Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

The Old Testament book of Ruth begins with death, disgrace, abandonment and a critical decision. The prophet Samuel, who is believed to be the author, ends this divinely-inspired short story with life, a new identity, love and the promise of God’s eternal kingdom. All of this drama is covered in a mere 85 total verses. Ruth is a hero of faith in that she willingly denounced her home country and pagan religion, faced an uncertain future in Israel at the side of her mother-in-law, all because of her devotion not only to Naomi, but most especially was she devoted to the one true God. For this act of selfless faithfulness we have a holy obligation to praise the Lord for His mighty work through lowly Ruth, and yet, God is doing much more through this young woman than giving us a good example.

The story of Ruth is also a genealogy, a family tree. A crisis of huge proportions lies just under the surface of this little book of the Old Testament. When Naomi’s husband and sons die, there is more in trouble than just an inheritance of land and carrying on the family name. God made a promise to the family line of Judah that He would provide the promised Messiah as their own flesh and blood. Naomi’s husband Elimelech is Judah’s direct descendant. Once he and his sons die, where then will our Savior come from? How then will the world’s history get to King David and the realized promise of eternal life in God’s kingdom? God Himself will provide the unbroken family tree, here in the time of the Old Testament book of Judges. Matthew chapter one points this out: the foreigner Ruth is listed there as an ancestor of Jesus Christ. Her marrying Boaz is in order to fulfill God’s will that ultimately brings forth the Redeemer of the whole world.

What a monumental weight to place on anyone’s shoulders! Not to mention a woman who was born outside of the Lord’s people. As a Moabite woman, Ruth had inherited not the promise given to Abraham, but rather her bequest consisted of the series of unfortunate events that came to Abraham’s nephew Lot. I will remind you of the history, from Genesis 19. Hundreds of years before the time of Judges, Lot had separated from Abraham and chose to live in the valley, while Abraham roamed the hills [Genesis 13]; he then had to escape Sodom and Gomorrah when those places were destroyed. His wife looked back and became a pillar of salt, and he and his daughters ended their days living in a cave out of fear. Why he does not join back together with Uncle Abraham, the Bible never tells us. His daughters felt alone and desperate living in that cave, even though Lot had catechized them always to be faithful to the Lord, even while they were living in that faithless smut-pot of homosexual sin known as Sodom. They felt, nevertheless, that the only way they would have children would be if the seed (to put it mildly) came from their own father. And so, they may have escaped the fire and brimstone, but sin’s curse still got the best of them, and the consequences pulled them away from God’s gracious promises. Each daughter had a son, one called hers by the name Ben-Ammi which means “son of my father”, who became the father of the Ammonites, but the elder daughter had a son named Moab, which means “from the father.” The Moabites descended from a man whose dad was also his grandpa! That’s certainly no proud pedigree for Ruth to brag about as a Moabite woman. Her people became despised enemies of the people of Israel, much like the Samaritans were during the time of Jesus. It wouldn’t make sense to carry on the royal line of the Messiah with horribly sinful baggage like that.

But Ruth, as a young widow walking along with her widowed mother-in-law, was not concerned about anything that made sense. She had a sister-in-law named Orpah who listened to Naomi’s urgings to go back. Ruth wouldn’t budge. Not a hope existed for her to get another husband of the same blood as the deceased. Even if Naomi should have a baby late in life just like Sarah and Abraham did, would Ruth wait to marry a man whom she would likely help Naomi raise from infancy? Impossible! Yet Ruth clung on, making a solemn vow that called down God’s very judgment upon herself if she should break her promise. The best anyone could imagine would be a life of poverty for two widows who only have the support of each other. Not a smart plan for the future; any professional advisor could tell you that.

What faith would be worth anything if it is not tested, tried and purified by the difficulties that you face, the crosses that you bear in this world? If for this life only we have hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be the most pitied. For you aren’t a Christian to make your life in this sinful world any easier. It may be quite easy to talk about “blind faith” but it’s a whole other thing to carry it out. All the sensible advice in the world can’t justify or cover up the sinful, selfish desires that come to you naturally. Sure, you’re impressed by the faithfulness and dedication of someone like Ruth, but when it comes to those critical moments in our lives, haven’t we acted as the children of light that we are only at the times when it suits us? Think of the man with whom Boaz confers in Ruth chapter 4. This other man was the one who was better suited to buy back Naomi’s land. And he was ready to do it, until he hears of the obligation to marry Ruth that went along with it. That wouldn’t help his investment strategy. He would have to put up his own inheritance to purchase property that won’t end up passing on to his heirs after all. It’s too risky, so he gives up his right to Boaz. Let him take the hit. Not only Ruth, but Boaz also acts by faith rather than by sight.

So Ruth and Boaz marry, without regard to sense, in spite of better judgment, and without guarantee of any measurable success. But God has been working all along; He always has the bigger picture in mind. He works all things together for your good as well. For as the genealogy of Ruth attests, their marital union was blessed and the family tree of King David was preserved. And from David’s line would be born the Messiah, Jesus the truly Faithful One who has made foolish the wisdom of this world. He poured out in sacrifice not only His heavenly inheritance as the Son of God but also gave His very life and suffered terribly for your sake. Though you find yourself counting the cost and following good worldly sense, He set it all aside so that He could redeem you for His very own. You were bought at a price, and when our Lord rose from the dead victorious, He pulled you out of your sinful human family line of death and claimed you as His pure, forgiven bride, washed in baptismal water and given a new name as a child of God.

Like Ruth’s ancestor Lot, you also have been vindicated in your trials and struggles. His disgraceful, last days living in a cave eventually brought about a loving, faithful young woman who was devoted to the Lord, and through her Lot’s family line did in fact rejoin that of Uncle Abraham, after all. The disgrace you may have to bear because of the name of Christ will be exchanged for heavenly glory. Jesus, the Son who truly came Mo-Ab “from the Father,” He who was the despised and rejected Moabite descendant, He who described Himself as the Good Samaritan, He clings to you without turning His back. He promises to feed you His own flesh and blood so that your faith in Him will not go hungry. And when your pilgrim journey on this earth comes to its end, your Savior will be there, ready to lavish you with an everlasting inheritance beyond your mind’s ability to comprehend. What a happy ending that will be!

In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Readings:
Ruth 1:1–19a Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
Psalm 111 The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
2 Tim. 2:1–13 if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him
Luke 17:11–19 ten lepers healed … but where are the nine?