More than a business deal

Ruth 4:1-7

Now Gentiles and folks from the United States might have a harder time getting our arms around this chapter.  It has many terms that do not fit our social understanding, and especially our culture.  Removing a brother-in-law's sandal and spitting in his face, or taking your sandals off and giving them to the other man to seal a legal agreement, we do not understand these customs today.  What about getting the land and a younger wife in the deal but being required by Levitical Law to give the children born to her another man’s name and the title to his land that you received in the agreement?

We do understand that Boaz is a man of integrity and a kinsman of Naomi and her dead husband and sons.  We also know that Ruth the daughter-in-law has found favor with Boaz but he cannot redeem her for another man holds a closer relationship to Naomi.  Let’s continue the account in chapter 4 of the book of Ruth verses 1- 6, “Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you ^[a] will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth ^[b] the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” ⁶ Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

It sounds like at first it was just a business deal and yet as he got more information the social cost was too high and he backed out of the deal.  The sad news about  “Mr. So in so” is that we never hear of him again, yet Boaz and Ruth were in the lineage of both King David and Jesus.  If we go back to Deuteronomy 25:5-10 we grasp how serious it was to propagate your family members wife so that she has a future and her husband’s name is passed on.  This is not a requirement in the USA, in fact having two or more wives will get you in a lot of trouble.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice