Bishop Noel Jones - Preaching on Ruth (Video) (13094 hits)
Synopsis Part of a series on The Hebrew Bible and Deuterocanon
During the time of the Judges when there was a famine, an Israelite family from Bethlehem—Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion—emigrate to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech dies, and the sons marry two Moabite women: Mahlon marries Ruth and Chilion marries Orpah.
The two sons of Naomi then die themselves. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. She tells her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers, and remarry. Orpah reluctantly leaves; however, Ruth says, "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." (Ruth 1:16–17 NKJV)
The two women return to Bethlehem. It is the time of the barley harvest, and in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth goes to the fields to glean. The field she goes to belongs to a man named Boaz, who is kind to her because he has heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth tells her mother-in-law of Boaz's kindness, and she gleans in his field through the remainder of the harvest season.
Boaz is a close relative of Naomi's husband's family. He is therefore obliged by the Levirate law to marry Mahlon's widow, Ruth, in order to carry on his family line. Naomi sends Ruth to the threshing floor at night and tells her to "uncover the feet" of the sleeping Boaz. Ruth does so; Boaz awakes and asks,"Who are you?" Ruth identifies herself, then asks Boaz to spread his cloak over her. The phrase "spread your cloak" was a woman's way of asking for marriage. For a man to spread his cloak over a woman showed acquisition of that woman.[3] Boaz states he is willing to "redeem" Ruth via marriage, but informs Ruth that there is another male relative who has the first right of redemption.
The next morning, Boaz discusses the issue with the other male relative, Ploni Almoni ("so-and-so") before the town elders. The other male relative is unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, and so relinquishes his right of redemption, thus allowing Boaz to marry Ruth. They transfer the property and redeem it by the nearer kinsman taking off his sandal and handing it over to Boaz. (Ruth 4:7–18)
Boaz and Ruth get married and have a son named Obed (who by Levirate customs is also considered a son or heir to Elimelech, and thus Naomi). In the genealogy which concludes the story, it is pointed out that Obed is the descendant of Perez the son of Judah, and the grandfather of David.
Ethical Importance
1. Inclusivity: Ruth, a Moabite, voluntarily embraces Naomi's people, land, culture, and God. The book of Ruth portrays a perfect example of a true belief in the Creator God in that it propagates inclusion of all, even in the ancient world of the Israelites where separation is made obvious between Israelites and non-Israelites.[19] This inclusivity transcends cultural or racial boundaries, with the objective of uniting the human race, as reflected in the present Jewish liturgies of the Day of Atonement.[20] Yet Ruth is not any foreigner; she has embraced Israel's religion and way of life. Hence, the aim is unity under God.
2. Loving-kindness living: Boaz and Ruth are models of an altruism for which the word "loving-kindness" has been coined (approximately translating Hebrew hesed). They act in ways enjoined in both Jewish and Christian precepts, that promote the well-being of others.[21] It is also at the same time believably spontaneous and human that Ruth should want to stay with the mother-in-law for whom she had built up an affection, and offer to undertake the back-breaking and humble work of gleaning (Leviticus 23:22) to support them. Boaz is also spontaneously kind in a way that is both humane and righteous. He enables Ruth to obtain more from her gleaning without offering the embarrassment of direct donation. Though no doubt also motivated by an affection towards Ruth, in marrying her he has to pay a cost in money and uncertainty. The nearer kinsman does not rise to these qualities.
3. God's providential care. Though Naomi was a destitute widow at the time she re-entered Bethlehem, yet by the end of the narrative, we see her embracing her grandson as her foster-child. From empty in chapter 1, she is filled again by God at the end of chapter 4. There is a parallel with the entry of Mary and Joseph, homeless, into the same town, Bethlehem, before the birth of Jesus. God's providential care also extends to Ruth. This is especially seen in chapter 2. Even though the author of the book states that Ruth "just happens" to find Boaz's field (Ruth 2:3), the reader may be led to accede to the notion that in Bible terms there is no mere chance, but that chance and God's providence amount to the same thing. By both chance and providence, Ruth, a destitute, widowed and childless outsider, becomes an ancestress of King David (Ruth 4:13).
4. Integrity: The book highlights the virtue of maintaining integrity in one's life. The example of Boaz, who is of high stature not only based on his wealth, but also based on his benevolence. His standing is underlined by his authoritativeness during the legal proceedings at the town gate (4:1–10). His integrity is also demonstrated on the threshing floor, when Ruth "visits" Boaz at night. Many scholars debate over what happened on the threshing floor; yet it seems unlikely Boaz and Ruth had s*xual relations based on the narrative's portrayal of their character (esp. 2:1; 3:11). Establishing their good character then tarnishing it does not seem likely.[22]
