How to Welcome the Foreigner Among Us: Lessons from the Book of Ruth

(This article was first published in French at TPSG).

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)

If the law of Moses as a literary genre delimits what God expected of the people of Israel, in the book of Ruth we see in flesh and blood obedience to the law, and in particular that relating to the treatment of foreigners. Ruth emphasizes this from its opening verses: the first chapter reveals one of the most beautiful love stories in the Bible, not between a man and a woman, but between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law - Ruth cleaves to Naomi for life (Ru 1:16-17). More than any other person in the history of Israel, Ruth personifies the fundamental principle of the nation's ethics: "You shall love your God with all your heart" (Deut 6:5) "and your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18). The irony is that it is this Moabite woman who shows the people of Israel what this means in the way she treats Naomi, a foreigner in her own country.

Ruth and Naomi embark on a perilous journey that few women would dare to make without a man during this chaotic and often violent time of the judges. They had no lights in the streets, no paved roads, no rest areas and no security. These two widows were easy prey for bandits - not to mention that they had the Jordan River to cross and an 1800 foot slope to climb. But Naomi is determined to return home, and Ruth pledges at all costs to go with her.

When they finally reach their destination, the whole town is stirred because of them. In her bitterness, Naomi says to the women of Bethlehem:

"I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty." (Ru 1.21)

But what does she not see that's right in front of her? Her extraordinary daughter-in-law, Ruth! Chapter 1 ends on a dark note, but we'll see how the story brightens as Ruth continues to show Naomi covenant loyalty.

Life takes a positive turn in Chapter 2 when Ruth goes to glean in Boaz's field. This man falls from the sky like heaven-sent rain into a parched land. According to Leviticus 19 and Deuteronomy 24, the law required landowners to leave a corner of their fields unharvested and not reap what remained to be gleaned. That's it. But in Boaz we see a man of God who is not content to obey the letter of the law. He obeys the spirit of the law and goes far beyond its requirements:

1. Boaz addresses Ruth using a loving term: "my daughter" (v. 8).
2. Boaz gives Ruth protection by:
   a) telling her to stay with his servants (v. 8); and
   b) forbidding his servants to touch her (v. 9).
3. Boaz suggests that Ruth drink from the water that his servants have drawn (v. 9).
4. Boaz invites Ruth to eat the meal with his servants (v. 14).
5. Boaz orders his servants to allow Ruth to glean between the sheaves, and even to remove a few ears of grain from the sheaves for her to glean (vv. 15-16).
6. Boaz gives Ruth enough food for her to take her leftovers to Naomi (vv. 18).

According to commentators, Ruth comes home after her first day at work with 30-50 pounds of barley!

You may be asking yourself, "Why does Boaz care so much about Ruth?"  Nothing in the texts indicates romantic interest on his part. And, yes, he's a devout man. That's obvious. But is it possible that in this foreign woman he sees echoes of his own mother? For Boaz's mother was none other than Rahab, the former prostitute who had hidden the spies in Joshua 2! Boaz himself had a mixed heritage. Did this make him a less desirable candidate for marriage? Was he viewed with suspicion by the people of Bethlehem? We don't know. However, I think it is safe to say that being the son of a foreign woman made him more sensitive, more open, more understanding, to the plight of someone like Ruth.

In this passage we also see a model in Ruth of how to behave as a foreigner. Ruth is a resourceful, hard worker. She is far from the stereotype of the immigrant who comes to the West in search of government aid. This stereotype, I believe, is false in the majority of cases. Most immigrants leave their country in search of work, in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They do not want handouts. They want dignity. They want to live free from the economic hardship, insecurity and even persecution that brought them here in the first place. I can attest to this in the lives of my parents, who immigrated from Colombia to the United States 50 years ago.

But beyond her hardworking nature, something else distinguishes Ruth: she has earned a reputation as a virtuous woman. Thanks to the sacrifice she made to accompany her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, she has become the main topic of conversation in town! Boaz does not see her behaviour as mere kindness. Boaz considers that through her actions Ruth has pledged allegiance to the God of Israel.

Ruth 2:12 says:"The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Here Boaz presents one of the most beautiful images of divine care in all of Scripture. He represents the Lord as a mother bird offering her wings for the protection of her helpless young. And what is wonderful is that the rest of the book of Ruth reveals how God uses Boaz to be the wing under which Ruth will find refuge.

In Boaz we see a model par excellence of how to treat the foreigner in our midst - with generosity and gentleness, offering protection and welcome. We can all learn from Boaz's example. And in Ruth we have a model for us immigrants (I myself am a foreigner in Quebec as an American). Our goal as children of God is that our behavior be a witness to those who welcome us into their country, and that they may see God at work for His glory.

Chapter three begins with Naomi in strategic planning mode. She sees an opportunity for Ruth, and she takes it upon herself to provide a future for her. When Ruth's period of mourning is over, Naomi tells Ruth to change (probably to take off her mourning clothes), and to ask Boaz to marry her. What a bold move!  Boaz accepts, but he must first settle the question of who has the first right of redemption. Chapter three closes by leaving the reader in suspense, wondering how this matter will end.

True to his word, Boaz sets out for the gates of the city to seek the one who has the right of redemption. The man in question renounces that right, and the contract is sealed. When the deal is concluded, the elders of the city, as well as the people who had gathered, overflow with words of blessing for Boaz and his forthcoming union with Ruth.

In v. 12, the prayer of the witnesses for Ruth is extraordinary in that they pray that the Lord will grant this foreign woman a place among the matriarchs of Israel, Rachel and Leah.

The Lord opens Ruth's barren womb, as he is wont to do throughout the history of redemption, and grants her a son. In response, it is now the women of the city who exclaim God's faithfulness to Naomi. And in what terms do they describe Ruth? 

He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” (Ruth 4:15)

Ruth's assimilation into her host culture is now complete. She is no longer Ruth the Moabitess. She is now Naomi's most priceless possession, more precious to her than seven sons. Wow! Imagine the joy, the satisfaction and the peace that Ruth must feel as the people of Bethlehem receive her into the fold of God's flock. She is one of them! She is no longer a stranger, but a child of the covenant.

The concluding verses breathe hope and joy into the heart of every believer. Ruth and her contemporaries have no idea of the extent of her integration into the covenant people. For she not only becomes a virtuous woman before all the people of Bethlehem, but also the great-grandmother of the greatest king Israel has ever known. The greatest, that is, until "the Son of David," the Lord Jesus Christ, comes to make his dwelling among us. Praise God!