- Joined
- Jul 13, 2015
- Messages
- 19,194
- Location
- Western Australia
- Gender
- Male
- Religious Affiliation
- Catholic
- Political Affiliation
- Moderate
- Marital Status
- Single
- Acceptance of the Trinity & Nicene Creed
- Yes
Food for Thought
The Book of Ruth affirms the possibility of a non-Israelite becoming a model of a true Israelite. Ruth reappears in the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew to emphasize this possibility. Boaz redeems Ruth, we learn in chapter 4. The fact that redemption is a financial term that involves money and other indicators of wealth, such as land and inheritance, makes this a difficult concept to accept with regard to the value of women or as a concept used in relation to God. The Book of Ruth seems to suggest that women have no value in themselves and that their worth is measured by their husbands or male heirs. Yet Ruth’s devotion and faith, in view of cultural limitations, reverse the judgment of her times. Although she seems to be dependent on male relatives, she actually becomes famous for her steadfast devotion to a woman, her mother-in-law. Ruth is an example of the limitations of cultural norms and the transcendence of God’s forms of justice. Finally, she is praised as worth more than many men, negating the criteria of her culture and pointing to a completely new paradigm for evaluating people.
The Book of Ruth describes a fidelity or loyalty born of covenant bonding. Naomi prays for her daughters-in-law who have acted faithfully with regard to the dead and toward her (1:8-9). Naomi later praises God, who likewise shows covenant fidelity regarding the living and dead. Boaz asks God’s blessings on Ruth because of the depth of her covenant fidelity, not only in caring for Naomi, but also by seeking Boaz, her dead husband’s nearest relative.
Excerpted from The Quick Reference Guide to the Bible by Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan (The Word Among Us Press, 2014). Available at wau.org/books
(source)
The Book of Ruth affirms the possibility of a non-Israelite becoming a model of a true Israelite. Ruth reappears in the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew to emphasize this possibility. Boaz redeems Ruth, we learn in chapter 4. The fact that redemption is a financial term that involves money and other indicators of wealth, such as land and inheritance, makes this a difficult concept to accept with regard to the value of women or as a concept used in relation to God. The Book of Ruth seems to suggest that women have no value in themselves and that their worth is measured by their husbands or male heirs. Yet Ruth’s devotion and faith, in view of cultural limitations, reverse the judgment of her times. Although she seems to be dependent on male relatives, she actually becomes famous for her steadfast devotion to a woman, her mother-in-law. Ruth is an example of the limitations of cultural norms and the transcendence of God’s forms of justice. Finally, she is praised as worth more than many men, negating the criteria of her culture and pointing to a completely new paradigm for evaluating people.
The Book of Ruth describes a fidelity or loyalty born of covenant bonding. Naomi prays for her daughters-in-law who have acted faithfully with regard to the dead and toward her (1:8-9). Naomi later praises God, who likewise shows covenant fidelity regarding the living and dead. Boaz asks God’s blessings on Ruth because of the depth of her covenant fidelity, not only in caring for Naomi, but also by seeking Boaz, her dead husband’s nearest relative.
Excerpted from The Quick Reference Guide to the Bible by Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan (The Word Among Us Press, 2014). Available at wau.org/books
(source)
