Ruth and Luke Connections

Although it is only a 4 chapter book, Ruth is oozing with the juices of biblical connections. Mmm, that was a tastey sounding first sentence. I’m not exactly sure where the author(s) wants the connections to be made, but Ezekiel, Proverbs, and Luke seem to jump out at me the most. I’d love to go into the possible connections with Ezekiel and Proverbs, but for now lets just discuss Luke. I actually read this about a half hour ago so my mind is still damp and soggy from the splish splashes of exegesis. Here we go.

Ruth 4:14-17   “The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian today! May he become famous in Israel!  He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given him birth. She is better to you than seven sons!” Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver.  The neighbor women named him, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed.   Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!”

Before we go into Luke, let me first of all say that this part is wild. It seems to be calling the son (Obed) the “gauardian” (or “kinsmen-redeemer” in the NIV). If you’ve read through Ruth (if you haven’t then you’re a heathen), this should be surprising becuase the “guardians” for the whole story have been both Boaz, and the closer relative. After the discussion between both of them, Boaz becomes the guardian that “redeems” Naomi and Ruth the Moabite…Then the author throws you a curve and decides to call the baby son the “guardian” right at the end. POW! Right in the kisser! Anyways, that has nothing to do with what I’m trying to say, so we’ll move on.

A few years later this Luke guy comes along and writes this.

Luke 2:28-32   28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
 29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
      you now dismiss your servant in peace.
 30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
    31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
      and for glory to your people Israel.”  (NIV)

Here we have Joseph and Mary…hmm sounds a little bit like “Mara”. (Ruth 1:20) Anyways, Joseph and Mary are bringing Jesus to the temple to present him to the LORD. The author introduces you to this guy named Simeon, and right off the bat he is described as “righteous and devout”. (Luke 2:25) If I remember correctly, Boaz has a similar introduction. (Ruth 2:1) So Simeon takes the baby in his arms and starts speaking all of this prophecy. Salvation will come through this child? Even salvation for Gentiles, like “Ruth the Moabite”? I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t think of any other stories in the scriptures where a baby is born and people talk about him or her like this. Already, Luke seems to be drawing from Ruth…but that’s not all!

Luke 2:36-40  ”There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years.  She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.  At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.  So when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.  And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.”

So right after Joseph and Mary talk to Simeon, somebody else comes along and throws some Ruth at them. Anna is introduced as a widow who’s husband died many years ago. Hmmm, That sounds alot like Naomi. Anna comes up and speaks of this child to “…all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Redemption? That’s a huge theme throughout the book of Ruth! And check out those last couple of lines. Joseph and Mary return to “their own town” and the child grows up strong. Returning also plays an important role in the story of Ruth.

It seems as though Luke is wanting his readers to be reminded of the story of Ruth as they are introduced to baby Jesus in chapter 2. A Boaz-like character draws from the book of Ruth, and then a Naomi-like character does so right afterwards! The themes of redemption for both Jews and Gentiles, returning home, and even the way the characters talk about the baby all remind me of the book of Ruth. Perhaps this is intentional. Perhaps there are connections to be made with the story of a father of David, and the story of the Son of David.

Any thoughts?