Receiving the Refugee

Preparing for the Third Sunday of Advent: Two Days before Sunday (Year A)

Scripture

Psalter: Psalm 146:5-10

Old Testament: Ruth 4:13-17

Epistle: 2 Peter 3:11-18

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Prayer

Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Reflection

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:13-17).

By L. Daniel Hawk (originally posted January 14, 2016 at allanbevere.com).

May you receive the full amount of your wages from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge (Ruth 2:12b).

Home is where the heart is, as the saying goes. Material space and social space are intertwined. Our sense of identity, the network of our relationships, our sense of belonging, and our formative experiences are attached to a sense of place. 

A home is what Naomi wants for Ruth, and undoubtedly for herself. At the beginning of the story, she tells Ruth to find a home with her people back in Moab (1:9). Yet after Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz, Naomi is determined to find Ruth a home in Israel. (3:1). What has changed Naomi’s perspective?

When Ruth enters the field of Boaz (2:1-23), she also enters Bethlehem’s social space and the web of relationships that defines it. She makes the decision driven by necessity but without a connection to the community she enters. She is the proverbial sore thumb. Have you ever been in a space or among a group of people where realized you didn’t fit in at all, where you felt uncomfortably conspicuous? Because she is a Moabite, Ruth is particularly vulnerable. This becomes apparent later, when Boaz commands his workers not to harass or demean Ruth (2:9, 16) and Naomi tells Ruth that she might be abused if she goes to another field (2:22; modern translations tend to soften the force of the Hebrew verbs). 

My attention, however, is drawn to Boaz, the owner of the field and a person of prestige and influence. Boaz is the narrator’s vehicle for demonstrating how God’s people are to respond to the outsider and the immigrant. This is apparent when Boaz first appears in the field and asks about the woman who has entered the field. The field hand whom he asks sees only “the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from Moab.”

Boaz, however, addresses Ruth with a term of endearment: “my daughter.” Then he tells her not to go to another field but to stay with his people in his field. It is a powerful declaration: you belong here with us.

In what follows, Boaz uses his position to draw Ruth into Bethlehem's social space, from its outer rung (“join my young women” [v. 8]) and to a place beside all the workers (v. 14). Then he goes farther by giving her special treatment that responds to the need she has but has not expressed (a gift of grain and a command that his workers leave stalks of grain in the field for her). He also takes measures to ensure her safety and see that she has more than enough to eat. Boaz, in short, does not merely tolerate or give permission for the Moabite to work in his space. He takes active steps to provide protection, provision, and a sense of belonging.

I see a vision of hospitality and a type of the Church reflected in the person of Boaz. Boaz speaks words of blessing to the immigrant who arrives with little more than the clothes on her back and works hard in the field to get enough to eat (v. 7). Boaz uses his position in the community to help her feel at ease in her new home, connect her to the community, and take the steps necessary help find security, stability, and a place to work.

Boaz recognizes the refugee and welcomes her. He does not just allow her to be in his space or communicate acceptance. He becomes the advocate she needs to become a part of a new community.

PRAYER: O almighty God, by the birth of your holy child Jesus you gave us a great light to dawn on our darkness. Grant that in his light we may see light. Bestow upon us that most excellent Christmas gift of love to all people, so that the likeness of your Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever brightening hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

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