Ruth
“Mary and Eve” by Sr. Grace Remington, reprinted with permission.
The Book of Ruth
“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.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
(Ruth 1:12-14)
The setting of the book of Ruth does not immediately make me think of winter or Advent. I picture fields of barley, threshing floors teeming with activity, and scenes of harvest. While the story centers around Ruth’s time in Israel during harvest, it doesn’t begin there.
Initially we find Ruth and Naomi in the country of Moab in a state of spiritual winter. Every cultural means of protection and provision were stripped from these women. In a country far from home and a society where women were not able to provide for themselves, everything looked bleak. Anyone in Naomi’s place would have also cried out, “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
Naomi is joined by a host of Biblical authors that initially feel helpless, angry, and bitter towards the Lord. One of the sons of Korah in Psalm 88 cries to the Lord, “Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.” (Psalm 88:15) Naomi and the son of Korah do not simply cry to the Lord in their hopelessness; they blame the Lord for their hopelessness. Because they know the Lord is in control, they feel betrayed. In Ruth 1, Naomi is deeply feeling the groaning of creation as it waits and longs to be set free from bondage to sin and death (Romans 8:21-22).
How does the Lord respond to Naomi’s blame? He rightly could chastise her for her attitude of blame. Instead, He graciously gives her exactly what she needs: Ruth. Reeling from the death of her family members and the loss of worldly security, Naomi needs a lifelong companion. She needs someone to commit to her. She needs someone to sacrifice for her and be willing to die for her. What she needs is a savior. In this time of grieving and loss, Ruth clings to Naomi and promises to remain with her even in death.
When Christ was born, Israel was in a deep spiritual and political winter. The Israelites had not heard from the Lord through the prophets in four hundred years. They eagerly awaited a new King David, but it certainly did not seem like God was following through with His promise. Even as the nation longed for an end to political oppression and strife, God answered their cries with something greater than they expected: Himself.
God gave Naomi something greater than Ruth’s companionship, and He gave Israel something greater than a political leader. Through Ruth’s lineage, God gave us His son, Jesus. This is our hope during Advent. Throughout our spiritual harvests and winters, we can cling to the fact that God is sending us something greater than we can imagine in the second coming of Christ.