Ru. 4: Ruth and Boaz Sittin' in a Tree...

Ruth 4:8 "So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, 'Buy it yourself.' And he removed his sandal."

Well, to make this whole deal nice and legal, Boaz has to go through the legal process of acquiring Ruth as his wife, and bypassing the eligible kinsman-redeemer. So in the presence of the elders of the town, he lets them know that Naomi is selling some plot of land, and he suggests that the other guy buy it, as recorded in Leviticus 25. Of course Other Guy wants to. Now this is new. I didn't know, and couldn't find anywhere previously in Ruth where Naomi was selling land. Apparently she was, or else Boaz wouldn't have brought it up. Would have been too entangling if Other Guy called his bluff.

Anyway, then Boaz drops the marriage bomb on Other Guy. Other Guy balks at the unexpected baggage, fearing a complicated transaction. He probably also figured that the land wouldn't completely stay in his family.

Then they do that sandal thing that seals the deal, and Ruth belongs to Boaz, and they live happily ever after, promised great renown in Ephrathah.

To continue the epilogue, Ruth has a son, named Obed, and this is, according to Ruth, greater for Naomi than having seven sons. Naomi, once bitter, holds her grandson in her arms with joy. This Obed was the grandfather of some guy named David. Which is apparently the point of this book. It could be a nice story about loyalty and respect and integrity. But we'll have to wait and see.