Redemption’s Story
Read Ruth 4:4-9
Redemption is one of most compelling themes of a storyline. We see it time and time again in books and movies. A great example of this is the figure of Darth Vader in Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI. Over the course of these three films we see Darth Vader go from cold, ruthless Jedi Sith to a caring father who sacrifices himself in order to save his son from the hands of the evil emperor.
Nothing gives the reader or audience member more satisfaction than seeing the bad guy turn into a good guy. We so desperately want the person who’s gone astray to turn from their wicked ways and become the hero everyone always wanted them to be. We want to see their hearts be changed and their lives made better because of it. Maybe we want it so badly, because we see ourselves in them and we want to know – is there hope for us too?
The answer to that question is YES! In the Old Testament, the story of Ruth illuminates what redemption looks like. After losing everything, Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, traveled to Naomi’s homeland of Israel to begin a new life. They were both poor widows with no kind of security or safety, not to mention Ruth was a foreigner. They had no hope until one day Ruth asked a relative of Naomi, named Boaz, to be her kinsman redeemer. Boaz brought redemption back into Ruth’s life, by offering protection, provision, and restoration of what had been lost. Like Boaz, Jesus offers us His protection and provision, and will one day restore all things.
Galatians 4:4-5,7 says that God sent His Son “born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons…So you are no longer a slave but a son…”
Before Jesus came, humanity was lost in a world of sin and immense pain. We had no hope of salvation through our own efforts. But that hopelessness was not to last forever. Jesus did come and has made it completely possible for our entire lives to be changed. Every sin, every mistake, every wrong turn, has been redeemed. Everything that has been lost because of sin, has been restored to us. Not only has Jesus made every wrong thing right, but He also has given us new identities as children of God. We are no longer enslaved to following the law to earn our own redemption. Rather, redemption has been given to us freely. It’s the best part of the story that we get to live out every day.
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