Pentecost: Ruth

 We are in what is called “Ordinary Time,” the church season between Pentecost and Advent. If you think about it, most of our time is ‘ordinary’ or at least fits a routine. We can be so busy with our daily lives that we may miss it when God shows up. During this season, we are looking at the lives of women in the Bible who were met by God while going about their ordinary lives.

This week we consider Ruth, who has a whole Bible book. I’ve written about Ruth several times before on this blog. Footprints From the Bible: Cynthia Davis Author She is brave enough to leave her homeland and become a stranger in Bethlehem because of the affection she has for her mother-in-law, Naomi (who we’ll talk about next week).

Ruth the refugee followed her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem where Naomi believed they would be welcomed, if only as the poor and widowed who were allowed to glean the edges of fields. We know from the story that Ruth could have returned to her father’s home and let him care for her and find her another husband. Instead, she chose to be a refugee and befriend Naomi.

Ruth likely faced discrimination when she arrived in Bethlehem, although we don’t hear that in the story. She also found acceptance and love. The devotion of this Moabite woman caught the attention of Boaz who ultimately marries her. From that union comes King David and centuries later, Jesus of Nazareth.

Peter, the Jew, tells Cornelius, the Roman, I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). Peter comes to the astonishing understanding that God doesn’t care if you are Jew or Roman as long as you seek God. Long before that Ruth of Moab learned that God can take a foreigner and create a dynasty.

Perhaps most surprising of all to those who like to label people—God LOVES each one, no matter their home, immigration status, or anything they have done. Ruth of Moab is a shining example of the inclusivity of God. In the middle of her new normal of gleaning in the fields, God steps in through the kindness of Boaz. In the middle of our daily routines, God can step in when someone offers friendship or a smile. We have the opportunity to be the face of God, too. 

Things haven’t changed much since  2017 when I wrote “Ruth: Foreign No More.” There is always talk about who is to be allowed into the country. We are often afraid of those who are different than we are or have had different experiences. It is easy to dismiss them with labels of ‘drug dealer,’ ‘terrorist,’ ‘thieves,’ etc. It is not so easy to sit and hear their story of a life filled with the horrors of war or poverty or failed crops. To hear of these things can make us vulnerable and remind us that we could be affected by similar disasters. We want to stay safely distanced in our comfy homes rather than ask what we might do to help either at the border, or in the places these refugees come from. Is there something we can do to help grow better and more crops? Could we work to stop war and oppression? Can we help provide better education?

What might you and I do to be a little more inclusive of those we currently exclude, for whatever reason, from our churches, neighborhoods, schools, relationships…?

Is there a simple something you can do to just be kind, and be the face of God to someone? 

Epiphany: Boaz

During the Season of Epiphany, we have been hearing from the various characters in the Book of Ruth. The family of Elimelech of Ephrath (Bethlehem) traveled to Moab during a famine. They took with them their faith in the God of Israel. They influenced those they met in Moab, including the women who married the sons of Elimelech and Naomi. When all the men died, the women were confronted with a dilemma. Naomi and Ruth traveled back to the Land of Israel where they hoped to find a refuge. Today we meet Boaz of Bethlehem. He is a central figure in the Book of Ruth because of his compassion and love for a foreign widow.

The image of Boaz was found online.  

Boaz speaks:

Bethlehem is my home. I grew up here. My father is a leader and my mother is well known. Let me give you a short family history, so you can understand why my family is honored.

Over 400 years ago, the place now called Beyt-Lehem (Bethlehem as we are starting to call it) was known as Ephrath. It is where Rachel, beloved wife of the patriarch Jacob died after giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Rachel’s older son, Joseph, was betrayed by his brothers and sold as a slave to Egypt. Through the action of the Living God, he rose to leadership under Pharaoh. His wisdom helped the people of Egypt survive a wide-spread famine. Foreigners, like Jacob and his sons, came to Egypt for food. Joseph provided a home in Goshen for his family. Even after the famine ended the family of Jacob remained. The Holy God had given the name of Israel to Jacob and so all the descendants were called ‘Children of Israel’. For 400 years, the fortunes of this group grew worse and worse and Pharaohs forgot the wisdom and administration of Joseph. The Children of Israel became slaves and were derisively called Hebrew by the taskmasters. They prayed for help.

Finally, a son was born to the family of Amram and Jochabed, descended from Israel’s son Levi. The infant was cast adrift on the Nile River and rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh. He grew up as a prince named Moses. Later, he fled to Midian after killing a man while defending one of Hebrew slaves. After spending 40 years as a shepherd in Midian, Moses returned and by a series of miraculous signs, he convinced Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel leave Egypt. When Pharaoh changed his mind, he and his army drowned in the sea.

Then for 40 more years, the refugees wandered in the desert between Egypt and Canaan. The One God was testing and teaching the people. My father, Salmon, was among those born during that Exodus time. He was a young man when Moses died, and Joshua assumed leadership. The people were poised to enter Canaan. Joshua sent a couple of spies to the city of Jericho. My father was one of them. He met a woman of the city, named Rahab, who helped them by hiding the spies when the soldiers of Jericho were looking for them. Because of that, she and her family were saved when the Children of Israel attacked and razed the city.

After that each tribe was given land to settle. My father Salmon married Rahab, and I was born after they settled here in the hill country of Judah. My father has many fields, and the family is respected.

Not long ago, the widow Naomi returned to Bethlehem. I remembered her. As a boy her sons Mahlon and Chilion were part of the group that hung out with me. At the time, I felt important to have so many others admiring me and copying what I did. Now I know leadership is caring for those around you and not about being important. My mother taught me that.

Recently, I learned that the widow of Mahlon was gleaning in my fields so that she could have food for Naomi. The story of how Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law and traveled with her from Moab to Bethlehem is well known. The young woman is modest and rather pretty. I told her to stay in my fields with my workers. She doesn’t know it, but I told the workers to leave extra grain for her to gather.

Last night was the first night of the threshing. All the men sleep at the threshing floor so we can start work early in the morning. I was startled to discover Ruth asleep at my side in the middle of the night. She asked for my protection. I was impressed by her courage, and by her choosing me instead of a younger man.

“I will do as you ask,” I told the woman. “Take this grain to Naomi as a sign of my intentions. Now, leave before others know that a woman has come to the threshing floor. I will see to this matter in the morning.”

Now I am heading to the city gate where all business happens. I have a cousin who could have a closer right to act the Leverite as set forth in the Law of Moses. He could marry Ruth and so gain Elimelech’s land and bear children to have Mahlon’s name. He is already wed, so I doubt that he will, but I must ask him.

I really do want to marry Ruth of Moab. She is a strong, courageous, and beautiful woman who will bear me many sons.



Boaz says he learned that leadership isn’t numbers of followers, but compassion and justice. Do you agree?

Imagine yourself as Boaz when he discovers Ruth lying near him at the threshing floor.



© Cynthia Davis 2020

Epiphany: Ruth

We have already met Elimelech, his sons, and Chilion’s wife Orpah. Today we meet the heroine of the Book of Ruth. Ruth was a woman of Moab who married Mahlon. After he died, she accompanied her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem. There she marries a local man and bears a son who will be ancestor of King David. The image I chose is called Whither Thou Goest by Sandy Freckleton Gagon. https://sandyfreckletongagonartblog.wordpress.com/. I love the way Ruth is holding her cloak over Naomi in protection and love.

Here is Ruth’s story:

My marriage ended with a tragedy. But that tragedy was a beginning.
I was married to the Hebrew man, Mahlon not long after I was old enough to be wed. His father had moved the family to Moab because of a famine in Canaan (or the Land of Israel as he called it). They came from the town of Beyt-lehem the place where the god Lehem was honored. However, Mahlon and his family always referred to the place by an ancient name of Ephrath. They worshipped the “Holy One of Israel” whose name no one was allowed to say.
When I was married, I had to learn new customs and even new recipes from my mother-in-law, Naomi. She was a patient teacher. As she taught me, and my sister-in-law Orpah, Naomi would tell us fascinating stories of her people and God. She had lived through ‘the Exodus’ when all the ‘children of Israel’ depended on something called ‘manna’ from God to eat. She explained it was sweet and tiny and had to be used the day it was gathered.
My husband and Orpah’s were killed by marauders who burnt the field the men had worked so hard to harvest. We found their bodies in the middle of the land. I heard whispers that it was perhaps someone local who had done the awful deed because Mahlon and Chilion were foreigners who had strange customs. I hoped that neither Naomi nor Orpah heard those rumors. They were devastated by the deaths, as was I. We now had no one to provide for and protect us.
As we grieved together, Naomi used her own dowry to buy us food. One day she announced that she was returning to Ephrath. Orpah burst into tears and I begged her to reconsider.
“It is for the best, my daughters,” she insisted. “You can return to your fathers’ houses and be cared for. I am a dry husk with nothing left to give.”
She had already arranged to travel with a caravan leaving that day, so we had no time to convince her. I only knew that she would not go alone. I snatched up my few possessions and ran after her. Orpah trailed behind, weeping. At the trader’s camp, Orpah turned back to town. I hugged her one last time before joining Naomi.
“Go home, Daughter,” she ordered. “Look, you can catch up to Orpah.”
I shook my head. “Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die and be buried. May your God hear my oath.”
I thought she was still going to refuse to agree. Then her shoulders sagged wearily, and she leaned into my waiting arms.
It was a long, hard journey to Beyt…that is Ephrath (I must learn to use the correct name). The people of the town were amazed to see her.
In a monotone, she told them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara for God has made me bitter, empty, and alone. How can you call me Naomi when God has brought only calamity and punishment on me?”
Despite her attitude, we found a place to live. I go out in the fields now that it is the harvest time. I glean at the edges, as is allowed by the Law of Moses. I find enough to feed us and put some away for the cold months.

The God of Naomi will provide.

Ruth is fascinated by Naomi’s faith and stories. When we share our faith stories, we can inspire each other. When have you shared yours with someone who didn’t know God’s love?

Does Ruth’s story resonate in your life? Have you ever had to leave everything familiar to start something new? Maybe it was a job, ministry, marriage, children…?

© Cynthia Davis 2020

Ruth: Foreign No More

There is a lot of talk these days about ‘aliens’ and ‘foreigners’. The concern is not new. In the Old Testament, there are many citations about treatment of the foreigner, along with reminders that the Children of Israel were “strangers in the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 10:19, Deuteronomy 23:7)

Leviticus 19 further says, “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resided with you shall be as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

The New Testament builds on this base. Jesus says that all will be judged by their response to the needy, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:25-36) Of course the story of the Good Samaritan is, on one level, a condemnation of the religious and a commendation of the foreigner, who acted with greater mercy than the priest and lawyer. (Luke 10: 25-37)

There were rules in the Old Testament, making provision for the aliens, along with widows and orphans. Psalm 146:9 says, “The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow,” The stranger gets the same level of care as the orphans and widows. The law in Leviticus 19:9-10 is especially applicable to the woman we are meeting today. We read, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.”

Today we see that God provides for those who are ‘foreigners,’ just as much as God provides for the Children of Israel. Ruth was a foreigner, without a doubt. She was born in Moab and raised in Moab, She was wed in Moab to a Hebrew man. This is not the first instance in the Bible of foreign women becoming wives of Hebrew men. Judah, son of Jacob, married a Canaanite woman. Joseph, while in Egypt, married Asenath, daughter of a priest of On. Moses himself was married to a Midianite woman-Zipporah.

Ruth, we learn loved and clung to her mother-in-law even after her husband died. (Ruth 1:6-19) She returned to Bethlehem with Naomi. In my book Naomi’s Joy, it is Ruth who helps Naomi understand that she is not cursed by God. In my story, when the miller will not grind the grain Ruth has gleaned in Boaz’ field, the young woman is devastated. As she comforts her friend, Naomi realizes God loves her, and has provided for her all her life:

It was a subdued meal. I was distracted by the idea that Boaz bar Salma was developing an interest in my daughter-in-law. Ruth stared at the basket of grain as if she detested the sight.

“My mother, forgive me for bringing such shame to his house,” when she spoke, I realized that she thought my preoccupation was from anger.

“Oh, my child, no!” A wave of sympathy swept over me. “You have done nothing wrong. I was thinking about something. My daughter, truly without you I would not care to live.”

Tears welled and slipped down her smooth cheeks.

“I am a foreigner,” through sobs she spoke. “The ga-al you spoke of will not want to have the burden of two women. Why would anyone be concerned with what happens to a Moabite?”

“Ruth, my daughter,” compassion had me scrambling to her side.

I took the slender frame in my arms. Sobs shook her body. I held my friend tight.

“Ruth, you must forget what Ahaz said. He is wrong. You are a daughter of Israel.” Comforting words flowed easily. 

I felt the negative motion of her head on my shoulder.

“Yes,” I insisted, “Your faith is greater than mine. I have turned away from the God of Israel in despair and anger.”

My own words convicted me. I stopped with a gasp. It felt as if all my breath had been kicked from my lungs. Ruth drew back to look at me when I stopped speaking. I stared past my companion trying to draw air past the great lump that felt lodged in my throat.

“Mother Naomi?” I barely heard the question.

I lowered my head in despair. Tears welled in my eyes. Suddenly I was sobbing. Whimpers of animal anguish wrenched from my lips.

“God, God,” it was all I could say. I rocked back and forth holding my knees as the truth rolled over me.

“My mother,” Ruth tried to take me in her arms.

She had to be satisfied with patting my shoulder as I continued to rock and weep. A lifetime of pent up sorrow and grief flooded out in my tears.

“It is true.” I spoke more to myself than Ruth. “God did not reject me I turned away from the Holy One. I would not let I AM comfort me.”

“I did not know,” the girl stroked my hair.

“I needed to blame the Almighty for my grief. I told myself that God took what I loved because I had done something wrong or because I was not thankful enough. All my life I hated I AM. I never dared trust that I would be cared for. If I failed in any way I was certain that I would be punished. When Elimelech died I knew I was right. I told myself that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob turned away when we left the Promised Land. After Adah’s death I was sure that the Holy One hated me because I allowed her to marry a foreigner.” I panted as the confession poured out through my sobs. “I hated my life enough to die.”

“Mother Naomi,” the young woman held me tight unable to respond to my words.

“I was wrong. The Living Lord did not desert me.” I spoke low as comprehension burst into my heart. Tears I could not stop rolled down my face. “You once said that the Holy One of Israel provides healing even for death and pain. Ever since my father died from the bite of the serpent I have been angry with God. Everything that went wrong was another reason to blame the Lord of Life. All I saw were the many laws that had to be followed. When I AM brought the people from slavery it was not to blindly follow laws.”

“Really?” Ruth was trying to understand me. “All the gods have rules to follow.”

“That is not the way of the One God. Sarai once tried to explain to me that the Law is a guide built on love not a whip for punishment.” I raised my head and took my friend’s hands in my own. “It is in relationship with one another and with God we can all live in freedom no matter what our circumstances. Your loyalty and steadfast faith in God are all that kept me alive even when I have refused to be free. All my life I preferred rage. The Almighty never stopped providing help and comfort. Even in the depths of my despair, a way was opened to return to Bethlehem. We have come here to the land of promise.”

“Your God may yet be gracious,” hesitantly the young woman offered.

“Yes,” I took a deep shaky breath. My tears dried on my cheeks as I moved my head in assent. With my newborn faith I asserted. “I AM will provide.”

Ruth tilted her head to study me. In an awestruck voice she whispered, “You really do believe the God of Israel will help us.”

“I do not know what will happen now that we have returned to Bethlehem.” Tears began again. They were joyful. Confidence enfolded me. I held Ruth’s hands between mine. “Already we are being provided for. God is with us. I know that the God of Israel will yet bless you, bless us.”

In writing this part of the book, I was reminded of the times in my life when God provided for me and my family. Sometimes it was actual money in just the right amount and at the right time. At others it was the direction toward a new job or new opportunity. God has always been there for me. God is there for all of us, all the time. There is a saying: "God is good all the time." and the response to that is "All the time, God is good!"

In the New Testament letters, the early Christians were called aliens and foreigners. the First Letter of Peter notes “Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.” (I Peter 2:11) Paul tells the Gentile congregation in Ephesus “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12). However, he continues, “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,” (Ephesians 2:19)

Have you ever known that God has provided for you?

Since God doesn't make any distinction between loving you and loving a ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’, shouldn’t we treat everyone the same?

(Image: Cover, Naomi’s Joy, (c) 2005)

(c) Cynthia Davis 2017 

Naomi and Obed

Throughout Epiphany we have traveled with Naomi of Bethlehem to Moab and back. Last time we saw her working behind the scenes to ‘help God’ bring about a good outcome to the years of sorrow and disaster. Her scheming pays off. Boaz and the widow of Naomi’s son are married.

Love and God are triumphant. God, however, isn’t quite done yet. Boaz and Ruth were married. And she became pregnant. The women of Bethlehem celebrate, They “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! 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.’ After this "Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse." In the fullness of God's timing she can claim a new child. "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.” (Ruth 4:14-17).

We might wonder why (how) Naomi becomes the baby’s nurse. Did Ruth die in childbirth? Did she just claim the boy as hers in place of the sons who died? The Biblical record is silent about those details. What we do learn is that the son of the foreigner from Moab, Ruth, and the good Hebrew man, Boaz, are the ancestors of David (and much later, of Jesus). 

The Book of Ruth closes with a genealogy that goes back to the grandson of Jacob, patriarch of Israel. The genealogy in the Book of Ruth starts with Perez, who was the son of Judah, one of Jacob's 12 sons. Interestingly, Perez is Judah's son through his relationship with is daughter-in-law Tamar.  In Genesis 38 we learn how Perez was conceived through some trickery on the part of Tamar to make Judah live up to the levirate duty of raising up children for his [dead] sons. The same genealogy is listed in 1 Chronicles 2:5 and at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. 

“Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab, Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon, Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.” (Ruth 4:18-22) It never fails to amaze me that in that lineage at least two non-Hebrews are hidden-Rahab and Ruth. (And Tamar herself was likely not a Hebrew either.) 

Salmon was one of the spies who came to Jericho who Rahab hid. When Jericho was attacked, "the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father and mother and brothers and all that belonged to her; and they brought all her kindred, and set them outside the camp of Israel." (Joshua 6:23) Salmon later married Rahab, and their son was Boaz. (While the marriage of Salmon and Rahab (harlot of Jericho) isn't specifically stated, we can extrapolate their marriage from the Matthew genealogy that says "Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab...") And of course, Ruth married Boaz, and bore Obed the great-grandfather of David.

God is not exclusive. God is extremely inclusive! What does that tell us about how we are to interact with the ‘stranger in our midst’? How does that change who we perceive as our neighbor? As Jesus points out in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, our neighbor cannot be labeled by their nationality or religion, nor by the color of their skin or their accent.

After telling the parable, Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? “The one who showed him mercy,’ replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:36-37)

How can we show mercy to those who might not at first glance be considered ‘neighbors’? What is your definition of neighbor?

Lent starts on Wednesday with, for many of us, the ‘Imposition of Ashes’. We are reminded to take a hard look at our lives during the 40 days of Lent. Come back and meet some of the Women of Lent over those weeks. 

Naomi-Love is in the air

We now come to the romantic heart of the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament-which is in fact the heart of our loving God. We’ve been following the life of Naomi, mostly in our imagination of what could have been, from her childhood and marriage to the family’s move to Moab to escape famine in Bethlehem. Last time we saw that after the death of her sons and husband the bereft Naomi returns to Bethlehem. One of her widowed daughters-in-law also comes with her. Ruth, the Moabite, is now the foreigner in the land of Israel.

Naomi returned to Bethlehem hoping that she would be treated kindly because of the command by Moses in Leviticus 19:9-10 which says, ‘When you harvest your land’s produce, you must not harvest all the way to the edge of your field; and don’t gather up every remaining bit of your harvest. Also do not pick your vineyard clean or gather up all the grapes that have fallen there. Leave these items for the poor and the immigrant; I am the Lord your God.” She planned to live by scavenging the leftover grain at the edges of the field and survive.

As you read the Book of Ruth, try to put yourself into Naomi's sandals. She left Bethlehem as the wife of a competent husband with 2 sons, she returns a homeless widow, with only her widowed daughter-in-law as companion. How would you have felt? How would you have coped?  

In chapter 2 of the Book of Ruth we learn “Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.” Cue the dramatic music. This gives us a hint of what may take place. Older than the Law of Moses is the tradition that a brother, or other kinsman, should marry a widow so that the family line continues. You can see this in Genesis 38 in the saga of Jacob and his sons. Judah’s son Er dies. “Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother." There is hope whispering on the wind…

We learn that “Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.’” And by coincidence, or God’s guiding, or maybe a nudge from Naomi, ”she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.” (Ruth 2:1-3)

Boaz sees the stranger gleaning. Cue the soft music. “Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, ‘To whom does this young woman belong?’ The servant…answered, ‘She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, “Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.” So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment.’” (Ruth 2:5-7)

“Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women...’” This is above and beyond the Leviticus ordinance, and Ruth knows that Boaz is singling her out. “She fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?’ But Boaz answered her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me…May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!’ Then she said, ‘May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.’” (Ruth 2:8-13)

It is clear that Boaz is intrigued by this young woman from Moab who left her own family to risk life with her mother-in-law in a strange place. The strength of Ruth’s love for Naomi makes her truly a daughter even if not by blood bonds.

In the Biblical story we see Boaz making a special effort to see that Ruth is taken care of. “At mealtime Boaz said to her, ‘Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.’ So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain…Boaz instructed his young men, ‘Let her glean even among the standing sheaves…You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean...’” (Ruth 2: 14-16) Boaz may have told himself that he was just being a good kinsman to aid his kinsman’s widow, Naomi, by helping Ruth. However, you can read between the lines and see his budding romantic interest in the young widow.

Ruth does very well with her gleaning, thanks to Boaz’s instructions. ”She gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley…Her mother-in-law said to her, ‘Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.’ She [said], ‘The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.’ Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!’ (Ruth 2:17-20) Naomi senses Boaz’s interest when Ruth tells of her adventures. When she learns that Boaz invited Ruth to stay with his men throughout the harvest she advises, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” (Ruth 2:20) Naomi starts to think about the possibilities for future stability.

In Chapter 3, Naomi decides to take concrete steps to further the budding romance. She instructs Ruth to do something that seems, to 21^st Century minds, to be both tricky and a bit risqué. Naomi says, “Now here is our kinsman Boaz…he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing-floor. 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. 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.’” (Ruth 3:1-4)

Ruth does as she is told. “She went down to the threshing-floor…When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came quietly and uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman! He said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin.’ He said, ‘…I will do for you all that you ask.” (Ruth 3:6-11) Boaz then notes that there is one potential problem, (cue the dramatic music) “there is another kinsman more closely related than I…in the morning…If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you.’” (Ruth 3:12-13)

When morning comes, Ruth “got up before one person could recognize another; for he said, ‘It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.’” Boaz gives her a gift which she takes back to Naomi “saying, ‘He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, “Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.”  Naomi is satisfied with the success of her plan and replies, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.”

Sure enough, Boaz heads for the city gate where business was transacted. Along comes the other potential kinsman redeemer. Boaz proceeds to play it cool, inviting the other man and 10 of the city elders to confer. “He then said to the next-of-kin, ‘Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I come after you.’”  Ruth 4:1-4.

Seeing a bargain, but not seeing the trap, the other man says, ‘I will redeem it.’ It is only then that Boaz explains, ‘The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.’ Just as Boaz planned and hoped, “the next-of-kin said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.’” Cue the romantic theme music.

We then get a little peek into the customs of Israel. “To confirm a transaction, one party took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the next-of-kin said to Boaz, ‘Acquire it for yourself’, he took off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance, in order that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his kindred and from the gate of his native place; today you are witnesses.’ Then all the people who were at the gate, along with the elders, said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem; and, through the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’ (Ruth 4:7-12) This elaborate wording and blessing was the sealing of the contract, which was not written because writing was still a very young art. There is little likelihood that anyone in Bethlehem even knew that there was such a thing as writing, much less could have drawn up a written contract.

God is on Naomi's side to bring good from the disastrous events of recent years. It has not been an easy life for Naomi, but now it looks like everything is going to come out alright. The story of Naomi and Ruth reminds us that God loves us through thick and thin! Can you think of times in your life when God helped turn what seemed bad into a blessing?

“Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife.” Naomi’s plan worked, and they all lived happily ever after. But wait, there is more to the story that we’ll get to next time. 

Naomi, named 'Mara'. Ruth named Friend

Now we come to the part of the story that nearly everyone is familiar with. We meet Ruth, the Moabite woman, whose unconditional love helps bring God’s right-ness and righteousness into the broken situation. Naomi is a bereft widow in a foreign country 4000 years ago. She has no reason for hope and decides to return to her old home in Bethlehem.

In the first chapter of the Book of Ruth we hear, “she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had had consideration for his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.’ Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.” (Ruth 1:5-9)

At first the women resist her suggestion, “They said to her, ‘No, we will return with you to your people.’ But Naomi said, ‘Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.’ Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.” (Ruth 1:10-14)

Even though her friend Orpah returns to her home, Ruth refuses Naomi’s continued urging. “So she said, ‘See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said, ‘Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!’ When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.” (Ruth 1:15-18)

I would suspect that Naomi is glad of the company. She is returning to the place that was her home, but her circumstances have changed dramatically. She really doesn’t know what sort of welcome awaits her. The Law of Moses provides for the care of widows and orphans, but Naomi doesn’t know if that will be true for someone who left the tribe.

Naomi’s bitterness is obvious when she comes to Bethlehem. “…the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, ‘Is this Naomi?’ She said to them, ‘Call me no longer Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty; why call me Naomi when the Lord has dealt harshly with me, and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?’ So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” (Ruth 1:5-22)

Naomi is being showered with friendship by Ruth, and welcomed back to her hometown by her neighbors. However, she cannot find joy in the friendship or welcome. Sometimes, when life just seems too hard, it can seem easier to simply close out the world and pull the covers over your head. I think Naomi was feeling so battered and grief stricken after the deaths of all her family in a foreign country, that she just couldn’t summon any joy.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt so angry and upset at the world in general that you couldn’t accept a simple offer of friendship or welcome?

What has helped you find happiness?

The last line of the chapter might not seem terribly important, just an afterthought or a notation of the season of the year. However, as we’ll see, the fact that it is harvest time is very important!