Ruth 3-4: Ruth asks Boaz to redeem her. Boaz commends Ruth’s devotion and agrees to be her kinsman-redeemer. However, a nearer relative has the right of redemption. In chapter 4, the other redeemer gives the right of redemption to Boaz. Boaz marries Ruth and Ruth gives birth to Obed. The book concludes with a genealogy which traces the line from Perez to David. The genealogy is remarkable for its inclusion of such notorious sinners. Iain Hamilton, commenting on these verses in his sermon on this chapter, comments that “the God of the Bible is a God whose grace bursts every conceivable notion of undeserved kindness and says to people ‘no matter how bleak and black and dark and godless your circumstances, I’m able to make all things new.” Jesus Christ was born with the blood of Judah, Tamar, Perez, and Ruth running through his veins. His love for sinners is such that He took upon Himself our flesh in order to be for us what no mere man could ever be- a righteous kinsman redeemer who saves His people from their sins.
Jeremiah 38: Jeremiah is thrown into the cistern of Malciah but is rescued by Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch. Jeremiah warns Zedekiah of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and tells him to surrender to the Chaldeans.
Psalms 11-12: In Psalm 11, David takes refuge in the Lord and describes his testing of the righteous and his hatred of the wicked. In Psalm 12, he cries out to the Lord because “the godly one is god…the faithful have vanished from among the children of man (v. 1).” Our hope for justice is rooted in the Lord, who cares for the poor and needy (v. 5). In the midst of an evil world, we must attend to the ever-pure Word of the Lord, trusting Him to keep us from the vileness of the wicked (v. 7-8).
Acts 28: Acts concludes with the apostle Paul in Rome under house arrest, awaiting his trial before Caesar. Paul was imprisoned for two years in Rome and spent this time proclaiming the gospel to those who would see him. Luke tells us that “he lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (v. 31).
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