The Village Project

Ruth 4 Last week I referred to the story of Tamar in Genesis 38 . If you haven’t read it yet, you should now. It will be helpful in understanding this chapter of Ruth. At the close of Chapter 3, Naomi predicts, “the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” And sure enough, Boaz heads straight to the city gate. In general, the gate of the city was the center of commerce, where trade and legal transactions were carried out. Right away, Boaz sees the other kinsman and calls him over. According to many popular translations, Boaz calls him “friend.” But the Hebrew term that was actually used here is peloni ‘almoni, which might be translated as “so-and-so.” Not exactly a term of endearment or respect. But this choice might simply be the author’s effort to minimize his importance. Boaz gets right to the point. Naomi has some land to sell. Now, this may seem confusing because up to this point we have understood Naomi and Ruth to be destitute. Probably the best way to understand thi...

  Ruth 3 By the end of Chapter 2, we know that Ruth has obtained some degree of security, although clearly insufficient. She will stay on with Boaz’s crew throughout the barley harvest season. The Barley harvest is immediately followed by the wheat harvest, so there is good reason to hope she will be able to continue gleaning through that season as well. Still, it is not enough to provide any reasonable amount of security for Ruth and Naomi. At some point during this time, Naomi approaches Ruth with her plan. It is worth taking a moment to say more about the matter of security. For many of us, security might not be something we think about much. We have steady incomes, homes that provide warmth in winter, cooling in summer, shelter from the rain. We have a lengthy list of personal rights that are protected by our government. We enjoy a high level of security, male and female alike. Yet, for women in ancient times, security could only be found through a man. It is clear that the mat...

  Ruth 2 At the end of Chapter 1, there is a brief dialogue between Naomi and the women of Bethlehem. They ask, “Is this Naomi?” and she replies, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara.” Naomi means sweetness; Mara means bitter. All the sweetness has been drained out of her life, leaving nothing but bitterness. She blames God, and this may be fair in Naomi’s world. Just as God is praised for the blessings of life, God is also assumed to be behind life’s losses. Of greater concern, though, is that Naomi lacks hope. Using the image of fullness and emptiness she evokes, Naomi does not appear to expect to be full ever again. Perhaps her state of despair prevents her from taking any initiative in Bethlehem. When Ruth says to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean…” she is probably not asking for permission, but saying something like, “I think I’ll go to the field and glean…” Naomi needs someone to look out for her, and that is just what Ruth has come to do. Gleaning was an importa...

  Chapter 1 The book of Ruth is a story. It begins like a story. Once upon a time, when the judges ruled, there was a famine . This sentence tells us a few things: 1) it is a story of things that happened long ago, 2) the historical setting is the time of the Judges, and 3) the event that instigated everything was a famine. Because of the opening sentence, the Christian Bible places Ruth immediately after the book of Judges – for the sake of chronology. Placed here it makes a jarring contrast. The book of Judges spans a period in Israel’s history of constant warfare and unrest among the tribes of Israel. A frequent refrain in Judges is “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” The opening sentence of Ruth, then, reminds us of the overwhelming cruelty going on in the background. But the story of Ruth is not a national story or a cultural commentary – it is a small and intimate tale of a family. What is in a name? In this story, a lot. The author of R...

  Chapters 27 & 28 The last two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles are jam-packed with exciting events, as Paul sets out on his final journey to Rome. I don’t know if Luke was feeling like he had shortchanged Theophilus, his intended reader, and decided to throw in a thrilling adventure at sea? Or if he had a point to drive home about Paul and the gospel. I’m leaning toward the latter. Sea journeys are never without risk, and this one is no exception. Because of the winds, the early part of the journey was slow. By the time they got out on the open sea, it was late in the year – a dangerous time for sailing. Paul was exceptionally prophet-like on this journey. He warned the crew of the danger; he offered them advice and encouragement to get them through safely. They shipwrecked and ended up on the island of Malta, where they were treated well. They spent the winter months there and set off on another ship in early spring. When they arrived finally in Rome, Paul was gr...

Chapter 26 The scene from the previous chapter of Paul’s trial continues. At the governor’s suggestion, King Agrippa hears Paul’s defense, to possibly help the governor make a decision regarding any charges that might be brought against Paul. So, once again, Paul gives a speech. Paul begins with the customary gestures (stretching out his hand) and the customary compliments to his audience. His speech combines some themes from his earlier speeches, but with substantial changes. Take a look again at Paul’s speech in Chapter 22, where he is making his case to the Jews. He addresses his audience as “Brothers and Fathers,” to make clear that he is one of them. Above all, Paul wants to convey the message that he is nothing other than a loyal and faithful Jew. But in this chapter, the tone is different. Paul is speaking to the Roman authorities, and he is clearly working to put some distance between himself and the Jews. He says to Agrippa, in essence, “You and I both know, don’t we, ...

  Chapter 25 As we left Chapter 24, the governor Felix was leaving office, replaced by Festus. Paul was still in a jail cell in Caesarea, held without charges. When Festus takes office, he goes to Jerusalem to see the Jewish authorities. It is immediately apparent that they have not forgotten about Paul. They appeal to Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem for trial. There are power plays at work between the governor and the Jewish authorities. They both have responsibilities to the empire for keeping peace in the region. It is essential that they work together, but they sometimes have different interests. The narrator tells us, in an aside, one of the Jewish authorities interests is to have Paul killed. Festus responds to them by asserting his own authority: Paul will remain in Caesarea. If the Jews have accusations to make, they are welcome to make them there. Still, when Festus brings Paul to trial, he suggests doing what the Jewish authorities wanted – sending him to J...