… Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your
country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land
which I will show you… (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Gen. 12:1)
Boaz replied to [Ruth], “All that you have done for your
mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me,
and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and
came to a people that you did not previously know. (Ibid. Ruth 2:11)
In the last
blog, we began to look at the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, and because
of what we find in the Ruth narrative, we can see how one person can help to affect
another person’s spiritual formation. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see
that this relationship led to Ruth becoming a progenitor in the Davidic line
(Ruth 4:13-17); i.e., leaving her pagan origins and joining with Naomi was the
catalyst that put her in the matriarchal line of the Messiah (Matt. 1:5).
Although
their period in the history of Israel is quite different, there are striking similarities
between the Abraham story and Ruth’s story.
Both were pagans in their homelands (Josh. 24:2). Abraham lived as an alien in a foreign land
as did Ruth. Interestingly, where
Abraham has direct encounters with God to give him instructions and guidance
(Gen. 17), Ruth has Naomi to guide and direct her (Ruth 2:22, 3:1-5). Keep in mind, the Ruth narrative has for its
backdrop the period of the Judges. A
time when people did what was right in their own eyes. This period in Israel's history sounds very
similar to our modern experience.
Therefore,
the spiritual friendship between Naomi and Ruth has great value to modern
readers. Imagine how strange the
pre-monarchy structure of Israel would have been to an outsider, like Ruth. This same sense of strangeness can exist when
someone with no background in the Bible attempts to understand Christianity.
As has been
previously mentioned, the Ruth story happens during the period of the
Judges. The book of Judges is often misrepresented
in our modern day because people have failed to understand its descriptive
nature and mistook it for prescriptive.
If a person misunderstands the book in such a way, it is difficult to
see its value and purpose. That is where
spiritual friendships are incredibly valuable.
Someone with a biblical background can guide and direct someone new in
the scriptures.
This is, of
course, only one example of the value of spiritual friendships. Next week,
we’ll continue our exploration of this topic. (Click here for Part 3)
Written by Pastor Ozzy
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Works Cited
Works Cited
1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.
