Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance, in order that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his kindred and from the gate of his native place; today you are witnesses.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, June 24, 2026
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Inheritance was a huge deal in Israel. When the Hebrews first settled Israel, Jewish law was clear that every man got a parcel of land, that was attached to his name forever. If the land had to be sold for financial reasons, during the jubilee year it passed back to his kin to keep it in his name. When he died, his brothers could marry his widow to keep it in his name. Land was not just wealth in Israel. It was identity. Mahlon was Elimelech’s older son (at least, he is named first in Ruth 1:2), and would have inherited on Elimelech’s death. By marrying Mahlon’s widow, Boaz doesn’t just get more land. He commits himself to keeping Elimelech’s land in the family. The first child Boaz has with Ruth (I believe) is considered Mahlon’s child, in order to maintain the lineage. For me that just shows that Boaz’s love for Ruth has nothing to do with monetary gain and everything to do with love, honor, and duty. It sets the scene for the future birth of Israel’s most beloved king, David, who will be Ruth and Boaz’s great-grandson, painting a picture of the faithful family from which David came.
What is the best gift I’ve ever given someone? Why do I consider it the best?
