Tuesday 7th July

In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. “Who are you?” he asked.

“It’s Ruth, now listen up. Life has not been easy for me, right? I have given up my home, my family and my country to come here to look after Naomi. I am a stranger in a foreign country, left to gather up the leftovers in people’s fields. So, Naomi has sent me over here to try and get hitched in an attempt to try and feed ourselves, see… cause we ain’t got enough to live on, being widows and all that. She told me that you were, like, a redeemer type and it’s your job to sort us out. Right? Now, on the plus side, you get me as a wife. OK, I’m from Moab and all that , but I’m a good laugh and I’ll keep your house clean, and on top of that you will get all our land. It’s a good deal. Works on both sides. Go on, you know you want to…"

I wonder what Boaz’s answer would have been! (Or if she even would have got one!)
The Ruth we see in the Bible, however, is straight to the point, but at the same time, gentle and humble. Boaz is delighted and tells her how kind she is in picking him rather than a younger man. Yes, you did read that correctly! Ruth has asked Boaz for his help and he ends up thanking her! What an amazing woman Ruth must be. Now, I think I know why Boaz had not moved their relationship on further. It wasn’t because she was a Moabite, or a widow, or poor – it was because Boaz thought Ruth was out of his league!

Boaz’s words are just another one of those little phrases that are so easy to miss, yet make the story completely different. That’s why I love the Bible. I am sure I could go on to pull some deeply theological point from this. Something about relationships, or faith or knowing when to shut up, but all I want to say is this: Read your Bible. Just about every time I open mine, I find something new, and I don’t just mean another bookmark. I am faced with deep truths and challenging thoughts. I see themes running from cover to cover alongside single sentences that can change lives. The more you read, the more the stories and ideas become entangled in your everyday life and as you get deeper the urge to go even further only increases. Blogs, twitter, Church services and books are wonderful, but nothing comes close to getting your nose stuck in THE Good Book!

What will you find in there today, and what are you going to do with it?

Sam