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Once Upon a Time in the Middle East

I was surprised when my Bible study classes at South Congregational Church chose to read the books of Ruth and Esther. Most Christians know virtually nothing about these texts. At first glance, they contain no doctrinal statements, ethical admonitions, or prophetic challenges. There are no mighty acts of God or miracles, and no great demonstrations of divine sovereignty. In fact, at first glance, God appears to be on the sidelines or, in the case of the Protestant and Jewish texts of the book of Esther, not even mentioned. Ruth and Esther are cited only three times in the three-year lectionary cycle of the church. We know Ruth primarily from her declaration of loyalty to Naomi, and though her pledge is to her mother-in-law, it is primarily invoked at weddings. Although the Book of Esther is at the heart of the Jewish Purim celebrations, the only time I have heard it quoted in Christian contexts involves Mordecai’s counsel to Esther, suggesting she was elevated to queen for “just such a time as this.”

There is no clear historical evidence that either woman existed, nor do we know with exactness the authorship or dating of either text. It is easy to think of these texts as interesting novellas or short stories with little importance for our own faith journeys. But, like all good literature, both the books of Ruth and Esther are filled with surprising wisdom and unexpected theological reflection that goes far beyond superficial readings.

Ruth and Esther are women of agency and adventure. They are aliens, whose pilgrimages were, to some extent, against their will or in conflict with their life plans. They were resourceful and proactive women in patriarchal cultures, in which women depended on the support of males to survive. Both women were aliens who faced the possibility of death and destruction as a result of circumstances beyond their control. One became wealthy and powerful as queen, the other the spouse of wealthy landowner, but both were subject to the apparently arbitrary decisions of males with authority. Both women were agents in their destiny fulfilling their vocations in their particular culture. The impact of their decisions shaped the destiny of the Jewish people. Ruth and Esther were loyal to causes greater than self-interest, and their loyalty inspired resourcefulness and perhaps cunning to save those they loved.

The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther had a low estimate of the book of Esther as a result of the absence of God language in the Hebrew text, and wondered if it should remain in scripture. In contrast to much of scripture, the book of Ruth also appears to place God in the backseat in its focus on human agency. Still, the stories of these two women, called to shape their people’s destinies, reveal the gentle providence of God at every step and are appropriate texts for our pluralistic, postmodern age. For most of us living in the twenty-first century, God seldom announces God’s coming with “thus says the Lord” or “I am a messenger of God” or “I’m telling you what to do.” In our contemporary experience, God’s movements are much more subtle, and are found in intuitions, hunches, dreams, synchronous encounters, and insights. Ruth and Esther experienced God in the same way. They discovered God’s guidance in their quest to be faithful to their loved ones and secure survival for themselves and others. God is with them, as we will discover, each step of the way, presenting options and possibilities and calling them to go beyond self-interest to care for the well-being of others.

Ruth and Esther are timely books for us. They remind us that we can be faithful to God’s calling in challenging circumstances and discover our calling even though the pathway ahead is uncharted and uncertain. The hiddenness of divine activity makes these two books important spiritual reading for individuals and churches today. Even active Christians and spiritual leaders seldom receive divine operating instructions for our congregations and personal lives, and must rely on God’s guidance to emerge as we make decisions about the future. Like Ruth and Esther, there are no guarantees that we will clearly experience God’s vision or the paths we should take. In fact, even when we are most certain of our faith and calling, humility demands the recognition that we could be wrong. But, in their spirit, we will discover that we can only know by the walking. In this adventurous spirit, let us begin our journey with a prayer from John Henry Newman:

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home,

Lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.