“…you are a woman of great worth.”
-Ruth 3:11
There are things worth waiting for. Things worth great
effort. Work worth doing. Experiences worth having. People worth knowing. Worth
loving. Worth waiting for. Worth the effort. People of great worth. And the book of Ruth, one of the shortest in
the Bible, is one of the most memorable; it is the story of a woman of great
worth. A woman who is an example of how to become a person of great worth. And,
interestingly enough, in this allegory of great worth, there is no character of
any religious or royal significance; no priest, no prince, no prophet, no
judge, no one of “real” importance. It is a simple story of simple people and a
woman of great worth.
The story
of Ruth and Naomi is a familiar one. Naomi is a widow with two sons living in a
pagan land (Moab). Her sons marry Moabite women and settle but soon they die,
too. A woman without a husband or a son was quite vulnerable in the ancient
world. One might say she was the equivalent of both a widow and an orphan. And
living in a foreign land, she is a kind of exile, a stranger living in a
strange land. Learning that life has improved in Bethlehem, Naomi decides to
return to her homeland. Not wanting to force her daughter-in-laws to become exiles,
she encourages them to return to their families and find new husbands. It’s the
only thing that makes sense. She is saying to them, she has nothing left to
give them. She has no hope for a better life. In fact, as far as she knows, she
can only drag them down with her. They
need to go back to their families and look out for themselves. One does
just that, but the other (Ruth) doesn’t. Instead, she puts Naomi’s needs ahead
of her own:
“…wherever you go, I shall go,
Wherever you live, I shall live.
Your people will be my people,
And your God will be my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
(Wow. A drought, a famine, an uprooted family, a widow, 2
marriages, 2 deaths, and a return to Bethlehem –and it’s only verse 16. Geepers,
talk about a page turner.)
Like most fables and allegories,
this is a whirlwind narrative, and the characters aren’t just characters. I
imagine that just about everything in this story is a symbol of something. Starting with the names: Naomi means
sweetness, her sons are named Mahlon and Chilion –basically sickness and
death—and then there is Ruth which means companion (someone who will walk the
path with you). And later we will meet a very kind and just man named Boaz (basically
“inner-strength”). Something that bears
mentioning: there are no bad guys in this story. No greedy relative or
heartless official. No jealous rival or bitter enemy. Only the normal day to
day evils of sickness and death.
If we read the whole story
allegorically we might ask ourselves, who is Naomi? As a Jew living in a
foreign land, intermarrying with non-believers, after a period of bad judges
and corrupt officials, is Naomi a picture of God’s chosen people gone astray? And
her off-spring are nothing but sickness and death… Nothing to look forward to
but woe…
But in her hour of distress and
desperation, she turns back to God. And when she does, God gives her a
companion to help her on the journey; a companion who treats her with
compassion, who encourages her in her faith, and who reveals to her God’s
mercy.
Whether we read her allegorically
or not Ruth is truly a woman of great worth. She models for Naomi and for us
the fulfillment of God’s law. She puts
the needs of another before her own. As Jesus
tells us repeatedly:
“Anyone
who would be great among you, must become your servant…” –Mark 10:43
Ruth becomes not just a companion,
but a servant to Naomi. And by so doing, she becomes a helpmate for the
journey, and a source of strength and renewed hope. Allegorically we might say
she is Naomi’s (or Israel’s) faith rekindled, as well as a vision of God’s
loving mercy. An icon of that never-ending grace and undying love that never
ceases to seek after us, no matter how far we stray.
She isn’t a queen. She isn’t a
Judge. She isn’t a prophet. She is just
a young widow who selflessly puts the needs of another before her own. And that is what makes her truly a woman of
great worth. And a model for all of us who hope to be “of great worth”
someday.
Open your Bible and read the Book
of Ruth. You can probably read the whole thing in 20 minutes (or less). Like many fables and allegories, though it is
fairly short, it contains profound depths that will inspire and challenge you
and reward reading and rereading.
Dear Lord, on this Divine Mercy
Sunday,
Renew us with Your love and open
our hearts
with your merciful presence to the
needs of others,
inspire us to put the needs of the
weak and the vulnerable,
the widow, the orphan and the
stranger, ahead of our own.
Let us find our greatness not in
titles or power, or honors,
but in humility and service to
others. Let us, like Ruth,
become bearers of Your mercy to the
world.
.
Amen
