Reading the Bible (8) | Luther

This is the shortest passage in the Old Testament, less than four pages. It is also the first biography of a woman in the Old Testament. Don't know why it's a separate article. Compared with the previous stories in the Old Testament, Luther's story is ordinary, with no war, no rebellion, and no disloyalty. Of course, this does not mean that plain stories are not worth telling, but that for the style of that era, people are more interested in heroic characters, just like China in the current mainstream narrative.

"Luther" is more modern in terms of story. It reminds me of Jin Li's private novels. Of course, the styles are vastly different, but they are all trickles in a grand narrative or a tortuous story.

According to Brother Maizi, this separate chapter expresses Jehovah’s respect for women. Of course I would not be able to see this meaning unless there was a balanced gender ratio throughout the biblical story. Just like I can't conclude from the story of Wu Zetian becoming emperor that women had a higher status than men in ancient China, even if you say gender equality, I don't have enough understanding to see it.

It tells the story of the second marriage of a middle-aged woman (maybe not even middle-aged). This woman went to seek refuge in a foreign country with her husband's family. Later, all the men in the family died, and her sister-in-law returned to her parents' family. However, she never left her mother-in-law and returned to her hometown of Bethlehem with her mother-in-law. There, she met a kind-hearted man, Boaz, who was interested in her, but because of "feudal ethics", he couldn't express it directly:

The original text in "Luther" is:

Boaz said: ...I am indeed one of your closest relatives, but there is another person who is closer than me. You stay here tonight, and if he is willing to perform his duties as a relative for you tomorrow morning, let him do it; but if he is not willing, I swear by the living Lord, I will perform my duties for you..."

This feudal ethics is not explicitly mentioned here. According to my imagination, it should be related to Jehovah’s previous laws. I remember that Jehovah said at some time and place in the past that after a man dies, his younger brother has the obligation to marry his sister-in-law and give birth to children to inherit his elder brother’s legacy.

According to this meaning, if a person does not have a younger brother, the sister-in-law will probably not be free. Instead, it will be like what we understand today as personal property. There is no first heir, but there are second, third, fourth and Nth heirs waiting. And before this Boaz, there was a successor who was higher than him.

Fortunately, the higher-ranking heir was only interested in the land left by Father-in-law Luther. Because Boaz said that the land and Luther must be packaged and sold, he had no interest in Luther, so he gave up his "inheritance rights." Boaz felt a stone fall in his heart.

From then on, Boaz and Luther lived a happy life.

Their son was Obed, their grandson was Jesse, and their great-grandson was David.

I have a hunch: David will become something great in the future! ( My great-great-grandmother is worth more than her great-grandson. )