Ruth 4:7-15

v7: Taking off a shoe to seal a deal (a visible testimony) was the custom – much as shaking hands or taking an oath is the custom today. 

v9: Boaz bought everything that belonged to this family. He acquired all the rights of everything that they could possess. Boaz paid a very large sum of money. 

v10: The moment that child/heir is born he becomes the rightful owner of all that Boaz has bought.  Boaz wanted to fulfil this command to the greatest and not to the least – obedience to G-d leads us to give a great deal of what we have. 

v11: The elders and witnesses understood the significance, the generosity and the obedience of Boaz. 

• Rachel and Leah were the two wives of Jacob. 
• Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem. 

v12: What is the Scripture doing? It is tying and emphasising this Scripture with another. Tamar was the wife of Judah’s son Er. (see Genesis 38) Er was very wicked and therefore G-d killed him. Judah then gave Tamar to Onan – to fulfil the command in Deut 25:5-10. Onan was also slayed by G-d for what he did. Shelah should have been the next son to fulfil this command, but Judah assumed there was something wrong with Tamar and he did not obey what the Word of G-d said. Judah was unrighteous in this. Judah eventually acknowledged that Tamar was more righteous than him because she was concerned with the name of the deceased not being cut off from the house of Israel. In this verse Tamar is honoured for her act of faithfulness and obedience to the Word. 

v13: G-d was working in this situation. Mahlon was dead. He had no heirs. His name was as good as cut off but, because Boaz was obedient, an heir was raised up for him.  As a result of Boaz’ obedience he was brought into a very significant genealogy. 

v14: The L-rd is faithful and did not cut off Naomi’s hope. He did not end His faithfulness because of her disobedience. 

v15: All of this happened for Naomi because of Ruth. This verse elevates women.