Observation: I'll save some of the euphemistic and poetic language for another day. The plain, indisputable facts of the story are that Ruth has spent the night with Boaz, prior to their being married, on the threshing floor where women don't normally go. What, if anything, happened between the two of them other than sleep is a matter of interpretation. I guess. But...yeah. What is notable is, firstly, that Ruth initiates this relationship, and secondly, that after this point Boaz goes through a fairly complex legal to-do list in order to make Ruth his wife.
Application: As a model for love and intimacy, this story leaves me with more questions than answers. I really don't have time to write a long reflection or theological treatise on Biblical notions of marriage and sex, and how they apply to modern life. Which is a good thing, because that's not what this devotional blog should be, nor am I really qualified to speak as an expert either on the Book of Ruth or modern dating (I got married long before Tinder was a thing).
What I will say is this: when a passage like this comes up, I'm reminded that many Christians in the twenty-first century assume that all the notions of marriage and sex we have had in the last hundred years or so are mirrored exactly in what the Bible says. In fact, the Bible says a whole lot of things about marriage and sex and not all of it is supportive of what we consider traditional today.
But if there is anything that's internally consistent from Genesis through Revelation, it's that God is faithful to God's people, all the time. As a model of that faithfulness, God asks us to be faithful to one another, to honor our commitments, and in all of our relationships, to love the other as ourselves. It's not an iron-clad list of statutes about what is and isn't okay in terms of intimacy and sex. In fact, given the opportunity to throw a stone at a woman caught in the act of adultery, which is right there in the Ten Commandments, Jesus declines and says only the sinless should throw stones.
Modern relationships are complicated. Marriage is complicated too. And there's lots we can gain from the Bible, from the witness of saints like Ruth and Boaz. But if we're looking for one cookie-cutter approach to all relationships, so we don't have to rely on God's guidance, the Bible isn't really for that and you won't find what you need unless you ignore a whole ton of other stuff. That's the reality. But in Ruth and Boaz's story, we do get a wonderful example of faithfulness, or taking risks in the name of love, and of care for one's partner beyond simple legal obligations. It may not be a perfect gift-wrapped morality tale for eighth grade confirmation class, but it's a reminder that God is faithful and gives us the power to be faithful too.
Prayer:
God, help us to be faithful in our relationships, for the sake of our partners, for our own sake, and for the sake of all who will come after us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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