God In Between
Ruth 1:1-22
The Book of Ruth stands in the doorway of transitions in the stories of the Hebrew people, from the time of the judges to the time of the kings. The story teller uses irony and word play to draw the listener into this narrative. The story begins with the migration of a family because of a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem, or translated literally, the house of bread, where there should be an abundance of bread, this man, Elimelech, which means, my God is king, takes his wife Naomi, which means sweet or pleasant, along with his two sons Mahlon and Chilion. The names are homonyms for the Hebrew words that mean diseased and perishing. So this family leaves the land of bread where ironically there is a famine and they go to Moab, the land of their enemies, where they will not be welcomed. With the heavy use of irony already present in the first few lines of this book, we begin to see fairly quickly that irony will continue and that Naomi will not remain sweet or pleasant, and Mahlon and Chilion, the diseased and perishing brothers will die along with their father, but only after they marry wives from the tribes of their enemies. The teller of this story piles all of this into the first five verses of the story so the scene is set for the rest of the story to unfold - Naomi, widowed, with two daughter-in-laws from the tribe of her enemy. where does it go from here? Well Naomi, with no chance of making it in Moab, decides it is time to go home, back to the house of bread, Bethlehem in Judah., where once again there is an abundance of bread.
The middle part of our passage today focuses upon Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah. Both of her daughter-in-laws commit themselves to returning with Naomi but she tells them to go back to their families. That encouragement may be based on a cultural norm and Orpah does just that. Orpah goes back to her family. But Ruth commits herself out of loving kindness to stay with Ruth. She even clings to her and won’t let go. Ruth makes a vow to Naomi that expresses deep and abiding commitment:
"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 (Ruth 1:16-17).
Loving kindness is what drives Ruth to make this commitment. The Hebrew word is chesed and points towards the steadfast love and commitment of God. Finally, Naomi agrees and the pair return to Bethlehem.
The concluding scene of this opening chapter is of Naomi being welcomed home. She tells those gathered around her that her new name is “bitter.”
Reflection Questions:
What does it mean to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself?
When have you experienced the “loving kindness” that Ruth expresses to Naomi?
What can you do to watch out for the oppressed, the widows, the orphans, or people less fortunate?