UNDERSTANDING GREAT BIBLE STORIES:

RUTH: (Ruth 2: 14-23)

It has been said that desperate times call for desperate measures. Just in the last week, we have prayed for and sent our hearts out to families and friends whose loved ones were trapped in a Utah mine cave-in; we have learned of the deadliest attack in the Iraq war history; we have been shaken by the news of an earthquake in Peru (Where Kendra’s daughter, Anne, lives, although we learned she is alright.) We also are bracing with the Caribbean islands and the gulf for category 4 hurricane Dean to wreak havoc with their lives. In our own country besides the mine accident, we have learned of deaths due to record temperatures and poor water quality; even deaths by toys with lead paint have hit our radar screen. Sometimes things seem to come unglued.

For generations people have turned to the Bible for words of comfort, guidance, and hope. Some turn to the Psalms, some to the Gospels, some to Paul’s letters. But Ruth; the book of Ruth? Let’s listen to the storyteller whose story is set in the midst of tragedy. And by the way, the Woman’s Bible Study that the Circles will use all year is written by Carol M. Bechtel and deals with Ruth and Jonah. I make some references from that study book today and will preach on Jonah next week.

Once upon a time a faithful man from the land of Judah and the little town of Bethlehem, (which, ironically means “House of Bread”) did what he thought was necessary to keep his family from starving: Elimelech, by name, took his wife, Naomi (which meant, “pleasant”) to Moab, (the Hebrew people were fond of giving their children meaningful names that they hoped would help them fulfill their God-given destiny. If so, then why did they name their two sons, whom they took with them, Mahlon (which means sickly) and Chilion (which means frail?) Seems like this trip had two strikes against it! But they must have already been sick and tired from famines and lack of good water because soon after their arrival, Elimelech died. Since the famine was still going on back home, they humbly tried to stay in Moab, almost like an immigrant or illegal alien might come to our country for survival. Naomi, being an Israelite woman, was persona-non-grata in Moab, but along with her sons she and they could offer cheap labor. As they stayed, they found the Moabites not nearly as wretched as the old stories that had been told about them. (And isn’t that true once you meet the ones told in stories? In Arkansas, my secretary at my first church, which turns 125 years old this very day, used to say when she was young that she was told many horrid stories about Yankees: she pictured them with horns and fangs and claws. When she was about to meet her first Yankee she was terrified, but soon discovered Yankees were “sorta like southerners, only not as good!”) Well, I suspect the Moabites thought Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion were sorta like Moabites, only not as good! But good, kind young men of marrying age often eye young women who are also interested, and sometimes love is so blind that one falls in love with another regardless of nationality, race, creed, or color. Such was the case with those boys. One day they ended up getting married, going against Jewish tradition never to marry non–Jews, but by that time, the people of Moab had been kind to them and some of their ways had altered them. So down the aisle went Mahlon and Orpah (which Oprah’s mother misspelled when naming her) and Chilion and Ruth. All was well for years, so much so that the men taught their wives about their faith, but they didn’t go back. They grew accustomed to that new land. After 10 years there, the sons of Naomi both died, so the widow by custom had no means of support and her two daughters-in-law had not either. In the back of Naomi’s mind, she remembered the old levirate marriage law and other customs that said family takes care of family. Perhaps in New Orleans, the Caribbean, in Utah, and other places that has happened. Perhaps if you have experienced the death of a loved one even you were taken in by, or moved closer to, family. So Naomi decides she must go back to her native country and find a relative who will take her in. She expects her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab with their kin. But a bond has been created between them in their hardship. They have been through so much that they can hardly be parted. Naomi is far beyond marrying age but Ruth and Orpah are not; she sees hope for them if they stay. But they say no; they will take their chances going with her. She has heard rumors that people are surviving in Bethlehem again, but they are only rumors. She cares for these daughters-in-law, which goes against the stereotype. She implores them both to stay in their land for their own survival; they cried in each other’s arms and Orpah finally relented to Naomi’s request. But Ruth could not be persuaded and she goes into the two line speech that is recorded at the beginning of your bulletin and has made it into countless weddings even though it is a daughter-in-law pledging devotion to a mother-in-law and to her God. Ruth had a chance because she would be considered a convert to Judaism as she came to Judah. But Naomi was already so angry with God and with life that she was going through some of the stages of grief that Dr. Lex Baer of our Presbyterian Counseling Center cited in this month’s Spire, the church newsletter: “Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally and hopefully, acceptance.” People who have lost their home, their spouse, their children, or their homeland go through those stages in different ways. Naomi was so overwhelmed and looked so bad, with her face lined and expression void, that those who once knew her said to her face “Is this Naomi?” to which she replied stoically ( I would imagine) “No longer call me Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter.)” Life had been hard on her.

So there they were in Bethlehem and they found one of Noami’s relatives by marriage. His name was Boaz and was a man of means. Ruth selflessly began working and gleaning in a field, allowed also by Levitical law in Leviticus 19 and 23. But Boaz noticed her; she was different, she was working, perhaps she even had a certain beauty! She falls at his feet acknowledging that she is a foreigner. She then says she hopes the Lord, the God of Israel, rewards him for his deeds. What an interesting woman! She is from another country yet she speaks his language (thanks, we are sure, to her late husband and to Naomi). She also believes in his God, shows proper respect, and is willing to work hard. Why, she would be a welcome immigrant in any country with her good attitude and good work! Sometimes people have grown fond of those from other countries or faiths who have exhibited undying gratitude for blessings and undying devotion to a country whose God is the Lord. Boaz began to protect and care for Ruth.

Boaz, being an honorable man, begins the social security process for her; he protects Naomi as a kinswoman; but Ruth is of a marrying age and could be made a part of his nation if she were to marry and have children. By the Levirate marriage law, she was to be offered to the man closest by blood to her late Jewish husband, and she was allowed and encouraged to marry him if he wanted it, even if he were already married. (Leviticus 25: 25) So a sort of legal polygamy turns the theological heads of many of us today. But that man declined the offer, which was perhaps a part of God’s divine plan, and the man who had shown wisdom, maturity, means, lovingkindness, and mercy was next in line: Boaz. Would Boaz like to marry Ruth? Yes. Would Ruth like to marry Boaz even though he was older? Yes. The Bible says in the original Hebrew that Boaz was ish gibbor chayel. Used when describing a warrior, it meant he was both physically and financially endowed! Yup! There would be a wedding!!

And so our story winds down including something that many family albums include: a place for the family tree to be listed. This devoted, converted Moabite woman, and this true-blood Jew who was strong, kind, God-fearing, and blessed, had children. Naomi was even blessed to be asked to be the child’s nurse, so the child was nourished by this Jewish woman who had become smitten bonded to her daughter-in-law Ruth. Five lines from the end of the book it is put this way: “The boy was named Obed; he became the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.” And Matthew knows that story and puts more leaves on the family tree, tracing all of those generations down to who? To the Lord Jesus who was born, of course, in Bethlehem. God’s never-failing goodness can now be traced from the Old Testament to new. Sadly, it is highlighted at times by distorted stories about other nations, creeds, colors, or faiths that aren’t always true; it is also highlighted by times when families took in other people during times of grief and crisis; and it is highlighted by people praising the Lord who shows steadfast love amidst crisis. That God, that story, and those lessons are recorded in history for people like you, and like me, to never forget. God cares for you; there are good people of many stripes, and you might be among those who, amidst crisis, will be called to practice open-hearted hospitality. May we each look at others, as God sees us: through eyes of love and grace.

Jeffrey A. Sumner August 19, 2007