The Gospel of Ruth: A Token of Love

By Dr. Jean Daniel Francois

The book of Ruth represents a beautiful biblical epic which meets all the conditions of a twenty-first-century best-seller. Anyone who takes the time to read it will be charmed by its literary merit. It considers extraordinary themes of tragedy, love, patriotism, passion, emotions, and conflicts. From a biblical standpoint, this book presents an ideal canvas for believers of all ages. It allows them to remember that the Most High controls the destiny of all those who "take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel." Any reader of the Bible will also be pleasantly surprised to discover this little-known jewel. Its precious pearls are hidden only in four chapters. It is surprisingly rich in its literary and simplistic style, its rhythm and fluidity. It reflects a certain time, its people, their customs, and their values. This book, while short and sweet, is a loaded one catering to almost everyone. The reader is invited to slowly peruse these chapters and revel in all the peasant charm of the world of the Near East world of antiquity.

In this version, the author has taken the liberty to fill in details of the picture in order to portray the tapestry of the story in full technicolor. It is a contemporary perspective of an old story. We hope you find this tale novel refreshing as retold in mostly dialogue but still in line with the biblical text.

Enjoy it!

Happy reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639039005

Book preview

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THE GOSPEL OF RUTH

C:\Users\jfran\Documents\Ruth Dad's book cover.jpgC:\Users\jfran\Documents\Ruth Dad's book cover.jpg

A Token of Love

Dr. Jean Daniel Francois

ISBN 978-1-63903-899-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63903-900-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Jean Daniel Francois

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

The biblical quotes are from various authors but most especially from the current version of New International Version of the Holy Bible.

Printed in the United States of America

I hasten to thank all those who have always supported me in my multiple projects, including that of submitting this pearl that I rediscovered in a moment of solitude. The numbers of people who have helped me are considerable. At the risk of omitting certain names, I prefer to address a general thank-you to all those who have helped make this collection a reality. Many thanks to the readers of my books and their continuous encouragement. I dedicate it to you all.

Disclaimer

If this collection is inspired by the Bible, it does not relate biblical history in its restricted sense. The author dares to take the liberty of updating the story a little to make it easier to read.

Preface

Hidden in the Christian canon between the book of Judges and the books of Samuel, the book of Ruth represents a beautiful biblical page which meets all the conditions of a bestseller in the twenty-first century. The scroll of the book of Ruth is said to have been written in the time of the Judges. This wonder of Old Testament literature is one of the historical books of the Bible. In the Jewish tradition, it is classified in the category of Ketouvim,¹ the Megillot (scrolls attached to Jewish liturgical festivals).

Today, it is still a common read at the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.² Even in the secular world, if read just for its literary merit, it would be considered an extraordinary novel with themes of tragedy, love, patriotism, passion, emotions, and conflict. From a biblical point of view, this book presents an ideal canvas for believers of all ages and allows them to remember that the Most High controls the destiny of all those who take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel.

Any reader of the Bible is also pleasantly surprised to discover this little-known jewel. The precious pearls are hidden in these four chapters by it being one of the shortest books of the Bible. It is surprisingly rich in its literary and simplistic style, its rhythm and fluidity. It reflects the time, the people, their customs and values. From these emerge a history where tragedy, romance, culture, history, ethics, custom, spirituality, materialism are all present.

It can be said that the story begins around 1150 BC (the second half of the twelfth century). It was a time when the ancient phase of the globe was inexorably declining, and Israel was entering a turning point on the world stage. Moses and Joshua were deceased; the Hebrews stumbled on the road of cohesion and unity. It was necessary to their survival to maintain peace with their Judges so they could be united against their enemies, in particular, the Philistines. This book begins and ends in Bethlehem, Judah, which reports a series of tragedies suffered by a peasant family of the Euphrates of Bethlehem in Judah. In search for a better life, they abandoned their home to emigrate to Moab, where a seemingly fortuitous series of events caused the death of three of the four emigrants. The remaining survivor of the family wanted to go back home. She cared deeply for the well-being of her two widowed daughters-in-law. Was it necessary to stay with them in this foreign land, which had brought her so many tears and sorrows? Was it necessary to abandon them and return home alone? If so, what could she hope for? What to do with her daughters-in-law? If she decided to stay, could she adjust to Moab and give up her native land, her religious beliefs, and her Jewish culture? This internal tug created an incessant struggle. Emotionally drained, thoughts of fears, anxiety, and disappointment were mixed with a sense of hope! To answer these questions, the reader is invited to slowly browse the chapters of the book of Ruth to revel in all the peasant charm of the Near East world of antiquity. Happy reading!

Introduction

Welcome to a contemporary perspective of the story of the book of Ruth. Prepare to be thrilled, horrified, mystified, electrified, and romanced. Come sit down and have a pleasurable read. Almost all cinematographic genres are represented in this story: mystery, suspense, thriller, romance, true crime, horror, adventure, and history.

It’s an evangelical love story. While the elements of the story depict Jewish romance, this story also tells of the love of God for His people. From the decaying was brought renewal; from tragedy, a victory. Ashes were exchanged for beauty. Some might call the meeting of Ruth and Boaz serendipitous, and others call it deus ex machina. However, we must insist that it was even more than that, God Himself stretched out His hand to deliver Ruth and Naomi and make them part of the genealogy of Jesus, the Son of God. It does not have the typical Hollywood ending; nonetheless, it is a captivating love story that remains timeless.

We hope you find this tale retold in mostly dialogue to be in line with the biblical text. Even though the author has taken liberties with the story, it was only to fill in the detail of the picture so that the tapestry of the story could be portrayed in full technicolor. Enjoy!

Moab

Chapter 1

The House of Bread Without Bread

The book of Ruth begins with a paradox. Bethlehem means house of bread. If a house is called a house of bread, then it should always have bread for all who lives there. As a result, if a city is named a bread house, all of its residents are expected to find bread. We cannot speak of famine in the city of bread. If she never has bread, we should at least change her name. Unfortunately, in this story, Bethlehem in Judah had become a city without bread. There was famine in the country, that is to say there was famine in the house of bread where the name of YWHW was praised. What a contrast! There were many questions. Why is there a famine in the house of bread? Is it God’s punishment for the disobedience of the Jewish people? Is it because of mismanagement by the leaders? Or is it due to the whim of nature without human fault? The cause is, for us, inconsequential. Whatever the reason, the famine meant that the survival of the entire population was at stake. At that time, since everyone did as they pleased, each family had to make their own plans and take steps to ensure their survival.

Paradox comes from the Greek paradoxos (παράδοξος), from para, beside, against, and doxa, opinion, belief. An idea, a thing, a fact, or a paradoxical being evokes what is surprising, illogical, and contradictory. We all know paradoxical stories such as the liar who tells the truth, the paradox of the egg and the chicken, or even the paradox of the barber by Bertrand Russell. In everyday life, several situations turn out to be paradoxical and bizarre. I remember reading the story of a young man, in love, who wrote a letter to his girlfriend telling her how much he loved her. He professed his love to her on the phone and all social media networks. He told her that he was ready to face anything and would not back down from any obstacle to be close to her. Then when the beloved asked him, When will you come to see me? He replied, I’ll come tonight if it doesn’t rain! What a paradox! The Holy Bible too is filled with examples of love that seem paradoxical: an omniscient and omnipresent God who asks Adam, Where are you? (Genesis 3:7–15), or someone who wants to save his life will lose it, and many more. Let us concentrate now on the book of Ruth which begins by discussing a famine in Bethlehem in Judah.

It is worth noting that the Old Testament mentions Bethlehem at least twice. There is the village of Bethlehem located in Galilee in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:10–15). This borough of Judah, which was once named Ephrata, was located eight kilometers southwest of Jerusalem (Ruth 4:11, Micah 5:1). It is an important city. This city was famous for its association with the Davidian monarchy, then with the Messiah, descendant of David, of the tribe of Judah.

Bethlehem, in Arabic: بيت لحم, Bayt laḥm; in Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם, Beith, Lelem = house of bread, from Judah, which translates as Yehou Yada (which means the Lord be praised).

Everyone has a deep desire to succeed. We are looking for a life of fullness in a better world. For happiness, we would do almost anything. However, the life of the human race is often at the mercy of unforeseen surprises. It seems that nothing really beautiful, or precious, is easily built. And when anxiety, hardship, and famine come, we are confused. We are caught in the whirlwind of life and looking for ways to cope. Sometimes overcoming the stormy current seems impossible and potentially fatal. We need a branch to hold on to or a lifeline if only for a moment’s rest and a breath of fresh air between two waves.

The people of Bethlehem had to find a way to cope with this unfortunate event, which was the lack of bread in the bread house. Among its inhabitants, let us note that there was a charming young Jewish couple who had planned on living together forever. They had hoped to enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life. They expected a world gleaming with happiness on a land dripping with milk and honey. The husband was called Elimelek, which meant my God is king; the wife was Naomi, which meant my sweet, my gracious, and my delight. Her name would be the equivalent to the contemporary name of Felicity. This couple gave birth to two babies, Mahlon and Kilion, which respectively meant illness and weakness. (A side note: Beware of the names you give to your children. It may impact their lives.)

Elimelek and Naomi took every step to guarantee an uninterrupted life of delight and happiness for their household. Since his early years, Elimelek taught his children that if they were disciplined, hardworking, and fulfilled their obligations toward the Lord, success was guaranteed. Indeed, before the famine, everything was fine for them. Nevertheless, Elimelek started noticing that things were not going as expected. Business had begun to fail. Creditors were after him. The poor became more and more restless and unruly. Cases of vandalism and revolt were becoming more frequent. Famine had taken their idyllic community and changed it. Elimelek was unable to save as he had in the past, and he had already begun to tap into his savings. Elimelek started to become concerned. He had to reconsider his options. Is there a happy life? Was it too good to be true? Here was a family ready to thrive in a world of happiness, but then the journey took a strange, unexpected turn. The inhabitants of Bethlehem were on alert and had no idea what was unfolding before their eyes. This story mirrors the pitfalls and tragedies that mark our lives that come as a surprise when we are expecting life as a rose garden.

Out of prudence, Elimelek, being the head of his household, which is a very important role in that patriarchal time, made a decision that would ensure the well-being of his family (Ruth 1:21). It was his irremovable duty. After a recent break-in, not too far from his own home, Elimelek decided to discuss leaving with his wife. Imagine the conversation going like this:

Elimelek. Naomi, I just spoke to Boaz regarding the sale of our possessions.

Naomi. What? Why? Have you lost your mind! That doesn’t make sense. It is not the first time that God’s people have faced famine. The Lord has always intervened. Why not this time? Why don’t you wait and see?

Elimelek. I just went through the fields. There is only drought and dust everywhere. It has been over a month without rain or dew. Children are starving. There’s nothing left to harvest. The big and tiny cattle are dying. What do you want us to do? Would you like to see my death and that of our children? Nothing is going right here. It is total desolation.

Naomi. Why don’t you consult God first?

Elimelek. Naomi, Naomi, Naomi! There are signs everywhere that God has already abandoned us. I even get the impression that His relationships with us was always fluctuating. He only favors us when He likes it or when He is in the right mood. When He has His mood swings, He