Have you ever put a lot of thought around the meaning of a word? I mean really thought about it, past Webster’s Dictionary or what Google has to say. This week I was faced with this task and it made me realize that just like you or I, words have characteristics.
You might not define a word as “coffee obsessed,” or as a “tea snob” as I have jokingly been called (I hold that badge with honor). But a word can be kind, it can be healing, and it can hide wisdom.
Today we are reading Ruth Chapter 3 and while you read, see if you can spot the characteristics of the word, “Redeeming.”
Read Ruth 3
In this passage, you can see that redemption is both obvious in redemption for the family, but also subtle in its characteristics.
“One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for.”
Ruth 3:1
As we can see In verse one Naomi isn’t trying to get redemption for the family or herself, although she gets both. She is trying to redeem her daughter-in-law by finding someone who would take care of her. This shows that redemption doesn’t have to be solitary or selfish. There is a characteristic of community in redemption.
Later in the chapter Ruth goes to Boaz but instead of going to his head, she lowers herself by going to his feet. Just like Jesus lowered himself in order to wash the feet of sinners. Redemption causes us to lower ourselves and show humility. We have to die to our own pride and see that there is another way, a different way. Boaz calls back to this when he says to Ruth:
“This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.”
Ruth 3:10
This part threw me at first, until I realized that she showed humility time and time again by staying with Naomi instead of finding a better life for herself. And look what it got her! From her, and the line she creates, Jesus will be born. What an amazing redemption!
The last characteristic I noticed is that redemption is for those who act quickly. You can see both Ruth and Boaz showing this in our reading. Ruth through “not hesitating” in verse five and Boaz through not resting “until the matter is settled today,” in verse eighteen. Time allows fear, resentment, and other tools of the enemy to work against you. So it’s important to be ready to act in order to be redeemed.
The characteristics of redemption are all throughout scripture because that is what God is, a redeeming God. He is humble, he brings us in with a sense of community, and He is quick to act for His children. What other characteristics of redemption did you notice in the passage we read today?
Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.
Photo by Boba Jovanovic on Unsplash