God Provides, With a Little Help—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 25B (Ruth 3, 4)

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

3 Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. ² Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. ³ Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” ⁵ She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. ¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin, and may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵ He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.” ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.

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                 The Book of Ruth is an immigration story with important long-term implications for the people of Israel and those of us who are Christians. We live in a time when migration has become a major political and cultural issue. While migration has always been rooted in economic and political contexts, it often leads to resistance from those who live in the lands that receive immigrants. There is often a fear that immigrants will change the religious and cultural dimensions of the receiving nation. We see that occurring at this moment as a consequential election takes place in the United States. Although the United States, as it stands today, has been built largely through immigration. Though most African Americans are descendants of enslaved Africans brought here without their consent. We should not forget America’s indigenous peoples who didn’t have a say when it came to European migration.  Therefore, since immigration has become an important political, social, and cultural issue, it seems appropriate (providential?) that the Revised Common Lectionary once again takes us to the Book of Ruth for our first reading from Scripture.

                The previous week’s reading from Ruth 1 introduces us to a woman named Naomi, along with her husband Elimelech and two sons—Mahlon and Chilion. This family migrated from Israel to Moab during the time of the Judges due to a famine in the land. Jacob and his family left Canaan for Egypt for the same reason, famine. What is interesting about this move to Moab is that Moab had long been one of Israel’s primary enemies.  In Deuteronomy, the Israelites were given instructions relating to Moab that were quite harsh, but were rooted in the response Moab gave to the Israelites as they journeyed through Moab on their way to the Promised Land:

 ³ “No Ammonite or Moabite shall come into the assembly of the Lord even to the tenth generation. None of their descendants shall come into the assembly of the Lord forever, ⁴ because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey out of Egypt and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. ⁵ (Yet the Lord your God refused to heed Balaam; the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you.) ⁶ You shall never promote their welfare or their prosperity as long as you live.  (Deut. 23:3-6)

Although one would expect the Moabites to be less than welcoming to these Israelites who came to their land, it appears that the Moabites were hospitable to the family. After Elimelech died, Mahlon and Chilion took Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth. One has to wonder how hospitable our country would be to migrants like Naomi’s family. The rhetoric we hear from some quarters suggests that they would not be welcomed. After all, as a recent political operative made clear “America is for Americans,” though from past history one wonders how he defines American.  

As we turn to Chapter 3, the situation changes. While Naomi previously had been a migrant, now her daughter-in-law and companion was the migrant. Considering what the passage from Deuteronomy 23 says, one would expect a less than enthusiastic welcome. After all, according to Deuteronomy, “You shall never promote their welfare or their prosperity as long as you live” (Deut. 23:6). Yet, Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Bethlehemite. Would that make a difference? That is, does marriage provide some kind of protection? Of course, Ruth was no longer married to an Israelite. Her husband was dead. Would Naomi’s kinship suffice? Or would the powers that be deport her? That is the question.  

 When Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, they faced the question of how they would sustain themselves. While Naomi has relatives in Bethlehem, would they welcome Ruth, a foreign woman from Moab? Or, once again, would they seek to have her deported?

                There is good news to be had. Ruth and Naomi found a member of Naomi’s family who proved helpful to them. That person was named Boaz. Boaz appears to be wealthy. He’s not married and doesn’t have children. He looks kindly on Naomi and Ruth, providing support where he can. That gave Naomi an idea. Perhaps Boaz, who was unmarried at the time, could become Ruth’s husband. Now there was a closer relative to Naomi, he hadn’t paid any attention to Ruth. We read the beginning of this portion of the story in Chapter 3 of Ruth. Naomi demonstrates great shrewdness and a bit of unconventional guidance to Ruth. She devised a plan that if successful would lead to marriage. The lectionary only gives us a portion of the story, but it gives us enough to get a sense of what will take place.

                Seeking security for herself, upon hearing that Boaz would be working on the threshing floor that night, she advised Ruth to bathe, anoint herself, dress up in her best clothes, and go to the threshing floor. However, Naomi told Ruth not to reveal herself to Boaz just yet. Let him finish work, have dinner, and a nice drink. Then, when he lies down to go to sleep, go to him, uncover his feet, and lie down next to him. It’s important to remember that the word for feet was often a euphemism for genitalia. Thus, Naomi was advising Ruth to initiate a sexual relationship that would lead to marriage. That part of the story is found in the remainder of Chapter 3 of Ruth.

                The opening passage offers the word of guidance to Ruth on the part of Naomi. We drop down to Chapter 4. The reading begins in verse 13, but we would be wise to take note of what happens before verse 13. As noted, Boaz is next in line, so he has to negotiate a settlement so he can take Naomi as his wife. That occurs. The two relatives exchange sandals, and with that exchange, Ruth is made available to become Boaz’s wife. People who want to go back to biblical marriage might want to consider what that might mean!

                After Boaz makes his deal with the relative, and the community gives their blessing to the coming nuptials, including the hope for children, just like what happened with Rachel and Leah, as well as Tamar, a wedding takes place. While the author doesn’t give us any details about the wedding, the good news is that Ruth got pregnant, and she had a baby boy. That was good news not only for Ruth and Boaz but also for Naomi. You see, the women of Bethlehem don’t tell Ruth she’s blessed. They tell Naomi. They declare their praise to God, “Who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel!” (Ruth 4:14).  Not only that but “He shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age.” Yes, Naomi has found her redemption in this child born to her daughter-in-law. The good news they share with Naomi is that Ruth not only loves Naomi but is worth seven sons.

                While we can read the marriage story of Ruth and Boaz romantically, when it comes to the basic pieces of the story, this is a marriage designed to provide familial support to a widow and her daughter-in-law. This is less about Ruth and more about Naomi. Ruth woos Boaz to provide for Naomi’s survival, and with it, her own.

What is interesting takes place after this. Naomi takes the child and nurses him, essentially claiming the child as her own. The women named this child Obed. Obed will become the father of Jesse, the father of David. Thus, we have the story of David’s origin, which goes back to a woman who migrated to a foreign land in support of her mother-in-law. Ultimately, the Book of Ruth has importance to the biblical story because it is through her that the Davidic monarchy has its foundation. For Christians, this story is important because Ruth is an ancestor to Jesus, as revealed in Matthew’s genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17).

As we ponder this story of Ruth, we need to remember that while it takes place during the time of the Judges, it was likely written during the post-exilic era. During that period of Israel’s history, as the people of Judah, especially returning exiles attempted to rebuild their community, they tended to emphasize the importance of marrying within the community. We read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah calls for Jews to divorce non-Jewish spouses. Despite sounding harsh these calls for rejecting intermarriage were designed to purify people so that foreign gods and practices might be eliminated. The Book of Ruth offers an alternative viewpoint. This story reminds the people of post-exilic Israel, that their greatest king, David, was the great-grandson of a marriage between a member of the tribe of Judah and a foreign woman.  This story suggests that Ruth might have been a foreigner, but she committed herself to serving Naomi’s God. She wasn’t planning on introducing alien gods and practices. Besides, Boaz was an exemplary Israelite.

This story is designed to respond to questions about David’s ancestry and its implications for the reforming of the people of Israel after the exile ended. As we read it, in our context, we might take note of Ruth’s place in David’s genealogy, as well as that of Jesus. However, there is more to the story than that. It was not that long ago that the Supreme Court of the United States overturned laws that prevented interracial marriage. Today a good portion of marriages are interracial and interfaith. The current Vice-President, Kamala Harris, who is a candidate for the Presidency, is the product of an interracial/interfaith marriage. Her mother was a Hindu immigrant from India, while her father is a Jamaican immigrant. Harris is, today, a Baptist married to a Jew. The candidate for the Vice-Presidency on the Republican side, despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric, is a convert to a conservative form of Roman Catholicism married to a Hindu woman. Life is complicated. The Book of Ruth speaks, indirectly, to that complicated reality.

I will close with this word from Bruce Epperly on how this story illustrates divine-human synergy:

The book of Ruth is a testimony to the synergy of divine providence and human agency. As we shall see, God remains anonymous throughout the book. Moreover, nothing in the text is predestined or determined in advance. The future is open and waiting for us to act. God does not plan the details of our lives in advance, nor is God jealous of human initiative. The more we do in terms of personal creativity, the more God is able to do to positively shape history. From the initiative of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi, a boy child is born who is the grandparent of David, the greatest king of Israel. Divine providence encourages humans to make decisions that will shape their futures. [Epperly, Ruth and Esther: Women of Agency and Adventure (Topical Line Drives Book 21). Energion Publications. Kindle Edition.]

With Bruce’s reflection in mind and this story of Naomi and Ruth’s journey together, with participation from Boaz, let us consider our own futures. Assuming, as I do, that the future is open and that we have a role in determining that future, might this story help us sort out questions about what it means to welcome the stranger? Although Ruth journeyed to Israel as a foreign woman, she became a full member of the community, and through her participation in the work of God, everyone, including those of us, has been blessed in Christ Jesus, a descendant of Ruth.