I apologize in advance for the length of the question.
The book of Ruth is incredibly romantic and powerful, but I don’t understand the legal portion of the drama:
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. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 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. 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 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.”—Ruth 4:1-4 (ESV)
So far, so good. The property must remain in the family:
If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.—Leviticus 25:25 (ESV)
(In passing, it’s interesting to see that Naomi would be paid for the land so the effect of the rule is that widows retained some form of property ownership.)
Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 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.”
Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.—Ruth 4:5-7 (ESV)
I do see that the custom of perpetuating the name of the dead had legal basis:
“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’—Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (ESV)
But why does Boaz say, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite”? How does redeeming some land also introduce a levirate marriage obligation?
Varnel Watson
SAN FRANCISCO — Trish Tracey sat alone in her shuttered restaurant Tuesday in the Mission district, a bustling, historically Latino neighborhood that’s become popular with tech workers.
A chef in the city for 30 years, she had laid off the last of her 17 employees at Myriad Gastropub and was in talks with her landlord about her lease. It could be weeks or months before she reopens, assuming things ever get back to normal.
“Everything is out of our control,” she said. https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/03/19/everything-is-out-of-our-control-san-francisco-eases-into-lockdown/23955403/
William DeArteaga
wish it were true
Varnel Watson
William DeArteaga it actually is The 5+ earthquake caused Moroni to drop its golden trump all the way down from the top
Varnel Watson
William DeArteaga Nelson Banuchi That said, the president and his administration are responsible for grave, costly errors, most especially the epic manufacturing failures in diagnostic testing, the decision to test too few people, the delay in expanding testing to labs outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and problems in the supply chain. These mistakes have left us blind and badly behind the curve, and, for a few crucial weeks, they created a false sense of security. What we now know is that the coronavirus silently spread for several weeks, without us being aware of it and while we were doing nothing to stop it. Containment and mitigation efforts could have significantly slowed its spread at an early, critical point, but we frittered away that opportunity. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/peter-wehner-trump-presidency-over/607969/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR1JaQjFAEayedELnB_8cmggsv1k-HSiNLNkfNsJ6CkVHnK_nCUpxiNwxvk
Nelson Banuchi
Agreed.
Varnel Watson
What are you talking about again Robert W. Graves ? As usual you make very little to know sense coming out of the blue like that. Are you under curfew in Atlanta yet?
Robert W. Graves
Troy Day this is what I see; maybe it’s not what you’re posting, but it has your name at the top.
Varnel Watson
Robert W. Graves booo Nelson Banuchi https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epgkyp/the-white-house-is-flat-out-denying-that-its-considering-a-national-curfew
Varnel Watson
people will blame Trump if many people die and they will blame Trump if he overreacted and they will blame Trump if he under reacted. The same thing was done by Obama who under reacted and waited six months to deal with the swine flu. But since the media were his lap dogs and communist coworkers they did not hype it so it became nothing.
14,000 US citizens died of the swine flu during the crisis there was no crisis.
The hype machine called the media is what has caused this problem. Trump knows that they are trying to hang it around his neck like they hung Katrina around George Bush‘s neck. Aside from the fact that he is truly concerned, the hype machine is making his administration overreact.
Varnel Watson
are you truly NOT reading what I write Robert W. Graves or just showing bios on auto over drive?
Robert W. Graves
Troy Day is this not your comment to your own post? Change your password???
Varnel Watson
Robert W. Graves REASONING – no US president to enforce curfew has ever been re-elected Who’s scared? Change your unhealthy fixation please! https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/03/20/orange-county-implements-county-wide-curfew-during-coronavirus-pandemic/
Robert W. Graves
Troy Day no fixation, just replying to your comment and attachment in the comment (not the OP).
Varnel Watson
Robert W. Graves yeah You are quite fixed on the Atlantic article but I didnt write it Did you even read the comment you are writing under?
Robert W. Graves
Troy Day you mean this one? I read this one. Are saying you didn’t write and post it?
Varnel Watson
Robert W. Graves if you scroll up just a bit you will read it for yourself Playing dumb is not working for you anymore Your Trump fixation is blinding you #sorry
Varnel Watson
Robert W. Graves before anymore cultish like comments from you PLS read and examine THIS by James P Bowers What I have gathered about COVID 19 from reading.
The US through a series of blunders and bureaucratic inefficiencies missed the opportunity to prevent the spread of the virus. Even now, the Trump Administration tells us we don’t need to be tested when most of us want and need to know WHO is infected and who isn’t.
We are facing a long term threat to life with COVID 19. Anyone who tells us otherwise is lying or misinformed. Study the Spanish Flu of 1918. The worst could come this fall and winter after a summertime decline in cases — if we are lucky.
Third, there will be no quick fix, no vaccine, in all likelihood for 18 months. There are presently almost no effective therapies. No real expert agrees with Trump’s misleading predictions on that front.
Pray. Hope for an unexpected breakthrough. Know it is not expected. Follow CDC guidelines. Care for ALL of us. Pray.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/breaking-trump-eyes-2-week-quarantine-only-drug-grocery-stores-open?fbclid=IwAR12_cYNJs52rc-mzFSRtH1M-q307WTp8ZCAh5B0OWrHgFDeu6Emx2nSlA4
and this by RichardAnna Boyce hope you see it IF not he/she can copy paste it here for you to read https://www.facebook.com/richardanna.boyce/posts/3126109874080490
Varnel Watson
RT William DeArteaga The current American crisis needs sustained intercessory prayer for peace and reconciliation that only Our Lord can provide. Evangelicals need to repent for choosing and electing a man of such crudeness and lack of character to be President. (It was based on a false prophecy of him being a “Cyrus” to Christians). His cruel and intemperate tweets which revile his political enemies have been sinful (1 Cor 6:9-10) and has “tickled the ears” of his supporters,” but left him without moral authority outside his base. He has disqualified himself be an instrument of reconciliation that we o desperately need.
I am praying that Gen Colin Powell run for President and create the basis of a Center party.
https://hannity.com/media-room/no-show-in-seattle-looted-business-owner-calls-police-19-times-chief-says-observed-from-distance/?fbclid=IwAR2-jjQkR2r1fuZOsUaAJPYdjtodJrIr5qMlB_p2SZu_rYBhxgZGoUA-M-Q
Varnel Watson
Ray E Horton I remember the times when ol Bill will tell me not to tag him on political posts 🙂 How the times change as all – me particularly
Ray E Horton
Troy Day 🙂 Yep!
Sabrina Jones Hunt
I’m must say I’m a bit confused by this post. ?
C.b. Brumit
You are sick