Some Security

 

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 matter of security has been on Naomi’s mind from the moment the last of their men died. She probably hasn’t stopped thinking about it. So now she tells Ruth her plan: Make yourself as attractive as possible. Then go down to the threshing floor where you will find Boaz; When he lies down, go to him and …

This is where the message gets a little scrambled. It’s like they were on a phone call when the connection suddenly got bad and Naomi’s words started breaking up. Partly because Naomi seems to be speaking with intentional vagueness. But also because the ancient manuscripts are, well, really old.

Among ancient texts that survive and are translated for our use, many of them are fragments. Some of them are in rough shape and barely readable in places. A lot of piecing together and making educated guesses. In some cases, there is significant disagreement about what a text actually says.

In this case, it isn’t clear exactly what Naomi is telling Ruth to do. Nor is it clear exactly what Ruth does when she reaches the threshing floor. When Naomi refers to his feet, she might mean his feet, his legs, or his genitals. When she says “uncover” she might just mean take the cover off his “feet” or she might be gently suggesting a sexual encounter. When she says “lie down,” well, you get the drift. The way Naomi closes with “he will tell you what to do” seems to further suggest a sexual meaning to her words.

Ruth goes to the threshing floor, waits for Boaz to fall into a contented sleep, then approaches him. Most English texts say she uncovered his feet and lay down there. A minority voice says that Ruth stood at his feet, uncovered herself, then lay down beside him. The manuscripts are so ambiguous that either translation could work. And, of course, what was meant by “feet” is open to interpretation.

When Boaz awakens, Ruth speaks to him. She asks him to spread his cloak over her. A simple request, yet with layers of meaning. The image of spreading your garment over a woman signified acquiring her in marriage. The phrase is seen in Ezekiel, where God speaks of Israel as God’s bride (16:8). Therefore, in one sense Ruth seems to be asking Boaz to marry her. But additionally, Ruth is alluding to the blessing Boaz spoke to her that first day he met her: “May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” (2:12). The Hebrew word is the same for wings and cloak. In repeating these words to him, Ruth is suggesting that this blessing of care and provision ought to come through Boaz, himself. For you, she goes on to say, are the go’el, the kinsman redeemer.

Nowhere in the Old Testament is the term go’el used in reference to marriage. It usually has to do with property, as mentioned last week. It sometimes means acting as an advocate for another. There is, however, another law that requires a kinsman to marry a widow – levirate marriage. In Deuteronomy 25, the law states that when a man dies and leaves a young widow without children, his brother must take her as his wife. Her first child shall bear the name of her dead husband. This serves to both carry on the name of the dead man and also to provide care for the woman in her old age. Incidentally, the law of levirate marriage plays a part in an entertaining story in Genesis 38 about a widow named Tamar.

In the first chapter of Ruth, Naomi seems to be referencing this law when she mentions the impossibility of her providing any more sons for Orpah and Ruth (v.11). But here in Chapter 3, it doesn’t quite fit. Boaz would not be required to marry Ruth by the law of levirate marriage.

It really just seems like Ruth is speaking colloquially – not in a strict legal sense. She may not be aware of precisely what the laws regarding go’el and levirate marriage are; she only knows that she and Naomi need security. And she is bold enough to ask for it.

Boaz is moved by Ruth’s lovingkindness and loyalty. He knows that Ruth has made sacrifices for the sake of Naomi, possibly including her decision to lie down with Boaz. He calls her a “worthy woman,” which is the feminine counterpart to the phrase used to describe Boaz in 2:1. He has effectively made Ruth his equal.

As the story develops, we see the positive qualities of these characters grow clearer: Naomi’s focus and determination, Ruth’s loyalty and daring, and Boaz’s righteousness. All things seem to be coming together for a happy ending, but then one more twist is thrown in. Boaz mentions there is another kinsman who is closer than him. This other man has the first right to act as go’el. It will all have to wait until the morning to be resolved.

Questions for Reflection:

• What are your impressions of Ruth and Naomi now? Have they changed since Chapter 2? Does the text judge these women? Do you judge them?

• Joan Chittister  writes about Ruth’s actions in this way: “Women have been doing it for centuries, using what little the world gives them to make up for what it hasn’t.” What are your thoughts? 

• Think about how the book of Ruth may reflect a woman’s perspective more than other scriptures.