Sermon Response to Scripture proclaimed for Year B, Proper 27 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 By the Reverend Sarah E. Saxe November 11, 2018.

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1 Sermon Response to Scripture proclaimed for Year B, Proper 27 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 By the Reverend Sarah E. Saxe November 11, 2018 Star Potential As I mentioned in the MailChimp, Ruth is a short book and a beautiful story. And its chock full of stuff: traditions and countertraditions, metaphors and motifs, dialogue with other Old Testament stories, hidden meanings and more. In fact, my Old Testament professor wrote a whole book on this Book. Hold up book. Fascinating reading I think, and clearly too much information for a single sermon. Now at first reading one may wonder why the Book of Ruth isn t called the Book of Naomi because the story begins with Naomi and it ends with Naomi the star. After all, Naomi s manager would have said that she was the star because she had the most lines (Ruth: 10 including 1 monologue; and Naomi: 12 with 2 monologues). But as one delves more deeply into this little book, one discovers that Ruth has star potential. She demonstrates this potential through 4 important decisions she makes and 4 important actions she takes. In chapter 1, a family is introduced: Elimelech (meaning my God is king ) and his wife Naomi (meaning pleasant ). And their sons: Mahlon and Chilion. A famine has prompted them to leave their home in Bethlehem and travel all the way to Moab, a kingdom about a 30-hour walk to the southwest. According to Hebrew Scripture, the Moabites were the result of incest between Lot (Abraham s nephew) and his daughters. They got him drunk and slept with him in order to procure offspring (Genesis 19:30-38). So to create such a story, it seems that the Israelites didn t like the Moabites much. Indeed the two kingdoms were frequently in conflict as proved by archeological evidence. The Book of Deuteronomy makes this conflict clear: No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the LORD forever, (Deuteronomy 23.3; see also Nehemiah 13.1)

2 Yet 1 Chronicles tells us that Ithmah the Moabite was one of the thirty, King David s greatest warriors. (1 Chronicles 11.46) And 2 Chronicles says that a Moabite was one of those who conspired against the bad King Joash of Israel (Judah) and killed him. (2 Chronicles 24.26) So there are some mixed messages in the Old Testament about Moabites, but for the most part they are portrayed as bad and/or violent. And Naomi s sons marry a couple of them. Then all three husbands die (after all, Mahlon s name means sickly and Chilion s means destruction ). And there is no offspring. In ancient times, what happened to widows with no children? Well, if their parents were alive, they could return home. If their parents were dead, one of their brothers might take them in. And if there were no brothers, the widow basically becomes a beggar, relying on the kindness (hesed) of others. So Naomi makes a decision to return to Bethlehem and rely on the kindness of those in her hometown. But still, without Ruth and/or Orpah, Naomi s future was bleak. Yet she urges, then commands them to go back to their homes. Orpah reluctantly did so (hence the meaning of her name back of the neck which Naomi watched as Orpah walked away). Still without Ruth or Orpah, Naomi s future was bleak, even in her hometown. So motivated by concern and faithfulness to Naomi, Ruth makes an important decision and acts on it. Displaying some of that Moabite spunk Ruth decides to remain with Naomi and disobeys her with those famous King James words, Whither thou goest I will go and; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: (Ruth 1.16) Star potential. And so Naomi relents and off they go to Bethlehem. Now as a widow herself, Ruth was in the same boat as Naomi. The curtain rises on chapter two in Bethlehem. Ruth says to Naomi, Let me go glean in the fields, as was her right under Deuteronomic Law (Deuteronomy ; ; 27.19). This was Ruth s suggestion she came up with the idea - not Naomi.

3 Star potential Now she deferred to Naomi s authority by seeking approval which was granted. The rest of chapter 2 describes Ruth s experience in the field. That she had met this wonderful man named Boaz who owned the field and that he had dealt favorably with her. Ruth returns and reports her good fortune to Naomi. That this man Boaz has major star potential. Finally we come to part of today s reading. The curtain rises again for chapter three in which Ruth will make another important decision and act on it. Chapter 2 revealed Ruth s plan for meeting their immediate needs the near future. I.e. Don t starve. But Naomi shows star potential by coming up with a plan for the long haul Never again worry about starving. I need to seek some security for you says Naomi to Ruth. She tells Ruth to Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and get dressed up (Ruth 3.3) In other words, prepare yourself properly, for this guy might be your redeemer. This guy might be the one who saves you (us) who gives you (us) security. (pause) Now I am a Christian, as are all of you, and so I read the Book of Ruth through my Christian lens as did the writers of all the books in the New Testament. Wash, anoint, dress made me think of Baptism. How might we wash, anoint and dress ourselves that we might prepare for and recognize our redeemer? Well, we ve already been washed in Baptism. We ve already been anointed with chrism symbolizing that we are marked forever by the Holy Spirit. And we ve already been dressed through Baptism we have put on or clothed ourselves in a new life in Christ (Multiple references in the Pauline and Deutero-Pauline letters. E.g. Rom ; 1 Cor ; Gal. 3.27; Eph. 4.24; Col. 3.14; 1 Thess. 5.8) And so it s appropriate that we hear wash, anoint, dress as Advent draws near. A time when we symbolically await Jesus birth while in reality we await his second coming or advent. (pause)

4 But where is Ruth s important decision in this chapter? She decides to obey Naomi s command. All that you say I will do. (Ruth 3.5) The rest of chapter 3 is an exchange between Ruth and Boaz. Ruth asks Boaz to marry her but he points out that although he wants to marry her, Naomi has another kinsmen with first claim on Elimelech s property (and therefore on his son s widow as part of that property). Boaz must do the right thing and ask if so-and-so (literally) wishes to redeem the land and widow with it. Oh yes. Boaz has major star potential too. And the curtain rises on the last chapter, a portion of which we heard today. Before Boaz and Ruth get married, he does indeed do the right thing in the public square before many witnesses. So-and-so want the land but not Ruth because if he redeems the land and marries Ruth, their son would not be his by law but Mahlon s. So Boaz bought land he probably didn t need and married a Moabite widow and they have a son and call him Obed. The women of the town name him (most unusual) and place him on Naomi s bosom, recognizing that the family line is restored. Boaz gets no credit according to law dead Mahlon does. But his star potential is recognized in the final verses, Bo az begat Obed, Obed begat Jesse and Jesse begat David (Ruth 4.21b-22); David who would become the beloved king of Israel. So it seems to me that all three characters Naomi, Ruth and Obed have star potential. But who is the star? Perhaps the answer can be found in one little Hebrew word sprinkled throughout the book: hinneh. Hinneh means that God could be at work. It denotes something unexpected, like when so-andso just happened to be walking by when Boaz went to the public square. Or when Ruth shows up at a field and Boaz happens to be there. When these things just happen, it s more than coincidence. I call them God-incidences, recognizing that God is at work. The Olt Testament uses hinneh to cue us. So the story might seem to begin and end with Naomi. But it really begins with Elimelech My god is king. And it ends with David. But for us Christians, the story doesn t end there. Because something else happened in Bethlehem and the Gospel of Mathew records the genealogy of the child Jesus who was born there and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, (Matthew 1.5)

5 So who is the star? God. And Naomi, Boaz and Ruth are all supporting roles. Who is our star? God in Christ And we all have supporting roles. Our star potential can be shown in the decisions we make each day. In the actions we take each day, as washed, anointed and dressed, we await our redeemer. And so I still wonder why it s called the Book of Ruth. Why isn t it called the Book of Redemption? For Naomi s family For the nation of Israel For the world.

God is good, and His Eye is on eternity

God is good, and His Eye is on eternity The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father