foreigner

Jews Elimelek and Naomi left their home near Bethlehem and traveled East to Moab. They were hungry. Moab had food. Easy choice. Now they were foreigners but fed. 

Their two sons grew to age and married local women. Local women bring local gods and customs. Local women change foreign men to conform to local gods and customs. Slowly, surely, change.

Elimelek dies. Ten years slip by and the two sons die. Bethlehem's harvests return. Naomi is left with two foreign women as daughters-in-law and no desire to stay near the death of her family. She wants to return to the known: her God and her customs. The story of devotion is well known for Ruth chooses to follow Naomi. 

Somehow, Ruth sees in Naomi something of intrinsic value: faith. The Moabite gods instill fear, Naomi's God shows love. Ruth wants to live in that glow even if it means she will be the forever outsider.

Here is where the story veers sharply for a striking reason: God needs this foreigner in the line of Christ. This Ruth has royal blood and has no clue it exists. Her eventual husband, Boaz, has royal blood without a clue either. This couple plays out a drama that is as old as time: odd couple finds attraction in mutual helping, fall in love and have a child. But God has different plans for this pairing. King David will shepherd the descendents of the sheep of Boaz, probably on the same fields that brought Ruth into the family.

How often do we misinterpret the daily events of our life as ordinary? We forget the simple moments of love, attention and joy in our Lord, never wondering if God might have something deeper going on! 

Naomi missed those clues, in her loss she renames herself "Bitter". But God has a name for her at this time as well, "Blessed". It is good that she opens up to the possibility of hope in the customs of the Jews regarding the kinsman-redeemer to coach Ruth on the path to Boaz. Naomi had lost much in her life during the stay in Moab. She did not forget her faith in a God who did amazing things for women. Naomi is restored as Ruth is joined to Boaz and the grandchildren denied to her in Moab arrive. 

What do you make of this? Do you view your life from the narrow, selfish perspective of me, myself and I? Open your eyes to the miracle of faith in a foreign land, for this is what we are: foreigners and strangers in a foreign and strange land. Show faith, hope and love to those in your sphere of influence and perhaps there will be a king or queen that comes from the moment. If not, there will be a story to share in heaven that perhaps you had forgotten about on earth. To someone it may have made an eternal difference.