In Those Days

I am reading the Book of Ruth along with a Chinese commentary on Ruth. “In the days when the judges ruled…” indicates the background of the narrative. At the end of Judges, it says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). People did things according to their own standards, meaning that there was no standard.

With this chaotic background, Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi is outstanding. After the death of Elimelech (Naomi’s husband) and her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, in the country of Moab, Naomi sent her two daughters-in-law back to their homelands while she was planning to return to the land of Judah (1:1-14). Orpah left, but the text says, “But Ruth clung to her” (1:14). The verb “to cling” is used in Gen. 2:24: a man clings to his wife. The way Ruth clung to Naomi is like a man clinging to his wife. Such an intimate attachment made Ruth to abandon her old way of life and follow Naomi—“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (1:16-17).

In the time of judges, it was rare to find such a loyalty in relationship. Israel failed to cling to God; God subjected them to nations to be punished. Israel cried out to God. God raised up judges to save them. Then there was peace among them for many years. Once they failed to cling to the Lord, the same cycle happened again and again. In those days there was no loyalty. Israel cried out to God not because of the covenant they made with God. They cried out because of self-centeredness. They cried out to God, but there was no glad obedience to God from Israel. Who wouldn’t cry out to God in the day of trouble? Who would call upon the name of the Lord in the day of prosperity? No matter what, Ruth clung to Naomi in those days.

To look at Ruth’s loyalty from a Christological perspective, her loyalty does foreshadow the loyalty of God towards humanity in Christ Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from dead to fulfill the salvation of God in spite of human sinfulness. God clings to us in Jesus. The cross demonstrates that attachment.