When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap. Then Ruth crept up quietly, uncovered his legs, and lay down beside him. In the middle of the night, he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman lying beside him! He said, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests.” Ruth 3:7-9 (NET)
The King James version refers to Boaz as a Kinsman-Redeemer. In short, a kinsman redeemer is a relative who pays off another’s debts at his own expense. This was an Old Testament tradition from biblical times. Boaz was a close relative to Ruth, and she asked him to marry her in keeping with the kinsman-redeemer’s role. They did get married, and Ruth had a son, the grandfather of David.
So it is with us today, we need a Kinsman-Redeemer because our greatest need is not for someone to pay off financial debts but for someone to redeem us from the debt our sins have incurred. Through Ruth, King David was born, and the genealogy line travels down all the way to Jesus. Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer, taking on our debt of sin and redeeming us to full rights and standing with God the Father. Then, we were given the Holy Spirit to guide us here on earth until Jesus returns.
Acts 4:11.12 says; This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.“