Which Bottom Line?

The story is coming to an end.  Or, one story is ending and another will begin: yours. 

But first there’s the next of kin to deal with.   

Boaz goes up to the city gate and sits down.  And, what do you know, the closer relative, the next of kin Boaz told Ruth about, just so happens to come by.  So Boaz grabs ten men from among the elders – respectable fellows – and says, “Hey Mr. So & So, come have a seat!”

“Mr. So & So” is literally how the writer records the identity of the nearer kinsman.  The author is sending us a message that, like Orpah, Mr. So & So is forgettable.  Heck, even Oprah Winfrey’s aunt couldn’t get it right. 

So down they sit. 

Boaz puts it on the table.  “Naomi – who’s come back from Moab – is selling the land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.  It occurred to me that I should let you know, so that you could buy it back in the presence of these witnesses and elders.  If you want to redeem it, it’s yours.  But if you don't, then let me know, because I am next in line after you.” 

Mr. So & So’s knee jerk reaction is, “I’ll redeem it.” 

Here’s the story on the kinsman-redeemer.  The Law of Moses required that the closest male relative had the responsibility of protecting the family’s name and property, including when a family member died.  Deuteronomy 25 describes circumstances similar to the ones we find in Ruth, describing a situation when a man dies, and his brother is responsible to

• first, to protect his property and
• second, to provide an heir for the widow. 

This was especially important in Bible times because it was an agrarian culture (hard work!) and there was no government safety net.  The name of the deceased had to be preserved in terms of both land and descendants.

Then Boaz drops the other shoe, er, sandal[i].  “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you also buy it from Ruth the Moabite, the wife of the deceased, to establish the name of the dead on his inheritance.” 

Mr. So & So puts the brakes on.  “Whoa, wait a second.  I can’t redeem it – I might ruin my own inheritance.  You yourself redeem my share.  I am not going to do it.”  Mr. So & So says, “Buy it yourself.”

Mr. So & So can’t look past his own self-interest in order to do the right thing. 

From one perspective, Mr. So & So is just being a good businessman.  His initial thought is probably that this was a good idea.  After all, Naomi is an older woman.  If he fulfills his duty as kinsman-redeemer and buys Naomi's field, he keeps it in the family, and it means that as soon as Naomi dies the property will go to Mr. So & So and his heirs. 

With a young woman like Ruth in the picture, however, everything changes.  Suddenly the likelihood of adding a new heir increases.  Someone else will get a cut of his inheritance.  If Mr. So & So takes Ruth and they have a child, their child will stand to inherit not only Naomi’s property but also a share of the kinsman-redeemer’s estate.  Mr. So & So is looking at the bottom line. 

The bottom line, though, is this:  Mr. So & So can’t be bothered with his brother's family line, let alone with Ruth.  In chapter one it was Orpah whose self-interest was contrasted with Ruth.  Now Mr. So & So is being contrasted with Boaz.  Mr. So & So’s priorities are himself and his assets. 

What is a key situation you are facing right now where you are at a crossroads: being more like Mr. So & So or being like Boaz? 

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[i] Actually there was some sandal removal going on in this scene but we’ll let that one go.