Ruth
is a heroine of faith because she aspired to something greater than survival.
We only meet this Moabite woman because an Israeli family, in the middle of a devastating famine, flees Bethlehem in search of food. Naomi and her husband Elimilech arrive in Moab, their two sons marry Moabite women—Orpah and Ruth—and then all the men start dying. First Elimilech, and then, ten years later, his two sons, producing three widows: Naomi, Orpah and Ruth.
Naomi surveys the grim situation and promptly announces she’s going back to Bethlehem. Her daughters-in-law, she says, should return to their families. In this culture it’s the only welfare safety net for a woman not “covered” by a man.
Orpah makes this sensible choice and goes home, but for Ruth this is a turning point. Going home might be the best survival choice (and let’s be clear, sometimes we must make that choice)—but Ruth sees a larger arc for her life. She chooses not to abandon Naomi, but more than that, to embrace Naomi’s God, Yahweh. This is a conversion. “Your people will be my people,” Ruth says to her mother-in-law, “your God will be my God.”
Ironically, Ruth’s long pilgrimage home is away from her family and country, toward a strange land where Moabites like her are the enemy. Yet she trusts that Beth-lehem will truly be the “house of bread”—not only physical sustenance, but the bread of life.
If you haven’t recently, read this little novella. Spoiler alert: Ruth goes to work in famine conditions and keeps Naomi and herself alive. She marries a remarkable man, bears a son who turns out to be the grandfather of King David, and so sparks the royal line that culminates in Christ. All because she chose not to settle for survival.
P.S. On Saturdays our campanions are musicians. Tomorrow we’ll hear “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” like you’ve never heard it before.
COMPANIONS ON THE WAY
Introduction
Stories of Turning
Week One
Stories of Wild Places
Week Two
Stories of Dogged Faith
Week Three
Stories of Mercy & Forgiveness
Week Four
Stories of Simplicity & Joy
Week Five
Stories of Prayer & Surrender
Week Six
Stories of Transforming Love
Or another way to put it, Ruth didn’t play it safe. Lots to learn from her. I tend to look for the safest path – I think because of loss early on. But Ruth had loss, too. Looking forward to tomorrow’s music (nice artwork in this series, too.)
Thanks for mentioning your loss—many of us have suffered a loss that makes it hard to choose something aspirational. But we can follow Ruth—
I’m loving these stories and reading assignments. My knowledge of the Old Testament (and New Testament too who am i kidding) is so rudimentary. I’ve taken a lot of risk over the last few years career wise that hasn’t panned out financially – but has taught me things about myself that I never would have realized without going to the depths.
That’s great—I’m hoping these little character vignettes will send people back to the text to read these immortal stories for themselves.