Oct 20 2019 Ruth 1 - A Story of Redemption of the Outsider

Ruth is one of my favorite short books of the Old Testament

The Bible Project - Ruth

https://thebibleproject.com/explore/ruth/

Ruth 1:1 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

"It came about in the days" = “Long ago and far away” – we know that it was written much after the events actually happened! Scholars say from 150 to 500 years later!

It is written in such a way as to speak to the time the writer is writing! It is written to address specific issues – and there are clues to those issues throughout the book. It is more than a history or moral lesson book.

How can we know what was going on in the time it was written when we don’t know when it was written? It is filled with clues! We will unpack those problems – and verse 1 has a whole mess of them!

When we read a book like Ruth, we must understand that it is first theological. It is first about God, even though he is rarely mentioned. This is a story of redemption – God redeeming His people – a story of salvation, we would say! Our post-resurrection perspective would say this is about the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ in story form. We see death and resurrection of Jesus – and the impact it will have on the world. Also, from a theological perspective, we see how God and humanity work together to accomplish God’s will and to build His kingdom in this world.

"In the day the Judges governed” – was a dark time – a steady decline with blips of heroes – but after the hero dies, things start to go down again. The heroes were very flawed heroes. Think of the Guardian of the Galaxy heroes, flawed – as opposed to our childhood heroes like Superman.

And God sticks a couple heroes in the middle of this book – one of them, an outsider, who is not part of anything – like Captain Marvel – just showing up in the middle of the story – and those heroes give us a totally different picture of what can take place.

Famine in the land – can be an indication of judgment – OR – that God is about to do something new – OR BOTH – as is this case.

This family is forced to leave Bethlehem to go to Moab. Many say this was a bad, negative thing – the Land is a Land of blessing – and leaving it is a bad thing – but that is not always the case. Yes, some bad things happen after they leave the land. It may be a negative story, but it is also negative about the people of Bethlehem. The people are supposed to take care of one another – and this family should have never gotten to the point where they need to leave. Their needs should have been met by the community.

² The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

They go to Moab – and it is important to know about Moab – a place close to Bethlehem.

The Moabites are descendants of Lot – remember Lot – Abraham’s nephew – left with Abraham – then they had to separate and he chose to go down to Sodom and Gomorrah – and then God had judgment on those cities – and Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt – and as the result of some not so righteous tings – the oldest has a son who becomes the father of the Ammonites – and the younger daughter has a son named Moab. And as the Israelites left Egypt – there were issues with both the Ammonites and Moabites…

³ "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD, ⁴ because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt…

⁶ "You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.

This is the background for the story – the Moabites and Ammonites are enemies, known for deception and immorality.

We think of Ruth like a Disney Happily Ever-After. But it is different from that. It is probably one of the most subversive stories of the Old Testament – it is confrontational to those who are hearing the story. Israel, and we as Christians, are often moving away from God’s plan and mission. And that was what was happening – and

Ruth – Ruth’s Moabite ethnicity generates the energy that drives the plot of the story – this is the story of an outsider.

Her identity becomes a problem only at the point of departure, when Ruth decides to leave her own land and family and follow her Israelite mother-in-law to a village in Judah.

By doing so, Ruth steps across the spatial and social boundaries that differentiate Israelites from Moabites, and the people of God from all other people.

We’re in, you’re out! We’re right, you’re wrong! This is how it is with human thinking – who is NOT and who IS.

This cuts across that and puts that in its place.

Ruth the Moabite enters Israel’s social and geographical space, uninvited and probably unwanted. The ensuing drama grapples with the import of the foreigner’s presence among the descendants of Jacob. (L. Daniel Hawk)

This is about the alien and stranger – the person who is far from God – and our mission – our responsibility toward those people. We have a responsibility as Christians to those who are far from God -and it is easy to neglect that mission when we view them as our enemy – just like the Book of Ruth does with the Moabite.

It is a new way of looking at things – as mission and love – vs. enemies.

³ Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

We have this tragedy – catastrophe – and out of the tragedy comes redemption.

Some might say he got what he deserved for leaving Israel for Moab! But through this comes compassion, redemption, and mercy.

Ruth is the Prodigal Son story in so many ways.

The younger son left home for a distant land and bad things happen – but in the distant land, he is redeemed – saved, if you will.

The older son never left home – but at the end of the story – he is not saved or redeemed. We don’t know what happened to him, because the story ends.

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food. ⁷ So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

What we have here – this like the return of the Prodigal – Naomi is returning. At the same time, God is returning to Israel – and the two coincide.

⁸ And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ "May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

SO Naomi is going back to Israel, and the Daughters-in-law are planning to go with her. Her concern for them – they would have zero prospects in Israel. Jewish men are not going to have Moabite women. She is also concerned for herself – having two Moabite women with her is not going to help.

She expresses a theme – you belong to a certain people and you belong in that place – I belong to another group of people – and those are not to mix.

So the takeaway – Ruth is a story of the redemption of the outsider – the enemy – the one who is lost.

We’ll see – the most unlikely person will become the most important person – and Ruth is not just going to be a blessing to Naomi – but will transform the entire community. She will be the one to bring that transformation.