Day 90: Ruth and Boaz
Judges 4:1-24 Deborah is one of several female heroines of the Old Testament; another is Jael, who was Kenite rather than Israelites. Women were not considered leaders outside of their own households, so the emergence of Deborah as a JUDGE of all Israel is remarkable. It is a strong reminder of how both women and men alike have important roles in salvation history. Deborah is a type of Mary, the Mother of God, who gave birth to the Savior of the world (TYPOLOGY!!). God often calls people who are powerless and weak to serve as his messengers and leaders; Deborah fits this category because of the social standing accorded to women of that time and culture. (CCC 64, 128-129, 489)
Ch 5:1-32 Throughout Scripture Israel celebrated its deliverance with song, proclaiming the blessings of God and the fulfillment of his plan of salvation. In this hymn, Deborah lauded the tribes that had assembled for the great battle and criticized those that did not. She offered special praise for Jael, who slew the pagan commander Sierra in her own tent. (CCC 1097, 1156-1158)
Ruth 2:1-22 God rewarded generously the faithfulness of Naomi and Ruth. The law forbade reapers from going back over the fields to pick up any grain that had been dropped or missed; the spirit of the law was so the needy could scavenge the fields to obtain the food they needed. Ruth’s devotion to Naomi drew the admiration of Boaz, a distant family member, who offered his favor and protection.
Psalm 134 Another brief psalm, this contains the words of blessing that conclude the evening Temple worship, addressing first the Temple servants and then the assembled faithful. It is similar to the blessing or benediction at the end of the celebration of the Eucharist, in which the celebrant blesses the people and exhorts them to continue to serve the Lord. Liturgical blessings come from God mediated through his priests. (CCC 287, 1078-1079)
(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)
Good to Bad
The first judges are good, the next are morally ambiguous, and the last judges are more villains than heroes.
As noted before, the descending character of the judges seems to represent the descending state of the people.
Judges like Othniel and Deborah are faithful and good.
Yet, although Deborah judges the people righteously, the military leader of her time, Barak, is so afraid to fight that God delivers his enemy Sisera into the hands of a woman as a rebuke to Barak’s lack of trust and courage.
(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible)
Gosh Man oh Man! 😉
Let’s highlight Ruth for one second
It is kind of easy to read Ruth Ch 2 today and think, “What a massively blessed person. Man, is she LUCKY!!”
We need to remember that this is ONE DAY in Ruth’s life
It is maybe the FIRST DAY of BLESSINGS in Ruth’s life
Recall her life back in Moab
She married this son of Naomi in Elimelech
Imagine that she had plans for a full life and a family with this man
What happens?
Her father-in-law dies which puts the family in some trouble
Her brother-in-law dies which puts the family in even more trouble
Her husband dies which puts the family in even more trouble
For the entire time of her recent history of her life, Ruth has been in trouble
She had no guarantees that things would get better
She had no promises that things would get better
She had no certainty that things would get better
AND YET...😉
SHE KEPT WALKING IN FAITHFULNESS with her mother-in-law, Naomi
Where Naomi goes, Ruth will go
Where Naomi dies, Ruth will die
Her God will be Ruth’s God
Her people will be Ruth’s people
In the midst of all that, there is this one day where Ruth works really hard and for whatever reason, Boaz notices her
Boaz protects her and guards her
This is the first time Ruth has been protected and guarded maybe since her first husband Elimelech died
Let’s not jump to the idea that Ruth had an easy life
This was the FIRST DAY OF HOPE in Ruth’s life in a REALLY LONG TIME
This was the FIRST DAY OF HOPE in Naomi’s life in a REALLY LONG TIME
YOU may be in a place right where you are wondering, “Where is the hope for me? Because I have been walking and trying my best to be faithful, and it’s been a REALLY LONG TIME SINCE I’VE HAD HOPE.”
Remember that sometimes it takes a long time
TO GOD A THOUSAND YEARS ARE LIKE A SINGLE DAY AND A SINGLE DAY IS LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS
But there are GLIMMERS OF HOPE in EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR LIVES if we are WILLING TO LOOK FOR IT
Think of one of the DARKEST DAYS in the history of humanity
Genesis Ch 3
Adam and Eve, our first parents, REBEL AGAINST THE LORD
Adam and Eve DISOBEY GOD
So what happened?
They experience the CONSEQUENCES of their disobedience
But what ALSO HAPPENS?
God also promises a REDEEMER
Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” (POP QUIZ!! What is this particular verse called in terms of being the FIRST PROPHECY in Salvation History? Answer in the Comments of the Facebook Post 🤓)
THIS IS SO GOOD
WHY?
THIS IS HOPE!!
God ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES
Here in this story of Deborah, Barak, Sisera, and Jael, we have a FORESHADOWING of the fulfillment of what God had promised
Yes, this may sound strange
Remember Judges Ch 4
Jael CRUSHES THE HEAD OF THE ENEMY, SISERA
This seems very violent to us
AND YET...😉
This is a FORESHADOWING OF THE FULFILLMENT of Genesis 3:15
The head of the enemy will be CRUSHED
We know that the head of the enemy IS CRUSHED by the offspring of THE WOMAN
That WOMAN is MARY
That OFFSPRING is JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE REDEEMER
Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE JUDGE
Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE WARRIOR (You know, without the need for all that face paint and steroids 🤪)
Jesus Christ is fighting for YOU, his people
Jesus Christ is the one to whom we belong
Jesus Christ is the one in whom we place all of our trust
Even when we walk in darkness, WE CAN ALSO WALK IN HOPE
In the course of an instant, or a single day, EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE
Fr. Mike is praying for you, that you walk in faithfulness
Fr. Mike is praying for you, that if you are walking in darkness then that GLIMMER OF LIGHT shines upon you very very soon because YOU ARE NOT ALONE
WE DO NOT WALK ALONE
We continue to pray for each other
GOD IS WITH YOU
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and we give you thanks. Wow. Just even, Lord God, hearing this story of the faithfulness of this woman who did not know you. This woman, Ruth, who did not know you, and yet she was faithful to what she did know. She was faithful to her mother-in-law. And Lord, you’re blessing her in this story. You’re blessing not only Ruth, but also Naomi, and also Boaz, this man who will be blessed, and also the People of Israel, who will receive a king through this incredible woman, this woman of faithfulness. Lord God, help us to be faithful like Ruth. Help us to be faithful not only to our relationships, our families, but also faithful to you. Lord God, when things are difficult and when things are dark and it seems like our faithfulness is only met with trouble, and when it seems like it would just be easier to be unfaithful, help us to hold on and cling to you in the darkness. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”