
Lord. Amen
Leonard
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