The Tale Of Three Women
Sermon
Out Of The Whirlwind
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Last Third)
Ruth, what a remarkable book. Here is an interesting portrayal of three women -- Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. Against the brutal setting of a famine in Judah, Elimelech flees from Judah with his wife Naomi and their two sons to the country of Moab in search of food. After their arrival in Moab Elimelech dies leaving his wife Naomi alone with her two sons Mahlon and Chilion. The two sons marry Moabite women, Naomi and Ruth. Ten years later the husbands of Ruth and Naomi die leaving all three woman widowed. Naomi decides to return to Judah and her two daughters-in-law travel with her. On her journey to her homeland Naomi insists that Orpah and Ruth should return to Moab. She urges them, "Go back each of you to your mother's house and may the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with me." But the women answer, "No, we will return with you to your people." Naomi insists that they return to Moab. After giving her mother-in-law's words serious consideration, Orpah kisses her mother-in-law goodbye and returns to Moab, but Ruth remains and "clings" to Naomi. Then we have these memorable words of Ruth:
Do not press me to leave you
Or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God my God.
Where you die, I will die --
there I will be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well. (vv. 16-17)
When Naomi sees that Ruth has decided to stay with her, she never says another word to her about returning to Moab, but the two women travel to Judah together.
Naomi
The story takes place during the time of the judges in Israel. According to the last verse of the book of Judges, it was a time of ineffectual political leadership: "All the people did what was right in their own eyes." Not only was there political instability, but there was economic disaster as well, "there was famine in the land." Famine in the ancient near East meant bloated bellies of little children, old people dying in the streets, people wandering aimlessly begging for food. Elimelech and his wife pack up all of their earthly possessions and head for Moab, because he had heard that things were better there. Why would anyone want to travel to Moab? It is a rough, out-of-the-way sort of place. Back in Genesis after Abraham and Lot departed company and after Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt, Lot was on his own, so he went up and lived in a cave with his two daughters. His daughters were unmarried. Since they were getting old they felt that their chances of marriage were very slim. They proceeded to get their father drunk, and while he was drunk they went in to him and nine months later they each had a son by their father. One of the sons was Moab, who became the father of the Moabites (Genesis 19:37). Life in Moab was rough-and-tumble, to say the least. One had to be really desperate for food to move his family there. No sooner had they arrived than the worst possible thing happened: Naomi's husband dies and she is now a single parent in a brutal, harsh land with the responsibility of raising two teenage sons.
Kathleen A. Robertson Farmer, in her commentary on Ruth, points out that Naomi in chapter one comes across as an unattractive character. Although her name means "sweetness," she does not come across as sweet. After the death of her husband and sons she blames God for the emptiness she feels. She feels the loss of her family is the result of divine judgment. She suggests that possibly God is responsible for their deaths. Naomi feels that she left Judah with a husband, two sons, and a promising future, and because of the Lord's doing she is returning empty-handed. But she has a right to be bitter and angry -- after all she has lost her husband and sons. Who wouldn't feel bitter? Anger would be the most logical initial response to such a catastrophe. Anyone who has experienced what Naomi experienced will confess that their first response was one of bitterness and anger. Not only is it logical and understandable, but healthy. Anger is part of the healing process. Anger in the face of such tragedy is not only expressed but needs to be worked and prayed through. It is part of both the grieving and the healing processes. God does not condemn anyone for expressing anger and bitterness in the face of tragedy -- consider Job, the Psalms, and Habakkuk.
This grieving, bitter widow accomplished something that all of us would hope to accomplish. She influenced someone to choose to follow her God. Naomi became the instrument of Ruth's choice to make Naomi's God her God. This did not come about by Naomi putting on a "happy face," but by being her true self. Here is hope for us, as weak and faulty as we may be. God can use us, as God used Naomi in the midst of her bitterness and grief, to accomplish no small part in the work of God in the world.
Orpah
Naomi pleaded with her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers' houses in Moab. She pleaded with the Lord to deal as kindly with them as they had dealt with her and that they might find security in their husbands' families. Noami wept as she kissed each of them. Both Orpah and Ruth insisted, "No, we will return with you to your people." Naomi pleaded with them to return to their homeland. She said she was too old to bear sons who could become their husbands. She tried to reason with them by stating, "Should I have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown?" She insisted that they turn back. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law goodbye and returns. Her leave-taking is expressed in the briefest possible manner. It has been suggested that Orpah functions as a foil for Ruth, who acts in the opposite manner. Orpah leaves, but Ruth "clings" to Naomi. Orpah never speaks in the entire narrative, whereas Ruth makes a lengthy speech dismissing all of Naomi's arguments on why she should return as irrelevant.
Orpah does everything society and the authority figures in her life would expect her to do. She obeys her mother-in-law and returns to her people in Moab, although she weeps as she goes. It is interesting that rabbinic legends state that the four giant warriors mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:22 were Orpah's sons, but in fact she vanishes from the official biblical narrative. Kathleen Robertson Farmer points out that Orpah is the model of obedient womanhood and that the Lord may have eventually dealt kindly with her as she had dealt kindly with Naomi and Ruth. Farmer points out that no one elected to tell her story. "In a similar way, many modern women who have chosen traditional lifestyles, living lives of obedience to the expectations of society or the authority figures in their lives, may feel that no one is interested in telling their stories."2 Bonnie Miller McLemore states: "Orpah's journey home helps us to reconsider the silent and silenced among us, those who stand both on the threshold of the woman's movement and on the threshold of traditional beliefs and practices."3 It has been pointed out that the biblical narrator does not condemn Orpah, nor should we. The Orpahs and the Ruths among us should be remembered and celebrated.
Ruth
Naomi declares to Ruth, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." But Ruth replies: "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Naomi has taken a commonsense approach as she tries to reason with Ruth. Why would she want to travel with an old, barren woman to a strange and foreign land? Naomi can see no way that Ruth could benefit from her association with her. There is no good reason why Ruth should "cling" to her mother-in-law. But Ruth's actions are those of love and loyalty rather than reason or logic. When Noami realizes that it is futile to reason with her daughter-in-law, she then is silent and does not speak to her. The story does not tell us the reason for Naomi's silence. Was it because she was overwhelmed by Ruth's devotion to her, or was she angry?
This story seems strange to us. Why would anybody want to limit his or her options by becoming unnecessarily tied down by the messy complications of other people? The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of two women who in a sense are strangers coming from two different parts of the world, yet they are bound together in the midst of a hostile world. This is a story of relationships, of family. To be in any family is to venture forth like Ruth and Naomi, without guarantees for the future, but, even in the worst of futures, it is more hopeful and bearable when we bear it with one another. God was about to work out a remarkable future for Ruth. She wasn't sure what it all meant, but she had the feeling that her life was to have significance and meaning, if she was faithful and loyal, although things appeared mysterious. At this point in her life she is akin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary knew that something important and significant was about to take place, but she was not certain what it all meant. For Mary, her future too was wrapped in mystery and awe. The secret is if we just stick together, trust God through the thick and thin, God will use such faithfulness and fidelity to reveal God's purpose and bless others.
____________
1. Kathleen A. Robertson Farmer, "Ruth," in New Interpreter's Bible, Volume 2 (Abingdon Press, 1998).
2. Ibid., p. 906.
3. Bonnie Miller McLemore, Christian Century, April 17, 1991, p. 430.
Do not press me to leave you
Or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God my God.
Where you die, I will die --
there I will be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well. (vv. 16-17)
When Naomi sees that Ruth has decided to stay with her, she never says another word to her about returning to Moab, but the two women travel to Judah together.
Naomi
The story takes place during the time of the judges in Israel. According to the last verse of the book of Judges, it was a time of ineffectual political leadership: "All the people did what was right in their own eyes." Not only was there political instability, but there was economic disaster as well, "there was famine in the land." Famine in the ancient near East meant bloated bellies of little children, old people dying in the streets, people wandering aimlessly begging for food. Elimelech and his wife pack up all of their earthly possessions and head for Moab, because he had heard that things were better there. Why would anyone want to travel to Moab? It is a rough, out-of-the-way sort of place. Back in Genesis after Abraham and Lot departed company and after Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt, Lot was on his own, so he went up and lived in a cave with his two daughters. His daughters were unmarried. Since they were getting old they felt that their chances of marriage were very slim. They proceeded to get their father drunk, and while he was drunk they went in to him and nine months later they each had a son by their father. One of the sons was Moab, who became the father of the Moabites (Genesis 19:37). Life in Moab was rough-and-tumble, to say the least. One had to be really desperate for food to move his family there. No sooner had they arrived than the worst possible thing happened: Naomi's husband dies and she is now a single parent in a brutal, harsh land with the responsibility of raising two teenage sons.
Kathleen A. Robertson Farmer, in her commentary on Ruth, points out that Naomi in chapter one comes across as an unattractive character. Although her name means "sweetness," she does not come across as sweet. After the death of her husband and sons she blames God for the emptiness she feels. She feels the loss of her family is the result of divine judgment. She suggests that possibly God is responsible for their deaths. Naomi feels that she left Judah with a husband, two sons, and a promising future, and because of the Lord's doing she is returning empty-handed. But she has a right to be bitter and angry -- after all she has lost her husband and sons. Who wouldn't feel bitter? Anger would be the most logical initial response to such a catastrophe. Anyone who has experienced what Naomi experienced will confess that their first response was one of bitterness and anger. Not only is it logical and understandable, but healthy. Anger is part of the healing process. Anger in the face of such tragedy is not only expressed but needs to be worked and prayed through. It is part of both the grieving and the healing processes. God does not condemn anyone for expressing anger and bitterness in the face of tragedy -- consider Job, the Psalms, and Habakkuk.
This grieving, bitter widow accomplished something that all of us would hope to accomplish. She influenced someone to choose to follow her God. Naomi became the instrument of Ruth's choice to make Naomi's God her God. This did not come about by Naomi putting on a "happy face," but by being her true self. Here is hope for us, as weak and faulty as we may be. God can use us, as God used Naomi in the midst of her bitterness and grief, to accomplish no small part in the work of God in the world.
Orpah
Naomi pleaded with her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers' houses in Moab. She pleaded with the Lord to deal as kindly with them as they had dealt with her and that they might find security in their husbands' families. Noami wept as she kissed each of them. Both Orpah and Ruth insisted, "No, we will return with you to your people." Naomi pleaded with them to return to their homeland. She said she was too old to bear sons who could become their husbands. She tried to reason with them by stating, "Should I have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown?" She insisted that they turn back. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law goodbye and returns. Her leave-taking is expressed in the briefest possible manner. It has been suggested that Orpah functions as a foil for Ruth, who acts in the opposite manner. Orpah leaves, but Ruth "clings" to Naomi. Orpah never speaks in the entire narrative, whereas Ruth makes a lengthy speech dismissing all of Naomi's arguments on why she should return as irrelevant.
Orpah does everything society and the authority figures in her life would expect her to do. She obeys her mother-in-law and returns to her people in Moab, although she weeps as she goes. It is interesting that rabbinic legends state that the four giant warriors mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:22 were Orpah's sons, but in fact she vanishes from the official biblical narrative. Kathleen Robertson Farmer points out that Orpah is the model of obedient womanhood and that the Lord may have eventually dealt kindly with her as she had dealt kindly with Naomi and Ruth. Farmer points out that no one elected to tell her story. "In a similar way, many modern women who have chosen traditional lifestyles, living lives of obedience to the expectations of society or the authority figures in their lives, may feel that no one is interested in telling their stories."2 Bonnie Miller McLemore states: "Orpah's journey home helps us to reconsider the silent and silenced among us, those who stand both on the threshold of the woman's movement and on the threshold of traditional beliefs and practices."3 It has been pointed out that the biblical narrator does not condemn Orpah, nor should we. The Orpahs and the Ruths among us should be remembered and celebrated.
Ruth
Naomi declares to Ruth, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." But Ruth replies: "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Naomi has taken a commonsense approach as she tries to reason with Ruth. Why would she want to travel with an old, barren woman to a strange and foreign land? Naomi can see no way that Ruth could benefit from her association with her. There is no good reason why Ruth should "cling" to her mother-in-law. But Ruth's actions are those of love and loyalty rather than reason or logic. When Noami realizes that it is futile to reason with her daughter-in-law, she then is silent and does not speak to her. The story does not tell us the reason for Naomi's silence. Was it because she was overwhelmed by Ruth's devotion to her, or was she angry?
This story seems strange to us. Why would anybody want to limit his or her options by becoming unnecessarily tied down by the messy complications of other people? The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of two women who in a sense are strangers coming from two different parts of the world, yet they are bound together in the midst of a hostile world. This is a story of relationships, of family. To be in any family is to venture forth like Ruth and Naomi, without guarantees for the future, but, even in the worst of futures, it is more hopeful and bearable when we bear it with one another. God was about to work out a remarkable future for Ruth. She wasn't sure what it all meant, but she had the feeling that her life was to have significance and meaning, if she was faithful and loyal, although things appeared mysterious. At this point in her life she is akin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary knew that something important and significant was about to take place, but she was not certain what it all meant. For Mary, her future too was wrapped in mystery and awe. The secret is if we just stick together, trust God through the thick and thin, God will use such faithfulness and fidelity to reveal God's purpose and bless others.
____________
1. Kathleen A. Robertson Farmer, "Ruth," in New Interpreter's Bible, Volume 2 (Abingdon Press, 1998).
2. Ibid., p. 906.
3. Bonnie Miller McLemore, Christian Century, April 17, 1991, p. 430.
