July 11, 2010
Ruth 1:22 – 2:13
This summer we are focusing on stories of God’s people from the OT. By retelling these stories our hope is to see how God is at work in very ordinary people.
When we see how God was present to people in their joys, their challenges, and in their sorrows – then we can learn to see how God is also present with us. The same God at work then is active in our lives now.
Today we want to look at the story of Ruth and Naomi.
Now, the one part of this story that most people know is when Ruth says to Naomi – “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”
This story has often been used in wedding ceremonies to talk about the lifelong commitment of marriage partners.
In fact, when I asked Marilyn to marry me 32 years ago she was all prepared and accepted my invitation by singing to me the song – “where you go, I will go”.
So the story of Ruth certainly applies to people getting married but I think this story is often romanticized in a way that its real meaning is lost.
This story has numerous applications but in its simplest form this story challenges us to see that God’s love has no borders.
In the opening verse we learn that this story is set in the time of the Judges – between 1200 and 1020 BC.
At the time, there was a severe famine in Judah and it forced Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons to flee their homeland for the foreign country of Moab.
Now, what isn’t said in the text, but was known by the Children of Israel is that the people of Judah and the people of Moab did not get along together.
In Genesis 19:37 we learn that Lot gets his oldest daughter pregnant and her son is named Moab. Since Moab was born from this incestuous relationship the Israelites thought the Moabite people were banished from God’s sight forever. (Deut. 23:3)
So for Elimelech and Naomi to move from Bethlehem to Moab would have been seen by other Israelites as a shameful migration.
But the truth is – throughout history most migrations happen because people are hungry or are looking for work or are trying to escape a war. Many times people have few choices and in this case Elimelech and Naomi have to leave family and friends to flee to the foreign country of Moab because of a famine.
While it was risky for them to move there, it seems the Moabites received them well because they settle in for the long haul. Things begin to change for Naomi, though, when her husband dies and leaves her as a widow in a foreign land.
Her sons then marry Moabite women but within a few years both sons die. So within a ten year span Naomi’s husband and both of her sons are dead.
Now, the pain from all of this for Naomi is very real. Later, when she returns home to Bethlehem she tells everyone not to call her Naomi – which means “pleasant” – but to call her Mara –which means “bitter”. (1:20)
In chapter one, verse 20, Naomi says – “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.”
Through all of these tragedies Naomi has become a bitter woman and she also feels like God has abandoned her.
Immigrants often live at considerable risk and now as a widow Naomi only has her two daughters-in-law left. She has no support system and no family in Moab.
As Naomi contemplates what to do she hears that there is food again in Judah so she decides to return home.
Naomi tries to persuade her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab because she can’t provide for them and she doesn’t think they will be accepted in Judah because they are foreigners.
Naomi knows it will be very hard for them to make a living in Judah but Ruth insists on going with her. Ruth leaves behind her family, her people’s gods, her legal status, and she risks everything for being with a bitter Naomi.
The good news upon their return to Bethlehem is that there is food and Ruth volunteers to glean in the fields. Gleaning is the practice of gathering up the leftover grain in the fields that the farmers left behind.
In the OT, God instructed the Children of Israel to leave some grain in the fields so that widows, orphans and refugees could gather food for themselves.
So, as Ruth gathers food in the fields she is noticed by the landowner, Boaz, who happens to be a relative of Elimelech – Naomi’s deceased husband.
Boaz is impressed by her hard work in the fields but even more so by what he has heard about her. He is impressed that she left her family and native land to come and take care of Naomi.
So, Boaz takes some risks here by reaching out to this foreigner – Ruth. Over and over again the text doesn’t just call her Ruth. Instead, it says – Ruth the Moabite.
By calling her “Ruth the Moabite” the writer seems to reinforce the fact that Ruth is a stranger. She is an alien. She is an outsider. She is a second-class citizen.
But Boaz takes interest in her anyway and protects her from others who may want to harm her.
In 2:9 Boaz tells Ruth that he has ordered his young men not to bother her as if it was a common practice for young men to take advantage of single women or immigrants.
Boaz also tells his workers to leave extra grain behind for Ruth so she can easily glean it from the ground. And at mealtime Boaz gives her extra food to eat.
So, instead of rejecting this foreigner, Boaz goes out of his way to accept her and to help her make it in his country. Boaz gives even more than is required of him.
Boaz actually practices God’s command to Israel to always care for the widows, the orphans, and the aliens.
In Leviticus 19: 33 God commanded the Israelites – “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Eygpt; I am the Lord your God.”
God appeals to Israel to always be kind and generous to immigrants because they were once immigrants themselves. God says – “Treat them as citizens among you”.
Boaz treats Ruth as a citizen.
Now, scholars don’t know exactly when the book of Ruth was written. They disagree over when it was written and its purpose in Israel’s life.
There are, however, many scholars who think Ruth was written to address an anti-alien impulse in the 5th century before Christ.
During the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the Children of Israel were strongly told to separate themselves from foreigners. Foreigners were seen as a danger to Israel’s purity of faith and life.
These scholars think the Book of Ruth was written to counter this anti-alien or anti-immigrant sentiment.
Throughout Israel’s history God has to regularly remind them to treat fairly the foreigners, the widows, the strangers, and the aliens in their land.
It seems that every generation has to learn anew God’s command to treat foreigners and immigrants and widows as citizens among us.
Immigrants are always at considerable risk and so the biblical call to be hospitable challenges us to look out for the strangers in our midst.
The book of Ruth is meant to call attention to the vulnerability that immigrants and widows experience and to dismantle the hostility that people feel towards them.
This message that God’s love has no borders becomes especially clear at the end of the book when Ruth is mentioned in the genealogy of King David.
This Moabite woman – this foreigner – this outsider – this nobody – becomes the very one God blesses and uses to further his work in the world.
And then later on, Ruth the Moabite, appears in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.
This foreigner who loved Naomi enough to give up everything becomes the foremother of Jesus Christ 1200 years later.
This mother of faith who embraced bitter Naomi and her God becomes the foremother of the One who would give up everything for all of us – Jesus Christ.
So not only does God value every person for who they are but God can speak through them and use them to further God’s reign in the world.
As most of you are very much aware, throughout the history of our country, we periodically struggle to accept the immigrants among us. Over the last 20 years or so the debate has heated up again.
And just recently, it really heated up when Arizona passed this law that is to go into effect in a few weeks that requires police to stop suspected illegal immigrants and demand proof of citizenship.
Many people fear this law will lead to police harassment of those who cannot prove their lawful status.
Concern about this law is so great that our Mennonite Hispanic brothers and sisters have asked Mennonite Church USA to not hold our convention in Phoenix in 2013 because of this law.
Many of our Hispanic sisters and brothers are undocumented immigrants and they fear they will be discovered and deported.
As our denomination discerns whether or not to go to Phoenix in 2013 – I think it is important to listen to our Hispanic sisters and brothers because they are the ones who have to live daily with this fear of being separated from family and of being deported.
This is also a difficult political issue in our country and I don’t have answers for how our country should handle it.
But as followers of Jesus this issue is much more than a debate about policies or ideologies. Our Christian calling invites us to always embrace the stranger and welcome the immigrant.
As in the story of Ruth, the immigrant community is a very vulnerable community. Many are undocumented. Most come here out of desperation – escaping poverty or hoping to be reunited with family members.
Some come legally but are unable to extend their visas so they eventually lose their legal status and they live in the shadows of American society.
Many work hard at low-paying jobs, they pay taxes, they send money home to poor relatives and they long to become contributing members of this country, but do not have a legal way to do so.
Even without changes in the law, we as followers of Jesus can lead the way in welcoming the immigrants among us. We can treat them as citizens as Boaz treated Ruth.
The bible doesn’t offer us a blueprint for modern legislation but I think it can serve as a moral compass and it can shape our attitudes towards immigrants.
- One thing we can do as Christians is to love all of our neighbors – even the undocumented ones.
Showing God’s love to someone should never hinge upon seeing someone’s legal papers. Every person deserves love and kindness and respect.
Like Boaz we must be willing to take risks in loving the Ruth’s in our community and be ready to give more than is required. We can share our food, shelter, and clothing and support those families when members are deported.
PMC has a history of helping illegal immigrants. In the 1980’s PMC was part of the “sanctuary movement” that helped those fleeing the war in Central America. I believe PMC housed some folks on their way to Canada.
Our society tells us to fear some immigrants more than others – so by showing love to the most vulnerable we can help shape new attitudes even as we open ourselves to encounter God through them.
- Another thing we can do is build relationships with newcomers in our communities.
These are not necessarily the most vulnerable but we do have opportunities here in Pittsburgh to relate to many international students.
Sandeep is working with an international student ministry called PRISM and through that ministry we have opportunities to show Christian hospitality to foreigners.
I want to encourage you to consider doing some of the things offered through PRISM.
a. Prism has a “garage give away” in August where international students get free furniture as they begin their time here.
You can donate furniture or you can help transport furniture to a student’s home.
b. Also, Sandeep plans to bring some international students to visit church and he needs hosts families to take them home for lunch afterword and just befriend them.
c. Or another way to participate is for PMC to host an open house in which we provide food for about 60 students and then we interact with them over the meal.
So, we have many opportunities right here in Pittsburgh to be hospitable to foreigners among us and to learn from them.
I am also excited that a number of you are going to Honduras in August to relate to a Mennonite church in El Progresso.
This is another opportunity for us to build relationships. In this case we get to be foreigners and to be hosted by our sisters and brothers there.
As a church, we are looking to build mutual relationships with the church there and to be open to receive from them. I also hope we can host some folks from Honduras here.
I believe God can use these experiences to help us be more hospitable to the strangers in our midst and can also help us overcome some of our fears of relating to strangers and foreigners.
- And thirdly, I think we can also support agencies that are addressing the roots of international inequality which often cause people to migrate from country to country.
As our government creates increasingly harsh immigration laws in the name of fighting terrorism – we, as followers of Jesus, can be advocates for more humane policies for immigrants and refugees.
So, just as the book of Ruth was written to counter the anti-immigrant sentiment of that time – it can also remind us to treat fairly the foreigners, widows, strangers and immigrants in our day.
As followers of Jesus may we, like Boaz, take great risks to love the immigrants among us and to treat them with deep respect – no matter what our national leaders say or do.
God’s love still has no borders and God can still do amazing things through the Ruth’s and Boaz’s of our day.
Amen.