Ruth 4:8 "So when the next of kin said to Boaz, 'Buy it for yourself,' he drew off his sandal."

Boaz wants to marry the widow Ruth, but the "next of kin" referred to here has priority to redeem the land owned by Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi, and also take Ruth as his wife. If the next of kin does not redeem the land, the right of redemption, and the right to Ruth's hand, will pass to Boaz. Boaz has just presented this information to the next of kin, who has said he cannot redeem it, lest he impair his own inheritance, so he says that Boaz should take the right of redemption and buy the land himself (while taking off his sandal, a sign that confirmed the agreement). (Ruth 4:1-8).

I wonder if I would have been as cordial and level-headed as the next of kin was in similar circumstances. Boaz knew of Naomi's intention to sell the land and of his desire to marry Ruth, but the next of kin had not been expecting this encounter nor having to make this decision. Boaz waited at the gate for the next of kin to pass by, and asked to speak with him when he did. It was then that the information was presented to the next of kin by Boaz, who also gathered ten elders as witnesses. I do not like surprises nor interruptions, so if I had been walking down the road and someone stopped me, sat me down with ten witnesses, and told me I was entitled to redeem an inheritance, but it included marriage, and I had to decide right now, I would have been thrown for more than a loop! The former me would most certainly have been suspicious of these men (maybe it is all the emails I've received from Nigerian princes! :), but as I read the Bible and come to understand how very different the Jewish people were because of their relationship with God, I am learning that they did not distrust each other the way that we often do. As I grow closer to God, I am tending to trust Him more, and therefore others. I also tend to think faster on my feet, and evaluate unexpected situations better, things that I am certain are due to me letting Him lead me, rather than relying on my own faulty wits and understanding.

In the Jewish society of Boaz's time, the people assumed that they were all following God, so they approached each other not with suspicion, but with a sense of kinship. They were all letting God lead them (or at least were supposed to be), so they did not second-guess themselves or overthink things. I'm sure there were Jews who were not living this way, who would take advantage when they could, but they were certainly the exception, and God's laws were clear about their punishment, so for the most part people trusted each other. This is a small but beautiful example of what truly living "under God" is like. Rather than the "one nation, under God" that our Pledge of Allegiance promises, the distrustful society we have created as we stray further from God and the understanding that His goodness is what should underlie all of our laws, is a difficult one in which to live. We assume, and are often even taught, that everyone is out for themselves, and we have to be, too. We might obey the letter of the law (although sometimes we don't even do that if we think we can get away with it), but often either fail to understand the spirit behind it, or, increasingly, the law is an immoral one with which we struggle to comply.

We are in a bad place as a nation, far from the trust the next of kin shows Boaz, and far from knowing, trusting, and following God and His law. But change starts with us individually. I have been trying to simply trust God in everything, and apply His law in all situations. This means approaching all people with charity, even those with whom I disagree. If I can't get to a place where I can trust them (or if they don't trust me,  because this behavior does make me "odd" in the world's eyes), then I step back as best I can and pray for them. I have seen tremendous results from those prayers, to be honest.

Fortunately for us, even though we have not redeemed our inheritance, it remains redeemable, as do we. Love of God and neighbor is the starting (and ending) point for us to obtain our inheritance. It is also the starting point for building the Kingdom of God.