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A Substitute for God

Monday, September 17th, 2012 | Author:

“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.  Ruth 2:12  NASB

Under whose wings – Do you realize that Boaz is the one who actually fulfills the blessing of the Lord that he himself pronounces over Ruth?  With the same words, Ruth asks Boaz to cover her with his wings, translated in 3:9 as “covering” (NASB).  Boaz desires God to provide for Ruth.  Ruth recognizes that God will do so through Boaz.  Boaz speaks a self-fulfilling prophecy.

While the self-fulfillment of blessings is repeated in the story of Ruth with other characters, there is another connection here that cannot be overlooked.  Ruth is the female superior to Abraham.  As Trible notes, “Divine promise motivated and sustained his [Abraham’s] leap of faith.  Besides, Abraham was a man, with a wife and other possessions to accompany him.  Ruth stands alone; she possesses nothing.  No God has called her; no deity has promised her blessing; no human being has come to her aid. . . . Consequently, not even Abraham’s leap of faith surpasses this decision of Ruth’s.”[1]  Trible observes that the story requires Boaz to provide the interaction with God that Abraham received directly.

The point is important.  First, it deliberately connects the story of Ruth with the story of Abraham.  We should be on the lookout for other connecting fibers.  To miss the parallels is to miss the true depth of the narrative.  Secondly, it reminds us that the appeal for the direct intervention of God in our circumstances is near blasphemy.  Ruth is the superior model of divine activity hidden in the ordinary events and characters of the human drama.  To expect, even demand, that God show Himself before we act is arrogant, presumptuous and perhaps even sinful.  God does show Himself – in whatever ways He happens to choose.  It is up to us to recognize His handiwork in disguise, and at times even become the instruments by which His work is accomplished.

There could hardly be a more fitting story for Torah guidance.  Ruth is the quintessential outsider.  Her very existence is an affront to the Torah.  She carries the stigma of scandalous beginnings and broken covenants.  Her pagan background allows speculation about sexual impropriety.  She comes with nothing but a bad reputation.  But she demonstrates a faithfulness greater than Abraham.  If we do the same, will not the Judge of all the earth judge justly with us?  Ruth is our sister, our mother and our priestess.  Do we honor her for who she really is?

Topical Index: under whose wings, Abraham, Boaz, Torah, Ruth 2:12, kanaf


[1] Phyllis Trible, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality, p. 173.

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Hebrew Anagrams

Friday, August 17th, 2012 | Author:

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not failed in His kindness to the living or to the dead! For,” Naomi explained to her, “the man is related to us; he is one of our redeeming kinsmen.”  Ruth 2:20  JPS

Failed – “Hebrew words suggest each other,” says Eskenazi.[1]  What she implies is not limited to common phrases.  It’s true that we need to pay attention to the connections between similar Hebrew words.  For example, it is no accident that the same word is used to describe both Adam’s unconscious state when Havvah is formed and Abraham’s deep sleep when God establishes the covenant.  The phrase “listened to voice of your wife” in the story of Adam and the story of Abraham is deliberate.  But common occurrences are not the only way Hebrew draws connections.  Some ways are much more subtle.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky points out that the name “Boaz” (b-‘z) is the reverse of the consonants found in the word “abandon” (‘ –z-b).  The author of Ruth loves word games, and this is truly one of the most subtle of them.  Obviously, it can only be seen in Hebrew.  It makes the story about Boaz’ actions even more delightful.

Boaz is the kinsman redeemer.  You might ask yourself why Naomi never bothers to mention this to Ruth prior to Ruth’s encounter with him.  Nevertheless, at this point in the story Naomi confesses that there is in fact a man who can assist them.  The meaning of his name isn’t clear.  It might mean “there is strength in him” or it might refer to one of the two pillars in the Great Hall of the Temple.  But if the character of a man is revealed in his name, then the actions of a man display that character, and in the case of Boaz, we see a man of faith, compassion and strength.  More than anything else in the story of Ruth, we see a man who brings about the blessing of God.  He is the exact opposite of azav (to abandon).  This is the point of the anagram.  Boaz and “abandon” don’t go together.

With this anagram in mind, it might be necessary to re-read the story.  Ask yourself if Boaz doesn’t fulfill each requirement in the chain of hesed while all along crediting YHWH with the actions.  Boaz is the model of a man who does all that he can without thinking he is doing anything more than what is required.  He is the picture of hesed.  And that picture demonstrates what it means to reflect the character of the Most High God in a setting that hardly ever mentions God at all.  The anagram is more than a clever trick.  It is a call to become the living display of hesed in the lives of those around us.  It is turning failure into blessing.

Do you think that God might mix up the letters of your name and produce a demonstration of His character?  There’s only one way to find out.  Do hesed and see what happens.

Topical Index:  abandon, fail, azav, Boaz, hesed, Ruth 2:20


[1] Tamara Eskenazi and Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Ruth: The JPS Bible Commentary, p. 44.

 

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Loaves, Fish and Roasted Grain

Saturday, July 28th, 2012 | Author:

So she sat down besides the reapers.  He handed her roasted grain, and she ate her fill and had some left over.  Ruth 2:14  JPS

Ate her fill – When we read this description of Ruth’s meal, we find connections to other stories about eating until satiated and having leftovers.  We think of stories in both the Tanakh and the Brit Hadasha.  Of course, the first readers of the story of Ruth would not connect this passage to a story about Yeshua, but we can because we have 2000 years of hindsight.  Roasted grain is now gathered together with loaves and fish.  Nevertheless, the first readers of this story undoubtedly connected the key phrase, tokhal va-tisba’, with stories of Israel in the wilderness and passages like Deuteronomy 6:11 and 11:15.  Perhaps you can add other stories of satisfied consumption; stories that are recounted after Ruth’s experience.

Now that we have this background (and extension), we should notice the roles played by the characters in this drama.  Ruth’s role is obvious.  She is the stranger, the outsider and the one who receives life-giving blessing.  The once-pagan convert to the God of Israel finds nourishment in God’s community among God’s chosen people.  We may certainly identify.  Of course, there is a major theological shift when we as Christians suggest that modern Jews need to come to our community, convert to our view of God and join the Church if they are going to find nourishment.  It seems to me that we have it backwards, at least with regard to the parallels in this story.

Be that as it may, there is yet another important role player here who bears investigation.  The second party to our drama is Boaz.  Careful inspection reveals that Boaz plays the role of God Himself.  It is Boaz who pronounces a blessing over Ruth (“May the LORD reward your deeds.  May you have a full recompense from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge!” v. 12).  And it is Boaz who fulfills the very blessing he pronounced.  Boaz does not wait for God to act.  Boaz acts for God by providing precisely what he once wished for Ruth.  Full recompense begins with his offer to eat and be satisfied.  In fact, this is one of the themes of the book of Ruth.  God’s blessings arrive on the hands of the faithful.  We act for God when we do exactly what we wish God would do.

This theme raises some potent questions for our lives.  How many times have you wished to see God’s goodness poured out on someone in need?  And how often have you done what you wished God would do?  Isn’t this exactly what James has in mind when he scolds followers who speak blessings but do nothing to bring them about (James 2:16)?  The feeding of the five thousand began with bringing what was available.  Yeshua didn’t manufacturer food from thin air.  He multiplied what was given.  Isn’t that lesson also a lesson about doing what we can do with what we have?  In the story of Ruth, Boaz plays God.  In the application of Ruth, we need to do the same.

Topical Index:  ate her fill, tokhal va-tisba’, Deuteronomy 6:11, James 2:16, Matthew 14:17, Boaz, Ruth 2:14

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Risk and Reconciliation

Saturday, December 10th, 2011 | Author:

But Naomi said to her two daughter-in-law, “Turn back, each of you to her mother’s house.  May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt kindly with the dead and me!”  Ruth 1:8  NJPS

Deal Kindly – Once before we noticed that hesed is the crucial term of the story of Ruth.  We discovered that hesed is relational, transitive, reciprocal and obligatory.  It is always about persons.  It is always passed on from one to another.  It always includes similar action toward the initiating party.  It is always expected.

But what you might not have noticed in the interaction between Naomi, Ruth and Boaz is that God uses hesed to overcome generational curses.  Hesed is teleological, that is, its meaning is derived from the end it produces, not simply from the acts in the chain of events.

You know Ruth’s story, or so you think.  But unless you know Ruth’s lineage, you don’t know the cosmic role of hesed.  Ruth is a descendent of Moab.  Moab is the child of Lot and his oldest daughter – a child of incest and a sworn enemy of Israel.  In fact, Deuteronomy 23:3 and Nehemiah 13:1 both proclaim that no Moabite shall ever enter the tribe of Israel.  Never!  Never!  Never!  Then what do we do with Ruth?  Ruth married an Israelite (Mahlon, cf. Ruth 4:10), the son of Naomi, when the family was outside Israel in Moab.  But when Ruth proclaims allegiance to Naomi and travels with her to Bethlehem, she is a forbidden foreigner.  She might serve Israel’s God, but Israel’s God has given a law that prevents her from ever joining the community.

Enter Boaz.  You might think Boaz is the heroic rescuer, but he also has a story from the past.  According to Matthew’s genealogical record (Matthew 1:1-16), Boaz is the son of Salmon and Rahab.  Rahab?  Wasn’t Rahab the ex-prostitute Canaanite woman from Jericho?  What is she doing in this line?  And that isn’t the only hiccup in Boaz’ lineage.  Matthew also tells us that Salmon comes from the line of Judah and Tamar.  Yes, Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah who posed as a prostitute in order to be impregnated by her father-in-law when he refused to allow his youngest son to fulfill the role of the levir (Genesis 38).  The son of Judah and Tamar is Perez, a name that means “breach.”  So Boaz stands on one side of the breach between Abraham and Lot, and Ruth stands on the other side.  One side is a Jew with a tainted past.  The other side is a Moabite with a checkered beginning.

The story of Ruth is about how hesed heals it all.  The story of Ruth is about how God shows favor on those who act as He would act regardless of their past, and how God brings about Israel’s greatest king because of hesed shown by outsiders!  Ruth and Rahab demonstrate kindness and mercy when there is no obligation to do so.  Their acts change the trajectory of Israel’s history and heal wounds that have been festering for generations.  Hesed overcomes ethnic animosity and prejudice, restores relationships fractured by past sins and promotes God’s purposes in the world.  The hesed of Rahab and Ruth is the foundation of the incarnation, the line of the Messiah.

Ruth’s story is not simply a love story between a man and a woman.  In fact, a careful reading of the text doesn’t suggest that either Boaz or Ruth is motivated by our idea of love.  This story is an account of the power of hesed, a power that restores not only what is present but also what was long ago deemed unforgivable.  This story demonstrates that what is past is not finished.  Restoration can still occur for those things that we never thought could change.  Hesed is trans-generational in both directions.

Perhaps there is someone in your past who needs restoration, someone who isn’t even alive today.  Perhaps your demonstration of hesed can heal wounds from long ago.  Perhaps it is never too late.

Topical Index:  hesed, Ruth, Boaz, Rahab, Moab, Judah, Tamar, Ruth 1:8

 

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