Reasons for Levirate marriage
· God protected the Israelite women
· God protected the family name of the Israelites – very important in the first and second coming of Jesus Christ
· God protected the land rights of the Israelites
· In Old Testament times it was vital that a man’s family name should be preserved. If he died without an heir, steps were to be taken to make sure that he had an heir who would care for his wife, carry on the family name and inherit the family property. The law said that the widow of the dead man should marry one of her husband’s relatives, with the first son of that union becoming the dead man’s heir:
Also relevant are the provisions of God’s law for what was to happen when an Israelite family fell on hard times and sold their land. In such circumstances, the nearest male relative, called the kinsman-redeemer, was to redeem—to buy back—the land for his poor relatives:
Keep in mind that the Book of Ruth is much more than the record of the marriage of a rejected alien to a respected Jew. It’s also the picture of Christ’s relationship to those who trust Him and belong to Him. In the steps that Ruth takes, recorded in this chapter, we see the steps God’s people must take if they want to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Like Ruth, we must not be satisfied merely with living on leftovers (2:2), or even receiving gifts (2:14, 16). We must want Him alone; for when we have Him, we also have all that He owns. It’s not the gifts that we seek, but the Giver
True faith takes initiatives on the basis of God’s Word
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