RUTH REFLECTION
Maeve Binchy is one of my favourite authors. I like her books because they are predominantly stories of the lives and relationships of women, written from a female perspective. The Book of Ruth is similar, the two main characters are women and the story is centred round the relationship between them – and, it is the most likely book in the bible to have been written by a woman.
The story of Ruth and Naomi takes place during the time when Israel was ruled by the Judges. It was a violent, male-dominated society where ‘everyone did evil in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Judges eg 3:7, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6....) But here in Ruth we have a story where loving kindness flourishes, redemption occurs and the faithfulness of God is quietly evident.
At the beginning of the story Naomi is a Jewish refugee living in Moab (part of modern day Jordan). Her husband is dead and so are her two sons – both of whom had Moabite wives. Naomi decides to go back home to Bethlehem but advises her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab with their families, after all, she knows what it is like to be without protection and to live in poverty in a foreign land.
But Ruth, in an extraordinary act of self-sacrifice and kindness, pledges to go with Naomi and care for her for the rest of her life, forsaking her own family and chance of marrying again. Ruth is choosing to be a destitute, despised foreigner for the sake of helping and protecting her mother-in-law. This must be a great example of the very commands that Jesus gave to his disciples, and to us, to deny self and love one another.
Naomi is angry with God and blames him for her misfortune, she tells the people of Betrhlehem ‘The Lord has afflicted me and brought misfortune upon me, I went away full but came back empty. No longer call me Naomi but Mara (which means bitter).’
Ruth sets to work to find food for the two women and by coincidence, or God-incidence, finds herself working in the field of a relative of her (deceased) father-in-law. It just so happens that the relative, Boaz, has heard of Ruth’s kindness to Naomi and chooses to be kind to Ruth and protect her because as a poor, foreign woman she is particularly vulnerable to male violence and exploitation – not much has changed over the centuries.
Ruth shares with Naomi how Boaz has helped her, and Naomi realises that Boaz is a close relative who has a duty to redeem them ie take Ruth as his wife and have children with her in order to keep the family name alive.
The two women conceive a plan to make this happen. In effect, Naomi sends Ruth to seduce Boaz and ask him to marry her. Going to the threshing floor (an all-male preserve) seductively dressed at night has got to be a risky business. Ruth is prepared to take the risk to herself in order to secure a future for Naomi: – if Boaz marries Ruth/has a son with her then the family line will be revived and he (the son) will inherit any property/land that belonged to the family so safeguarding Naomi’s future. Alternatively, any of the men at the threshing floor could call Ruth out as a foreign prostitute and probably rape her. Ruth is willing to take the risk for Naomi’s sake .
Are we, as disciples of Jesus, willing to risk our reputations and safety for the sake of loving others?
As it turns out, Boaz is favourably disposed towards Ruth, but there is a problem. There is another closer relative who has first refusal on any property, including Ruth, belonging to Naomi’s husband. Naomi’s husband owned a field near Bethlehem so Boaz formally offers the land (and Ruth) to the relative. The relative decides against buying the land and agrees to Boaz buying it and so claiming Ruth!
Ruth and Boaz marry and have a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David and thus an ancestor of Jesus.
Naomi now has a home and a son (grandson) to carry on the family name. She is no longer bitter and empty but her life is once again pleasant and full (the meaning of Naomi).
Ruth, the foreigner with no hope and no future, has a husband and son and becomes part of the family of God.
God is barely mentioned in this book, but we can see He has been quietly active behind the scenes, working all things together for good, redeeming these two women from destitution and despair to hope and a future.
And God is still faithfully at work today, redeeming and restoring the lost and broken into His family.