Thoroughly Modern Ruth, Don't count your barley before the gleaning.

THOROUGHLY MODERN RUTH

Naomi marries well and has children. Her future appears bright. But then her family emigrates to escape a famine. Her husband and her two sons die leaving her broke, widowed and childless. She flees the foreign land for home, traveling hundreds of miles through rugged country with only a female companion named Ruth. Naomi looks toward home with only the hope of community charity at best, or else to face destitution. We know the "bad news", but what's the "good news" in this story?

THE BOOK OF RUTH,

PART 1: DON'T COUNT YOUR BARLEY BEFORE THE GLEANING

The story of Ruth and Naomi shows us that God is concerned not only with major trials we face but also the smallest of details in our lives. Of course we already knew that. For example while men worry about becoming bald, God is keeping count of every hair on their heads (Mat. 10:30).

As we pick up the story, there's a famine in the land, which was either a popular thing to do back then or it's the author's equivalent of "once upon a time". Actually, since this is during the time of the Judges (about 1256 BC), we know that the popular thing to do was to "sin" which usually resulted in war, famine, disease, and televangelists or pestilence (or is that being redundant?).
We meet Elimelech who is a supporting actor in our story while his lovely and charming wife, Naomi, is the co-star. This locally prominent couple have two sons who, if the names are any indication, were basket cases from the start. Their names roughly translated mean, "sick" and "failing". That's sorta like naming your kids, "Critically Ill" and "Terminal".

The health problems were apparently from Elimelech's genes as, shortly after moving the family to Moab, he makes his wife a widow. Now the two boys are healthy enough to marry some cute young Moabites, who aren't bashful, if they are anything like their ancestors, Lot's valley-girl daughters. [That's the story of three who escape the fiery destruction of Sodom, and, thinking that their daddy really is the 'last man on earth', get him drunk so they can get preggers by him and perpetuate the human race. But that's another story.] Ten years of married bliss and then, the boys follow in dad's footsteps, leaving two more widows.
The famine was bad news but this is worse news. In a time when women were considered property (as in most times), a house full of women with no menfolk was a disaster, economically, socially and legally. For Naomi it was especially bad, no husband, no sons, and living in a strange land. (Time to head back to Tara, Scarlett!) News comes that the famine is over in her homeland of Judah. Naomi's best option, in fact her only option is to go back to her own people. Her daughters-in-law accompany her part of the way, probably to the border of Moab, where she blesses them and tells them to return to their own families.

Naomi appears to be a role-model for mothers-in-law. After much protest and many tears all around, Orpah, whose name means "mane" (as in the "back" of the neck) goes "back" home, but Ruth, whose name means "friend", lives up to her name, coins a famous statement and shows that she was ready to forsake friends and family for a better way even if it appeared difficult and
without immediate reward. Christ later said that he expected this of everyone (Lk. 14:26).

Ruth says to Naomi, "Your people shall be my people and your God, my God:". This loses its impact after about 3,200 years, but one analogy would be for a Washington Redskins fan to say, "I'm moving to Dallas and the Cowboys will be my team!"
Like WOW!

So the two of them return to Bethlehem and the whole city turns out to meet them, (we told you the family was prominent). Now Naomi tries to steal the movie here and plays this scene for all it's worth. She moans, groans and carries on, no longer wanting to be called Naomi meaning "my delight", but "Mara", meaning "bitter" and makes four specific charges against God as the cause of all her problems. Hey!?! What happened to our outstanding example?

Perhaps it's a case of even the cheapest diamond looking good next to common rocks. In other words, perhaps it was that the least righteous among the Israelites still burned like a bright candle among the idolatrous Moabites. The lessons here are that those who consider themselves "the least" among us can still be a great example to others and those who consider themselves as "great examples" to others should beware of the possible false illusions that can come from comparing themselves to others (2 Cor. 10:12).
Remember that when Naomi tried to send both the young women back, she just gave up when Ruth swore an oath. She never even said, "Thanks for sticking with me". Perhaps she thought she could get more sympathy showing up totally alone. Or that she could gain a place in a relative's home easier as a single widow, than as a member of a trio of widows, especially if the other two were Moabites (long-time enemies of Judah).

In chapter 2, verse 1, we learn that Elimelech's side of the family was wealthy. Ahhh! The plot thickens! In verse 2, Ruth asks Naomi's permission to go glean in the fields since the barley harvest was under way. Naomi, who was healthy enough to walk back from Moab, preferably alone, for some reason, lets Ruth go work alone. Picking up single grains among the stubble and dust of the fields is hot, dirty, back-breaking work and wouldn't be considered acceptable behavior for prominent socialites or those trying to maintain such status, but it's okay for lowly Moabites. Now, thanks to the generosity of others toward Ruth, she ends up with a whole bushel of barley, probably four or five times as much as could normally be gleaned even on a good day. Ruth takes only enough for her meal and unselfishly gives all the rest to Naomi. [Christ later said to be concerned only with today's meal, not tomorrow's (Mat. 6:25-34).]

So Naomi's whining didn't work after all--Ruth is actually supporting the both of them. (Ch. 4, vs.14 confirms this.) And when Naomi learns whom it was that allowed the excessive gleaning, she suddenly starts blessing the God she so recently blamed. She soon begins plotting a marriage for Ruth, but after all, that's what good Jewish mothers do! ;-) So Naomi gets our vote for best supporting actress, not for her "woe-is-me" speech, but for setting an example while in Moab, to inspire Ruth's affection, and her generous and humble service to Naomi (in effect, her conversion), even when Naomi appears to be taking advantage of her.
God does not inspire the author to either praise Naomi nor to condemn her, so neither shall we. In the end of the book, we see that through Ruth, Naomi finally does get financial support, social standing and even a grandbaby (sort of) to fuss over, what more could any mother-in-law ask? So in spite of her blaming God, Naomi is blessed, reaping from what she sowed, and even though she didn't go near the fields, it was a good harvest.

In the first part of the book, we see that no matter what your situation is in life, it is subject to radical change. And, even if it appears to be a change for the worse, in the long run it will all work out for your good, if you obey God.

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Copyright M.H. and G.H. 1997. All rights reserved.