Call Me Ruth
Ruth loved well. I wonder now if that is why I have been drawn to her all these years. If you pare down the story to the basic motives of Ruth, then she followed Naomi to Bethlehem because she loved her mother-in-law, for love, she chose to forsake her people's gods and follow YAHWEH, for love she worked hard in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi, she loved Boaz and married him.
It could be argued that she did all of this and married Boaz for duty alone. There is a large amount of duty and service in this story, but I find it hard to ignore the fact that Ruth's duty to her mother-in-law was fulfilled and she could have left her side along with Orpah at the beginning. Ruth could have followed Naomi to Bethlehem without taking YHWH as her God, so she must have grown to love God too. And when Boaz says to Ruth, "You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor." to me, this indicates that she had the option to NOT choose Boaz which says to me, she loved him. Boaz also loved her which is obvious from the fact that he took care of her/protected her, complimented/affirmed her, gave her gifts, was so surprised and pleased when she lay at his feet (what is the modern equivalent of that anyway? I never completely understood that), then worked so hard to win the right to redeem her. If that's not love, then I must not know what it is.
Since I identify so strongly with Ruth's heart, I know it would be hard for her NOT to love a man who took notice of her, offered her a place of safety and cared for her so thoughtfully. In love, there is a great deal of duty and service- love is an action, after all- so the fact that Ruth had a great sense of duty actually solidifies my argument that she LOVED deeply. Ruth loved God, Boaz, and Naomi.
The story of Ruth and Boaz has been my favorite love story for many years, but recently I have realized that I like the story for a plethora of reasons. I have often felt, especially since about two years ago when I was in the midst of living in Tucson, that my life sometimes mirrors Ruth's. Her responses to the people around her generally typify my responses to God in my spiritual life. Ruth's loyalty and devotion to those she loves is familiar to me. Like her, I do not love perfectly. I am sure there were days, especially before she landed in Boaz's field that Ruth told God, "I am so tired! We are barely eating- these men are freaking me out- I don't feel safe- my back hurts-" But for love, and survival, she pressed on. Like Ruth, I have come from a difficult place/time where there was spiritual darkness, death, periods of famine, drought, struggle, pain. Like Ruth, I followed God to a new place and have been doing odd jobs to get by. I can now imagine that even though Ruth's life was hard at first in Bethlehem, like me, she also felt it was paradise in comparison to where she had just been. The St. Louis area is more prosperous than the one I left, like the dichotomy between the two places Ruth lived. Strangely enough, I too am living with and helping (trying to anyway) an obscure relative- Ruth, her mother-in-law, me, my uncle. Like Ruth, I also like older men. :D
The thing that strikes me about Ruth's life the most lately, ties in with my previous post, "Exceptional Lover." I realized from looking at the book of Ruth again that this woman lived her life day by day, loving and serving as she could and never knew the full impact from her life. At the end of the book, we learn that Ruth and Boaz's son, Obed, was the grandfather of King David. This means that Boaz and Ruth were ancestors of our dear Lord Jesus. That is some legacy! Also, millions of people, generations later, read about her life, her love, and her and Boaz's wonderful love story-- and praise God for it!
I am encouraged in terms of the conclusion I made at the end of the aforementioned post. If, like Ruth, I spend my life loving and serving those around me, marrying and loving my husband, following God, then even if I do not know the effect of my life, then I can trust that God will still be receiving the glory and working through me. Ruth is proof. Her marriage alone was orchestrated by God, not just to bring joy and happiness to everyone involved in the space and time in which they lived, but the effect of that love is felt generations later in the offer of salvation to the entire world. (I am suddenly reminded of the end of a poem I wrote a while ago.)
This brings new depth to Ephesians 3:20-21 for me:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
It could be argued that she did all of this and married Boaz for duty alone. There is a large amount of duty and service in this story, but I find it hard to ignore the fact that Ruth's duty to her mother-in-law was fulfilled and she could have left her side along with Orpah at the beginning. Ruth could have followed Naomi to Bethlehem without taking YHWH as her God, so she must have grown to love God too. And when Boaz says to Ruth, "You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor." to me, this indicates that she had the option to NOT choose Boaz which says to me, she loved him. Boaz also loved her which is obvious from the fact that he took care of her/protected her, complimented/affirmed her, gave her gifts, was so surprised and pleased when she lay at his feet (what is the modern equivalent of that anyway? I never completely understood that), then worked so hard to win the right to redeem her. If that's not love, then I must not know what it is.
Since I identify so strongly with Ruth's heart, I know it would be hard for her NOT to love a man who took notice of her, offered her a place of safety and cared for her so thoughtfully. In love, there is a great deal of duty and service- love is an action, after all- so the fact that Ruth had a great sense of duty actually solidifies my argument that she LOVED deeply. Ruth loved God, Boaz, and Naomi.
The story of Ruth and Boaz has been my favorite love story for many years, but recently I have realized that I like the story for a plethora of reasons. I have often felt, especially since about two years ago when I was in the midst of living in Tucson, that my life sometimes mirrors Ruth's. Her responses to the people around her generally typify my responses to God in my spiritual life. Ruth's loyalty and devotion to those she loves is familiar to me. Like her, I do not love perfectly. I am sure there were days, especially before she landed in Boaz's field that Ruth told God, "I am so tired! We are barely eating- these men are freaking me out- I don't feel safe- my back hurts-" But for love, and survival, she pressed on. Like Ruth, I have come from a difficult place/time where there was spiritual darkness, death, periods of famine, drought, struggle, pain. Like Ruth, I followed God to a new place and have been doing odd jobs to get by. I can now imagine that even though Ruth's life was hard at first in Bethlehem, like me, she also felt it was paradise in comparison to where she had just been. The St. Louis area is more prosperous than the one I left, like the dichotomy between the two places Ruth lived. Strangely enough, I too am living with and helping (trying to anyway) an obscure relative- Ruth, her mother-in-law, me, my uncle. Like Ruth, I also like older men. :D
The thing that strikes me about Ruth's life the most lately, ties in with my previous post, "Exceptional Lover." I realized from looking at the book of Ruth again that this woman lived her life day by day, loving and serving as she could and never knew the full impact from her life. At the end of the book, we learn that Ruth and Boaz's son, Obed, was the grandfather of King David. This means that Boaz and Ruth were ancestors of our dear Lord Jesus. That is some legacy! Also, millions of people, generations later, read about her life, her love, and her and Boaz's wonderful love story-- and praise God for it!
I am encouraged in terms of the conclusion I made at the end of the aforementioned post. If, like Ruth, I spend my life loving and serving those around me, marrying and loving my husband, following God, then even if I do not know the effect of my life, then I can trust that God will still be receiving the glory and working through me. Ruth is proof. Her marriage alone was orchestrated by God, not just to bring joy and happiness to everyone involved in the space and time in which they lived, but the effect of that love is felt generations later in the offer of salvation to the entire world. (I am suddenly reminded of the end of a poem I wrote a while ago.)
This brings new depth to Ephesians 3:20-21 for me:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Comments
I am going to have to re-read this book. Isn't it wonderful how we can enjoy stories, and glean new help and encouragement from them, even when we assumed we had exhausted all there was to find?!