Redeemed

What do you think the terms “biblical woman” or “Christian woman” means?

Some people hear “Biblical Woman” or “Christian Woman” and think “quiet, timid, a pushover.” Which I find quite funny, because the women I read about in the Bible were women who confronted kings, led nations, built businesses, protected their families, funded ministries, stood for truth and God, and risked their lives. Women like Esther, Deborah, Ruth, Mary Magdalene, Abigail, Jael, and more - these women weren’t called to fit into a mould created by humans - they were called to stand firm in faith and make a difference.

This writing is looking at Ruth. Ruth stepped into the unknown in faith and with love for Naomi.

The book of Ruth is only 4 chapters totalling 85 verses. A short book that only takes about 15-20 minutes to read through. I highly recommend you do if you haven't already.

Quick background leading up to the part where we meet Ruth:

Coming out of Judges we know that Israel has been warned that things will not improve without a King. Then at the start of Ruth, we read that Israel is ravaged with famine.

Due to the famine, an Israelite family; Elimelech ( which means My God is King) and Naomi (which means Pleasant), with their two sons Mahlon (meaning Sickness) and Chilion (meaning “Frailty”), depart from Bethlehem to travel to Moab where they hope to find food. This choice is very interesting because the relationship between Moab and Israel was rather ugly at the time. Elemilech’s decision to travel to Moab would have had friends and family thinking he was going the wrong direction. The history with Moab included when Moabite women had drawn Israelite men into idolatry at Baal Peor and thousands died. Moab had hired a prophet to curse Isreal in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy 23 the law given barred Moabites from entering the assembly of the Lord. Can you imagine how bad things must have been to be barred from assembly of the Lord?!

Well, after settling in Moab, Elimelech dies. Naomi’s sons marry Moabite women: Orpah (meaning "Neck" or "Fawn") and Ruth (meaning "Friend" or "Companion"). After 10 years, both of the sons die. There have been no sons born to them; there no mention of any children at all. Naomi has nothing left. No inheritance, no home, no means of earning money. Then, she hears that the famine in Israel is over, so she decides to return to Bethlehem. 

I imagine the three women packed only what they could carry on a long journey, and then started walking. But, shortly into their walk, Naomi stops and tells her daughters-in-law to “return their own mother’s house where they know people and can find new husbands." What?! They planned and packed to be together! Both Orpah and Ruth say no.

Then Naomi tells them that she has nothing to offer them. In reality, not only could she not provide new husbands for them, she could not feed or clothe them, nor offer them protection that they would likely need being foreigners/outsiders in what would be a strange land for them. At this, Orpah weeping, departs to return to her Mother’s house. This act shows us that Orpah was a reasonable woman. She understood this was good advice. Frankly, this was Naomi’s only way to provide for and protect her. We don't read of Orpah again.

Ruth however, was not so reasonable. She clung to Naomi and refused. I’m not saying she was wrong, but certainly she wasn’t being reasonable. This exchange though, between the two women, gives us some of the most beautiful words said to another person. Do you know them? I'm sure you've heard some of them at weddings.

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

The relationship between these two women is inspirational.

Would you choose your mother-in-law (if you have one) over your own mother to live with if the need arose?
Who would your daughter-in-law choose (if you have one) if the need arose? 
It’s not easy to imagine a daughter choosing a mother-in-law over her own mother, her own family, and the comfort of living where she knows how things work. But this is exactly what Ruth did - she chose Naomi. The choice made by Ruth is called “Covenant Loyalty” and is a testament to her love for Naomi.

So, the two women made their way to Bethlehem. Ruth and Boaz fall in love, marry and live happily ever after. Right? You know the story. Until I started digging deeper, I thought this was a sweet story in the Bible. And it is.

In my study, I found that Tim Keller provides great insight to the book of Ruth as does the Bible Project. Other sources also showed me there is much more to the story than I thought.

Yes, Ruth gleaned barley and wheat from the fields belonging to Boaz. Probably for the full 6-7 weeks of harvest. And Boaz “noticed” her. But it's not quite as simple as this sounds. There were laws in place in Israel that provided something for the poor, the foreigner, and the widow. They were permitted, without punishment, to glean from the edges of the fields where farmers were required to not harvest from the edges so that those who have nothing/very little could glean so they could have food.

Ruth was poor, a foreigner, and a widow: all three in one person!

Boaz noticed Ruth and asked about her. He made his workers aware that no harm should come to her, even telling her to glean only from his fields, drink from the water the workers drew from the well and inviting her to eat supper with them. His workers were instructed to drop stalks from their bundles to ensure she could glean enough. Nowhere in the book does it say he fell in love with her. Nor she with him. Though I wouldn't rule it out. 

Naomi, learning that Ruth had gleaned from the fields of Boaz, recognised the name as one of Elimelech’s kinsman and a “Go’el” or Kinsman Redeemer.

This was another Israelite law: A kinsman redeemer is one who marries the widow of a kinsman who has died. Purchases the deceased kinsman’s lands to help the widow. Retaliates if a kinsman is killed by another person, etc. That’s not all. When a kinsman Redeemer takes the wife of a deceased kinsman, the redeemer must work the land in the name of the deceased one. If his new wife bears a son, that son carries on the name of the deceased kinsman, not the one who biologically fathered him. Then the son inherits the land the kinsman redeemer purchased. The kinsman redeemer gains nothing except a wife, and pays for everything without return.

Redemption always costs the Redeemer.

After Naomi learned of Boaz, she instructed Ruth to bathe, perfume up, and sneak to where Boaz was threshing the wheat and once he had fallen asleep, to uncover his feet and lay at them. Of course Ruth trusts her mother-in-law and does as instructed. She is not being a loose woman. Ruth was an honourable woman - Boaz even says so.
He startles awake and finds Ruth at his feet. Asks who she is and she reveals who she is, and that she is a widow of a kinsman, and basically asks him to marry her. He agrees in principle, but remembers there is another kinsman redeemer who has a closer biological connection to Elimelech and by law has first refusal.

He goes to the city gate (court) the next morning, sees the other mentioned kinsman and asks , with witnesses, if he wishes to redeem the land of Elimelech. He answers yes. Then Boaz says with the land, he must take the Moabite widow Ruth as well. The other kinsman changes his mind and says no. Well within his right to do so. It was not a profitable arrangement for him.

Boaz announces that he will redeem the land and the widow Ruth. They marry, and are blessed by God with a son whom they name Obed, meaning “Servant.”

Naomi is now taken care of. Ruth is taken care of and has a family and home.

In 4 short chapters, we’ve gone through the Emptying - everything is taken away... to redemption, where all is made right. Ruth stepped out in faith and love in a devastating period of life and experienced full redemption.

She was a foreigner, an outsider, poor, widowed, but because of her covenant loyalty and love for Naomi and Naomi’s God, she became part of God’s family - in the lineage of Jesus Christ, as King David’s great-grandmother.

When we believe, and our faith is in the God of Israel, we are redeemed and welcomed into God’s family. Never underestimate what God can do through a woman who is bold enough to say YES to His calling.