Law concerning the death of a male without a son (Deuteronomy 25: 5)

Moses said to Israel: Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on the name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.
The levirate law (from Latin levir, brother-in-law) was practiced among the Jews from patriarchal times onwards, its purpose being to avoid any branch of the family becoming extinct - something that was regarded as a great disgrace. In keeping with this law, the first son of the new marriage was regarded as the son of the dead husband in the eyes of the law. The gesture of handing over a sandal symbolized giving (cf. Ruth 4:7) it is done here implied great humiliation for the brother-in-law. The cunning question the Sadducees put to our Lord in connexion with this law - the hypothetical case of a woman who married seven brothers in turn (Matt. 22: 23-33) shows that it was still in force in our Lord's time. It also allowed for property of inheritance to be retained by the family of the diseased.
Daily Prayer: In my time and among the people of the church, we have no land of inheritance. While carring on the family name is still looked at, now equal attention and consideration is given to daughters of the diseased. I recognize that daughters are as much a child of God as any man and for that reason the children of all couples is looked at as a blessing from God. Even in the days of Ruth, which is where this law is seen greatest in the Bible, the people of Israel considered Ruth (who is a Moabitte) to be as great as seven sons because of her faithfulness to Naomi, her mother-in-law. Thank you Lord for the children we have been given. Amen.