Saturday, January 15, 2005

Ruth 5: Reflections (4:1-12)

I find it interesting that this was the only picture I could find online that depicted the legal transaction between Boaz and so-and-so at the city gate. Isn't that weird? This picture looks like a 4th grade Sunday school picture. Anyway, we mentioned in class the difficulty of determining who took off his sandal and, more importantly, what it signified. Is this a vestige of the levirate marriage practice found in Deuteronomy 25? What do you think about Mr. So-and-so? Was he a shrewd business man who counted the yield-to-debt ratio and opted out for financial reasons or a selfish jerk who was only concerned about his own needs, or some combination? When Boaz tells him about the opportunity to acquire Naomi's property he responds promptly by saying "I will redeem it." This is only one word in Hebrew! He made this decision with alacrity and this quickness was matched only by his decision to back out of the deal once the fine-print was read. What do you make of this?

Why do you think Boaz was so eager to step into this role of redeeming Naomi and Ruth? Think about this from as many different angles as you can. I look forward to reading your responses.

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