May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Sometimes God uses even the small details of our lives to make big things happen. When Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, he first had to go to a closer relative of Ruth’s husband. The reason for this is because the law of the Israelites said that if a man died without an heir, his widow would marry the man’s brother or next closest male relative. Then, if she had a child, that child would take the name of her deceased husband and would be given his inheritance (property) in order for his name to carry on. The relative that Boaz spoke with at the beginning of Ruth 4 was fine with taking on the deceased man’s property, but when he found out there was a wife involved (and perhaps, especially, that this wife was from Moab), the man declined. Why? For a couple of possible reasons: 1) Although the property would become his, and he would pay for it and invest in it, if Ruth had a son, the son would get the property and it would continue to be in the deceased’s name. So, in a sense, the man might lose his investment; 2) the man may have been put off by the idea of having a Moabite wife. Thus, he rejected the offer and Boaz married Ruth.

Ruth served Naomi by accompanying her on their journey, by working hard to gather food, and by following her instructions. Challenge yourself this coming month to look for ways you can serve others in your family. Remember that listening and being respectful can be an act of service too!