by John O’Malley
“Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe” (Ruth 4:7-8).
When a transaction occurred for the sale of property, or when men bartered in order make a deal final, the one whose property transferred ownership would pull off his shoe and give it to the new owner. It was the “signing of the paperwork” in today’s vernacular. Its imagery is powerful in a modern world that knows only court documents, attorneys, and lawsuits.
There would be no mistaking the essence of the scene if you were standing in the marketplace watching a man pull off his shoe. The journey home for the new owner is worthy of mention. What good is a walk with one shoe? It depends on who is looking at it. To the releasing owner, it meant he would never forget it as he journeyed home with one shoe removed. The remaining shoe was a shoe of reminder.
To the redeeming owner, it would never be forgotten as he carried home a shoe of redemption. It was not one he would wear. It was a shoe to carry to portray that what he had received, he once did not have. Scripture does not tell us what an owner did with the third shoe when he arrived home. It could have been displayed or merely stored. Either way, it was a testimony of redemption.
The law mentions a situation where a childless widow could go to her deceased husband’s brother. If he refused to marry her, the widow could go to the elders in the city’s gate. She could remove his shoe, the shoe of rejection, and spit in his face. She would also call him a name of humiliation. From that day forward the man’s name would be called, “The house of him that hath his shoe removed.”
While others might call it just an old shoe, that was not how Ruth would look at it. The shoe would always be displayed on the mantel of her heart. Seeing it would bring joy and relief. She would be reminded of the day of her redemption. It was a day that redeemed her heart and hope.
Like the three views of the shoe, the child of the Eternal Boaz has a symbol or testimony of their redemption. It is the cross of Calvary. Some may look at the cross and see it as a testimony of rejection. Others may see the cross as a testimony of remembrance. Yet the child of God who has stood at the empty cross sees it as a testimony of redemption—their own.
The cross brought your redemption; may you be mindful of its significance and salvation.
Think about it...