A Moabite An Israelite

Rev Kharla Fleshman - Imago Dei MCC, Media, PA, USA

A Moabite & An Israelite—A Story of Love

November 17, 2002

Ruth 1:15-18 & 4:14-17
“So Naomi said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god; return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people are my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die-- there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!" When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! This child 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 borne him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

1 John 4:16a-21
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as Christ is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.

Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from Christ is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people, my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

These words, spoken by Ruth, the Moabite, to Naomi, the Israelite, have probably been spoken at more heterosexual marriages than any other passages of Scripture.

One woman’s oath of eternal love to another woman, like Jonathan’s oath of eternal love to David, has been the Word of God used to seal a covenant of marriage for countless couples.

There are few places and fewer couples in Scripture, where we can find words of love spoken from one person to another. In fact there are only four couples in the Hebrew Bible in which one speaks of love for another: Samson of Delilah; Jacob of Rachel; Jonathan to David; and finally, Ruth to Naomi.

Isn’t it funny how 50% of the couples I just mentioned are same-gendered?!? With Ruth & Naomi, though, the beauty of those words are more than words spoken from one woman to another. They are also words of love spoken from one ethnic background to another ethnic background.

Ruth was a Moabite—a member of an ethnic group that was despised by the Israelites—viewed as sexual deviants, they were not welcomed or respected by the Israeli people. Deuteronomy 23:3 reads: “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.”

And yet, Ruth was a Moabite, who spoke a covenant of love and commitment to Naomi an Israelite—spoke words of covenant love and swore to the Lord—the very Lord that she wasn’t allowed to assemble before according to Hebrew law. Same gender; different races; an oath swore to a God she wasn’t to worship. I love the Bible for it breaks all the rules we make.

So who are these characters? Who is Ruth & Naomi? We learn of them through the Book of Ruth—one of only two books of the Bible named after women. And here is their story, from the beginning…

Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, from the land of Bethlehem, moves his wife and two sons to Moab—leaving behind a famine, hoping to find fertile ground and food to feed his family. He dies. His sons marry Moabite women, but ten years later, and without any children, they both die.

No fertile land or life in Moab, only death and infertility…Naomi, feeling very bitter and forsaken by the Lord, decides to return to Bethlehem and tells her two daughter-in-laws to return home to their respective mothers’ and try to find new husbands.

Neither woman wishes to leave Naomi, but she insists; and so Orpah reluctantly listens to her and kisses her good-bye, but Ruth instead of kissing Naomi good-bye, clings to her. The Hebrew word is dabaq (qbd), which means “to cleave”.

The most famous verse of the Bible that uses this same Hebrew word can be found in Genesis 2:24 which reads: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Ruth refuses to return to her mother’s home to await a new husband; rather Ruth clings to Naomi and says, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people, my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

“Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” These are words of covenant commitment—an oath spoken that is intended to never be broken. “Thus may the Lord do to me” (hw"hy> hf,[]y: hKo) There is one—only one—other place that we can hear this exact Hebrew phrase of covenant love spoken from one to another…in all the Bible.

Jonathan said to David (hw"hy> hf,[]y: hKo): “May the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety.”

Where Jonathan, out of love, vows to keep David safe from his own father by sending David away, Ruth, out of love, vows to keep Naomi safe by going with her back to her native land. Covenantal commitment of love made from: man to man and woman to woman. Our stories in Scripture.

“Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people, my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

How many of us have left behind parents, family, friends, home, and even country and culture when we made a vow of covenant love to another?

Ruth, the Moabite, left her family, her faith, and her country to walk beside Naomi, an Israelite, into a new country and a new future.

Now to be fair, Naomi did not make that same covenant. She couldn’t for she was bitter by her losses. Naomi felt as if she were forsaken, abandoned by the Lord. She, I believe, went home to die.

In that time and in that part of the world, a woman without a man—father, brother, son, or grandson—was in dire straits. The societal rules, largely gave property and power to men. Men protected (and ruled) over the women. A woman without a man to protect her was at risk of violence, famine, homelessness, and death.

Life was harsh; and folks needed community and needed kin—family to live—to survive, but Naomi had no family—no men—in Moab. They all died. And so bitter Naomi went home to die, but Ruth refused to leave her side because she loved her: “where you go, I will go; where you die, I will die.”

Throughout the Book of Ruth, Naomi is constantly referred to as Ruth’s mother-in-law, but Ruth never refers to her as such. When they arrive in Bethlehem, empty-handed, Ruth suggests to Naomi that she go out into the fields—since it was harvest time—to glean some grain so that they may have something to eat. Ruth had no intention of letting them die.

To glean means to pick up grain that falls to the ground after the sheaves are plucked. To glean is comparable to picking up grains of rice that have spilled to the ground. Tiny seeds that must be gathered from the dirt in the hopes that enough will be collected to make bread to eat to stay alive to survive.

This is subsistent living. This is a harsh way of life; and the only options available to isolated widows in ancient Israel. An even harder life for a foreigner—for a racial, ethnic other. Never is Ruth mentioned in this story without the reader also knowing that she is a Moabite, a sexual/ethnic other not welcomed in the assembly of the Lord according to Hebrew law.

Ruth takes on the role of the man by going out to field to gather grain to provide for their humble household. Ruth goes out because Naomi is older, bitter, and depressed because she believes that God has forsaken her. Naomi hasn’t yet showed her appreciation or love for Ruth. She is caught up in her own misery.

How many times have you become so fixated on your losses that you fail to see what blessing you have in your life? By the grace of God and the love of Ruth, Naomi was still alive, and not alone, for Ruth clung to her and refused to let her go.

As it would happen, Ruth came upon a field to glean grain, but it wasn’t just any field, it was the field of a relative of Naomi. It was the field of Boaz. How many times have you become so fixated on your losses that you fail to see what you still possess? Naomi wasn’t without a kinsman redeemer—family—next of kin.

Now when Naomi had returned to Bethlehem after being absent for many years, she returned to a small town that started talking…”Naomi has returned without men, without children or grandchildren. Naomi has returned with a Moabite woman by her side…” Gossip is an ancient form of communication that unfortunately isn’t extinct in our culture.

The whole town new about Ruth and Naomi, except Boaz. When he came upon his field he said to his field hand, “who is that woman?” Boaz noticed the non-Israelite—the foreigner in his sight.

We learn from this story a few things about Boaz. He was an older man. Apparently unmarried and without his own children. He was well-respected in the town; and he had lots of money. Single, never-been-married, affluent older gentleman. Hmm…know of any stereotype who meets that description? Ah, but I digress…

Boaz took notice of Ruth, the Moabite; and said to her, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to the young women in the field. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” He knew if she weren’t protected, she could face serious harm. She was a foreigner and she had no one to protect her. She was a Moabite who refused to leave the side of an Israelite because she took an oath of love.

Ruth was shocked at this strangers kindness; and she asked him why he gave it. He said, “All that you have done for your Naomi since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your parents and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. May the Lord reward you.”

Boaz made sure that Ruth was able to glean plenty that day. He even gave her some food to eat during lunch. Ruth ate some of that food, but took the rest home to Naomi. Ruth loved Naomi. Ruth went out and worked the fields and provided for their way of life. Ruth devoted herself to Naomi; and didn’t chase after the men—young or old. Ruth took care of Naomi. Love and commitment go together through good times and times of challenge.

Ruth had said to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people, my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

Naomi would most likely die before Ruth—she was older after all. And so one day, Naomi said, “I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you.” Somewhere along the way, Naomi left bitter behind and saw that Ruth was with her and cared for her and loved her; and Naomi needed to know that when she died, Ruth would have someone to care for her.

So Naomi said, “Now here is our kinsman Boaz…our kinsman…Ruth, here is our kinsman.” Not mine, but our speaks volumes to me. Ruth was recognized by Naomi…sometimes love grows slow when it is to go both ways. Naomi had a plan you see because she would most likely die before Ruth; and Ruth needed someone to care for her in her twilight years.

Naomi knew that the only way Ruth would have someone to care for her in her twilight years was to have someone marry her through the Hebrew custom of the levirate marriage—and out of that marriage they produced a son—and that son would care for Ruth. In modern day language for modern day lesbian couples, we call that need a sperm donor.

Let me explain what the levirate marriage was all about. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 provides legal sanction for a marriage between a widow whose husband died without offspring, but still has a living brother. The brother of the deceased is to marry the widow; have sex with her and name the first born son after the deceased husband/brother so that the family name is carried on and the family property stays in the family. In this case, we don’t have a brother in Boaz, but we do have a relative…and that, according to Naomi, would count.

Naomi instructs Ruth to anoint herself, and to put on her best clothes and go down to threshing floor to seduce Boaz. Specifically Naomi says, “Do not make yourself known to Boaz until he has finished eating and drinking” (in other words, until he passes out). She continues, “when he lies down (passes out), observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover her feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.”

The threshing floor was known to be a place of prostitution. The phrase “uncover his feet” is a Hebrew euphemism to uncover his genitals. Note that Naomi said to Ruth, “He will tell you what to do” (once he wakes up cold, naked, with you next to him, he will tell you what to do).

All that Ruth said to Naomi was, “All that you tell me I will do.” Obedient Ruth, loving Ruth, oath-keeping Ruth knew that she needed to do this to have someone to care for her in old age. Ruth didn’t do this on her own, however, she didn’t run after the men. Naomi had to tell her to plan for her future. It is important to balance living for today with planning for tomorrow. The women needed a sperm donor.

Did I mention that Boaz was an older, apparently, unmarried man? When Ruth did exactly what she was told; and when Boaz—half-naked—awoke with Ruth lying at his feet, he was startled.

If the threshing floor was known as a hotbed for prostitution; and he owned land that was harvested every year that required going to the threshing floor every year to process the grain, how come he was startled that there was a woman at his feet? Did all the prostitutes know something that Naomi & Ruth didn’t know? Hmm…

We read that Ruth apparently needed to remind Boaz that he was kin and that there was a duty attached to that, but Boaz said (and I quote) “though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I.” Boaz needed to meet with that so and so relative.

Boaz did meet him by the town gate; and there Boaz took care of the legal procedures; and he followed through on the duties of a levirate marriage. Boaz married Ruth and they had sex—at least once—and she conceived and bore a son…but that son was credited not to Naomi’s dead son, as was the legal custom. That child was credited to her!

“Then the women said Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! This child 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 borne him.”

Yes, Naomi knew Ruth loved her; and I believe Naomi loved Ruth. It isn’t the first time that family, friends, or neighbor missed the truth of our covenantal loving relationships. But those neighbors did note that Ruth was more precious to Naomi than her two sons had been; in fact Ruth was more precious than seven sons.

The women of the neighborhood said “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they gave this child a name. They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse; and Jesse was the father of David (of Jonathan and David…must have been in David’s gene-pool).

My goodness Ruth, the Moabite was grandma to David, the King who was grandpa to Jesus of Nazareth. By the way…in John 13:23, we learn that Jesus, out of all his disciples, had one that he loved…(I’m telling you that there is something about that gene-pool).

Friends, there is no biblical proof of sexual intimacy having occurred between Ruth and Naomi…there is no blue dress with DNA evidence, but we do know about the covenant of love…”where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people, my people, and your God my God.”

You can have sex without love; and you can have deep spiritual, covenantal love with or without sex…sex isn’t the point, but love is!

1 John 4, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” Ruth loved Naomi; and I believe that in the end, Naomi loved Ruth.

There are few couples in God’s Word where we can find love spoken from one person to another. In fact there are only 2 in the Hebrew Bible in which we know that a covenantal love was spoken and that was between Jonathan & David and Ruth & Naomi.

Our stories in Scripture to inspire and teach us. Our stories to lead us in ways of covenantal love and commitment. Our witness as disciples of Christ, who because he loved us first, we are able to love one another; and so in Christ’s name I say thank you, Jesus, and amen.