Thursday, August 12, 2010

God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part II - A "Chance" Meeting, Part 22 of 44

TEXT: "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our kinsman?  In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor . . ." (Ruth 3:2).

IDEA: Christians have a "kinsman-redeemer" who is to us what Boaz was to Ruth.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand and appreciate the meaning of go'el (kinsman redeemer, pronounced go-eel)

Have you ever exchanged money as you've moved from one country to another? Where is the "best place" to make the transaction?

Are you completely sure that what you give and what you get are exactly equivalent?

I. Translators from one language to another resemble people exchanging money at the border.

Going from one language to another is always an approximate exchange, never exact.  Why?

What makes a "good" translation of the Bible?

II. In Ruth there is a term usually translated "redeemer" or "close relative" or even "kinsman-redeemer."

All of these phrases translate a single Hebrew word go'el (go-eel).  The word is used to describe Boaz (Ruth 3:20).  He was a go'el.

The word can be translated "close relative" (Ruth 2:1).

The connotation of the word is "family protector."

The go'el had several responsibilities.

To avenge the death of a family member (Numbers 35:19-21).  This does not apply to Boaz.

To buy back family property that had been used to pay debts (Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 4:3-4).

To redeem a relative who has sold himself into slavery (Leviticus 47-49).

To bear the responsibility of levirate marriage.  By his seed he preserves the name of the deceased (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Ruth 4:5).

Many of these responsibilities are mirrors of Israel's treasured values of family name continuing and keeping treasured property in the family.