Today's Card: A Woman's Wisdom on Your Behalf

From the story of Ruth

Her story:

Though there are countless women unknown and unnamed within this text, Ruth is an exception. She is one of only two women within the Hebrew Bible who have a book in their name (Esther is the other). And we hear her voice again and again—often at weddings—when these words are recited: “. . . whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Or, in more contemporary vernacular: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

When Ruth says this, however, it’s not in the context of love but responsibility; not to a life-partner but to her mother-in-law. Let’s rewind a bit, yes?

I Googled “condensed version of Ruth’s story” and came across all kinds of things (as you might guess). There were, however, a couple videos that I found to be super creative even though both are narrated by men and take some theological “leaps” I could probably argue. Still, either are worth watching for the entertainment factor alone.

• An Animated Version of Ruth
  This is one of those live drawings with a black marker; a skill that completely amazes me. Stop at 5:17 if you only want the story.

• Ruth in 5 Minutes is quirky and funny (though there is some gendered humor I might take issue with). Theology begins at 4:06, so stop at 4:05 if you’ve heard enough.

Videos aside, here’s the gist of her tale:

Famine came to Bethlehem, which forced Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, to move east to Moab with their two sons to find food. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi to fend for her family alone. Ten years passed and the sons married two local girls, Ruth and Orpah. Then the two sons died.

Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. Both daughters-in-law vowed they would join her, despite Naomi begging that they stay behind. Eventually, Orpah was convinced, but Ruth could not be deterred. She pledged her devotion to Naomi—which is where the “whither thou goest” language comes in.

The move back to Bethlehem did not improve their circumstances. So, in a desperate attempt to get their basic needs met, Naomi sent Ruth out to glean in the fields, picking up any grain left behind in the harvesting process. It was there that she met Boaz, the owner of the fields. He favored her and told his servants to be a bit more liberal in what did not get picked up so that Ruth could have it for herself.  

Naomi heard about Boaz and realized he was a relative of her late husband. This meant he had an obligation to marry Ruth and provide for her as family. Naomi set a plan in motion, telling her daughter-in-law to visit Boaz that night in secret and “lie at his feet.” Ruth did what her mother-in-law asked, much to Boaz’ delight. He told Ruth that he would marry her, but could not, as there was another relative with even closer ties to her in-laws. Eventually though, the relative renounced his claim and Boaz and Ruth wed. They had a son named Obed who was the father of Jesse who was the grandfather of King David—all direct lineage to the birth of Jesus.

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There are plenty of opinions about Ruth’s story and Naomi herself. And as you might guess, I have opinions of my own. :-)