Catalina Foothills Church

Charles Dickens, in his masterpiece, The Tale of Two Cities, wrote,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was an age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going to direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”
The Book of Ruth is about people and indeed a whole community that in the worst of times reflects the selfless love of God to each other transforming their world from the “winter of despair” to the “spring of hope.” In the text from Sunday’s sermon (Ruth 1:1-22) we see the godly attribute of selfless love [Hebrew, “Hesed”] expressed by Naomi and Ruth. Both Naomi and Ruth shine in their calling as they reflect God’s self-sacrificing steadfast love and mercy. In fact the Book of Ruth, which only takes about twenty five minutes to read, is about the “Hesed” of YHWH and a community that demonstrates “Hesed” toward one another. Each of the main human characters is transformed by expressions of selfless love.
The first chapter reveals Naomi’s her utter hopelessness when we learn of her inability to conceive and her understanding of the levirate marriage law (Dt. 25:5-10) which requires a brother of her sons to marry his brother’s widow in order that she may have sons that care for them in their old age. Naomi probably understands what some commentators have mentioned which is that men, in that day, generally viewed the issue as a threat to their own interests and because the law gave them freedom to refuse for any reason. Thus, the prospects for Naomi seem impossible. Her hope for protection and security are vanquished along with the prospects of marriage and motherhood. Yet, we also see that Naomi’s hopelessness points to her self-sacrificing love as she refuses to allow her girls to be drawn into her milieu.
“(13b) No, my daughters! For my life is much too bitter for you to share [with me],… Yahweh has stretched out his hand against me…”
But Ruth responds with one of the most incredible examples of selfless love in all the Old Testament, “(16) Then Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or turn back from following after you. For wherever you go I will go, and wherever you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (17) Where you die I will die; and there I will be buried.”
What more can be said? Ruth’s selfless love for Naomi and for YHWH are reason for her to abandon all her future concerns and leave her community, culture, and even her religion.
So these two widows are left with each one seeking to sacrifice for the other. Who can decide which is the more noble and womanly in her selflessness? Is it Naomi, the elder, sadder heart, that tried to secure for Ruth some joy and companionship at the expense of her own loneliness and sure death? Or is it the younger Ruth, who secreted her heart away against all Naomi’s pleas, casting away her friends, faith, and family for love’s sake? We praise Ruth’s vow, but let’s not forget Naomi’s selfless pleading to be left to walk her road alone. So these two widows took their broken hearts and went on to Bethlehem. Certainly, this was in many ways the spring of hope… - Winston