Ruth II Lesson 5

Ruth II Lesson 5

For Sale

Lesson Text: Ruth 4:1-11

Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came 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 close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.” And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal.

And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.” (Ruth 4:1-11)

1. Please explain the Mosaic Law concerning land inheritance given in Numbers 27:8-11.

2. Research Question: Which tribe did not receive a land inheritance? What did God promise as their inheritance instead?

3. Please explain why Naboth would not sell his vineyard to King Ahab. (1 Kings 21:2-3)

4. Please answer the following questions from the lesson text:

5. Who sold a piece of land?

6. Why did Boaz offer the “close relative” a chance the purchase the land that he, Boaz, desired to have?

7. What was the first answer given by the “close relative”?

8. Who besides Naomi owned the land that was for sale?

9. Why did the “close relative” change his mind about purchasing the land?

10. Who bought Naomi’s land?

11. Why did Boaz take off his sandal?

12. Even though Mahlon died without having any children he had descendents who grew up and represented his name at the gate. How was this possible?

13. Thought question: Boaz called Elimelech “our brother” when talking to the “close relative”. Please explain the use of this term. Do you think they were blood brothers or did he mean something else?

14. When Mahlon and Chilon married Ruth and Orpah, it did not create any real problems. It seems that marrying a foreigner was allowed (even though they were told not to marry foreign wives) but marrying from tribe to tribe was not allowed. Evidently the command to not marry from tribe to tribe was observed more closely than the command to not marry foreign wives. Can you explain why? (See: Numbers 36:6-13)