Ruth 4:3-4 BUT

 ”Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Ruth‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Naomi... sold the piece of land: The duty of the goel - the kinsman-redeemer - was more than the duty to preserve the family name of his brother in Israel. It was also to keep land allotted to members of the clan within the clan.

i. When Israel came into the Promised Land during the days of Joshua, the land was divided among the tribes and then among the family groups. God intended that the land stay within those tribes and family groups, so the land could never permanently be sold. Every fifty years, it had be returned to the original family group (Leviticus 25:8-17)

ii. But fifty years is a long time. So, God made provision for land that was “sold,” that it might be redeemed back to the family by the kinsman-redeemer.

iii. Again, the kinsman-redeemer had the responsibility to protect the persons, property, and posterity of the larger family – and all of these duties went together.

b. The piece of land: When Boaz brought the matter up to the nearer kinsman, he brought it up as a matter regarding property - something any man would be interested in. Anyone would want to buy back a piece of property and keep it in the family name by keeping it for one’s self.

c. If you will redeem it, redeem it: When Boaz put it in terms of purely a land transaction, there was no hesitation on the nearer kinsman’s part. Of course, he said, “I will redeem it.”

i. Certainly Ruth and Naomi were watching and listening. How their hearts must have sunk when they heard the nearer kinsman say, “I will redeem it.” They heard from his own lips that he would exercise his right at kinsman-redeemer, and that meant that he would gain not only the property in question, but also marry Ruth - instead of Boaz. But Boaz knew exactly what he was doing, and he had the situation all under control. (Guzik)

BUT

But is an interesting word especially spoken in the past tense. A congressman once said: “if, if’s and’s and but’s were honey and nuts we’d have Christmas every day”!

When someone agrees with us we think, all is well and then they say, but….. and we think, wait for it!

Jesus is our kinsman redeemer and He said, I will redeem it! There are no ifs ands and buts about it. All you have to do is accept His grace of the sacrifice on the cross for you! 

And when someone tells you: but, you have to do this or that (works) to be fully saved, be confident and boldly say:

”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,“ ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

No but’s about it!

I was saved by grace, what about you?

Blessings