Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
And in the
book of Ruth, God is intent on building a house, a particular kind of house of
God’s own—not a building of stone or wood, or even a tent, but a people, a
dynasty; and not a house of new and perfect pieces, but one of imperfect and
mixed ancestry—not pure, not wholly of the chosen people, but chosen
nevertheless. And the Gospel of Matthew understands the intent because it is
that Gospel that carefully remembers the story, the dynastic line of the house
of David, and of Jesus according to that Gospel—the dynastic line of Ruth, a
foreigner, an alien, and a part of the family, the house of God.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
Ruth is the
foreign daughter-in-law of Naomi, widow of Elimelech of Bethlehem. Ruth is a
widow too. All the men in the family have died. Naomi attempts to release Ruth
from her commitments, to send her back to her family in Moab; but Ruth
re-commits herself to Naomi, to Naomi’s people, and to the God of that people.
But they are widows and they are on their own.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
Financial independence for women at
the time was rare, although not completely unheard of in the upper eschelons of
society. Ruth and Naomi were not of that class. Generally then, women were required
to be and needed to be under the protection of a male—a father, a husband, even
an uncle would do. Not only that but women were generally not seen as
independent people, they were always considered as someone's wife or mother or
mother‑in‑law or daughter‑in‑law. The
worst position for a woman to be in was to be a widow with dependent children
and no other family or at least no other family who would take seriously the
role of the "go'el".
The "go'el" was the next of
kin—the one who according to Jewish law was responsible for caring for the
widows and the orphans. The responsibilities of the "go'el" even
extended to marriage of the widow, if that was possible, and the procreation of
children on behalf of the deceased husband in order that the family line might
be continued. In a world where women and children were treated as possessions,
it was the go'el's task to redeem these people just as one would redeem
property which is in danger of being lost to someone else or lost altogether to
the family.
Now at the beginning of the story of
Ruth, the situation looks hopeless, Ruth and Naomi are on their own left to
fend for themselves, a feat they do achieve rather well given their
circumstances. But at the beginning of chapter 2, we read the fateful words
"Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, from the clan of
Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz." And here although the story doesn't say it
yet, you must think with a Hebrew mind and say, "Ah, is Boaz the one who
is supposed to take on the responsibilities of the go'el. If that is so, why
hasn't it happened? Sure, Naomi is old
but the responsibility must be filled." And the intrigue begins and the story
continues.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
Ruth, relegated to the role of
gleaning, of the picking up the leavings of the harvest, so that she and Naomi
might live, determines to go to the fields and glean after the harvesters. Naomi
suggests that she go to the fields of Boaz. Whilst in the fields, Boaz notices
Ruth, discovers who she is, and offers her his protection. Via the
threshing-room floor incident, Ruth and Naomi persuade Boaz to take on the role
of the "go'el".
Eventually we discover that Boaz is
not the closest kin of Naomi but that another person who is, has not performed
the role of "go'el" either. Boaz takes on the task, marries Ruth a
child is born. A Moabite women has been welded into the Hebrew people through
the ancient and honourable tradition of the "go'el" even if the women
had to do a bit of work to call their own family to task to achieve it.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
So God
builds an unusual dynasty of odds and sods to produce the great King, David,
and to establish the Davidic line.
And the
Gospel of Matthew understands it so well, when Ruth is included as one of only
4 women in the genealogy of Jesus.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
And there’s
a lot of labouring in vain observed by Jesus at the treasury—scribes parading
looking for respect and places of honour; rich people making great shows of the
money they give. But none of these attract his attention so much as the widow
who contributes so little and yet so much out of her poverty, not out of
abundance.
Unless the
LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. (Ps. 127:1a)
And when you
have so much that you think you’re building the kingdom of God on your own, you’re
completely missing the point; but when you recognise that you like everyone
else are in need of God’s love, God’s redemption, a proper Redeemer, a proper “go’el”,
then you have been enfolded into that house of odds and sods, of lepers and the
lost, that is really the household of God. Because it is not what we do or who
we are, but what God sees in us, and the way in which God claims us that gives
us life.
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