Pentecost: Ordinary Women: Ruth & Naomi

We are continuing the series on Ordinary Women. Women through whom God acted. Women like you and me. Today we go back 4 millennia to a time not long after the Exodus ended and the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land.

Ruth and Naomi are an amazing pair of women. The Bible book is named for the younger woman, but without her mother-in-law, she would not be known. It was the older woman, Naomi, who bore the brunt of the loss of husband and sons in a foreign country. It was Naomi who decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem hoping that the Mosaic tenet to care for widows and orphans would apply to her. It was Naomi who allowed Ruth to return to Israel, even though she was a foreigner. It was Naomi who encouraged her to seek out Boaz and force his hand. It is Naomi at the end of the Book of Ruth who names the child Obed. Naomi, despite her grief clung to some dim hope that God would help her.

Most people know the story-or think they do. They know that Ruth told someone “where you go, I will go…your people will be my people…” If you did a poll many would respond that she was talking to a man because that citation is often used at marriages. They may not know that she was speaking to Naomi, her mother-in-law, or the circumstances that led to the conversation.

In the Biblical Book of Ruth, we hear that “in the days of the Judges” there is a “famine in the land”. It was then that Elimelech, “a certain man of Bethlehem…went to sojourn in the country of Moab [with] his wife and his two sons.” (Ruth 1:1) Elimelech and Naomi go back across the Jordan and settle somewhere in Moab. Elimelech dies and “she was left with her two sons”. (Ruth 1:3) The the sons meet and marry women of Moab but after 10 years they, too, die. 

Naomi then hears that “the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6). She sets out for Bethlehem. She tells her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to go back to their families. Orpah does eventually turn back, but Ruth ‘clung to her’ and recites her famous lines. “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!” (Ruth 1:16-18)

Naomi gives in, and the pair travel to Bethlehem. It would not have been an easy journey for two women alone, and likely they joined some caravan going in the right direction. Upon arriving in Bethlehem Naomi bewails her fate, saying “Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” (Ruth 1:20)

In chapter 2 of the Book of Ruth we learn how Ruth goes to the fields around Bethlehem to glean (gather the leftover bits of grain at the edges of the fields) and encounters Boaz. Boaz, it turns out, is actually a distant kinsman of Elimelech (and son of Rahab of Jericho). He takes an interest in the stranger. This prompts Naomi to send Ruth to ‘lay at his feet’ during the threshing. Obediently, the young woman does so and Boaz says, “I will do for you all that you ask…I will do the part of the next of kin for you.” (Ruth 3:10-13).

Sure enough, in the morning, at a meeting of the town elders, Boaz offers a fellow kinsman “a parcel of land which belonged to our kinsman Elimelech…if you buy it you are also buying Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the dead, in order to restore the name of his inheritance.” (Ruth 4:3-5) The other man defers his right to Boaz who then marries Ruth. Ruth then has a baby. Then “the [village] women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin…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.” (Ruth 4:14-15). “They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, the father of David”… and subsequently the ancestor of Jesus.  

What can these two women of faith teach us? Ruth remained faithful to her mother-in-law and together they persevered through hardship. Naomi trusted the word of God, spoken in the law given to Moses. She used that law to her benefit to ensure the future for Ruth and for herself. By gaining a son-in-law and then a grandson, she was assured of being cared for.

Naomi’s griefs from the deaths of her husband and sons were healed in the new life of her grandson. She may have let herself feel despair when returning to Bethlehem, but she didn’t let it stop her from acting to secure Ruth’s future.

Have you ever persevered through hardship and seen good come out of it?

Would you have had the strength to do as Naomi did and journey back home, hoping that something good might happen? 

Naomi and Ruth: Ripples

 For the next couple weeks, we’ll look at the story of Naomi and Ruth as found in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Scriptures. In this tale, we’ll see how supporting one another encourages the entire community, like ripples from a pebble in the water.

The story begins with Naomi and her husband Elimelek moving to Moab with their two sons during a famine time in Bethlehem. They settle in Moab which starts one set of ripples as the foreigners from Bethlehem learn to interact and live with the Moabite community. The boys grow up and marry Moabite girls: Ruth and Orpah. This is a new ripple in the pond caused by the integration of the foreigners more deeply into the community. Then tragedy strikes as Elimelek and his sons all die. This leaves the three women vulnerable as widows with no man to care for them. For Naomi and her daughters-in-law this is like a stone into the pond with huge ripples of consequences.

Naomi decides on the drastic step of returning to Bethlehem, telling her daughters-in-law to remain and find new husbands in Moab. Her decision resonates with multiple ripples. There is the goodbye and return to her family by Orpah. And there is the massive ripple when Ruth famously responds, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17) Ruth is willing to leave all she knows to remain in relationship with Naomi. This choice ripples across the ages.

The pair sets out on a long trek of somewhere between 60 and 100 miles. They must cross the Jordan River and traverse desert and hills. It is possible, even probable, that they would have joined a caravan heading in the right direction. It would be rare and very unsafe for two women to travel alone, but the Bible doesn’t say. We are simply told, the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” “Don’t call me Naomi, she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter…” [arrived] in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. (Ruth 1:19-20, 22) The return of Naomi with her Moabite daughter-in-law made ripples among the tight-knit community of Bethlehem.

The timing of getting to Bethlehem at the time of the harvest was fortuitous because the Law of Moses allowed widows and other destitute people to gather the grain from the edges of the field. Ruth offers to do this for herself and Naomi. She luckily entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters….in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. (Ruth 2:3)

Boaz is impressed by Ruth’s support of her mother-in-law and tells her to stay with his workers throughout the barley harvest and into the next harvest as well. Naomi sees the opportunity in this and suggests a risky ploy to Ruth. She says, “Tonight [Boaz] will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor… note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:2-4)

Ruth’s decision to glean and then to follow Naomi’s advice are intersecting ripples in the story. Her action results in Boaz meets with the elders, and another relative, at the city gate. As was the custom, he offers the other man a chance to buy land and wed Ruth. When he declines, Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown.” (Ruth 4:9-10)

Boaz marries the foreign woman leaving ripples of change in the wake. Ruth has a son. The Book of Ruth ends with the statement they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:17) The great King David of Israel is descended from the son of a foreign woman (Rahab) and the immigrant Moabite, Ruth. Because of her faithfulness, Ruth was welcomed into the community. Naomi supported Ruth just as Ruth supported Naomi. Together their courage and faithfulness led to the strengthening of the nation of Israel two generations later. Ruth’s insistence on going with Naomi dropped a pebble into the water. That pebble continued to eddy outward until it reached a stable in Bethlehem 1000+ years later.

Every choice we make and action we do has a ripple effect. These intersect with the actions and choices of others. Some actions cause large ripples or even waves and they join with other ripples. Some are barely noticeable. We never know where the ripples from our actions may lead.

Think about how your actions cause ripples that meet and cancel or build on other ripples around you. We’ll look more deeply at that next week.

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. 

Ordinary Time Excursion-Naomi

The first person we meet on our Ordinary Time excursion is Naomi. You can find her story in the Old Testament Book of Ruth, esp. the first chapter. To summarize, Naomi is one of the early settlers of Canaan after the Exodus ends. With her husband Abimelech and two sons, Naomi settles in Bethlehem. A few years later a drought drives the family to Moab where her sons and husband all die, leaving her stranded as a widow in a foreign land with no man to support her. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem, where at least the Law of Moses commanded that widows be cared for. She bids farewell to her daughters-in-law and Orpah returns to her home, but Ruth refuses with the well-known words, “where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God…” (Ruth 1:16).

The rest of the Book of Ruth is taken up with the love story of Boaz and Ruth, although if you read closely you will discover that it is Naomi who moves the romance along by urging Ruth to go to the threshing floor, “uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:1-5)

Naomi was a sad and bitter woman when she returned to Bethlehem. “Do not call me Mara,” she says. “For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity on me?” (Ruth 1:19-21)

How often do you and I find ourselves railing against what appear to be the bad things that happen to us? For me it is too often. Recently I read a short meditation that brought me up short, though.

“You can begin the journey of holiness by examining your reactions and attitudes to the daily doses of life you are given - for it is the day to day, the minute to minute, the joy and the sorrow, the bitter and the sweet that is the training ground for holiness.” (explorefaith.com)

Like Naomi, my reaction often leads toward angry bitterness. However, Naomi’s story reminds me that no one knows the whole story. God did not forget Naomi. Boaz marries Ruth and they have a son. “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. 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.’…They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:13-17)

Naomi, the destitute widow, became the great-great grandmother of the mighty King David of Israel. God, in love, took her emptiness and transformed it into a heritage for all generations. When she returned to Bethlehem, Naomi wouldn’t have believed that she would be a grandmother. We know the ‘rest of the story’ which she did not—that her descendent would become king of the nation and another descendent would be the savior of the world!

Ruth’s love for Naomi was the first step in her redemption. By loving her mother-in-law, Ruth was a mirror of God’s love to Naomi. Eventually Naomi was able to receive and reciprocate that love and accept the blessings God had for her. When she held Obed in her arms, and remembered her hard-hearted neighbors in Moab, Naomi might have been tempted to echo the first few verses of Psalm 37: “Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.”

You and I do not know the whole story either. Our life is written a day at a time. God’s love is always there before us, so we should not ‘fret’ or ‘be envious’ no matter what the appearances of our life. God is greater than appearances and we are safe in God’s hands! That is rather extraordinary, don’t you think? From the security of God’s love we, like Ruth, can offer that love to those around us because God’s love is for all, even those who irritate or wrong us. Paul reminds us that “all things work for God for those who love God.” (Romans 8:28)

I’m not saying it’s easy, but Jesus did say, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Teresa of Avila a 16th century Carmelite nun is credited with the following prayer that reminds me that, like Ruth, I am the mirror of God to those I meet. I am the hands and feet of Christ!

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

See you next week for a further Ordinary Time Excursion—with Rahab of Jericho. She was certainly someone that no one would have expected God to use. See what happened when God’s love transformed her life.

PS-one of my books is Naomi’s Joy. It is a fictionalized account of Naomi’s story from her childhood during the Exodus until Obed’s birth. Check out the My Books tab at the top of the blog for more of my books.

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! 

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 

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? 

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. 

Ordinary Time Excursion-Naomi

This week we meet Naomi. She is a main character in the Book of Ruth. It is easy to think of her as a tragic figure. As a childless widow in a foreign country (Moab), Naomi was indeed destitute, even though her daughters-in-law offer to stay with her. Naomi gallantly tells the young women to return to their fathers’ homes. Ruth refuses with the famous lines often used at weddings, “where you go I will go and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 2:16)

Together the two women travel to Bethlehem and are welcomed with surprise. In her anger against God, Naomi changes her name and turns her back on the Lord. She tells everyone, “Do not call me Naomi , call me Mara , for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty…the Lord has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.” [Naomi means Pleasant, while Mara means Bitter]

When bad things happen we automatically blame God or assume that God is punishing us. I’ve done it myself. However, in hindsight, I see that God has been walking right beside me—grieving, hurting, despairing, suffering with me. Naomi was hurting and angry because her sons and husband had died in a foreign country, leaving her alone and impoverished. Coming home to Bethlehem, at first, did not seem to have improved her situation.

The laws of Israel provide that the edges of the fields are to be left for the widows and orphans to glean. Ruth offers to go glean so that she and Naomi will have food. Coincidentally, the field belongs to Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s. Someone has said that coincidences are God acting anonymously and that is what happens in this story.

Naomi notices that Boaz is interested in Ruth and advises her how to ‘force his hand’. “Wash…and anoint yourself…go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking…observe the place where he lies…uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:3-4)

Even while manipulating the situation, Naomi begins to understand that Psalm 34, verses 16-17 is right. “Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.” She starts to understand God’s providence in the events that follow.

Boaz does marry Ruth and she bears a son. Naomi is comforted for her losses by her grandson and the neighbors tell her, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin…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 born him.” (Ruth 4:14-15).

Naomi has come full circle physically and spiritually. She is back in Bethlehem. She is no longer the destitute widow. She has been restored to faith by God. In my book, Naomi’s Joy, it takes time for Naomi to come to the crisis of faith that brings her back to the comfort of God.

“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,” [Ruth] 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…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…”

Very often it takes me a while to understand why I am struggling against allowing God to love me during some ‘trial’. When I am in the midst of difficult times, God does not leave me. When I accept the reality that I am hurting and/or angry about a situation, I find that I can then let it go and allow God to take over. Only then do I find a resolution, rarely one I would have planned.

Naomi could not have planned for Boaz to fall in love with Ruth when she came back to Bethlehem angry and bitter. God’s plan was better and bigger than leaving the two widows to struggle against poverty for the rest of their lives. God’s plan included a future that led to the Kingdom of David and centuries later to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Is there something you need to admit or accept and let go to God so you can be embraced by God’s loving arms? God patiently waits until we are ready to return. We are always surprised that God is right there all along! Only after Naomi admitted that she used God as an excuse for her anger could she heal. Let go of your own hurts and let God begin to heal your heart.

Next week, we will see what Rachel can teach us about grief.

Hunger or Emptiness

For many of us, Lenten discipline is linked to giving up some food in order to cleanse our bodies as well as our souls. Diet is certainly one place we can look to make changes. Too often, and I speak for myself, we are more eager to fill a craving than eat something nutritious. So, it can be good to give up chocolate, or meat, or cola, or some other food that perhaps isn’t healthy for us.

There is another side to that discipline, however, that we often don’t think about or don’t want to consider. Are we filling physical hunger or trying to fill a soul’s emptiness? Is food a substitute for a real relationship with someone or even with God? What am I really craving—chocolate or relationship? As we begin to look at simplifying our lives to become more authentic and complete sons and daughters of God, it's important to look at some of these 'issues', too. Of course, food isn't a problem for everyone, but each of us, if we are honest, has something that we use to fill the emptiness of soul that comes sometimes.

The story of Naomi is that of a woman whose life is consumed with regrets until she finally comes to realize that relationship with others and with God is what she really needs. We don’t know a lot about Naomi, except for snippets in the Book of Ruth. Her plaintive cry is one that many of us could echo when we feel that life and/or God is treating us badly. “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.” (Ruth 2:20-21)

In my book, Naomi’s Joy, she spent her life trying to fill an empty soul by attempting to control her sons and live up to what she believed were God's expectations of her. She only learned real peace when she faced God who, she discoved, loved her more than she could imagine. After she and Ruth return to Bethlehem, she is forced to admit her need, first to God and then to the women of the town.

After the young woman left in the morning, I faced south. Somewhere in the far distance lay the holy mountain. I could picture the cloud covered summit in my mind.


“God of Israel, is this your answer?” I held out my empty hands. “I do not have any offering to bring. Do not allow Ruth to be shamed. I pray you, raise up a protector for her. Do not hold my sins against this innocent girl.”


I felt better after my prayer. For the first time since Adah died, I did not feel entirely weighed down by a sense of condemnation. My heart and step were both lighter when I walked to the well. Several women greeted me with smiles and questions.


“What is it like in Moab?”
“I am sorry for your loss.”
“Naomi, how does it feel to be home?”
“I…it…it is good to be back,” with a little surprise I realized that it was true.
“I heard that your daughter-in-law goes to the fields to glean for you.”
“Ruth is a great help,” I nodded.
“You are fortunate to have her.”


“Yes,” readily I agreed. “She has been fortunate in her gleaning. I need to thresh the grain she has gathered.”


I lifted my water jar and hurried away before any further questions were raised. I wished that my old friend Rachel was alive. It would have been comforting to talk to her.


“She died last winter soon after the Feast of Atonement,” Rahab told me when she returned the day after we arrived.


“Oh!” My cry of dismay was sharp.


“Rachel often spoke of you,” the widow told me. “Her sons have cared for the fields of Elimelech along with Boaz and the son of Samson. The heritage of your husband has been preserved.”


“It will do me little good,” the words were out before I thought of my audience.


“The Law of Moses declares that a widow is to be cared for by the nearest kinsman. Someone will step forward as ga-al,” a soft hand covered mine in an attempt at comfort.


“That is why I returned,” I had to swallow my pride to admit the truth.


“The Living Lord will provide for you,” Rahab sounded positive.


“I hope so,” my response was lost in the folds of my veil when I bent my head.


Some of my loneliness and grief eased while I threshed the bounty of grain and ground enough for a loaf of bread as a treat for Ruth.


“Um, that smells wonderful,” the young woman sniffed happily when she entered the house.


“I thought you would like it,” I smiled to see my friend savoring the bread.


It was worth the bangle from my wrist to see her delight as she spread the fresh slices with the goat cheese and olives I purchased with it.


“This is the end of the early barley harvest. Suzanne says that the second harvest will begin after a couple of Sabbaths,” Ruth stated the next afternoon. She arrived earlier than I expected. “Tomorrow I will take what we have to be ground if you want.”*

Even though she has admitted her need and begins to reach out in love, Naomi does not fully comprehend the depth of God’s love for her until her grandson is born. Then she can testify to her family about what she learned.

“God is gracious,” the old woman affirmed exultantly when she finished her recital. “Now I hold the promise for the future in my arms. The Almighty has restored my life and renewed my faith. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has blessed me beyond anything I expected. I was wrong to think that the Holy One turned away when we were in Moab. Even when my husband died and my sons were killed, I was never alone. The Living Lord showed me love in the loyalty of Ruth and in the circumstances that brought me home to Bethlehem.”


“My mother,” Ruth laid her soft hand over the wrinkled one of her mother-in-law. “I promised that wherever you are, I will be. Your God is my God.”*

Naomi learned that her emptiness was a spiritual hunger of her soul for relationship with the Holy God she believed abandoned her. Like Job, God returns to her more than she lost. “Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin….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 born him.” (Ruth 4:14-15)

If you gave up some food for Lent, consider looking deeper into the motivation for desiring that food. How does denying yourself, say chocolate, bring you into a closer relationship with God? Sweets are my downfall, I admit, partly because they are comforting when I feel down and far from God or humans. Having a cookie helps me to feel better about myself in some subconscious way. I wonder…would saying a prayer of thanksgiving have the same effect? Worth thinking about isn’t it?

A friend recently gave me a card with an inscription by Ann Ruth Schabader “Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons.” How would our lives change if we welcomed all that God sends with enthusiastic joy like the child (my grandson) in the picture? I wonder if we would need the substitutes delights of our addictions...It certainly would make us more joyful.

See you next week when we meet Abigail, another little known woman in the Bible with a story to tell.


*All quotations are from Naomi’s Joy by Cynthia Davis. Available online from Amazon.com and the author.

Lent 3: Learn the Way

Throughout Lent we are taking another look at the Way of Love practices. This season we are considering the Book of Ruth and the Sunday lessons to see what they can teach us about these seven tenets. We started by considering Rest from the perspective of resting in God and letting God be in control. Last week we contemplated the idea that when we Go, we are stepping out in faith and trusting God to “lead me on a level path”.

Today, we look at Learn as a discipline in Lent. There are various ways we Learn a lesson, whether it is English or Math or Science, or even Faith. However, any teacher knows that children, and adults, are individuals. Some Learn better with words, some with pictures, some by hands-on activities, others do best one-on-one while the gregarious ones learn by sharing ideas with others.

We pick up the story of Ruth and Naomi with the famous section where Ruth refuses to leave her mother-in-law. (Ruth 1:14b-18) “Ruth clung to her…[saying] ‘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!’”

Naomi acquiesces and they go on together. Somewhere Ruth has Learned that she can depend on Naomi and on Naomi’s God. In our faith lives, we Learn by practice and study, just like school studies. Perhaps even more importantly, we Learn by observing faith lived out. There is a saying that ‘faith is more caught than taught’. St. Francis of Assisi is often quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.” How we live does more to help others Learn about God and faith than hundreds of sentences, no matter how richly crafted.

The Psalm for this Sunday (63:1-8) is all about God walking alongside us. The Psalmist announces, “O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a barren and dry land where there is no water…For your loving-kindness is better than life itself…For you have been my helper, and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast” (Ps. 63:1-3, 7-8) When we Learn that God’s ‘loving-kindness is better than life itself’, we are ready for anything.

As the Psalmist notes, living with God as helper gives us the desire to “bless [God] as long as I live and lift up my hands in your Name. My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips, When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches.” (Psalm 63:4-6)

Knowing that God walks with us helps us to Learn where to go on our faith journey. God knows we need companions on our way. Naomi had Ruth. Churches are communities where we journey together. When Jesus sent the apostles out to prepare the way, he sent them in pairs.

In Luke 10:1, we hear how “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” We do our best work when we are not alone. We Learn from each other’s experiences and from God constantly, whether we are aware of it or not. When we Learn to look for God beside us, we know we are not alone. Ruth told Naomi ‘where you go, I will go’. God tells us the same thing. As we travel through life, growing in faith, we Learn that indeed God does “not leave [us] orphaned…we will come to them and make our home with [you]”. (John 14:18, 23)

What is your style of Learning?

Was your personal faith ‘caught’ or ‘taught’?

Can you trust that God is walking beside you, and making a home with you?

Who are your companions on the Way?

Naomi and Ruth: Decisions

In August, we began to look at the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Scriptures. We noticed how each decision and action had a ripple effect on the people and communities they were in. It is the same with us. Last week, we thought about the choices men and women made to confront workplace safety and inequity, and the results of those decisions. 

Ruth and Naomi made many seemingly small decisions which changed the dynamic of their family and the community they were in. The decision to leave Bethlehem caused sorrow to their friends and other family members who remained. Deciding to cast their lot with the people of Moab by marriage was a big ripple that resonated among the local community. Death always causes many changes. The loss of her husband and both sons made Naomi rethink her life and decide to return to the familiarity of Bethlehem. The different decisions by Orpah and Ruth made differing impacts on their family and friends. Arriving in Bethlehem as destitute widows brings dramatic changes to the people in the town and to Ruth and Naomi. Ruth’s obedience to Naomi and Boaz’ response to her courage and faithfulness made a huge difference in the dynamic of the town. Their descendants continued to impact the history of Israel and the world generation after generation.

Every day we make choices that we don’t think make much difference to anyone but ourselves. We may decide to go to the grocery store or to the farmer’s market. One choice helps local growers, the other helps big business. We respond in haste to a Facebook post we disagree with or we scroll past without responding or perhaps take time to respond thoughtfully.  

The decision we make is neither right nor wrong. It is how we respond to the information we have. With slightly different information, we might make a different decision. Ruth and Naomi made the best decisions they could within the framework of their lives. God honored the choices. God honors our choices, too. We are given free will by our loving God, so God doesn’t force us to do this or that. If we make what seems, in hindsight, to be a poor decision, God still honors our action—even if we may have to live with the results.

In the news every night we see the results of decisions individuals and leaders make. Some are choices that lead to death and destruction. Others are actions that provide hope and joy. Each person or group makes their decision using the information they have and believe is true. Our perspective is often very different from the person who decides to start a fire or someone who has an idea to walk across the country to raise money and awareness for some cause. Neither may be something we would do. Yet, these are the choices made by those individuals and they result in consequences.

Might it make a difference to how you view the news if you remembered that each story is activated by someone’s decision, which is based on their information? We might not understand a mass shooter any better, but we might pause to consider that he was motivated by the truths he believed. 

Every decision we make has results. May we ask God to help us make helpful choices that will benefit those we are in contact with.

Lent 5: Blessed by Hope

In our continuing Lent journey along the Way of Love, we have found Rest in letting God be in control. We have seen that when we Go in faith God prospers our way, even though there may be lessons to Learn, and even times when we have to Turn back to God.

Today we consider the fifth tenet along the Way. How are we Blessed and how can we Bless? The answer is found in God.

Naomi’s life begins to look up as we come to Chapter 2 of the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. There is “a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz”. (Ruth 2:1) I find it interesting to remember that Boaz is the son of Rahab of Jericho. He is Jewish by his father’s lineage, not his mother’s. Most early peoples and many nomadic tribes count tribal and cultural heritage as descended through the mother. Perhaps this is based on the fact that you always know who the mother is. God’s family has no boundaries, because God is Father and Mother of each and every one!  

At the time of Naomi, the Law of Moses stated that widows and orphans were allowed to glean in the fields. That is, they could gather up the leftover bits of the harvest from the edges of the fields. This practice was found in other cultures, including ancient Egypt as this image from the tomb of Ramose shows. 

Ruth goes to glean for herself and Naomi. Because there really are no coincidences with God, she ‘happens’ to work in the fields belonging to Boaz. The man takes note of her work, and invites her to stay with his workers. He even instructs his workers, ‘pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her’. Boaz Blesses Ruth and Naomi by his generous actions. He goes above and beyond the requirement of the Law of Moses. He provides extra for her. In fact, when Ruth “beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley”. That is a lot (almost a bushel)! Certainly, more than she would have gotten just by picking up the stray straws!

Blessing is about extravagance. It is about giving and giving again-our goods, our money, our time, our talent, our love. It's about having Hope, and Trusting that God does Bless even when things look bleak.

In the Sunday Gospel (John 12:1-8) we learn that Jesus has again visited his friends in Bethany. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus welcome him into their home. Mary “took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” She does this out of love and to Bless the rabbi.

Jesus knows there is a deeper meaning to her actions. He says, “She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” We are reminded that we are on this Lenten journey to the cross and grave in these words. What we do to Bless someone may have a deeper significance than we know or understand. Mary may not have understood Jesus’ prophetic words as being imminent. Boaz may not have known that his action to Bless Ruth and Naomi with extra grain would lead to a family for him (and down the road to a dynasty for Israel). 

Mary of Bethany and Ruth of Bethlehem reached out to Bless someone else and discovered that they were Blessed in return. 

In the Philippians reading from Sunday, Paul talks about how he has found Blessing not in his Hebrew heritage, but in “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. So, he states that he is “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:4b-14)

Paul recognizes that this Blessing has come through “the loss of all things.” He says that their loss has brought the Blessing of “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” It is only by loss of our worldly identity that we can “know Christ and the power of his resurrection.”

Sometimes we have to lose something in order to find the Blessing. Ruth had to lose her pride in order to glean. Mary had to change (lose) her plans to save the oil for Jesus' burial. Paul had to lose his identity as “Hebrew of the Hebrews’. By letting go of their plans, each found that they were Blessed by God. They all found new Hope in God’s greater Blessing.

What do you need to let go of to receive God’s Blessing?

Think about what Mary of Bethany might have thought when Jesus told her that the perfume was to be kept for his burial.

Have you experienced God’s Blessing in an unexpected way?