A Year Of Humility (XI): The Story Of Ruth

 As we have discussed earlier in this series, as the word "humility" is not nearly as prevalent in the Bible as we might think it is due to its importance to Christianity, it might be a useful exercise to see humility put into practice in Scriptures.  One of the examples - I hesitate to say "the best" because we still have a year ahead of us - is the book of Ruth.

The Book of Ruth is undoubtedly a text that most of my readers have heard preached on by far more skilled expositors than what you will get here.  In a way, it is one of the "Cinderella" stories of The Bible:  Poor woman with good heart chooses to support her mother-in-law in a foreign land, meets local well-to-do-landholder who is impressed by her care and devotion to her mother-in-law and industriousness, and marries her.  You know, the typical Hallmark holiday special.

Rather than recount the entire story (to be fair, all four chapters of it), I would draw your attention to three instances where Ruth put the practice of humility on display:

1) Ruth's departure with her mother in law 

As you might remember, we first meet Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi and her other daughter-in-law Orpah in the land of Moab.  Within the first few verses, all of their husbands die and Naomi decides to head back to Israel, having no other options in Moab.  Her daughters-in-law start to accompany her but Naomi tries to shoo them off, pointing out that she has no future to offer them.  Orpah goes, Ruth stays.

Ruth declares to her "Entreat me not to leave you or return from following you, for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God: where you die I will die, and there I will be buried".

To our modern ears this sounds extreme.  Ruth is giving up everything she had known - her former life, her family, her culture, her religion - everything - to be with her mother-in-law.  She would perhaps die a stranger in a strange land.  She heads to an unknown future, purely for love of her mother-in-law.

To go, in love and in support of another, abandoning all hope or expectations for yourself.  This is humility.

2)  Ruth in the fields.

Once they arrive in Bethlehem, Ruth gets to work.

By Old Testament law (Leviticus 19: 9-10, 23:22), fields were not to be gleaned to the point of every grain.  The Israelites were to leave some amount of grain product to be gleaned "by the poor of the land".  The grain was there; it just had to be gotten.

And so, Ruth heads out to go glean.

I have never been the position where I was truly desperate for a job, but at least once I was "highly motivated" to get the job I was interviewing for.  I only found out later from a coworker that became a friend that I apparently came across as very nervous and a little desperate.

Imagine:  You show up at a field.  Is there grain there?  If there is, can you glean it?  In theory yes, but given human nature you are likely to get yelled at (or worse).  And even if you can, imagine working under the eyes of the paid help and owners,  All to get enough food for a day, so you can go out to do it again tomorrow.

And from what we read, Ruth does it.  Without complaint.  Without "What did I get myself into?"  She works, not just to feed herself, but to feed her mother-in-law, whom she literally has no connection with except the bond of love.

Picking the leftovers of the harvest, dependent on the charity of others, to support someone you love.  This is humility.

3)  Ruth and Boaz:

Ruth, as the story continues, is fortunate.  The first field she comes to is that of Boaz, a relative of Naomi's deceased husband.  He has heard of Ruth and what she is doing for her mother-in-law. He encourages her to stay in his field and not risk going to others.  He encourages her to glean with his own servants, to eat and drink the noon meal with them - in fact, he makes sure she leaves with leftovers and makes sure she has access to the harvested sheaves themselves.  She works like this through both the harvest and barley season.

Finally, her mother-in-law comes up with a plan:  Boaz could take the role of redeemer-kinsman, standing in the place of the dead and taking up his legacy.  But to do this, Ruth will first have to ask for this.

Imagine, as the text records:  Going to the house of the man who has been your benefactor, creeping in after he has gone to sleep, waiting at his feet all night, and then effectively saying "Save us"?  Not knowing whether the answer would be yes or no?

Making yourself low to save the life of others (and yourself).  This is humility.

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Ruth's story has a happy ending:  married to Boaz, she bears him a son who becomes the grandfather of a child named David who goes on to do some pretty big things in Israel - including, of course, being in the Messianic Line.

A little mind blowing if you dwell on it:  a non-Israelite woman, through her obedience, love, and humility, enters the genealogy of The Messiah.

You never really know where a life lived humbly might lead.