The Saturday Night Theologian is part of Progressive Theology
Exegesis of Word and World, based on readings from the Revised Common Lectionary
Proper 26: Ruth 1:1-18
Those of us with children hope that they will be successful and happy in life. When they're young, we help them with their homework, and we encourage them to read and explore new things. As they grow older, we talk with them about colleges to attend and possible career choices. Along the way, we tell them what to look for in a spouse, and we hope that they find someone who will love them and treat them the way they deserve to be treated. Parents today may have different customs than parents three thousand years ago, but I'm sure that parents then also hoped and prayed for their children's success.
People who are born into positions of privilege have a great advantage over those who do not come from families of power and influence, as the current presidential campaign reminds us. Ruth was born with two impediments blocking her path to success, and she willingly chose to erect a third. First, Ruth was a woman. In many respects today, women are still second-class citizens. They are often excluded from positions of power in politics, society, or religion. Despite the passage of laws such as the Lilly Ledbetter Act, they still receive less pay than men in comparable positions in the workplace. They are disproportionately underrepresented in executive positions. In short, women are frequently at a disadvantage in many of life's circumstances.
Second, Ruth was poor. The detriment of being a member of the lower classes is just as evident today as it was in ancient times. Regardless of states' claims to the contrary, supported by arguments from those who support private school vouchers, it is evident that children from poor communities receive an education that is far below that of their counterparts in middle class and wealthy communities. Crime, particularly violent crime, affects the poor more than the rich. The lifetime earning potential for those who are born into poor households is considerably less than for those whose parents are middle class or wealthy. Sometimes, of course, those who are born poor are able to climb above their circumstances and achieve great things, but they are the exception to the general rule. The difficulty the poor have in transcending the circumstances of their birth was even greater in ancient times.
Ruth, then, had two strikes against her when Naomi made up her mind to return to the land of Israel. Because her husband had died, Ruth was not legally or culturally bound to leave her homeland. The smart thing to do would have been to follow her sister-in-law Orpah and return to her parents' house, where the prospects of marriage to a countryman would have been greater. Ruth, however, chose to follow Naomi, abandoning both her people and her gods to enter the land of Israel as a foreigner. Being a foreigner was the third impediment that Ruth faced. Even in the days when borders between countries were much more hypothetical than they are today, being a foreigner in the land was to be at a disadvantage (although at least Ruth didn't have to worry constantly about deportation, a tremendous burden on many residents of the U.S. and other countries today). Particularly in a small village, where everyone knows everyone else, it would be impossible to hide one's foreign status.
What led to Ruth's decision to leave everything she had known behind to follow Naomi in the uncertain future is unclear from the story. What is certain is that Ruth felt strongly about honoring her commitment to Naomi, whom she regarded as her adopted mother. With three strikes against her--her sex, her poverty, and her social status--Ruth bravely chose to strike out in a new direction, and God rewarded her for it. What challenges are we facing today, and what opportunities lie before us? In the face of threats to our success, do we have "the courage to be as ourselves," as Tillich expressed it? Ruth provides a role model for those who are facing difficult, even potentially catastrophic challenges in their lives. Ruth was confronted with the possibility of retreat into the safety of the known, but she chose to charge forward into the challenges of the unknown. If we can muster the faith of Ruth, we can do the same. And if we aren't faced with challenges similar to Ruth's, we can support those who are.