Welcome!
Last week, I sent an introduction to the book of Ruth to see if this blog would work. This week, I want to tell you what I'm about and ask for your help.


I am planning to teach a three hour course on Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament for the Life-Long Learning Program at the North Iowa Area Community College in November, and I will do a weekly blog which will give information, give open ended questions, and relate to daily life in North Iowa. What I would like from you are your observations, suggestions, reactions, and insights which I will use in putting the course together.


The first story is the book of Ruth, and we'll start with the first chapter. you can refer back to the introduction from the Lutheran Study Bible. That's as good a summary as I have been able to find anywhere. I would like you to do something with this chapter: Read it aloud. You can do this by yourself, or you can read it aloud to someone else. The reason for this seemingly nonsensical request is because this beautifully crafted story is oral, that is, if you hear it or narrate it, it's different from just reading it silently to yourself. Please share your experience as a response to this blog, and we'll see how this works.


I am printing out the first chapter from the New Revised Standard Version, because the translators of this version wanted a text that would read aloud well, and you can judge how well they have done what they set out to do.




1In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. 2The 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. 3But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
6Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. 7So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in- law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. 10They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." 11But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me." 14Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16But 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 shall be my people,
 and your God my God.
 17Where 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!"
18When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
19So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" 20She said to them,
 "Call me no longer Naomi,
 call me Mara,
 for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
 21I went away full,
 but the LORD has brought me back empty;
 why call me Naomi
 when the LORD has dealt harshly with me,
 and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?"
22So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
​

To begin, read the book of Ruth in the Old Testament of the Bible this week. It's only 4 short chapters, and the background which follows should be helpful.


BACKGROUND
This family story is set in early Old Testament history, the time of the judges in Israel, a 400 year period with no central government.


The book of Ruth is a bridge between the unruly end of the period of the judges in the beginning of the kingdom ruled by David and his descendents.


What's the story?


The book is set in the village of Bethlehem, in Judah. It gives us a picture of village life, including farming practices and how the city elders gathered at the Village gate to make decisions. Ruth may have been written as early as the time of David (1000 BCE) to tell the story of his foreign grandmother,. But probably it was written much later, after folks people returned from exile in Babylon. Folks then were suspicious of foreign women (see Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 13), and the book of Ruth would have encouraged them to be more open.


The book of Ruth moves from famine and death beginning to harvest and finally birth at the end. Naomi goes with her family to the enemy country of Moab because there is a famine in Israel. Her sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi's husband and sons die. She returns home to Bethlehem. Ruth, who pledges her loyalty to Naomi and to the God of Israel, returns with her. While working in the fields, Ruth meets Boaz, Naomi's relative. Even though Ruth comes from enemy people, Boaz realizes that she is loyal and worthy. He marries her to preserve the line of Naomi's family. Ruth is blessed by the whole village of Bethlehem. Boaz and Ruth give birth to a baby,, who becomes the grandfather of King David. The whole nation is blessed because of the loyalty of this devoted widow, this good man, and this foreign woman, Ruth.


What's the message?


The book tells a wonderful story about three of Israel's ancestors – Naomi a widow; Ruth, her former daughter-in-law; and Boaz, the wealthy farmer. Through acts of loyalty, generosity, and commitment, these three made possible the birth of King David's grandfather. They pave the way for the birth of Jesus. Martin Luther frequently mentions Ruth as an example that Gentiles (non-Jews) are included in the promises of God. He highlights her inclusion in the birth line of Jesus in Matthew one along with the foreigners Tomar and Rahab.


Ruth's story also helps us think about how ordinary people – including widows, farmers, and foreign women – can change the course of history for the better by acting out of loyalty and love. The book invites us to open up the idea of the family to include everyone. God does not act directly in the book. Rather, we see God acting indirectly through the interactions between people and in the many blessings that are scattered throughout the book.


This introduction is from the Lutheran study Bible.