I attended a very enlightening Adult Education Class Monday night; where
the discussion was based on “Einstein’s God” by Krista Tippett, and centered on
religion versus science. Throughout history, religion and science have been at
opposing ends of many debates. We spent over an hour discussing various themes
from the book and the influences of society on religion and science over the
years. Then before we left, the Rector gave us a task. She encouraged us all to
find our favorite Bible Stories from childhood, reread them, and consider some
or all of the following questions: What did the story say to the people who
first heard it? Who’s missing? How would we tell it differently today? Why is
it where it is in the Bible? What if…..?
As a
child I loved the story of Ruth; mostly because that’s my middle name, but also
because hers is a story that we don’t hear often on Sunday mornings. I think
that this story was one that many people could understand when they first heard
it. It is rich in the traditions of Israel, and don’t sound farfetched in the
way that some of the other stories do at times. It speaks to courage, loyalty,
traditions, faith, love, kindness, support, honor, and the strength of family.
It took all of those traits for Ruth to go with Naomi back to Bethlehem. I
think that is the part of the story that would have been the most surprising at
the time. She had no guaranteed future with her mother-in-law, no marriage
prospects; she was going to a place where she was considered an outsider, why
would she go? She went for love; she had made a family with her husband and
mother-in-law, and rather then going back and starting over she chose to stay
with her family. It was that love and family loyalty that God blessed with a
child to Ruth and Boaz.
This
is a tough story to translate to modern times. Many of the traditions mentioned
in the story, people are unfamiliar with. The values to be learned are easy
enough to take away, despite the time period difference. Love and respect for
your family is important, because they will remain loyal to you and support you
in times of despair and struggle. Perhaps just simplifying the story would be
enough to modernize it. Ruth stubbornly chooses to go with her mother-in-law to
another country after her husband dies, there she unknowingly gets a job
working for a close family relative, he takes her under his wing and ensures
that she and her mother-in-law are taken care of, they fall in love and get
married, she bares them a son. Perhaps still a little fantasized, but the story
still retains the values important to it.
We
could also ask ourselves, what if Ruth had chosen not to go? What if Orpah had
refused to return to her family as well? What if the next-of-kin hadn’t been
willing to relinquish his claim? What if Ruth had gone to a different man’s
field? There are so many points in this story where a different action could
have totally altered the outcome. How often in our own lives have we chosen
between two things, and then looked back years later and wondered what if? It
shows us that God’s guidance in our lives is almost always something we can’t
see without hindsight.
