The Kinsman RedeemerLesson One: The Crisis of the House — Why Israel Needed Redeemers

Adult Bible Class
North Jackson church of Christ
Wednesday Nights • Summer 2026

Before we can understand why Boaz became Ruth’s kinsman redeemer, we must first understand the covenant world in which redemption operated. In ancient Israel, land inheritance, family identity, and covenant continuity were deeply interconnected. The loss of a husband or heir threatened not merely personal grief, but the extinction of a household within Israel itself.

In this lesson, we examine the ancient roots of redemption obligations from the patriarchal era through the Mosaic Law, exploring how Israel’s inheritance system, levirate obligations, and family redemption customs worked together to preserve “a name in Israel.” We also consider how these institutions protected vulnerable households from permanent loss and prepared the legal framework that stands behind the book of Ruth.

Class materials: https://tinyurl.com/kinsmanredeemer

Primary Texts:
Genesis 38:6–11
Leviticus 25:23–28
Numbers 27:1–11
Deuteronomy 25:5–10
Ruth 1

Memory Verse:
“It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”
— Deuteronomy 25:6 (NASB95)

Scripture quotations taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.