Ruth: God's love for the marginalized

Summary of the book

The story of the book of Ruth is the story of a young Moabite (foreign) widow who shows devotion to her widowed mother-in-law by leaving her own people, travelling with her mother-in-law back to Israel. In Israel, she gleans during the harvest and gets noticed by a man who generously provides for her and her mother-in-law.

Intro of book:

The book of Ruth is nestled between the book of Judges and 1 Samuel. It happened during the time of the judges but also seems to form a bridge between the two eras in Israel’s history - the times of the Judges and the Monarchy.

In the Hebrew Bible - Ruth is positioned as the first book of Writings and is sandwiched between Proverbs 31 - the proverb about a virtuous woman - and Song of Solomon - a poetic picture of a romantic relationship. In thinking about it’s positioning in the Hebrew Bible, it could be very easy to look at the book of Ruth as a profound picture of what a woman of character is like.

There are some who want to see the book of Ruth as a love story - which it is, but yet it does so much more. The book seems to be a Royal history - proclaiming the lineage of David, Israel’s most famous King. It also seems to be a bit of a Messianic History - though very subtly - as it creates some beautiful pictures a redeemer and reveals a bit of this part of the messianic lineage.

The book of Ruth seems to be the intersection of so many different elements of theology, history, character, godliness etc. Discussing this book can take so many different directions because of the layers.

Carolyn Custis James has said. “Contrary to popular belief, the book of Ruth is not really a love story—at least, not as it’s usually presented as a love story between Boaz and Ruth. It is a story of God’s love for all people, and it shows that God is with us through our sufferings, even when we feel abandoned. The book of Ruth is a story of tragedy, hope, and the transforming power of God’s love in the lives of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.”

James, Carolyn Custis. “Ruth, Naomi, and God’s Love of the Marginalized.” Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been looking at God’s story through scripture - as God reveals a particular history, making promises in the Old Testament that will ultimately be fulfilled in the New Testament. When we left things off last week, we found the people of Israel in the downward spiral. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. They did not look at all like the people they were supposed to be.

As the opening words of the book of Ruth open, we get to zoom into one family and the condition of their lives amidst the chaos of the time. We find this family and its individuals marginalized by the circumstances and choices of their lives, and yet through this book, we get to see God’s heart for the marginalized. In the midst of the rebellion of the nation, God is aware of the marginalized.

Carolyn Custis James, “The story of Ruth is cast against the backdrop of an ancient patriarchal culture, where a woman’s identity and security depended on her relationships with men, especially her father and/or husband. Her value as a wife and contributor to society was measured by counting her sons. By these cultural standards, it is puzzling that a Gentile like Ruth the Moabitess (today a Jordanian)—a non-Israelite outsider who is widowed, childless, and barren for most of the story—became a luminary of biblical history. Yet she is unquestionably one of the most significant women in the Bible. She and her mother-in-law Naomi represent God’s love for the outsider and the marginalized.”

James, Carolyn Custis. “Ruth, Naomi, and God’s Love of the Marginalized.” Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.

So as we look at Ruth today, we’re going to look at it from this perspective as we consider the (1) presence of the marginalized, (2) God’s provision for the marginalized, and (3) God’s plan for the marginalized.

So let’s begin by considering...

The presence of the marginalized

There is an unfortunate fact that societies have marginalized people. It’s not unfortunate that there are people - but that these people are marginalized. Here in the book of Ruth, we see some sources of marginalization - this is not at all an exhaustive list. We get to see...

Those displaced by famine (1:1)

Ruth 1:1 ESV

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

In many ways, we have becoming somewhat insulated from famine here in America. But if we consider the fact that famine would produce both economic hardship and would be detrimental for a family’s ability to survive - we can see that famine can be devastating.

So here, this father takes his family to a foreign land in order to provide for their needs, to seek out hope. Even in this action - there is so much irony.

The man’s name was Elimilech - which means “God of the King” - and yet rather than seeking out help from his God, he sought refuge in an adversarial land.

They were from Bethlehem - which means “house of bread” - and yet at that time there was no bread - there was famine.

The went to Moab. The people of Moab were started by an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter. During the Exodus, the people of Moab refused to let the Israelites pass through their land. Later, many Moabite women ended up seducing the men of Israel - introducing immorality and idolatry - many thousands of Israelites died as a result. During the time of the Judges - the Moabites would raid the land of Israel during the harvest time to steal food - this is when God raised up Gideon.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

So this family is marginalized because they’ve been displaced. They are foreigners living in a foreign land.

We have people coming to our nation for a variety of reasons - some for opportunity, some for refuge. Families like this live all around us. God is aware of them. Are we aware of them? Are we paying attention to those that God is bringing around us - whether Latino, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, European, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Jewish, Agnostic, etc.?

In addition to being marginalized because they’ve been displaced, we can also observe marginalization in...

Those destitute by death (1:2-5)

Ruth 1:2–5 ESV

The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

As if the displacement from the famine wasn’t enough - now Naomi and her daughters-in-law are left in a bad predicament - widowed - with no apparent means of provision. In those days, when a woman was widowed and without a family, there was very little she could do. Some would turn to prostitution, others would sell themselves into slavery - hoping to be provided for by a master who was not too bad.

Death has a powerful impact on so many people. Even as we’ve seen this touch our lives in the last few weeks, there is a sting that death leaves, a mark on the survivors - especially those who did not have a clear means of provision. As you may have heard, Jackie Adema’s youngest brother, Brian, died unexpectedly last week. Carl and Jackie are there in Michigan now. Carl expressed great concern over Brian’s wife. She has very little family near her now. As God brings the family to your mind, please be praying for her - she has depended on her husband for so many things.

Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah are now marginalized widows - destitute by the death of their husbands.

In this story, we can also see marginalization by...

Those discouraged by barrenness (1:2-5, 11-13)

In those days, so much of a woman’s identity and position in society was based on her ability to have children. Bearing children perpetuated the name of the family and its inheritance. It also had a means of provision - the children would provide for the needs of aging and widowed parents. And yet, it appears that not only were these women destitute because of death - but there were no children, no apparent means of future provision.

Ruth 1:11–13 ESV

But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

Naomi’s only two children were dead. She was left with her daughter’s-in-law - who apparently had not yet been able to get pregnant.

There are so many people today - even here in our church, who feel this sense of marginalization because they don’t have children - or at least children of their own. Some of that is internal - their own sense of identity tarnished by this unfulfilled desire. Some marginalization is from society - and unfortunately - even from the church. My hope is that we would as a church, as a people of God, would not propagate this marginalization. I don’t think most of us do this intentionally - but I do think we need to be aware that people feel this way.

In addition to these three circumstances, here in the book of Ruth, we also could consider marginalization that is experienced by...

Those differentiated by gender and ethnicity

Throughout the book of Ruth, we get some glimpses into the condition of the culture. Being so far removed from that society, there are words, phrases, and assumptions that seem to by-pass us.

Naomi and Ruth - the two main characters in the story are women (duh). There are places in society and times throughout history where women have been treated as less than human or simply as objects. This was a stark reality for Naomi and Ruth - their gender became a negative mark against them in that culture. Ruth was vulnerable to being abused as she worked in the field to provide for her mother in law (2:9). Even today, we find women marginalized by men, by society. It breaks my heart when I hear of women being abused, objectified, and demeaned by men in our society. It should not be. If you’ve been treated that way - I am so sorry. My hope is that here, we will see one another as co-image bearers - serving in different roles, but equally endowed by God as his masterpieces - men and women alike!

Not only do we find sex as a marginalizing factor in Ruth, but we also find ethnicity as a marginalizing factor. Ruth was a Moabite. Way back in their lineage, the Moabites were related to the Israelites - cousins of Abraham’s descendents - the children of Lot. I wonder what kind of looks she got as she was gleaning in the fields. Moabite women had a reputation of being loose - did the men see her as an object of pleasure? What about the women? Did they see her as this foreigner who would corrupt their men? They may not have seen her for who she was. Some, as we will see, would judge her by her character - but her ethnicity and sex became a threat to others (4:4-8).

I love that we get together with Hosanna from time to time. I think it’s a beautiful picture of what we will get to experience in heaven when people from every nation, tribe, and tongue gather to worship our God. It saddens me that there are still so many places where people are judged and marginalized because of their race or ethnicity. I believe we need to make sure that we take time to get to know other people rather than assuming they are a certain way based on how they look. As you have an opportunity, let me encourage you and me to follow Jesus’ example from John 4 as he encountered the woman at the well.

There are so many things we can try to do in order to try to keep people from being marginalized, but the sad reality is that we live in a fallen world and marginalization exists. One of the beautiful things that we get to see in this book is...

God’s provision for the marginalized

Throughout scripture - we find places where God has a heart for the fatherless, for widows, for the foreigner, for the poor. God has made provision for the marginalized in many ways - but here are two that we can see here in the book of Ruth.

First of all..

Jewish Laws protecting those in need:

There are three specific laws that God laid out in the Torah.

Gleaning for leftovers (Lev. 19:9-10; Dt. 24:19-22)

Even while they were still in the wilderness, God urged the people of Israel to leave some margin in their fields for those who would come by - for the poor and the traveler. Gleaning literally means to “pick up” or to “gather.”

As Ruth and Naomi make their way back to Bethlehem, back to Naomi’s people, Ruth is sent out into a nearby field to glean (to the field of a relative named Boaz) - to take the leftovers of the field. As she goes to a field and requests permission of the harvesters, she is simply looking for favor with the workers and the landowner.

I know for so many of us, we don’t have big fields and crops with which to share leftovers - though the Zoerner’s certainly did have plenty of vegetables to share this summer - there are places where we can retain some margin to help those in need. We have several beautiful opportunities for this over the next couple of months as we seek to provide meals for needy families with WUMCO and help with Rise Against Hunger. We can also invest a few dollars to buy socks and underwear for those at the Frederick Rescue Mission. We also do this on Communion Sundays, like today, when we have an opportunity to support the benevolence fund to help those close to our church who have financial needs (there will be offering plates at the back of the sanctuary as we exit).

We may not have crops to leave, but I think we can intentionally leave space in our budgets to help others.

The Torah also protected those in need through...

Levirate Marriage (Dt. 25:5-9)

The idea here is that if a husband died and there were no children, then the next of kin (a brother of the deceased husband) would provide an heir for the woman. Here in the case of Ruth - there were no brothers remaining and the next of kin was a generation or so away.

We see in Ruth’s life - that this was fulfilled in her marriage to Boaz in chapter 4. Let’s look briefly at the blessing that the elders of the town pronounce on Boaz after he made arrangements to acquire the land that belonged to Elimilech and marry Ruth...

Ruth 4:11–12 ESV

Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

Rachel and Leah were the wives if Jacob. They were barren at one time (like Ruth) and then God allowed them to conceive and bore many children - including Judah - the tribal leader of this region. Perez is the off-spring of a fulfillment of a Levirate marriage - as Tamar’s husband had died, leaving her with no children. You can read more about that in Genesis 38.

There is one final Israelite law that seems to get referenced here in the book of Ruth, that is the...

Kinsman-Redeemer (Lev. 25:25) - Go’el

Leviticus 25:25 ESV

“If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.

So here are Naomi and Ruth. They have property near Bethlehem, but because of the death of their husbands are left without a means of truly working it. The idea of perpetuating a name and the land was extremely important for the people of Israel. God had promised the land and had promised a permanent inheritance. There are no heirs and so the line of Elimilech will be blotted out unless someone steps in.

This kinsman-redeemer or “Go’el” would buy the land. If there were people - as in Ruth - they would come with the land.

In addition to having some clear laws to help those in need, God used the...

Compassion of Godly people

God provided the laws for his people to obey, but it also takes his people to follow through. We see this in a few places in the story of Ruth.

Ruth herself was a compassionate woman who refused to leave her widowed mother in law. Ruth vowed to go with her...

Ruth 1:16–17 ESV

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

We also see the compassion of Godly people in Boaz and the workers of his fields.

Ruth 2:1 ESV

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

We see that Boaz is a man of character - a “worthy man.”

Later, we learn that Boaz returns to the field from being away - up to this point, he has not met Ruth.

Ruth 2:4–7 ESV

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

Then Boaz turns to Ruth and shows compassion toward her...

Ruth 2:8–13 ESV

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

Boaz acted in compassion. He acted in obedience to God by allowing her to glean and even protecting her in this process.

(discuss a practical aspect of this)

So we’ve seen that God addressed the presence of the marginalized with provisions for them. The final thing that we get to see in the book of Ruth is...

God’s plan for the marginalized

In the story of Ruth, we see this this worked out in a beautiful and yet bold way. You see Ruth continued to glean for several weeks. Each day she would go and get left overs from Boaz’s fields. He would even urge his workers to intentionally leave some aside for her - dropping it along the way so that she would have extra (2:15-16).

At the end of the harvest season, Boaz held a feast. Naomi urges Ruth to go and ask that Boaz redeem her.

Ruth 3:1–6 ESV

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her.

So in the middle of the night, Boaz is awakened by the fact that his feet are uncovered and he sees the form of someone nearby...

Ruth 3:9–13 ESV

He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”

I love that - he doesn’t refer to her as a woman from her heritage or ethnicity - but of her character, calling her “worthy”.

So the next day, Boaz calls a meeting at the town gate. He communicates the fact that Naomi (Elimilech’s wife) has this land available for redemption. The man initially wants to redeem it and then declines when he learns that Ruth comes with the deal. So in the presences of other elders of the city, Boaz redeems the land - buying it from Naomi - acting as Kinsman redeemer and acquires Ruth as his wife - fulfilling the Levirate marriage obligations.

So as I look at this, we can see that God’s plan for the marginalized is...

Redemption

People who need a redeemer are people who are in need, people who are poor, people who have no hope for a future. Once redeemed by Boaz, Naomi and Ruth have a permenance in the land. They have a place and a provision.

For us - Jesus Christ is our redeemer. Matthew 5 tells us that those who are blessed are those who are poor in spirit. We must come before Jesus recognizing the poverty of our sinful state, responding to His call in our lives, and seeking his covering, just as Ruth asked for Boaz to shelter and provide for her. Friend, if you are not yet a follower of Christ, let me encourage you to find your redemption under the eternal shelter of Jesus’ outstretched arms on the cross. Recognize your spiritual poverty, repent of your sin, turn and trust in Him. You will have eternal acceptance into God’s kingdom.

Beyond simple a place or a citizenship in God’s kingdom, I think we also see here that God’s plan for the marginalized is...

Resurrection

From a social stand-point Ruth and Naomi were nearly as good as dead. They had little hope except for the mercy of others. Now that they have been redeemed, they have a new life, they have permanence in the land, they have an heir - an heir who will become King of Israel. Eventually an heir who will become our Messiah - Jesus Christ.

Ruth 4:13–22 ESV

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Beloved, we are, by nature, outsiders - marginalized by the sin that separates us from God. God is aware of our marginalized state - the fact that we are outsiders. He has made a provision for us through Jesus Christ and has given us an opportunity to provide for the marginalized around us. God’s plan for the marginalized is give us hope for eternity. Our Kinsman-redeemer is Jesus Christ - God in the flesh - who dwelt among us here giving us hope in this life and beyond for an eternal life with Him.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Pray

The Lord’s Supper

for believers - whether a member or not

symbol of what Jesus Christ did to redeem us from our sin-sick state - the poverty of our depravity

take in a worthy manner

Benediction:

2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.