Ruth

 

Ruth Williams[1]

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LIFE CONTEXT OF THE INTERPRETATION

 

My reading of the Book of Ruth is from a personal African American female protestant Christian perspective.  The reason I am qualifying this reading as personal is to inform my readers, especially other African American female Protestant Christians, that I realize they will not all have the same perspective of the Book of Ruth as I do.  So, I speak for myself and others that do share the same viewpoint.  The Book of Ruth has a significant appeal for me because I was named after an Aunt who was given the biblical name of Ruth.  I sometimes find myself striving to live up to the character of this prestigious name I have been given.

As a black woman born in the United States, I, like most African Americans, assume that I am of African descent although I am not aware of my heritage past four generations.  I assume that my great grandfather was mulatto, as my father described him by saying, “He looked like a white man.”  Therefore, like many other African Americans, I am the product of two races resulting from the slavery system in North America that exploited  female slaves subject to the whims of their slave masters. 

The Christian Bible was introduced to slaves by their slave masters: and although many slave masters used certain scriptures to justify slavery and keep slaves obedient, many slaves accepted the faith of their slave masters and the God of the Christian Bible.  They took notice of how God had delivered the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptians, and they believed that the same God would deliver them from slavery (Exodus 14:30).  They also took notice of how all people were made in the image of God which allowed them to view themselves as also being the people of God and to view their slave masters as oppressors of the people of God (Gen. 1:26).  The slaves prayed to God for deliverance from slavery, and they believe that God answered their prayers through the protests of Christian abolitionists which resulted in the Civil War that freed them from slavery.

However, because of slavery and racism, African Americans had to start their own churches separate from whites.  I am a product of one of those churches, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church – at one time called the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church.  Although many African Americans reject the Christian Bible because it was introduced to them by their oppressors, I, like many other African Americans, believe that the God of the Bible is for all people and is the creator of heaven and earth.  We believe that if all people followed the standards set forth by Jesus, there would be no racism, gender oppression, or socio-economic class divisions.  As an African American Christian female, I have endured the limiting standards set forth by a patriarchal society in the secular world as well as in the church, which has historically rejected white and black female clergy.

LIFE CONTEXT

Challenges in the present-day African American Christian female life context

            African American women in American society are seen as outsiders by the dominant culture.  We have historically been segregated because of race and national origin; through marriage – the dominant culture shuns interracial marriages; through religion – the dominant culture separates itself religiously; and through the limitations in which the American patriarchal society and religious systems encase females.  The majority of African American females find they are on the lowest realm of the socio-economic ladder in American society.  The American Christian church has historically denied women access to clergy positions, and even though this area is beginning to open up, many African American females are still rejected by African American men into these leadership positions. African American females and African American Christian females need to find a home in the American society.

Questions Raised by this Life Context

1.      If the American Christian Church affirms that all are made in the image of God, and that “God is no respecter of persons,” how can African American women who are discriminated against because of race, religion, and patriarchy, gain equality in accordance to God’s plans and find a home in America?

2.      Can Caucasian American Christians still view themselves as agents of God’s righteousness and lovingkindness in light of the fact that they discriminate against and segregate themselves from African Americans based on race, religion, and gender causing widespread poverty and homelessness in the African American community?

Ruth was seen as an outsider just as African American women are seen as outsiders today in American society.  She was a Moabite woman, and Israelis were forbidden to mix with Moabites because of their paganism and cultural differences (Gen. 19:37). But, Naomi’s family was forced to flee to Moab because of a famine in Bethlehem (1:1).  Ruth was accepted by Naomi’s son, and she married him (1:4).  When he died, Ruth pledged to care for his mother, Naomi, and accept her culture, homeland, and God (1:16-17).  Ruth was accepted by Naomi and her sons who were the people of God.  They extended their love to her and did not stop worshipping their God in the process as some Israelite men had done.  Therefore, she was able to develop a loving relationship with them and their God.  She refused to become bitter and angry because of how she had been treated by other Israelites; in so doing she found a home with the Israelites and their God.  Because of this, God was able to include Ruth in the lineage leading to the birth of Jesus. 

      Likewise, African American Christian women today must not let bitterness and hatred define who they are because of oppression and segregation in American society.  This difficult and controversial response to oppression is for me what the Word of God commands; “love thy neighbor as thyself” is to be the central behavior of those who want to show themselves as the people of God (Mark 12:31).  Naomi and her family could continue to view themselves as agents of God’s righteousness because they refused to discriminate against Ruth and her people; yet, they remained worshippers of God.  Likewise, Caucasian American Christians cannot truly view themselves as agents of God’s righteousness and as the people of God until they diligently seek to tear down walls of racism, segregation, and gender discrimination especially within the Christian Church.  They too, as the people of God, must, love their neighbor as themselves  (Mark 12:31).  

             

CONTEXTUAL COMMENT BOOK OF RUTH

 

a)      Analysis of the Text I

 

An Overview of Ruth

 

            The Book of Ruth is a story that takes place in the days when the judges ruled (1:1). A man named Elimelech journeyed from his home in Bethlehem-Judah to the country of Moab because of a famine in Bethlehem.  He took his wife Naomi, and his two sons with him.  Elimelech later died, and the two sons married Moabite women.  Within ten years the two sons had also died, and Naomi (Pleasant) was left with her two daughters-in-law: Ruth and Orpha.  Naomi then heard that God was providing food for the Israelites in her homeland of Judah, so she began a journey back home with her two daughters-in-law.  Naomi soon realized she was taking them to a place where they had no future.  She told them she had no more sons for them to marry, and she said the Lord had afflicted her (1:13). They all wept, and Orpha took her advice and returned to her homeland of Moab; but Ruth stayed with Naomi (1:14). Ruth vowed to dwell with Naomi accepting her homeland, her people, and her God (1:16). Naomi told the women of Bethlehem to call her Mara because the Lord dealt bitterly with her.  She proclaimed she went out full and back empty (1:20-21).

            Naomi had a rich relative of her former husband, Elimelech, whose name was Boaz (2:1). Ruth asked Naomi could she glean corn in the field, and she prophesied that she would find favor with the man who owned whatever field in which she would glean (2:2). Ironically, it was Boaz’s field where she gleaned (2:3). It came to pass that Ruth did find favor in Boaz’s sight as he was impressed with the care she gave her mother-in-law (2:11-18).

            Naomi then decided to try to match Ruth with Boaz so that Ruth’s life would prosper having a husband to care for her (3:1). She gave Ruth instructions as to how to let Boaz know she was interested in marriage (3:2-5). Boaz, an older man, was very impressed that Ruth wasn’t interested in the younger men she had encountered while gleaning the fields.  He then told Ruth he had to check to see if the nearest of kin wanted to marry Ruth, because custom dictated that the nearest kin had first priority.  If not, he told Ruth he would marry her (3:10-13). The kinsman said he could not purchase the land of his inheritance, which included marrying Ruth.  He was not interested in marrying a Moabite woman (4:1-12). So, Boaz married Ruth and they conceived a male child which the women of Bethlehem named Obed, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” (4:17, King James Version, KJV)  Naomi nursed the child, happy she was able to carry on the family lineage (4:16-17). Obed is the Father of Jesse, who is the Father of King David and the family lineage continues to Jesus.

 In the Anchor Bible Dictionary, Phyllis Trible categorizes the Book of Ruth as a story of human relationships focusing on the subjects of devotion and kindness; going above and beyond self-interest or patriotism. Trible says it has long been accepted as, “A perfect example of the art of telling a story” (Trible, 842).  It has a well developed plot of a widow (Ruth) who followed her mother-in-law (Naomi, who is also a widow) to her country so that Ruth could be Naomi’s family and carry on the family lineage.  Trible relates how some scholars have proposed compositional histories for the Book of Ruth.  One such scholar, J.M. Meyers, points out what he sees as a “poetic nucleus” underlying the present text.  The nucleus suggests there was an oral poem before the emergence of the prose narrative.  Another scholar, G. S.Glanzman, proposes, “Three stages of development: an old poetic tale of Canaanite origin; a preexilic Hebraized version; and the postexilic final draft” (Trible, 843). Another scholar, A. Brenner, suggests that there are two independent oral stories; one about Ruth and the other about Naomi.

            There is diverse opinion concerning the date the Book of Ruth was written.  Early scholars posited an exilic or postexilic time based for one on alleged Aramaisms.  However, many contemporary scholars argue for a preexilic composition between the 7^th and 10^th Centuries B.C.E., based for one on linguistic features.  The author is unknown, and although commentators assume the storyteller is of the male gender, subject matter suggests a female may have helped write it (Trible, 843).

            Trible relates how most form critics ascribe Ruth’s literary genre to that of a Novella, which is in the same category of a short story having a beginning, middle, end, climax, and resolution. This is the dimension of the text which is most significant for me.  Through the book certain patterns exist. “The catchword ‘return’ occurs 12 times throughout the book as does the synonyms ‘go’, ‘come’ and ‘go forth’” (Trible, 843).

            The struggle to survive a famine and life and death issues dominate most of the book.  In scene one, other reoccurring themes are barrenness, kinship and loyalty.  Naomi’s daughters-in-law had not conceived children while married to her sons.  Male kinship ties were very important to carry on the family lineage and Naomi and Ruth had lost those ties until the appearance of Boaz.  Ruth was very loyal to Naomi, even though Naomi insisted that Ruth and Orpha return to their native land where there was the possibility of a home and a husband.  Ruth seals her bond of loyalty with Naomi by pledging to remain with her until death (Trible, 844). At the end of scene one, the two women arrive in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley season, which is considered a sign of life.  The second scene presents another sign of life, which is Boaz, a male in the family lineage of Elimelech who would eventually marry Ruth.  In scene three, Naomi initiates a plan to secure Ruth a home and a husband through Boaz.  In scene four, Boaz “redeems” Ruth after making sure a nearer male relative does not want to “purchase” her.  Ruth and Boaz marry and have a child which the women of Bethlehem names Obed, “the restorer of life” (Trible, 845).

            Theologically, God does not actually speak in the Book of Ruth, but sacred language is prevalent throughout the book.  Many commentators say God is hidden in human actions and events.  In chapter one, Naomi discovers that God is said to be feeding the Israelites in Bethlehem.  The birth of Obed is depicted as a gift from God.  However, Naomi had proclaimed that God had afflicted her with death before the birth of the baby.  Of the book’s characters, women predominate, which is in contrast to the patriarchal society in which they lived.  In scenes one and two, the women make their own decisions.  “In scene three they summon an Israelite man to responsibility and thereby secure their cultural survival” (Trible, 845). In scene four the traditional male mode is invoked in which males decide the future of widows. Overall, the Book of Ruth shows God using females to continue the family lineage of Elimelech. 

 

 CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY BOOK OF RUTH

b) Analysis of the Text II:

Commentary upon the passages that addresses my contextual issues; 

Overcoming inequality based on race, segregation and religion and patriarchy.

            Like African American women today, Ruth was not seen as an equal in her society.  She was a Moabite woman.  Historically, Israelites were not allowed to mix with Moabites socially based on cultural ties, through marriage, and especially because of religious differences.  The Israelites viewed the Moabites as incestuous based on the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19:37) (Global Bible Commentary, GBC, 89). In the chapter from, Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology entitled “Finding Ruth a Home: Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Otherness,” Kwok Pui-lan  specifies that dating the Book of Ruth after the exile would suggest that its purpose was to show that a non-Israelite could become a faithful worshiper of God (Kwok, 104). Kwok states how the book also is in contrast to the teachings of Ezra and Nehemiah that required Jewish men to only marry Jewish women based on religious laws and principles.  These two instances show the importance of kinship and bloodline ties in defining insiders and outsiders and that the Book of Ruth seeks a way to include those who are marginalized or excluded. 

            Ruth was an outsider according to Israeli standards.  The prevailing issues that Ruth faced were inequality based on national origin or race, limitations to women in a patriarchal society, and segregation based on religion.  Just as with African American women today in Western Civilization, an interracial marriage between a Moabite woman and an Israeli man were shunned to say the least. Historically in the United States of America, African American women have been shunned by the dominant culture of Anglo-Saxon men because of national origin and race.  Few African American women attempt to cross these barriers either because of low-self esteem or such pride in the African American heritage that they will not consider someone from the dominant culture as a future mate.  Patriarchal divisions between men and women are prevalent in America today and African American women feel the effects of it more so than Anglo-Saxon women because Anglo-Saxon women marry Anglo-Saxon men who dominate American society.  African American women are also shunned religiously similar to Ruth because Anglo-Saxon men worship in segregated churches.

            Despite the obstacles that Ruth faced, she found favor in the eyes of God because she had an unconditional love for her mother-in-law Naomi, who was from a culture and religious group that were discriminating against her.  “But Ruth replied, don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live.  Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (1:16 New Living Translation, NLT).  Most people would naturally assume that Ruth had the right to have been hateful and resentful towards the Israelites since they shunned her culture, but she decided to let love, not hate, control her destiny.  She apparently decided she would not be hateful towards the Israelites because she allowed herself to fall in love with and marry Naomi’s son, and she later married Boaz, both of whom were Israelites (1:4; 4:13).

            Kwok relates how Naomi seeks to find a home for Ruth because of Ruth’s loyalty and devotion to her (3:1).  “The Hebrew word translated as ‘home’ (manoach) can also mean a place where one can find rest and a sense of security.” However, she points out that ‘home’ in the United States is more tied to ethnicity, national identity, citizenship, women’s rights, and law (Kwok, 101). Here I will examine how Kwok investigates “from a postcolonial perspective three ways that ‘home’ has been read in the story of Ruth: home understood in the contexts of kinship, patriarchal household, and hospitality to the strangers” (Kwok, 102).  This is also important for my context, because African American women, who have been and are shunned by the dominant culture, also need to find a home in the American society.  Yet, my conclusions, drawn out of my personal context as an African American woman, are not identical with those of Kwok Pui-lan.

Home as Kinship

            The theme of kinship forms the backdrop of Ruth.  Levirate marriages were prevalent in Israeli culture during the time of Ruth.  These marriages enabled the continuation of the family line and protection of property within the family.  When Naomi’s husband and son’s die, she told her daughters-in-law to return to their native land because she has no more sons they can marry (1:11). Naomi encouraging Ruth’s pursuit of Boaz is based on the fact that he is a kinsman of, Elimelech, Naomi’s husband (2:1).  The birth of Ruth’s son, Obed, as ancestor to David is based on family lineage.  Although Ruth has the baby, the women of Bethlehem name the child and identify it as Naomi’s (4:14-16) (Kwok, 106). 

            Kwok points out that modern feminist criticize the way Naomi found a home for Ruth within the kinship system.  Feminists have problems with the fact that a foreign woman is used for David’s patrilineal genealogy.  From my point of view, these feminist interpreters forget that Ruth was the protagonist in the Novella.  No one forced her: she made all the decisions to go to Israel and to pursue Boaz. Feminists also point out that Ruth’s sexuality was used for her survival similar to a prostitute.  I disagree! From my perspective as a Christian African American Woman, nowhere in the Book of Ruth does it say that Ruth had sex on the threshing floor with Boaz. She lay at his feet, but she was very cautious to remain respectable.  That is why Boaz called her a virtuous woman and why she can be a model for me as a Christian (3:11). The feminists’ suspicion that this scene alludes to inappropriate sexual conduct is problematic for African American women because we are often ourselves unjustly suspected of sexual misconducts, even when our interaction with men is beyond reproach. 

Home as Patriarchal Household

            Feminist scholars find the narrative of Ruth problematic because it does not challenge heterosexual and patriarchal family structures.  They say that in the Israeli system of patriarchal dominance: the only way a widow can find financial security is through marriage; giving birth is a woman’s greatest responsibility; and a male child is more valuable than a female child.  However, Kwok emphasizes “the covenant between Naomi and Ruth, two women of different races and religions [that] exemplifies the deepest commitment and solidarity between persons” (Kwok, 109).  I agree with Kwok’s interpretation.  These are two women who have decided that differences of race, religion, and patriarchy, would not define their identity.  From my context, by defining their relationship beyond the limits of a patriarchal household and simultaneously using to their advantage the existing system, Naomi and Ruth provide a model for overcoming not only patriarchal family structures, but also oppressive structures based on difference of race and religion.

Home as Hospitality for Strangers

            Kwok relates that in Jewish tradition, the book of Ruth is read during Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks at the beginning of the harvest season, which is associated with the reception of Torah by the children of Israel.  The festival reminds the Jewish people of their covenantal liaison with God.  When they were brought out of the land of Egypt by God, they were encouraged to be merciful to strangers, orphans, and widows.  Naomi and Ruth embody the qualities the Jewish world seeks to live up to according to Torah ideals.  For many commentators, the story exhibits a model for devoted existence (Kwok, 111).

            I agree with Cynthia Ozick who says Ruth was a heroine and a visionary because she was willing to commit herself to a monotheistic God.  “Ruth leaves Moab … she is drawn to Israel because Israel is the inheritor of the One Universal Creator” (Kwok, 112).  Kwok rejects Ozick’s conclusion because Ozick overlooks the ambivalence of “Ruth’s incorporation in the Israelite order” (Kwok, 112).  For my part,  I believe that Ruth’s experience with Naomi and her son’s led her to conclude that the God of Israel was a righteous God who was able to intervene in the lives of those willing to follow his teachings and principles.  Naomi and her family were shining examples of humble ambassadors to a faithful and omnipotent God.  Making use of the existing social order in order to subvert it is, for me, an appropriate and effective strategy, exemplified by Ruth and Naomi.

DIFFERENCES OF INTERPRETATIONS OF BOOK OF RUTH

            Madipoane Masenya interpreted the Book of Ruth in the (Global Bible Commentary GBC) as a female Christian African South-African by focusing on the identity crisis Ruth had because of her identity as a Moabite woman and the challenge this identity crisis was for her.  Masenya compared it with the identity crisis that African South-African women have because of apartheid.  She also focused on the idolization of marriage in which an unmarried woman is looked down upon, which is also prevalent for African South-African women (GBC, 86-91).  To further support this point she referred to texts such as  Ezra 9-10 and Neh 10:28-30) which addressed policies regarding marriage with foreigners (GBC, 87).  Her conclusion is that only people who seek to get out of hopeless situations will be helped by God to intervene on their behalf (GBC, 91).

            I interpreted the Book of Ruth as a female Protestant African American with a focus on Ruth and African American Christian women being outsiders based on race, culture and religion.  I also focused on the need for a home for Ruth and African American Christian women.  To further support my interpretation I used texts such as Mark 12:31 which commands a Christian: “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  My conclusion is that for Christians to truly be able to view themselves as the people of God, they must follow the second greatest commandment of God which is to love their neighbors as themselves and seek to tear down walls of discrimination.

 

CONCLUSION

            Naomi and Ruth overcame the effects on them of the oppressive systems of patriarchy, segregation, and divisions in culture and religion by not letting these systems define who they were, even as they used these systems.  Naomi and her family exemplified the ideal of being the people of God who put God first in their lives and showed love and acceptance to those from another culture and religion.  Ruth in turn graciously accepted the kindness of some (Naomi, Boaz) without being bitter because of oppression by other Israelites.  Ruth and Naomi are perfect examples of how God uses people who are willing to humble themselves regardless of race, culture, or gender.  God used Ruth to carry on the lineage that led to the birth of Jesus.  Likewise, God can use African American Christian women to soften the hearts of White American Christians so that racism and bigotry will be overturned in American society and they, like Ruth, will find a home among the people of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Kwok, Pui-lan, Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology                  (Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 2005)

Madipoane Masenya, “Ruth” pp. in  Global Bible Commentary Patte, Daniel, General Editor (Abingdon Press, 2004)

Trible, Phyllis, Anchor Bible Dictionary. vol.5, Ed. Book of Ruth (Doubleday, David

Noel Freedman, Ed., New York, NY, 1992) p 842-847

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: People’s Parallel Edition, King James Version, New Living Translation, Wheaton, IL. 1997.