Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then she said, ‘May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 23, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Just imagine Ruth’s relief and wonder at being accepted and supported even though she was a foreigner. I can only imagine what it would be like to pick up and move to a completely different country, with a different language and culture, and be treated the way BIPOC immigrants are treated in the U.S. What if Boaz had greeted Ruth that way? After all, the people of Moab, according to the Jewish people, originated through drunkenness and incest—he could have come up with all kinds of racist slurs for her, I’m certain. And Ruth could have stayed back in Moab with her family—what if Boaz had accused her of just trying to exploit Judean resources? Also, the Moabites spoke a distinct dialect of the family of languages that included Hebrew—Boaz could have sneered at her accent and insisted that she “Speak American!” as it were.
Boaz did none of these things. He said, “Welcome. I’ve heard about your strength and faithfulness to Naomi. I’ll make sure you have what you need to thrive here.” It was, of course, God’s law that people treat immigrants in this way, but that doesn’t mean they did. Boaz was a classy dude. We could learn a thing or three from him.
In what ways have I been welcoming to new neighbors in my community?
