Such a Deal I Have for You
I love this last chapter of Ruth. I am sure Boaz did not sleep a wink after Ruth left. I can see Boaz strolling to the gate of the city early...perhaps as the sun just begins to rise, his eyes full of light as the first rays of the sun crest the horizon.
- - - - -
Boaz walked briskly through the darkness to the house. "Micah...Micah, get up ~ come quietly ~ I need to talk to you."
"Boaz? What is wrong ... what -- it isn't even light?"
"So, what is Elias's wife's name...Mirrim, Mari?? ...isn't his wife with child again? They have, what, two sons, three?"
"Uhh, yes, Mirrim, yes it is Mirrim. And yes, Yaffa tells me that Mirrim thinks this will be a girl, finally. Why? ... OH! Elias!" Micah chuckled. He pulled his cloak around his shoulders and came to stand beside Boaz. "Elias...sooo, isn't he the nearest kin to Naomi?"
Boaz suddenly turned and grabbed a couple of buckets from beside the door. "Come help me. I must get water from the well for a quick bath. I want to be at the gate by sun-up." When Micah did not move from his spot, Boaz added, "Ruth came to me and asked me to be kinsman-redeemer. Come on! I must hurry!"
Micah hugged Boaz fiercely and grabbed both buckets from him saying, "What are you doing here then? Go get your clothes and stoke the fire."
The sun rose to find Boaz in clean clothes, beard still a bit damp, sitting on the wall near the gate to the city. His eyes scanned the crowd as the city woke, and the business of the day began. Then he saw him. Boaz got up quickly and began striding through the crowd, seemingly aimlessly. Just before colliding with him, Boaz looked up and feigned surprise. "Ah! Elias!! The LORD be with you! Blessings on you and on your house."
The younger man looked up, a bit startled responding, "Good day to you, Boaz....The LORD be with you too."
"Come, sit with me. Good harvest this year, eh ~ a blessing with Mirrim to give you another son this year, yes? What? Three sons now, four?"
"It will be three, the LORD willing -- well, if it is another boy. Mirrim prays for a girl."
"Actually, Elias, I was hoping to see you today. I have news. I have heard that Elimelech's fields are to be sold. It seems, Micah tells me, that Naomi has thought to sell...she is back; had you heard? And, uh, aren't you her nearest kin?"
"I have been quite busy with the harvests...I had heard she was back. She wants to sell them, hmmm?"
Guiding Elias to a group of ten men, Boaz continued, "Come, I have asked some of the elders to sit with us. Then, turning to the elders he said, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line." (Ruth 4:3-4)
Boaz could almost see the gold he planned to get with the increase in land gleaming in Elias's eyes. "I will redeem it. How can I not?? ... poor Naomi! Elimelech dying there in Moab...coming home a widow."
"Yes, a widow...it is quite sad," said Boaz. "Both widows, actually. That is why she ..."
"What? Widows? What do you mean?"
"Yes, she and Ruth, Mahlon's wife are both widows. Poor Naomi lost her husband and her sons ~ first Elimelech, then Kilion, and finally Mahlon. So they would be Mahlon's fields, really. Of course, when you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property." (Ruth 4:5) Lovely girl, Ruth. She came with Naomi . . .she is young and strong, and she has spent the spring and summer gleaning in the fields to get food for her mother-in-law." Boaz watched as the color drained from Elias's face. They both knew Mirrim would not want another woman in her home...Mirrim would be the only wife.
At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."
(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal.
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!" All the people who were at the gate, and the elders said, 'We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house like Rachael and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." (Ruth 4:6-12)
- - - - -
The wedding was beautiful -- music and flowers, and food! Yaffa and Naomi outdid themselves. Their joy was only outmatched by Boaz.
Early one morning months later while Ruth and Boaz walked together as the sun rose, Ruth asked "There is something that I do not understand. Why did Elias give you a sandal, Boaz?"
"It is an old custom. You see, it is with the sandal that we walk the land. It is ... well, giving me his sandal was Elias giving me his right to 'walk" Mahon's land. Taking it, I saved him the shame -- to refuse to be a kinsman-redeemer, to our people, that is very bad ... had you and Naomi come to the elders and had Elias refused, you would have publicly taken his sandal, and spit in his face. He would have had to walk with one sandal for a season. He would have been publicly shamed. For me to come and take the sandal from him, I not only completed the transaction for the land, but I redeemed him from the shame."
Ruth stopped suddenly and placed Boaz's hand upon her stomach as the baby began to kick, "A strong boy...don't you think?"
- - - - -
Boaz walked briskly through the darkness to the house. "Micah...Micah, get up ~ come quietly ~ I need to talk to you."
"Boaz? What is wrong ... what -- it isn't even light?"
"So, what is Elias's wife's name...Mirrim, Mari?? ...isn't his wife with child again? They have, what, two sons, three?"
"Uhh, yes, Mirrim, yes it is Mirrim. And yes, Yaffa tells me that Mirrim thinks this will be a girl, finally. Why? ... OH! Elias!" Micah chuckled. He pulled his cloak around his shoulders and came to stand beside Boaz. "Elias...sooo, isn't he the nearest kin to Naomi?"
Boaz suddenly turned and grabbed a couple of buckets from beside the door. "Come help me. I must get water from the well for a quick bath. I want to be at the gate by sun-up." When Micah did not move from his spot, Boaz added, "Ruth came to me and asked me to be kinsman-redeemer. Come on! I must hurry!"
Micah hugged Boaz fiercely and grabbed both buckets from him saying, "What are you doing here then? Go get your clothes and stoke the fire."
The sun rose to find Boaz in clean clothes, beard still a bit damp, sitting on the wall near the gate to the city. His eyes scanned the crowd as the city woke, and the business of the day began. Then he saw him. Boaz got up quickly and began striding through the crowd, seemingly aimlessly. Just before colliding with him, Boaz looked up and feigned surprise. "Ah! Elias!! The LORD be with you! Blessings on you and on your house."
The younger man looked up, a bit startled responding, "Good day to you, Boaz....The LORD be with you too."
"Come, sit with me. Good harvest this year, eh ~ a blessing with Mirrim to give you another son this year, yes? What? Three sons now, four?"
"It will be three, the LORD willing -- well, if it is another boy. Mirrim prays for a girl."
"Actually, Elias, I was hoping to see you today. I have news. I have heard that Elimelech's fields are to be sold. It seems, Micah tells me, that Naomi has thought to sell...she is back; had you heard? And, uh, aren't you her nearest kin?"
"I have been quite busy with the harvests...I had heard she was back. She wants to sell them, hmmm?"
Guiding Elias to a group of ten men, Boaz continued, "Come, I have asked some of the elders to sit with us. Then, turning to the elders he said, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line." (Ruth 4:3-4)
Boaz could almost see the gold he planned to get with the increase in land gleaming in Elias's eyes. "I will redeem it. How can I not?? ... poor Naomi! Elimelech dying there in Moab...coming home a widow."
"Yes, a widow...it is quite sad," said Boaz. "Both widows, actually. That is why she ..."
"What? Widows? What do you mean?"
"Yes, she and Ruth, Mahlon's wife are both widows. Poor Naomi lost her husband and her sons ~ first Elimelech, then Kilion, and finally Mahlon. So they would be Mahlon's fields, really. Of course, when you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property." (Ruth 4:5) Lovely girl, Ruth. She came with Naomi . . .she is young and strong, and she has spent the spring and summer gleaning in the fields to get food for her mother-in-law." Boaz watched as the color drained from Elias's face. They both knew Mirrim would not want another woman in her home...Mirrim would be the only wife.
At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."
(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal.
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!" All the people who were at the gate, and the elders said, 'We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house like Rachael and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." (Ruth 4:6-12)
- - - - -
The wedding was beautiful -- music and flowers, and food! Yaffa and Naomi outdid themselves. Their joy was only outmatched by Boaz.
Early one morning months later while Ruth and Boaz walked together as the sun rose, Ruth asked "There is something that I do not understand. Why did Elias give you a sandal, Boaz?"
"It is an old custom. You see, it is with the sandal that we walk the land. It is ... well, giving me his sandal was Elias giving me his right to 'walk" Mahon's land. Taking it, I saved him the shame -- to refuse to be a kinsman-redeemer, to our people, that is very bad ... had you and Naomi come to the elders and had Elias refused, you would have publicly taken his sandal, and spit in his face. He would have had to walk with one sandal for a season. He would have been publicly shamed. For me to come and take the sandal from him, I not only completed the transaction for the land, but I redeemed him from the shame."
Ruth stopped suddenly and placed Boaz's hand upon her stomach as the baby began to kick, "A strong boy...don't you think?"
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