(Lessons from Ruth)
Ruth 4:13,18-22 So Boaz married Ruth, and when he slept with her, the LORD gave her a son. This is the family tree of Boaz, beginning with his ancestor Perez:
Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nashon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David. [Living Bible translation]
Matthew 1:1, 5 These are the ancestors of JESUS CHRIST, a descendant of King David and of Abraham…Salmon was the father of Boaz (Rahab was his mother); Boaz was the father of Obed (Ruth was his mother); Obed was the father of Jesse….
[Living Bible translation]
RUTH
Life Before the Trial –
My name is Ruth. You can probably tell I am a foreigner. Perhaps it is my accent, the way I say words, or the way I talk. Perhaps it is the way I look, the texture of my hair, the shape of my eyes or nose, or my mannerisms. Yes, I am different. I am from Moab. I am a foreigner.
It's sort of interesting that whether you are a foreigner depends on where you are at the time. If you are in the land of Moab, you are the foreigner and I am not. When I first met my husband and my husband’s mother Naomi, they were foreigners living in my land, Moab. I married my husband in Moab. My father-in-law, Elimelech, had already passed away. (Ruth 1:3) My mother-in-law had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. They are all Ephrathites, originally from Bethlehem in Judah. Perhaps I should have been more cautious when I married my foreign husband, Mahlon because his name in Hebrew means “sickly.” Chilion’s name in Hebrew means “destruction.”1 Chilion is the husband of my sister-in-law, Orpah also a Moabite woman, like me. Perhaps our husbands’ names should have warned me and Orpah about what was to come but when you marry someone or you’re in love, those kinds of things are not important, even if the person was prone to sickness. In any case, both brothers died. So, I, Orpah, and our mother-in-law were three widows, with no one in sight to take care of us.
I am very close to my mother-in-law Naomi. She is a woman of GOD. She is kind. I have watched her pray. A praying mother-in-law is a powerful thing. I consider Naomi “my mother.”
Naomi told us that she could not offer me or Orpah another son, who under the Hebrew tradition, would be obligated to take us all in and care for all of us. Under Hebrew law, that person is called the “kinsman-redeemer.” But, Naomi is too old to bear children. (Ruth 1:11-12) So, she told me and Orpah to return to our own mothers’ houses and offered up a prayer of blessing and protection for each of us to her GOD. (Ruth1:3). Orpah returned home. I did not. Naomi tried to force me to leave her side, but I am stubborn. I refused. I told Naomi that “she was my people.” Her GOD was my GOD. I told her “We are family.” I told her we would live and die together. I made a vow to GOD to not let anything separate us. (Ruth 1:16-17). So, when my mother-in-law decided to return to Bethlehem, I went with her. And, my journey as a foreigner, an immigrant began.
My Trials –
We cross the border into Bethlehem. We walked. It was a long, long journey. My mother-in-law had a kinsman, Boaz, who she said was kind. She suggested I go into his fields and glean for food. Gleaning is a way of feeding the poor. It is sort of like “leaving the scraps for the dogs.” When a field was being harvested, poor field workers, like me, walk-behind and pick up any left-over wheat or grain or the leftovers of whatever the reapers were cutting. Lots of immigrants and foreigners like me end up in the fields. It’s common. But working in a field around a lot of rough men can be a dangerous place for a foreign, immigrant woman, like me. I was very, very afraid. But Naomi and I needed to eat, so I went.
It turned out, I had nothing to worry about, Boaz told the men not to bother me and he even instructed me to work right alongside the women of his own household, so I wouldn’t be easy prey, harassed or molested. (Ruth 2:22) I gleaned in Boaz’s field through the barley harvest and the wheat harvest too! GOD is GOOD!
My mother-in-law decided that I needed to marry and she mentioned Boaz, her kinsman. She left it up to me to approach Boaz, which I did. I basically asked him to make me his wife, according to GOD’s law, since he was a kinsman. I wanted him to be my kinsman-redeemer. Thank GOD Boaz did not spurn me. In fact, he thanked GOD for a girl like me. (Ruth 3:10). But we had a problem, Boaz was not Naomi’s closest relative. There was another relative who basically had the first rights to marry me. In other words, I could be married off to this other relative and neither Boaz nor I could do a thing about it. Another man had the first right of kinsman redeeming. And, it turned out that this other kinsman was not as nice as Boaz. This other man was racist. He didn’t like foreign women, like me.
How I Got Through It
Well, it all worked out in the end. Boaz bought Naomi’s husband’s land, which included the right to take Naomi into his household and marry me, and the other guy refused to buy the land because he didn’t want to “taint” his bloodline with my blood. See, if he married me and we had children, my son would be an equal heir like his children, and his “racist self” wasn’t having any part of that. No way was a foreigner going to be “equal” with his children. (Ruth 4:6). So, the other relative, took off his shoe, as was the tradition of the time, and handed it to Boaz as proof to all that he was giving up his claim to Naomi’s land and to me. Boaz gleefully claimed me and my mother-in-law. (Ruth 4:9)
And that’s how I, a foreign woman, an immigrant from Moab became Mrs. Boaz! GOD works in mysterious ways. But, not only did I become Mrs. Boaz, I ended up in the genealogy of kings and GOD! You see, I am the great-grandmother of King David. I am also in the genealogy of JESUS CHRIST, the KING OF KINGS! If that other relative only knew what he was giving up by refusing to marry me! And, if you believe in JESUS and consider JESUS your “ELDER BROTHER,” then I am in your family tree too!
I often ask myself what made the difference between one kinsman and the other. Why was Boaz so kind and the other kinsman so wretched?
I contribute a lot of what happened in my life to my “mother-in-law” Naomi. I believe her GOD heard our fervent prayers. All-day long while I was in the fields, Naomi was praying for me. When I approached Boaz to plant the idea of him marrying me, my mother-in-law was praying for me! She was a patient in her praying and urged me to be patient too. (Ruth 3:18)
I also know looking back on it all, that GOD had a plan for me! Even before I was crossing the border, GOD had already put the HIS plan “in action” a long time ago. GOD’s plan was working itself out even before I was born! You see, there are some “hidden figures” in my story. One of those “hidden figures” is my “future mother-in-law,” Boaz’s mother. Her name is Rahab! Some may know her as “Rahab of Jericho,” who GOD saved---probably for me! (Gen. 6:18) Like me, Rahab was a foreigner! Rahab was a Canaanite. And, she raised Boaz. GOD was preparing Boaz as a baby so growing up, he was looking into a “foreign face,” so Boaz wouldn’t have a problem loving me, another foreigner. GOD was already softening Boaz’s heart for my arrival.
The other “hidden figure” in my story is my husband’s grandmother, the mother of my husband’s father, a woman named “Tamar.” Boaz’s father, Perez, was one of Tamar’s twin sons. Boaz had probably heard about the injustice toward women and about kinsman redeeming from Tamar, his grandmother. See my husband’s grandfather (and father) was Judah! Yes, Judah--one of the many sons of Jacob/Israel. Judah, himself married a foreign Canaanite girl, the daughter of Shua. (Gen 38:1). Later, Judah arranged for one of his sons, Er, to marry a young girl named Tamar. But Er was wicked and died. Tamar ended up a widow like me! (Gen 38:6). When Judah, tried to follow Hebrew tradition, and arranged for another of his sons, Onam, to marry Tamar so they could have a child and so Er’s bloodline would continue, Onam married Tamar, but whenever they slept together, Onam, spilled his sperm to prevent Tamar from having “his brother’s baby.” Onam didn’t want any child to “taint his own bloodline.” He didn’t want any children that were not “his own.” (Gen 38.9). And, under Hebrew law, any children with Tamar would be his deceased brother’s children. So, Onam kept Tamar barren. Judah can tell you the rest of the story, but what happened was that Tamar tricked Judah, her father-in-law, into sleeping with her so that she could get pregnant. Tamar gave birth to twins Perez and Zerah. Perez fathered my husband, Boaz. Once again, GOD was already “orchestrating” how and why I was going to “get through it” even before Boaz and I were even born! Tamar had probably planted the importance of the kinsman-redeemer in Boaz’s mind even before we met!
GOD has “hidden figures” in all of our lives! If you don’t believe me, all I can say is “look at me!” Listen to me! I’m living proof that GOD “saw me even before I was” in my mother’s womb. I, my mother-in-law Rahab, and my husband’s grandmother Tamar, are living proof that you don’t have to worry about what people call you, say about you or how they treat you because GOD will take care of you.
My story is also living proof that GOD wants us to be concerned about “people”, not nationalities. We are all “people” from GOD’s family tree, whether we want to acknowledge our kinship or not! GOD’s family tree is sprinkled with immigrants, and “so-called” prostitutes (that is what people said about Rahab and Tamar) and sprinkled with people who others are ready to leave on the junk heap of humanity—those left behind or begging for scraps. But, GOD sees. GOD is just and GOD can work out a “DIVINE” plan for you just as GOD worked out a “DIVINE” plan for me. We only see what looks like a trial, but GOD has already worked it out in our favor. GOD sees a bigger picture because GOD is OMNISCIENT! GOD is OMNIPOTENT! GOD is OMNIPRESENT. GOD can work it out!
Time will not permit me to tell you more---about Hagar, the foreign handmaiden of Sarah, (Gen. 16:1) about Zipporah, the Midianite Black Cushite foreign woman Moses married2 (Numbers 12:1) or about the foreign Samaritan woman, JESUS encountered at the well (John 4:4-9). All I can say is be careful how you treat foreigners. Be careful how you treat people. Be careful not to let your own prejudices cause you to miss out on what’s really important or what GOD could have provided you. GOD is a just GOD! GOD is a MERCIFUL GOD!3
MORE STRETCHING
- Upper Arm Stretch – Lie on a mat, or a carpet or blanket, placing a pillow horizontally above your head, with the top of your head just below the bottom of the pillow. Grab a strap, a belt, or a towel and hold the ends about shoulder-width apart, straight above your head with your elbows resting on the towel. As you breathe in tighten your hold on the ends of the towel, keeping your arms straight until you feel a gentle stretch. When you breathe out, relax but keep your hands over the head. Continue to breathe in and out, holding on to your “strap” for about 10 breathes. If you get fatigued, release the strap, bring your hands to your sides, and just breathe in and out. During this stretching exercise, you can flex the feet (pointing the toes to the ceiling) or point the toes. See which positions offer the greatest stretch.
- Single Knee Pull-Lie on a mat, or a soft carpet or blanket, with your legs extended straight head on the floor. Relax your shoulders against the floor and try to visualize your shoulders touching the floor on each side. Once you are relaxed, grasp the back of your right thigh underneath with both hands and slowly bring the thigh toward your head. Again, try to keep your shoulders down. There may not be much movement. Hold. Then return to your starting position and repeat the same movement on the other side with your left thigh. You have just completed one rep. Make a note of how many reps you complete per session. Aim for 2-4 reps.
- Knees to Chest- Lie on a mat, or a soft carpet or blanket, with your legs, extended straight head on the floor. Relax your shoulders against the floor and try to visualize your shoulders touching the floor on each side. Once you are relaxed slowly bend both legs grasping the back of your thigh with each hand (the right hand will grasp the right thigh and the left will grasp the left thigh). Slowly bring your knees inward toward your head, again trying to keep your shoulders on the floor. Again, you may not move far. When you feel the stretch, hold. And, try to take 3 breaths. Then return to your starting position. You have completed one rep. Try to complete 2-4 reps.
If you experience pain during a stretch, stop immediately. If you have a medical condition, consult your personal physician for the best stretches for you or ask if the above stretches are ok for you to include in your stretch routine. For more information about stretching see: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/how-to-stretch#1
TREAT EVERYBODY RIGHT
Whatever your trial, treat everybody right. And, appreciate the trials and hardships of others. Don’t contribute to injustice. Instead, take a stand against injustice even during trials.
Remember, we can’t afford to mistreat anyone in GOD’s family tree. We need to treat everyone right! Calling other’s names, mistreating others just won’t work in GOD’s family!
After all, we are all foreigners. Someone once put it this way: “I’m a poor wayfaring stranger traveling through this world of woe. Just trying to make heaven my home.” So, let’s be kind to each other.
May GOD bless all the hidden and not so hidden figures that GOD has orchestrated in our lives-- all the praying fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, all the praying grandmothers, all the praying pastors and Sunday School teachers, teachers and counselors, neighbors, and many others who bless our past and bless our future as we travel through trials and as we wander through it all.
Remember, GOD has already worked it out!
Pray GOD allows you to be a “hidden figure” in the life of others. Give, donate, pray, encourage, love, support all of GOD’s “children.” Make a difference, even when no one is looking. Love, even when you are don’t feel like it. Like all hidden figures, “Shine!” Reflect THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
Be encouraged, keep praying, keep shining, and, BE BLESSED.
_________________________________________
1 See, https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mahlon-and-chilion
2 Moses and Zipporah even had a baby named “Gershom,” which means “foreigner,” because Moses was a stranger while he was tending his future father-in-law, Reuel's sheep. (Gen. 2:21) See also: https://www.usnews.com/news/religion/articles/2008/01/25/zipporah-may-be-obscure-but-the-wife-of-moses-mattered; https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/2346085/jewish/The-Cushite-Woman.htm
3 If Ruth were to speak from the balcony of heaven she might also tell you about JESUS CHRIST, who became the GREAT “KINSMAN-REDEEMER” for all of humanity.
