Ruth: a story of friendship, loyalty and love

Her name means friendship. She was a generous, loyal and loving woman. Ruth was a woman of unusual love and loyalty. She leaves her family and her country to follow her mother-in-law to a land where she would be looked down on as a foreigner. But it didn’t matter. Where Naomi would go, Ruth would go too. She was strong, able to take risks, dealing actively with the consequences that followed. As I discussed Naomi last month, she was a woman who only saw her own grief and bitterness. But through Ruth, Naomi would find joy again. In the Book of Ruth, we are giving two examples of the generous, loyal, and loving nature of God, first in Ruth. But the story of Ruth is also the story of Boaz who displays this generous, loyal and loving nature as well. There are two important aspects of their stories: gleaning and a kinsman-redeemer. 

While we meet Ruth in Naomi’s story, Ruth’s story truly begins in chapter 2 as it is harvest time in Israel and Ruth gleans from a local field to provide for herself and Naomi. The field she happens to glean from is Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s. He notices her and learns that she worked quickly and effectively. Everyone in Bethlehem had been talking about Naomi’s unexpected return and her Moabite daughter-in-law who came with her. They were also talking about Ruth’s extraordinary love and loyalty to Naomi. To repay her kindness, Boaz directed her to stay near his servants and follow them as they glean. He would also instruct his men to purposefully leave stalks in her path. He would watch out for her day after day. It is discovered that Boaz is their kinsman-redeemer, which allows Boaz to marry Ruth, which he does. They would eventually have a son, Obed. Obed would become the father of David, the future king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus. Ruth is the only woman mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. The stories of Ruth and Naomi are woven together and through them we see that God’s presence in a relationship can overcome differences and flourish into greater blessings. 

Gleaning is an old practice in which grain is “gleaned” or gathered from the fields. Gleaners would collect the leftover crops from the fields after they’ve been harvested. Harvesters were not allowed to reap the very edges of the fields or go over the fields a second time. Any grain missed had to be left for the “poor and aliens” (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22). Deuteronomy 24:19-22 adds the practice to vineyards as well. Gleaning was a :welfare system” set up to care for the needy. But it wasn’t a handout. Gleaners still had to work for their food, competing with others to gather as much as possible, which is why it was noticed that Ruth worked effectively and efficiently. Ruth worked hard,from morning to evening, only taking short rests (Ruth 2:1-23). Gleaning still exists in many parts of the world. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Good Samaritan Act which encourages individuals and organizations to donate excess food instead of throwing it away (Food Forward, 2015). As a part of the bill, food donations are protected from liability as long as they were made in good faith. Gleaning organizations recover food from farms, restaurants, grocery stories, wholesale markets, farmer’s markets as well as personal gardens (Food Forward, 2015). 

A kinsman-redeemer is first mentioned in Ruth 2:20 as Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is their kinsman-redeemer. What is a kinsman-redeemer? A kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who has the responsibility to help a relative in need or in danger (Bolinger, 2020). This person would avenge, deliver, rescue, and redeem his relatives and their property. Leviticus 25:25-26 states that if a man is so poor that he has to sell portions of his property, his kinsman-redeemer was to come and buy back what was sold. Genesis 38:8 states that a man was to marry his brother’s widow as a kinsman-redeemer so his brother’s name would not be blotted out from the family records (Bolinger, 2020). Boaz qualifies as a kinsman-redeemer as a relative of Naomi’s and therefore of Ruth’s late husband. There was a man closer who could be the redeemer and Boaz talks with him in order to claim the right of redeemer and marry Ruth (Ruth 3:12, 4:1-12). We have our own kinsman-redeemer in Jesus. He pays our debts and marries us into the family of God (Bolinger, 2020). He bore the cost of our debts. He paid the price so that we can gain an inheritance as children of God. Just as Boaz was motivated by love for Ruth, Jesus was motivated by love for us that he paid the ultimate price to redeem us. 

In conclusion, the story of Ruth is a story of loyalty, love and commitment to stand by loved ones in times of need as well as times of joy. Her relationship with Naomi shows that the greatest bond in a relationship is faith in God, a strong mutual commitment to each other and a relationship in which each person thinks of the other first. The practice of gleaning was designed to help those who did not have a male figure to provide for their basic needs. Gleaning is practiced today by gathering excess food. A kinsman-redeemer is an important figure. We have a kinsman-redeemer in Jesus Christ. The story of Ruth is a story of God’s providence and his divine guidance is always at work, even in the darkest of times. She gave up the familiar in Moab for the unfamiliar in Israel because of love. Love is at the center of this story. 

References

Bolinger, Hope (December 15, 2020). The Importance and Meaning of a Kinsman Redeemer. Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/importance-and-meaning-of-a-kinsman-redeemer.html. Retrieved May 11, 2021. 

Food Forward (September 23, 2015). What is Gleaning? Food Forward.org. https://foodforward.org/food-recovery/what-is-gleaning/. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 

Suggested Reading

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

A fictional telling of the Ruth story

The Undocumented Americans: with high hopes, it was a disappointment

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was a National Book Award Finalist and set out to tell the stories of the undocumented Americans who live and work around us everyday. Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA, a graduate from Yale,  when she decided to write about being undocumented and explores the lives of other undocumented people. From New York City and the undocumented workers who worked during the clean up at Ground Zero after 9/11 to Miami, as undocumented individuals must seek our herbs and potions as their only healthcare option to Flint, Michigan and the water crisis to Cleveland where immigrants seek sanctuary in churches to avoid deportation and Connecticut where she helps out immigrant families. Featuring stories of love, duty, family and survival, these immigrants come to America to flee war, oppression, and certain death. As she states in the Introduction, a book “for everybody who wants to step away from the buzzwords in immigration” and read about the people. Cornejo Villavicencio sets out to bring personal narratives to bring forth stories of resilience to understand what it means to be a stray, expendable, a hero, and an American. 

I was intrigued by the premises of The Undocumented Americans, with high hopes. What I got was disappointment. I expected stories of the undocumented and what I read was more of a memoir of the author’s own experience as an undocumented and her journey interacting with the individuals for this book. Everything she discusses comes back to her own experiences, thoughts and feelings that leaves the other individuals’ stories by the wayside. It’s her accomplishments, like graduating from Yale, and her good deeds. Her commentary is frustrating and annoying as she uses insensitive phrases and excuses herself by saying, “it’s not racist when I say it.” And the profanity! WOW! Nonstop! She states that she doesn’t write from a place of anger, unfortunately, she fails. She sees microaggressions everywhere. At one point she complains that Mexicans have to dial 011 to call someone in Mexico. Doesn’t she realize that’s how international calls work? If I wanted to call someone outside the US, I would have to dial 011 too. I feel the stories and people she features get lost. This book was the opposite of what I thought it would be and I do not recommend The Undocumented Americans. 

The Undocumented Americans is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Coordinates of Loss: a tear-jerker story

The Coordinates of Loss by Amanda Prowse is a story of a happy life, a loving marriage and a beloved son until a tragedy threatens to destroy it all. When Rachel Croft loves life, she wakes up smiling. Until one day, when she wakes up on her family’s boat in Bermuda and discovers her 7-year-old son, Oscar, is missing. Shrouded in the dark and desperate cloud of grief. Rachel struggles to move forward. While her husband, James, wants to face their tragedy together, Rachel feels with the loss of their son, the life they once had is now gone too. Convinced her marriage is over and unable to stay in Bermuda without her son, Rachel returns home to Bristol. While she is there, she begins to receive letters from Cee-Cee, their housekeeper and friend. Cee-Cee shares her own journey through grief, offering Rachel a ray of light through the darkness. Will Cee-Cee’s letter show Rachel that life can move forward? Will she and James find a way to through their grief and rebuild their life together? 

Books by Amanda Prowse always prove to be an emotional journey for her readers. The Coordinates of Loss is no different. The loss of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, how does one navigate life after such a tragedy? From the very beginning, it is obvious that Rachel and James are trying their best to work through the grief. Both characters are easy to empathize with. As I read, I hoped that Rachel and James would find a way back to each other. They still loved each other, they needed each other, would their grief blind them to that? My favorite character is Cee-Cee as the wise mentor who helps Rachel and James through their grief by showing them that life can be good again, different as their son’s loss will always be there, but they can live again. This book was a story that I didn’t want to put down. I even shed a few tears toward the end, which is common for a Amanda Prowse story. I highly recommend The Coordinates of Loss. 

The Coordinates of Loss is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Lost Apothecary: an enjoyable story

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is the story of three women, alive in different times, but all have suffered at the hands of men. Nella, a female apothecary and once a respected healer, secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them. She has two rules: 1) the poison must never be used to harm another woman and 2) the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the register. One February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella waits for her newest customer, a precocious 12-year-old named Eliza Fanning, who comes to the shop at the request of her mistress. Their meeting would set in motion a string of events that threatens to expose Nella, her shop and the women who are written in her register. Present day, London, an aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone after she discovers her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she is determined to find it’s origins. Will Caroline find the truth behind the vial? How is it linked to the events surrounding Nella and Eliza? 

I was first drawn to The Lost Apothecary by it’s gorgeous cover. Not knowing much about the story, I picked up the book and dove in. The opening chapter hooked me in as Nella nervously waits for her new client. The story was an easy read, fast paced story as the action picks up when Caroline discovers the vial and half heartedly searches for clues of its past. Soon she is pulled into a mystery that she can’t help but push forward to find the truth. The characters were likeable and unlikeable at times especially Caroline. Yes, she was a woman scorned but sometimes didn’t act like it. Some of the language the author uses was a bit cringey especially at one part when Caroline realizes she has gotten her period. I had to roll my eyes. Also, there were words and phrases used by the characters in 1791 that are true to the time period. As a debut novel for Ms. Penner, I found it was a good story. With time, a bit more polishing and research, I see great works in her future and I look forward to reading more of her works. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend The Lost Apothecary.

The Lost Apothecary is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

A Light Last Seen: a story of discovery

A Light Last Seen by Grace Greene is the story of Jaynie Highsmith as she discovers that “the present is never free of the past.” Growing up in Cub Creek in rural Virginia, she wanted nothing more than to escape and the chaos that was her childhood. Desperate to leave her past behind her and make a new life, she leaves and reinvents herself, complete with a new name. Her new life has everything she wanted until she discovers it’s not what she thought it was. Jaynie is convinced that she is destined to live a life of unhappiness, making poor choice after poor choice like her mother. After seventeen years, needing another fresh start, she returns to Cub Creek, to confront her past and finally leave Cub Creek in the past. She soon discovers that she must reveal the secrets she’s kept for so long if she has any chance to find happiness. 

This is my first book by Grace Greene and while I heard great things about A Light Last Seen, it wasn’t the story I expected. The story was slow moving with lackluster action. Jaynie was a hard character to like as she often acted more like a child throwing a tantrum than a grown woman. The only characters that I enjoyed were Jaynie’s neighbor, Ruth Berry and her grandson, Wyatt. Ruth has some great pearls of wisdom for Jaynie, some she remembered and others she forgot to live by. My favorite one is the one I quoted above. We are always influenced by the past, it is up to us to determine how much the past influences our present but we are never truly free. Overall,  A Light Last Seen was a decent story; however, I expected more. Even though the book didn’t speak to me, I feel there is someone that it will. I recommend A Light Last Seen. 

A Light Last Seen is available in paperback and eBook. 

Where The Crawdads Sing: an entertaining story but I wasn't blown away

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a story of survival set in the marshlands of North Carolina. The town of Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village, heard rumors of the “Marsh Girl,” For the most part, it was just talk, as Kya Clark is barefoot, wild and clearly unfit for normal society. Until 1969, when Golden Boy, Chase Andrews, is found dead and Kya is immediately suspected. But Kya is not what the rumors claim. A born naturalist, she takes life’s lessons from the land. She has learned to live in solitude, only rely on herself to get what she needs to survive. As she gets older, she is drawn to two young men from town. Both men are intrigued by her wild beauty and Kya begins to open herself to the possibility of not being so alone anymore. It all falls apart when Chase Andrews dies and Kya is arrested for his murder. Told between two timelines, beginning in 1952 when Kya is introduced and 1969 with the police investigation, the story weaves a mystery that slowly unravels. Who killed Chase Andrews? Did Kya kill him? 

I have heard many rave reviews of Where the Crawdads Sing. I finally picked up a copy. I settled in to read and the opening chapter set a lyrical tone as the author describes the wildness of the marsh and the animals who live there. The first half of the book moved slowly. I knew there must be a connection to the death investigation and Kya, so I pressed on. The second half of the book moved more quickly as the trial began. When I finished, the mystery solved, I sat silent, underwhelmed. It wasn’t the book I expected. The “gotcha” moment fell flat for me. I liked the book. It was entertaining but I wasn’t wowed by it as I expected from hearing so many rave reviews. There is a movie in production based on this book, set to be released in 2022. After reading the book, I’m not sure I’m interested in seeing the film. Maybe that will change in time. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was good and the descriptions of the landscape are beautiful. It’s not a “oh my gosh, you have to read this book!” But I recommend Where the Crawdads Sing. 

Where the Crawdads Sing is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

No Thanks: One woman's journey to live life on her own terms

No Thanks: Black, Free and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone by Keturah Kendrick is a collection of eight essay as Ms. Kendrick chronicles her journey to freedom. She shares her stories as well as the stories of other women who have freed themselves “from the narrow definition of what makes a ‘proper woman.’” Ms. Kendrick especially puts a spotlight on the cultural bullying  that puts pressures on women to become wives and others and the expectation that one must follow the spiritual traditions of previous generations. Through her wit and humor, Ms. Kendrick speaks directly to black women as she imagines a world where black women can like choices that center on their needs and desires rather than the choices society offers them. No Thanks is a mixture of memoir and cultural critique to paint the 21st century black woman free from the chains of someone else’s expectations. 

Even though I am not Ms. Kendrick’s target audience, I enjoyed her candor and wit as she examines her fight to live her life her way. Right off the bat, she tells her readers that our families, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, etc, are not entitled or allowed to edit the “blueprint” or path of our lives in order to suit their wants and desires. She even dives into the growing criticism of the selfishness of women who choose not to have children. While I have always known that I wanted to be a wife and mother, I have never thought of another woman who didn’t want the same as selfish. The essays are short and easy to read. I found her very interesting and even when I didn’t agree with all of her premises, she was clear about her reasons. I recommend No Thanks. 

No Thanks: Black, Free and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone is available in paperback and eBook.