Decisions, Agreements and Marriage Should be Legal

Ruth 4:7
(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)

Ruth 4:8
So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.

Ruth 4:9
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.

Ruth 4:10
I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses! ”

Ruth 4:13
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

Something is said to be legal if it is done according to the procedures provided in the law. Something is also legal if it is permitted by the law of the land. Every territory has got its laws. Disputes are taken to court so that experts of the law can determine what is legal and what is illegal.

Believers should follow the law of the land to the letter. Activities of believers should be legal. Believers will immediately and without delay defy any laws and act illegally if it defies their faith in God. To the extent to which our faith is not jeopardized, we must act legally.

Boaz is a rich man. Boaz has fallen in love with Ruth a widow. The law of that Time had two demands. First, there was a person who was next in line to marry Ruth before Boaz. Secondly, whoever married Ruth also bought the property of her deceased spouse. This was the legal way to acquire Ruth.

Boaz called the person who was first in line to redeem Ruth. Boaz also called the elders who were the court and legal experts of that time. Boaz asked the redeemer if he would take Ruth as his wife plus her property. The redeemer wanted the property but he didn’t want Ruth. The law didn’t accept that arrangement, it was both or none.

The legal process at that time required that the redeemer surrenders and empowers Boaz to buy the property and marry Ruth. The process of surrender was by taking his sandal and giving it to Boaz. That was the legal process and he did it. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

Therefore, Boaz acquired the property legally. Boaz married Ruth legally. Boaz started living with Ruth after the legal process. Boaz and Ruth made love and had a child after the legal process. The Holy Spirit allowed this in scripture so that we too should act legally!

Are your decisions legal? Are your agreements legal? Are your marriages legal? Are you making love within legal provisions? Are you having children within legal marriages? Legal is biblical. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

Boaz consulted legal experts, do you do that? It is biblical to consult legal experts to avoid acting illegally. Experts exist because what is right may not be obvious and therefore we need their opinion. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

Genesis 38:17-18
(17) “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.
(18) He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

This is a business agreement. One promises to pay a goat but he doesn’t have the goat. Legally he must give security as a pledge that he will pay the goat. While this was a seemingly act of prostitution which is a sin and very wrong, we learn from it how to act legally. Believers must have secure deals so that they are not foolishly robbed. If there is a promise of payment, what is legally safe for you? Make sure you are legally safe to be paid the money you have been promised. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

Matthew 19:3
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

Is it lawful is the same as saying is it legal. Marriage must begin legally and if it must end, it should be done legally. Legal is safe and biblical. What doesn’t contradict scripture legally is the right thing for believers to do. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

A gentleman’s agreement is based on how to people trust each other and is outside the protection of the law. We can follow a gentleman’s agreement on low-risk matters that don’t come with potentially huge losses. However, where there are high risks and potentially big losses, a believer must act legally. Even with one’s own brother, sister, friend, or kin, we should avoid a gentleman’s agreement. Marriage should not be by a gentleman’s agreement. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

You should not marry with a gentleman’s agreement that parents will be informed later. You shouldn’t live together and have children hoping that someday the legal process will be done. That is a risk a believer in their right mind should not take. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

1 Corinthians 6:1
Lawsuits Among Believers
If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?

1 Corinthians 6:5-7
(5) I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? (6) But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!
(7) The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

While decisions, agreements, and marriages should be legal, disputes can be resolved among believers. Apostle Paul tells the church that believers should be able to resolve disputes using faith-provided mechanisms. In faith-provided mechanisms, we have a confession, forgiveness, and leaving revenge in God’s hands. Disputes between believers and unbelievers can go to court. But disputes among believers should be resolved by faith systems or else it means we have lost faith. Criminal cases must go to court but civil cases can be resolved by the church within the church.

In the event of a dispute, if you acted legally you are safe. If you act illegally a dispute before a court of law will put you in trouble. If you have a gentleman’s agreement it will be difficult to solve any dispute that arises. Decisions, agreements, and marriage should be legal!

We thank God for this wisdom. May we be wise believers who act legally and who can resolve conflicts amicably. May God save us from the trap of gentleman’s agreement. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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