September 4, 2022 - The Foreigner

Recorded Worship on YouTube

Ruth 3 & 4

Deborah Laforet

The Foreigner

Let us pray.  May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day.  Amen.

25 years ago, I moved to Canada.  I was a foreigner to this country.  Now, most people wouldn’t have known that.  The US and Canada have very similar cultures, so I didn’t look different or sound different.  My clothing was familiar.  I practiced customs that are the norm here in Canada.  The only times I really felt foreign or different from Canadians was when people talked about their experiences of Canadian pop culture, like music and television programs, or when politics was discussed, or even when Canadians talked of the US with disdain and contempt.  Over the years, I have learned a lot about Canada, its history and its politics, but I was able to do that in my own time and in my own way, without the pressure of fitting in.

The past few weeks, we have been exploring the story of Ruth.  Carolyn shared her reflections of chapter 1, one of the most favoured passages in the bible, with Ruth committing to her mother-in-law Naomi to go where she goes, to lodge where she lodges, and that Naomi’s people and god shall be Ruth’s people and god.

Two weeks ago, Rev. Sue Cowan shared her reflections of chapter 2, with Ruth finding her way in a new land, figuring out how to keep herself and Naomi fed, and meeting Boaz, who offered her protection in his fields.

This week, we are looking at the final two chapters of this short book in our bible, but first I want to point out one unusual aspect about this book.  This book is about Ruth, a woman and a foreigner.  It could have been called Naomi and Ruth, recognizing their relationship and Naomi’s prominence in the story.  It could have been called, The Ancestors of David, highlighting the fact that Boaz, Naomi, and Ruth are great and great, great grandparents of the famous King David.  Instead this book is simply entitled Ruth.  Of all the books in our bible, there are only two named after women, Ruth and Esther, and, I believe it is the only book in the bible named after a foreigner, but don’t quote me on that.  Ruth is special.  Two weeks ago, Sue talked about Hesed, a Hebrew word that describes God’s love and faithfulness or steadfast love, the kind of love Ruth displays throughout these chapters.  The book honours this attribute in her.

But Ruth is a Moabite woman, and, at that time, Moabites were one of the many adversaries of the Israelite people.  In the book of Deuteronomy, we read, "No Ammonite or Moabite shall come into the assembly of the Lord even to the tenth generation. None of their descendants shall come into the assembly of the Lord forever (23:3)  In chapter three of the book of Judges, we read, “the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand…they killed about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped.” (28-29)

Therefore, it seems strange that Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, brought their two sons to Moab and that the two sons married Moabite women, but we are told that there was famine in Bethlehem.  Hunger can cause a family to go where they never expected, especially with children to feed.  And once you settle into a land, you do your best to follow their customs and live a normal life.  Naomi’s family may have thought they would always live in Moab and began to make roots there, but when Naomi’s husband died, and then both her sons, living in Moab may not have been safe anymore.  She needed to return home to family.  She encouraged her daughters-in-law to do the same, to stay with their families.  One of them does stay, and no wonder.  Orpah does not want to go to a land where she will be hated and where she will struggle.  She will stay in Moab, maybe find a new husband, and live where she is accepted.  Ruth though, follows Naomi, even knowing how hard it will be for both of them as widows.  Ruth expresses her strong love for Naomi and follows her to Bethlehem.

It’s interesting when you set the story in this context.  Was it dangerous for her to glean in the fields because she was a woman, a widow, or because she was a foreigner?  Was it dangerous for her to be caught with Boaz in the morning because she was a woman or a foreign woman?  We have instances in the story where the women talk to Naomi and where the men talk to Boaz, but no one speaks directly to Ruth, except Naomi and Boaz.

There is one part of the story that makes this even clearer to me.  We read that Boaz has a responsibility to Ruth and Naomi, as Naomi’s next-of-kin.  When Ruth points out that responsibility and says, “…spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin,” Boaz agrees but says there is actually one other person who is even closer in kinship.  He needs to have a conversation with this person first.  If this person does not take this responsibility then Boaz will.

Boaz goes to the city gate, which is where, I guess, these important conversations occur.  He sits down with this next-of-kin, who is not named, and he gathers witnesses so that the conversation can be verified.  Boaz first speaks of the land of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, which needs care but that there was no one to care for it because both Elimelech’s sons had died.  Boaz basically says that he would like to buy the land, but that it is the next-of-kin who has first rights to it.  This next-of-kin says that he definitely wants this land and that he will buy it from Naomi.  Now Boaz is being clever.  He makes it plain that he would like the land but is following custom and that he will not take the land before offering it to the next-of-kin.  But then he adds that along with the land, the next-of-kin will also take Ruth as a wife, Ruth, the Moabite, in order to continue the blood line of Elimelech and his sons.

At this point, the next-of-kin balks.  Why?  He doesn’t seem to be married or committed to someone else.  He obviously wants the land, but at this point, he says, actually, I can’t take the land “without damaging my own inheritance,” whatever that might mean.  I wonder, is it because he would have a Moabite as a wife.  Remember that there are passages in our bible that expressly forbid marriage between those who follow Yahweh and those who follow other Gods.  Ruth was a foreigner; she was a Moabite, but she did not worship other Gods.  We know that from the very first chapter when she told Naomi, “…your people shall be my people and your God my God.”  In essence, she is no longer a Moabite; she is an Israelite who worships the same God as the Israelites, but of course, not everyone would see it this way.

Ruth was vulnerable in many ways.  She was a woman, a widow, and a foreigner, but she didn’t let any of this stop her from what she needed to do.  She went out to find food for herself and Naomi, she followed Naomi’s instructions to seduce Boaz, except that she actually asked him to be true to his responsibility as next of kin.  She was fortunate that Naomi stood with her and guided her towards a secure life, and that Boaz didn’t take advantage and treated her with respect.  It’s a remarkable story because of the remarkable people with remarkable character.

People who move to foreign lands don’t always find this kind of hospitality or respect.  In Canada, immigrants with dark skin, strong accents, and different ways of dressing or acting are viewed with suspicion.  Racism and sexism, on top of being an immigrant, can make it especially difficult to successfully create a safe space and a new home in a new land.

Unfortunately, we tend to see foreigners like Ruth as the exceptio, as one of the good ones, as someone who worked hard and was successful, as one who just had what it took.  What about those who are good but are still rejected? What about those who work hard and still can not get past the numerous hurdles?  What about those who come with high expectations and are disappointed over and over again and just give up?  What about those who are fleeing terrible circumstances, like famine, war, violence, and are dealing with trauma and PTSD?  Do we celebrate and praise the successful ones and abandon the rest?

We live in a different world from the Israelites three thousand years ago, but I think God’s words, repeated again and again, still apply.

Deuteronomy 10: 17-19

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, 18 who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. 19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:33-34

33 “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Matthew 25:35-36, 40

35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 40 ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

Hebrews 13:2

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Now, the bible isn’t perfect.  You will find contradictions to these statements,  but we are learning as a society that we must learn how to live together with people who are different from us.  Our world is much smaller than it was.  We are connected to people across this planet, which carries a lot of diversity.  We must learn how to value our differences, to learn from one another and respect each other, and to remember that we are all God’s creation, all one, and that we all have wisdom and love to share with each other.

May we all be like Boaz, respecting the stranger in our midst and finding ways to honour their needs.  May we all be like Naomi, loving the stranger and helping them to find their place.  May we all be like Ruth, courageous, determined, loyal, with steadfast love.  And may we all show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, we may entertain angels without knowing it.  May it be so.  Amen.

Deborah Laforet