And we are continuing on with our discussion of Levirate marriage.
The last time we met, I showed you how the institution of Levirate marriage was already an established custom during the times of the patriarchs via the example of Judah and Tamar.
For some reason, that post really struck a nerve with a lot of people.
I was accused of all manner of nonsense such as dabbling in Kabbalah and promoting prostitution etcetera.
I find it so amusing how people just lose their minds every time they come across a teaching that just doesn’t jive with their preconceived doctrines (especially in the Christian world) and theology.
I stand by every word I wrote in my last post and if you haven’t read it, you can check it out by clicking right here.
Anyways, let’s move on by taking a look at an incident that took place many, many centuries AFTER the laws governing Levirate marriage were first formally given to Moses.
I’m talking about the story of Ruth.
What happened with Ruth is that her husband died minus leaving behind any children.
Hence, the responsibility to provide and raise up a son in Ruth’s husband’s name fell to her more distant relatives.
One of these “distant relatives” turned out to be a man named Boaz.
Who was Boaz and how exactly was he related to Ruth seeing that Ruth was a Moabite?
In a nutshell, Boaz, who was a wealthy landowner of Bethlehem in Judea, was a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s late husband.
And Ruth was married to one of Naomi’s sons (who passed away prematurely).
Hence, Ruth was the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi.
So that’s how you have the “relative” connection.
According to the laws of Levirate marriage, when Boaz married Ruth, he essentially revived Elimelech’s lineage, and that patrimony was secured to Naomi’s family.
Boaz and Ruth would end up giving birth to a son named Obed who would give birth to Jesse who would eventually give birth to the great King David.
That’s right this totally unorthodox couple provided the line from which the Messiah would spring!
The story of Ruth primarily involves the laws of the Kinsman Redeemer but it’s a good story to study to see how the laws governing Levirate marriage were actually practiced in the different stages of Hebrew history.
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