As Christmas bears down upon us, many are reminded of Scripture, of Bible stories they learned as children. So in honor of the season, I would like to compare and contrast two separate Bible stories. One is in the Old Testament,the other in the New Testament. In one, a redeemer is made; in the other, a Redeemer is born. One tells how a need was created, and a redeemer was sought out to help meet that need. The other tells how a solution was created, and how we should apply that solution to our every need.
Both stories originate in Bethlehem of Judea. Both involve escapes to other lands. And both a return home,and isn't that what we all want for the holidays?
The first story begins with an old woman who calls herself Mara, or bitterness, because she had lost her husband and two sons. The family had fled from Bethlehem because of a severe drought or famine, and they had moved to Moab. There her sons had found wives among the Moabite women, but soon all three husbands had died. So "Mara", or Naomi as she was known, packed up her belongings and prepared to move back home. Her daughters-in-law were living with her, and they, too, packed up to leave. Naomi urged them to stay in Moab, to go home to their fathers and perhaps seek out other husbands. One of the young women, Orpah, followed that advice. The other young woman, Ruth, stayed committed to her mother-in-law, vowing to remain with her until death. "Wherever you go, I will go," she said. "Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die; and nothing but death itself will ever separate us."
Back in Bethlehem, Ruth and Naomi set up a household, and Ruth goes out to look for work. She finds a field where workers are harvesting barley, and she follows behind them, picking up whatever stalks they leave behind. Jewish tradition encourages land-owners to cut corners and leave some stalks behind when harvesting, so that orphans and widows can follow behind and get what they need. Ruth didn't stay at home and wait for government checks to start coming. She went out and looked for whatever job she could find, no matter how menial. And she worked hard. When Boaz, the landowner, came to check on the workers in the field, he saw her working behind them. He asked who she was, and they told him that she had been working the whole day, as hard as they had worked. Boaz told the men to leave a little extra for her, because she was working so hard. At lunch, Boaz gave Ruth some roasted grain. She ate a little, and saved a little to take home. After lunch, Ruth continued gleaning in the field until dark, and then she spent some time at the threshing floor, threshing her barley.
When Ruth came home, she showed Naomi what she had gleaned and threshed, and what she had saved from her lunch. Naomi was impressed, and told her to watch Boaz closely, because he was a kinsman. Jewish tradition was that if a man died without children, the nearest male relative would marry the widow and try to have children with her, so that the dead man's lineage would continue. So not only would the widow be cared for, but the family would continue on. God's grace is so evident in his provision!
When it was time for threshing, Naomi knew that it would take several days to complete. She also knew that the men would stay near the threshing floor day and night until the job was done--they probably spent the night there to make sure no one stole the grain. Anyway, Naomi advised Ruth to go to the threshing floor after the men had finished working, and after they had finished eating and drinking. She told Ruth to go lie down next to Boaz, and ask to be covered with his cloak. This was not a sexual solicitation. Rather, it was a discreet way for a woman to ask if the kinsman would "cover" her--that is, take her in and see to her needs. If he agreed, they would marry; if not, the man would not be embarrassed and the woman would not be shamed. So Ruth goes and uncovers Boaz's feet, and lies down on the threshing floor. Boaz wakes up, and asks her what she wants. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer", she says. In other words, will you cover me, and take me in? Boaz agrees in principle, but says there is another who is a closer kin than he.
After Ruth takes the initiative, Boaz goes into the town square where the elders all gather. He confronts the other kinsman, and offers him the property of the dead men. The other kinsman shrugs, and says he can redeem the property. Boaz says oh, by the way, the dead man left a wife, and by taking his property you have to take his wife, too. The other guy thinks about it and says no, he will decline this offer. He might have wanted his own family to inherit his goods, and by marrying the widow, the inheritance would go to the dead man's family instead. Anyway, Boaz does what he needs to do in order to ensure that all things are done legally and in order, so that no one can question his motives. Then he claims Ruth as his wife.
Now remember, Ruth has already pledged her allegiance to Naomi. So we know that the old woman will be cared for. And now Ruth, a young Moabite widow without any name or standing among the people of Bethlehem, has a protector, a comforter, a husband who will give her a name and an inheritance. Boaz and Ruth have a son, who turns out to be the grandfather of King David, the greatest king of Israel.
Luke 2 also begins with Mary, a young woman who is blessed by God. An angel tells her so. But she faces some obstacles. What would her fiance think when he finds out she is pregnant? What would her family think? And to top it all off, she has to go with Joseph to Bethlehem because of some dumb government census, and that trip has to take place right around her due date. Stupid taxes.
But it gets weirder. When she and Joseph get to Bethlehem, where they have to register for the census and pay the tax, apparently every other person in Judea has to go do the same thing at the same time. There is nowhere for them to go--no hotel, no family to stay with, nothing. An innkeeper takes pity on her obvious pregnant predicament and offers to let them find shelter with his animals. Then she goes into labor. When the baby is born, there is no bassinet or cute little crib for the baby to sleep in. The softest surface in the stable is the manger, where sheep come to eat hay. Although it is night, there is an eerie light in the heavens. And shepherds show up with stories of how they saw angels celebrating like it was a king's birthday or something. They kneel before the baby and don't just coo and rock him--they worship him.
On the eighth day they circumcised Jesus--hopefully they weren't still living in a stable by that time! And after 40 days they went the five or six miles to Jerusalem to have Jesus dedicated to the Lord. Jewish tradition was that the firstborn of both man and beast would be dedicated to God. When they were there, they were met by two prophets, a man and a woman. The man, Simeon, met them on the temple steps and thanked God for allowing him to see the Salvation of Israel. The woman, Anna, commended the child to all the temple visitors as the Redemption of Jerusalem.
Well, apparently Joseph had had enough of travelling, and he found a house and a job in Bethlehem. Because two years later, wise men from the east arrived with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. Gold was a gift for a king, incense was a sacrifice to a god, and myrrh was a preparation for death. An angel warned Joseph to get out of town, because jealous king Herod was going to come to Bethlehem and kill all the children two years old and younger. So they fled to Egypt, probably glad that they had the gold to pay for their trip. After Herod had died, they moved back home. Jesus became the Redeemer of all Creation by his sacrificial death, a death that was foretold to Mary by the prophetess Anna, who had said "And a sword will pierce your heart, also."
People who believe in Jesus now have a standing in Heaven. Where they were once lost, cast out, and fatherless, the Redeemer has given them hope, healing and a future. But as we see in the Ruth narrative, we don't just get it by being. We don't even get into Heaven by believing. "The demons themselves believe, and tremble," the Bible says.
Just like Ruth had to go to the threshing floor and ask to be covered by Boaz's cloak, we have to go to God and ask for His salvation. But unlike Boaz, who had work to do to complete the redemption process, God has already worked out the details. Jesus has already died for us, and we do not have to wait and wonder whether He will come for us.
Christmas will come and go. We will enjoy family, presents, and good will. And after the holidays we will pack up the ornaments and lights, and put them back into storage until next year. Yet Jesus is always with us. If you have asked Him, He lives in your heart. We don't have to put Jesus away with the manger and the star.
If you have not asked Jesus into your heart, do it today. Make this Christmas a true time of celebration, a time of rebirth and redemption. Make this the merriest Christmas ever.
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