Daily Readings: Psalm 146:5-10; Ruth 1:6-18; 2 Peter 3:1-10
One day Naomi got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah.
After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, “Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me. May God give each of you a new home and a new husband!” She kissed them and they cried openly…
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye; but Ruth embraced her and held on. Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her.” But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God – not even death itself is going to come between us!”
When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem. Ruth 1:6-10, 14-18, The Message
Three deaths and a famine in a foreign land – that’s what Naomi faced. Dead husbands and a famine – that’s what Orpah and Ruth faced. Three women dealt a hand that could very easily win them death or a life on the streets. The best option was for them to return to their families – Naomi’s in the land of Judah, Moab for Orpah and Ruth.
After a lot of crying, Orpah did the sensible thing and returned to the protection of her family – and to the possibility that she might marry again. Naomi did the sensible but hazardous thing, heading back to Judah and whatever family she had. Ruth, did not. Ruth chose to leave the safety of family ties and head to a land and a people that had no vested interest in her life. Out of love for her mother-in-law, with trust in Naomi’s God, she set out for Bethlehem.
Against all common sense and odds, it worked out. Naomi introduced Ruth to her relative, Boaz. A few batted eyelashes and some negotiations later, Boaz and Ruth are married. A few months later, Obed is born. What could have ended in tears and tragedy ends in joy.
Obed grew up, married, and had a boy named Jesse; Jesse grew up and had a boy named David, who later became king. Naomi and Ruth’s road trip, their love and care for one another, blessed the world (as all instances of love and care do, even if they aren’t written down).
Not from Moab, and not because of a famine, but from Nazareth and due to a Roman census, two more people set out on the road to Bethlehem. That trip, care for one another, and trust in God that their journey would lead to something good led to another baby being born in Bethlehem. And to this Advent journey we take every year…
Image by Margaret Hill, in whom God delights.