Ruth the Saint

Ruth 1
There’s a famine going on. Elimelech is one of these environmental refugees we’ll be getting. He dies, wife Naomi is left with the kids, one of whom marries a local lass called Ruth. Naomi’s kids die,and Naomi and Ruth plan to go home.

Verse 6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

Naomi gets them home, tells them to go to the mothers. They want to go home with her.

Verse x And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

The argument convinces Orpah, but Ruth is made of sterner stuff.

Verse 16-7 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

And they get to Bethlehem where she does the deed-poll thing.

Verse 20-1 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

Ruth 2
Naomi has a rich in-law called Boaz.

Verse 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

Boaz comes checking his fields, asks a servant “who’s that girl?”. Servant explains it’s Naomi/Mara’s daughter-in-law

Verse 7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

Boaz says she’s to ‘abide here fast by my maidens’, i.e hang out with his daughters or harem. Ruth is chuffed and asks “Why have I found grace in thine eyes.” For Boaz, it’s all about social proof…

Verse 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

Amazingly cool language here.

Verse 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

Boaz tells his young men to play nice

Verse 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

Ruth takes her gleanings back to Naomi/Mara who seems to have forgotten the Plan (senile?)

Verse 19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.

And Ruth then sticks with the plan till the end of the barley and wheat harvest.

Where is this going?

Ruth 3
Naomi tells Ruth that it’s time to take the relationship to the next level.

Verse 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

This she does, and he wakes up and almost freaks out.

Verse 9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

And he says gee, thanks for the offer (spread thy skirt being exactly what you’d think…)

Verse 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

They don’t sleep together I think “she rose up before one could know another” and she gets 6 measures of barley, which she takes back to Naomi, who says

Verse 18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

Where IS this going?

Ruth 4
So Boaz tries to get someone else to buy this parcel of land that also happens to include access to the fertile delta of Ruth. This person says “I can’t, you’ll have to.” Boaz’s little ploy has worked, cos the witnesses to this go “heck yeah.” Good things, erm, come, to those who wait?

Verse 13- 4 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

Naomi is wetnurse and grandmother, I think, to David (presumably that* David). Via some crafty baby swapping? Is this what this book is about? Intergenerational female solidarity?

Verse 16-7 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

And then there is some back story begatting leading up to Obed and on to David.

How weird is this… nobody got smited!! If they keep up this lovely language and lack of murder, I might be smitten…

Hmmm. I probably need to read some more about the Meaning of Ruth to Christian feminists. Or I can wait for my genius wife to catch up…

Here’s the wikipedia page. And some relevant analysis-

In many ways, most of what Christians and Jews would draw from the text would be the same. The Book of Ruth has a unique significance to Jews. In particular, the figure of Ruth is celebrated as a convert to Judaism who understood Jewish principles and took them to heart. This book is also held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice, as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. As well, the “Book of Ruth” functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (“Weeks”), or Pentecost. This is most likely due to the fact that the story takes place during the barley harvest, and that Shavuot is the celebration of the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest.^[22]

For Christians the book has additional significance. The connection between Ruth and David is very important because Jesus of Nazareth was born of Mary, betrothed to Joseph of the lineage of David (see Chapter 3 in Luke and Chapter 1 in Matthew, respectively).