And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

The Book of Ruth portrays a lovely picture of our salvation. Ruth, a Moabite, moved to Israel with her mother-in-law Naomi. Jewish society did not permit women to possess land, so the land of her late husband’s estate was in legal limbo. Ruth had no money and no job. Being a foreigner, Ruth had no rights nor standing in society. In a love story unmatched by human literature, a man named Boaz placed Ruth into a wonderful position of honor and status. Before Boaz, Ruth was a stranger; after Boaz she was redeemed. You too have been in the same position as Ruth, but you are now redeemed and transformed by grace. The story of redemption is as beautiful as the love story of Ruth and Boaz. What do we learn from Ruth 3.16? You must realize that you are loved by God.

Boaz was a man who could redeem the family name through levirate marriage. In doing so, he would redeem all that Ruth’s family once owned. This role was known as the go-el (go – ale), or literally kinsman redeemer.

Our text takes us to Ruth’s return to Naomi after placing herself at Boaz’s feet. When Ruth returned to Naomi, Naomi asked, ‘Who are you, my daughter?’ The question was not asked because Naomi did not know who Ruth was. Naomi wanted to know if Ruth was now going to be Boaz’s wife.

Let me ask you the same question Naomi asked Ruth. Who are you? The picture of redemption in the story of Ruth is just like the story of us and our salvation. We were strangers to God; we were part of God’s family. We have no rights in God’s sight, just as Ruth had no rights since her family’s inheritance had been sold. Boaz demonstrated great graciousness and generosity to Ruth by providing food and then a family for her; God has been extremely gracious to us by offering His undeserved Son in a gracious way, thereby offering with infinite generosity eternal life.

What are your thoughts on this verse?

Have you been redeemed by Christ?

How did Christ redeem you?

From what and to what have you been redeemed?