Ruth 4:11-22
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,[d]
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
The story so far…
Naomi has left Moab, where she had been living for ten years because of famine in her own land, and returned to Israel. While in Moab, Naomi has been widowed and both her sons have died. Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in law, returns with her. Boaz, Naomi’s cousin and a powerful man in the area, having heard of the way Ruth has been caring for her mother- in-law, allows her to work in his fields. Naomi hatches a bold plan for Ruth gain Boaz’ attention. The plan works and Ruth will now become Boaz’ wife.
Monday 6th March
Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Boaz is now free to marry Ruth, and he announces this to the men. As always on occasions like this, they wish him well. Look at what they say: May you have a great marriage! May your wife help you to have good standing and a good reputation! May your family be powerful and influential! It is interesting to note the difference between the men’s good wishes for Boaz and the women’s for Naomi. The men value social standing, reputation and political influence. The women also think fame would be a good thing (!), but they are more concerned that there is a man to look after Naomi. The wishes expressed by the men and women in this small town reflect what is important to them in their culture and social situation, and we might well hear people say the same sort of things today.
Their words should make us reflect, though. Are these really the things that we should be valuing most? Are these the things we should be praying for – even if it is for someone else? There is nothing wrong with any of them in and of themselves. There is certainly nothing wrong in hoping that people will be cared for in their old age. But I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 in which he tells the disciples not to worry about what they will eat or wear – let alone worry about their reputation, influence and later-life care. Instead, they are to “seek first the Kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” In essence, Jesus’ teaching points to the fact that we can’t control or engineer how our lives will turn out, but if we make it our priority to live under God’s rule, our needs will be met. How do you react to this idea. Spend some time talking to God about this today.
Tuesday 7th March
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Baoz and Ruth marry, and Ruth has a son. You would think, wouldn’t you, that the women would be congratulating and supporting her. But Ruth disappears from the story – it is Naomi who receives the well-wishing and congratulations. She now has someone who will be able to look after her. Certainly, Ruth gets some indirect credit for producing the baby, but it is Naomi who is the centre of attention. It is natural, I suppose, for the women to have a narrow perspective on the matter. Naomi is one of their own, while Ruth is still new to their town. They express appreciation of Ruth’s great love for and loyalty to Naomi and for providing Naomi with a male descendant. But they are delighted for Naomi, not for Ruth. How do you think Ruth might have felt? How would you have felt in her situation?
Social dynamics like these are to be found in families, churches, work places and many other settings. It seems to be a natural human tendency for groups to become insular and protective of their own way of doing things while marginalising newcomers or those who don’t think quite like us. Have you ever experienced this? How did you react? Excluding others is a way of protecting our own identity and sense of worth. The Bible, however, is full of stories and voices which challenge this way of thinking. The prophet Isaiah speaks out against any tendency in Israel to want to keep God’s love and mercy to themselves. Micah and Joel call out those who silence and oppress others in order to keep themselves in positions of wealth and power. And the apostle Paul makes it clear that the gospel is for everyone – not just a select few. How easy to you find it to include others who think differently to you? Pray that our churches and communities will be able to welcome strangers into their midst.
Wednesday 8th March
Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The story has a happy ending – at east on the surface. Naomi, who had been robbed of everything, once again has a family to care for, and to care for her. However, this family has come about in unusual and very painful circumstances. We might be tempted to think that because Naomi has become “grandmother” to Obed, all the grief and turmoil from her previous experiences would be completely healed. But that is not the way life works. I am quite sure that Naomi would have preferred to have her husband and sons still around. She will still have to love with the pain od what has gone before.
We all love fairy stories in which people “live happily ever after”, but we also know that life is not like that, and the stories preserved for us in Scripture do not allow us to think in such naïve terms. Naomi still has to live with her grief, Ruth has to live as an unappreciated outsider and there are everyday problems to get through – not least Obed’s adolescence! Think back over your own journey with God. Have things always gone the way you would have liked? How do you react when life does not go the way you had expected or hoped? Naomi could have rejected the child, saying nothing could replace what she had lost. Ruth could have refused to become the wife of an older man. However, they both did what they felt was right, remained faithful to God, and learned to live the life that they had. Is there something today that you are struggling with which is not going as you would like? Spend some time sharing your thoughts and feelings with God today.
Thursday 9th March
This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,[d]
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
Have you ever watched the programme “Who do you think you are”? In it, experts help celebrities to find out things about their ancestors. We hear tales of great grandparents who were involved in extraordinary events, or who did remarkable things or had interesting things happen to them. In order for the programme to be interesting, there has to be a story to tell about the person – a remarkable achievement, an adventure, or simply living in unusual times. Tracing our family tree has become big business in recent years. It seems to help people to have some understanding of what has gone before and where they come from. It has something to do with understanding who we are. But it could be a risky business – we might find things out that we would prefer not to know!
The point of including this family tree at the end of the story of Ruth the Moabite is that her son becomes the grandfather of King David, who is, of course, the ancestor of Jesus himself. It reiterates the fact that God’s purpose can be fulfilled in ways we do not expect, or are not acknowledged. We find ancestry lists and genealogies like this throughout Scripture: a sense of continuity is important to us all, no matter who we are. Many of our guests at Glasgow City Mission have had this continuity disrupted in their own lives. This could be because of family breakup, or displacement. They feel cut off from everything that has given, or should have given, the sense of security which is so important for our mental wellbeing. The pain of this can be so great that they begin to lose a sense of who they are. Please pray for them and for our staff and volunteers who work with them and care for them.
Friday 10th March
The stories that are preserved in Scripture urge us to think through what is important in life and what is not. We can learn from people’s mistakes as well as from the things that they do right. We can also marvel at the way God works in people’s lives and throughout history. We have now reached the end of Ruth’s story. Has anything in particular stood out to you as you have read over the last few weeks? There are themes of loss, grief, loyalty, family, personal integrity and faithfulness. Has any one character or event been particularly important to you? What have you learned? Take some time at some point today to read the whole story through once more. Is there anything you want to say to God about what you have heard and seen in this story?
Saturday 11th March
Psalm 84:1-4
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Sunday 12th March
Psalm 84:5-12
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield,] O God;
look with favour on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favour and honour;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Marion Carson
Chaplain
