822 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 2 Part 2 Book 69 - Kinsman Redeemer - Part 2

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 69 KINSMAN REDEEMER – PART 2 Rev. 5; Ruth; I Corinthians 15:1-4 Okay, this is a Bible study, so we’re going to get right back in and continue on this whole concept of redemption. Now, like I said, I think in the opening remarks of the last program, the only way that we can understand what Revelation 5 is really talking about – the whole idea of being a “kinsman redeemer” - we have to go back to the Book of Ruth. I just shared with the class here in the studio, my daughter asked for a study on the Book of Ruth a couple of years ago. Every once in a while she’d say, “Daddy, when are you going to teach Ruth?” So, just before we left this morning, I said, “Well, Honey, we’re going to teach Ruth today.” She was thrilled. So, turn to Ruth chapter 1 verse 1. For a little backdrop, the Book of Ruth takes place probably in the first half of the period of time when Israel was ruled by judges. In other words, you remember Joshua led the people into the land of Canaan. They conquered the land and instead of setting up a king, God continued to rule the Nation of Israel by way of the judges. Some of the judges were good. Some weren’t so good. It doesn’t say which judge was ruling. We just have to guess that this little episode took place sometime in the first half of that 300 and some years that God ruled Israel through the judges. We do know there was a famine in Israel at that time. Always remember, God told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when things got tough in Canaan – where should they never go? Down into Egypt. Egypt, of course, was always a picture of the world. In this case, it’s Moab. God could have just as well said, now when things get tough up there in the land of Israel, don’t go to Moab. I’ll take care of you. But here we have an instance that I think by Divine plan, or however you want to put it, this little Jewish family couldn’t handle the drought and the famine up there in the area of Bethlehem. So they go down to Moab. Now you have to know your Middle Eastern geography. Moab was in the area south of the Dead Sea and maybe a little bit east. It wasn’t all that far, but in antiquity of course, a hundred miles is quite a distance. All right, let’s pick it up in chapter 1 verse 1. Ruth 1:1a “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, (There’s our time indication.) that there was a famine in the land. (That is the land of Israel, which has now been taken from the Canaanites.) And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourn (or to live for a period of time) in the country of Moab,...” Now again, who remembers where Moab came from? Well, Moab was one of the two sons sired by Lot and his own daughters. Consequently, there was a stigma on the Moabites. The Jews were really not to have a lot to do with them, although according to Levitical law a Moabitess woman could marry into the Israelites but not visa versa. All right, so here’s where we’ve got the setting now. This Jewish family, because of the lack of food and income, they were evidently financially destitute because as we’re going to see later on in the book, what was the state of the land that they owned? It was mortgaged. They were in debt. They probably weren’t capable of making any payments, so they just simply up and leave. But remember, the land is still in their name, even though they have now left the country. Okay, here’s the Jewish family then. Ruth 1:2 “And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons was Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. (The same Bethlehem that we speak of at the birth of Christ) And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.” We’re going to just take this verse-by-verse. Otherwise we might miss some of the little tidbits that we shouldn’t have missed. Ruth 1:3 “And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.” Now, there’s a period, near as can tell historically, of about ten years. Ten years from the beginning of the Book of Ruth until the end. In this ten-year period, her husband dies and the two sons, which of course is to be expected, marry Moabite girls. All right, so they came to the country of Moab and only Naomi was left and her two sons. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible