Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it for yourself,’ he drew off his sandal.
(Ruth 4:7-8 ESV)
Have you ever seen a singer give a performance so amazing that it caused someone in the audience to reach down, take off their shoe, and throw it? In Black church tradition, throwing your shoe is the highest compliment you can pay. It means words have failed you. Your body is trying to express what your mouth cannot.
Ruth 4 has its own sandal moment, but it wasn’t about paying a compliment. It was about sealing a testimony. Because there are times when words alone are not enough.
The Hebrew word that’s used here is teudah (תְּעוּדָה), pronounced teh-oo-DAH. It means testimony, attestation, or confirmed witness. In ancient Israel, when a legal transaction took place, it wasn’t sealed with a signature or a notary stamp. It was sealed with a shoe. So the unnamed relative pulled off his sandal and handed it to Boaz, right there in front of the elders at the city gate.
That act became his teudah, his testimony. Everyone who was present that day could say, “I saw it. I was there. It happened.” The sandal became visible evidence that the right of redemption had been transferred to Boaz.
Throughout Scripture, God often provides testimonies that confirm His work. The rainbow testified to God’s covenant with Noah. The stones taken from the Jordan testified to God’s faithfulness in bringing Israel into the Promised Land. The empty tomb testifies to the resurrection of Jesus.
And God still provides testimony in our lives today. Moments when God leaves behind evidences of His faithfulness. Answered prayers, unexpected provisions, doors He opens (or closes) all remind us that God is at work. Those testimonies become anchors for our faith. We can move forward with confidence because God has given us countless testimonies of His trustworthiness.
Whenever you begin to struggle with your faith, remember some of those testimonies that God has written into your own story. Recall the times He carried you through hardship, provided what you lacked, or guided when you were uncertain.
Those memories are not accidents. They are testimonies designed to strengthen your faith for the journey ahead.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the many testimonies of Your faithfulness in Scripture and in my own life. Forgive me when I forget what You have done and focus only on present difficulties. May those testimonies strengthen my faith and encourage me to trust You with the future. In Jesus’ name, amen.