Reading for February 2nd

 Read Ruth 4.1-22. in 4.1-22: At the city gate. In verses 1-2: In ancient Israel, business was transacted at the city gate and was witnessed by elders. In verses 3-6: Boaz offers to buy Naomi's land (implying that she owned the property) if the other man does not wish to do so. The next of kin retracts his offer when Boaz links the land redemption to the marriage of Ruth. If the man begets a child with Ruth, the land will revert to Naomi. In verse 7: The removing of a sandal to seal a business deal offers differs from the practice in Deut 25.9, in which a man who refuses to purchase levirate marriage is shamed by the dead man's widow..  In verses 9-10: Boaz announces his intention both to redeem the land and marry Ruth. In verses 11-12: The crowds link Ruth with other biblical character with Rachel and Leah, two sisters who struggled for love and children (Gen 30);and with Perez, from after Tamar tricked Judah into fulfilling the duties of the levirate marriage (Gen 18). In verses 13-17:m Naomi's security is sealed by the birth of a male child, whom Boaz designates as the redeemer of her land. In a story that assumes the inheritance rights of men, the praise that Ruth is more to Naomi than seven sons is striking. In verses 18-22: Boaz, like many other important biblical figures appears in seventh place in the genealogy traced from Perez (4.12). While the book began with a man's decision and ends with a list of male names, the women Ruth and Naomi remain solidly in the heart of the story. Comments or Questions..