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Once upon a time, there lived in Bethlehem a man, Elimelech, and his wife, Naomi. They had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Because there was a famine in their land, they traveled to a foreign country, Moab, in order to survive. After awhile, Elimelech died leaving Naomi and the two sons. Both of the sons were young men and soon married Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. After about ten years, both of the brothers died, leaving Naomi alone in a foreign country with only her daughters-in-law as family. Word came that the famine in Judah was over so Naomi decided to go back home. Both Orpah and Ruth wanted to go with her rather than stay with their families, but Naomi reasoned with them that there would be no future for them without husbands. Orpah, reluctantly returned to her family, but Ruth loved Naomi too much. She couldn't stand to leave her. She clung to her mother-in-law and cried,
So Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem just as the barley harvest had begun. Because neither Ruth nor Naomi had a husband or son, they were at the mercy of the welfare system which included gleaning. The Hebrew law was that when a landowner harvested his crop, he was obligated to leave some stalks around the edges of the field and also if he dropped stalks during the harvest, he was not to retrieve them. These were to be left for the widows and others in need to glean. That is, to harvest the leftovers. Ruth went to a field owned by Boaz. He was an older man and was quite taken with her. Evidently she was younger and attractive and also was working hard. He advised her to continue to work in his fields and to stay near his servant girls for protection. He had heard that she was Naomi’s daughter-in-law and was impressed with her loyalty. When she came home at the end of that day Naomi asked her where she had worked. When she heard that it was in Boaz’ field and about his kindness toward Ruth, Naomi began to realize she may be able to help Ruth and herself out of their situation of poverty. Boaz was not only a wealthy man, he was a kinsman of Elimelech. The plan was to help Boaz see that continued acceptance of Ruth would be a good thing and to persuade him to marry her. Boaz was only too happy to cooperate with the plan and before too long, he had taken the legal steps necessary to make Ruth his wife. Soon, they had a son, Obed, who turned out to be the grandfather of King David, so they lived happily ever after. Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I hope so. Did you have a chance to be with your family or to talk with them? This story of Ruth has an interesting twist on the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship. Apparently, Ruth preferred to spend the rest of her life in a foreign country with her mother-in-law rather that in her own country with her own parents. I don’t know if that says more about Naomi or Ruth’s relationship with her parents. The scripture says that Ruth "clung" to Naomi. She loved her and perhaps wanted to protect her and provide for her. She was willing to move beyond her familiar surroundings to a foreign country, where they not only talked funny, they also had different customs and a different religion. This was a considerable risk Ruth took, all in the name of love for her mother-in-law. And perhaps gratitude. I can only imagine that Naomi must have been pleasant to be around. As a matter of fact, that’s what "Naomi" means: pleasant. And we know from the story that she was wise and perhaps cunning. She was grateful for Ruth’s loyalty and she did what she could to secure Ruth’s future. These two women had a great friendship. They gave all they had for each other. Ruth gave up the security of her familiar country and family in exchange for the uncertainty of being in foreigner land. She gave freely of her energy to work to provide for herself and Naomi. She trusted Naomi and gave herself over to Naomi’s advice regarding Boaz. Ruth gave all she had for this relationship. Naomi accepted Ruth as a daughter and brought her back knowing they may not be welcomed since Ruth was a Moabite. Naomi figured out a way to ensure Ruth’s future. She could have worked only on her own behalf, but she was more generous than that. Naomi gave all she had for this relationship. So what do Ruth and Naomi have to do with us? And more than that, what do they have to do with the Gospel lesson about the widow giving all she had to the temple treasury? I think it is about commitment. I wish Jesus would quit talking about total commitment. Last time I preached the lectionary was about the young man who went away sorrowful because he couldn’t give away his wealth in exchange for the kingdom of God. This time, he doesn’t exactly condemn the rich people who are giving out of their abundance, but he certainly doesn’t hold them up as the good example either. He does however, lift up the poor widow who gave everything she had, even though it was only as penny, as being more generous than the others. I don’t know why Jesus can’t just be happy with some commitment. Last week when I was buying groceries, I just couldn’t bring myself to pass up the turkey bargain, so I bought one knowing I didn’t have space in my fridge for it, nor would I EAT an entire turkey that wasn’t chocolate, so I took it to the Rescue Mission. But be clear, it wasn’t out of any great commitment on my part. It was because I couldn’t pass up a bargain and a few extra bucks on my grocery bill was barely noticeable. I was like those rich people who were giving out of my abundance. I think gratitude plays a part in commitment. God loves us unconditionally and out of gratitude, we respond to God’s love with our love for humanity. Naomi and Ruth were grateful for each other and gave completely. The widow? I have known people who were poor, but who were so grateful for the little that they had that they gave it away. Daddy’s story—XMAS Are there people in your family who KNOW that you love them and are grateful for them and are committed to them. Are there people in your family that you are willing to make personal sacrifices for—I know you do that for your kids and perhaps your parents, but how about your in-laws. We could learn a lesson from Ruth and Naomi. And how about a little sacrificial giving as we move into this holiday season. There are lots of opportunities for you to give out of your abundance, think a little harder and find a way to give sacrificially. They say it makes you feel good. I wouldn’t know. I’m not sure I’m ready. I am sure however that God loves me And will be with me until I am ready. Thanks be to God |
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11/26/00 - Ruth and Naomi
