The story of Ruth is not a warm fuzzy story about
two girlfriends on a road trip. It is a story that begins in dislocation
and death. As a political piece it is a powerful counter-story to the
reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah whose strategy for the re-establishment of
the Temple and the people was to “get back to the fundamentals.” One
human implication of this was that all foreign wives – like Ruth – were
banished from the country. Against this “keep on message” story of
purification and focus the tale of Ruth and Naomi shows a God quite
capable of working outside the lines.
Through Ruth the arc of Naomi’s story moves from
despair and death to hope and new life until, if we sneak a peek far
ahead to the Gospel of Matthew, Ruth is listed as a foremother of Jesus,
the great- grandmother of King David. Now that’s a reversal of type, a
transformation of story. For Ruth was from the Moabites, a people
usually portrayed as outside any sphere of God, loose in sexual and
religious morality. They did, using a phrase from Judges, “what was
right in their own eyes.” (almost a Baby Boomer ethic!) A foreigner, an
unwelcome alien, becomes a vehicle of salvation not only for Naomi but
for the nation. That kind of thinking is almost Biblical!
The tale reeks with humanity. Naomi, after the
deaths of her husband and sons, names herself as a bitter person. Life
had not turned out as she hoped. Her husband and she had been forced to
leave Bethlehem because of famine and then, after having endured the
battles of all immigrants, the family disintegrates in the new land, and
she feels forced to make her way back home, uncertain of what she will
find there. Wow! That’s an uncertain future at a time when all
resources and energy feels depleted.
Questions to Ponder
1. Naomi and Ruth found themselves on the edge, without power, influence or resource. Has there been a time in your life where you have felt similar things? Did you feel alone during those times – aka Naomi – or did support come from elsewhere?
2. One of the key turning points of the story is Ruth’s profession of faithfulness and loyalty to Naomi. Have there been times in your life when the faithfulness and loyalty of some one or group has tipped the balance for you?
3. God does not appear as a front and center player in the story. We are left to infer God’s preferences and movement. Have you found that God has often been more visible in your life when you look in the rear view mirror or have you sometimes been aware right away?
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