Ruth
The Book of Ruth
The Bible, or “The Goat Herder’s Guide to the Galaxy” has many layers to it. To read it on a superficial level is to diminish the message, or messages, contained therein. The complexity and layered meaning of scripture reflects the complex and layered aspects of life.This is also why the Bible reflects back to the reader the perspective on life of the reader; we see what we want to see. In my opinion, and as I am the one writing this post – that matters the most, Ruth is one of the most complex and layered of the stories within the Bible. It is also only of two books in scripture named for a Gentile; the other being Job. It is also one of two named after a woman.
We know
more about Ruth than any other woman in the Bible. This includes Mary of
Nazareth and the Samaritan woman at the well. The political and cultural contexts of this story are many and are
important to know. They provide the back drop so that the message of the story
of Ruth can be more clearly seen. The story is about how God works through the hesed
in the interactions between people. Hesed is one of those words for
which the definition is culturally defined and for which there are only partial
translations into English. For the purpose of this post hesed is defined as “unfailing
kindness to the helpless.”[1]
The back drop for this story is the economic disadvantage of women, particularly the widow, and the
exclusion of the foreigner.
The
story is simple. A woman named Naomi, her husband, and two sons travel to the
country of Moab because of a famine in the Bethlehem area. While in Moab her sons
marry Moabite women, then her husband dies, then her sons die. Thus, the story is
about two widows. Naomi and Ruth, the other widow, Orpah, goes back to Moab so
is not part of the story. Ruth travels back to Bethlehem with Naomi. Two women travelling alone would have been extremely risky. The story really begins on the road back to Bethlehem.
There are three significant acts of hesed and I will tell the story from that
perspective.
The
first act happens as Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to go back to Moab,
life would be easier for them. Orpah agrees, Ruth makes a declaration of love and loyalty
used even in these days in weddings, Ruth 1.16 & 17. This is no small decision as
Ruth is accepting life in a strange country while being a widowed woman. Thus, taking on three barriers to anything but a subsistence life. This scene is actually two acts; one of Naomi the other of Ruth.
When
the women arrive in Bethlehem Ruth goes out into the fields that are being harvested
to glean. Gleaning was the practice of picking from the edges of a crop which
had been intentionally left to feed the poor. This is one of the provisions for caring for the poor and disadvantaged within the Tanakh. For a woman to be doing so was
risky, on a number of levels. This is when the owner of the land shows up. He
asks “Whose maiden is this?” He is told that she is Ruth, who has become the
subject of town gossip.
The
second act of hesed, is Boaz telling Ruth to glean in his fields. He also tells
the overseers of the harvest to watch over her, and make sure she gets a little
extra in her gleaning. This is because, “All that you have done for your
mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me.” Ruth 2.11. The gossip spoke of Ruth's good deeds.
Then
things get interesting. There is a celebration of the harvest being held on the
“threshing floor.” Naomi coaches Ruth in how to capture the attention and heart
of Boaz. During the celebration Boaz has his fill of food and drink and is “happy
of heart” and he lays down and goes to sleep. Ruth goes to Boaz and “lays at
his feet.” Boaz wakes up and asks Ruth what she is doing? Her response, is
priceless, “I am Ruth, marry me as it is the right thing to do!” (This is
paraphrased.)
The
third act of hesed was that Boaz, somewhat underhandedly, arranges to marry Ruth. It is
unclear who has committed the act of hesed. This is often the case with compassion
and kindness. Although it is Ruth who is married, it is Naomi who benefits. In
the act of providing for Ruth, Naomi is provided for as well. So, has it been Boaz for marrying Ruth or Ruth for arranging for Naomi to be cared for?
God is
nowhere to be seen in the book of Ruth. He is mentioned but does not make an
appearance. My take on this is that God is present within the acts of kindness
and compassion we take with each other. We are told that whenever two or more of us
gather in his name he is there, so the idea that God can be found within the spaces
between people is not THAT outrageous. It does call for us to be mindful to how
we treat each other.
I think it is more than significant that Ruth, who is continually identified as the Moabite (other), is held up as an example of hesed. It is more than just a message to us for how we are to behave. There is a message about God. While Ruth converts to Judaism with “your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” But again we see the inclusion of a member of a people for whom God apparently despises.
The third of our Wisewomen again brings honour and integrity into the lineage to Jesus. Perhaps we should stop paying so much attention as to who is “in” and who is “out.” There are so many people that we see as deserving exclusion based on our comfort or discomfort with them. Perhaps we should pay more attention to “the content of a person’s character” to borrow a phrase.
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