Heroes, At Last!

Ruth 1-2

            When I was in middle school, I remember an assignment to illustrate a story, and I chose Ruth. It’s a beautiful little story of people doing the right thing by each other and by the Lord. And in contrast to Judges, well, it’s just delightful.

            The two main characters in Ruth are everything we would hope to see in Israelites: kind, generous, faithful. We first meet Ruth when she is young, first married; then she becomes a widow, probably still in her twenties. Her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Naomi, is remarkable. Even when Naomi is filled with bitterness and casts aspersions on Ruth’s motivation (did she really think that Ruth only stayed around to score another husband from her?), Ruth sticks with her. Ruth’s little speech is an absolute gem: “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). Ruth—who isn’t even an Israelite; she’s from Moab—surrenders her home, her people, and her religion in order to take care of Naomi.

            Over the years, I’ve used Ruth 1:16 as a wedding text a number of times. It captures so beautifully the full commitment that husband and wife make to each other. Many years ago I was considering a divine Call to a place far, far away. I was really struggling and I wasn’t sure my wife wanted to go, but all she said was, “Where you go, I’ll go,” and I knew whatever I decided would be ok because my Ruth would come with me. (I didn’t take the Call.)

            In chapter 2, we meet Boaz, a genuinely nice guy. He helps Ruth out of the goodness of his heart and because he sees in her someone who is worthy of help. He’s impressed with the way that she has stayed with Naomi in Naomi’s old age (old age, for those days…), and he goes out of his way to make sure that they are both taken care of.

            We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Israel’s failures. We’ve seen a lot of faithlessness. We’ve seen a lot of horrifying behavior all the way back to Genesis. Enjoy this moment when two of God’s people act like God’s people!