# 352 More On The Levirate Law

The Book of Genesis

Day 352

Ge 38:8 And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother."  9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.  10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.

Continuing our look at the Levirate Law today, in order to get some answers concerning God’s deep displeasure with Onan. More insight into this matter can be found in the Book of Ruth where the Law is brought forth again.

Ruth was a Moabitess, who was widowed while living in Moab. Her mother-in-law, Naomi was an Israelite whose husband was from Bethlehem a city of Judah. They had two sons, and they had to leave Judah because of famine.  It was while they were in Moab that their two sons married Moabite women.

Naomi’s husband died as did her two sons, and suddenly she was left without an heir.  It was in this heirless state that she decided to head back home to Judah. To get an idea of how ingrained this Law was to the Israelites, Naomi tells her two daughters-in-law to turn back to their own people because she (Naomi) was too old to bear any more children, much less sons. And even if she would bear sons, they would be too young for the women to wait for in order to produce heirs.  So she releases both daughters from the Law of the Levirate in order that they may find husbands in their homeland and build a new life there.

But Ruth, refuses to leave her mother-in-law and upon returning to Judah, they meet a man named Boaz. Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s deceased husband that can be traced back to Perez. (Ironically, we will read about Perez later in this chapter, because he was one of the twins born to Tamar, who was fathered by the illicit act of Judah.) This is an incredible tangled web, that God will untangle and turn out for good.

It was the refusal of Judah’s sons to play the role of the levirate that led to these events and the eventual marriage of Boaz to Ruth. It was Boaz who accepted the duty of the levirate and became Naomi’s and Ruth’s “kinsmen redeemer,” God used Boaz and Ruth and the levirate law to untangle the mess and get things back on track as it concerns the lineage of Christ through the seed of David. 

Again, a reminder to us of the sovereignty of God, and still more cause for us to bow down and worship our Lord. He had this circumstance all along, and He has yours as well. Keep trusting. Keep obeying, and see what God will bring forth in your life!