Deborah and Ruth: A reflection on courage, faith, loyalty

The story of Deborah, judge and prophetess, is recounted in both prose and song in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges. She successfully led a revolt against Canaanite domination in the  north of Israel. The wife of Lappidoth, Deborah was a judge, a woman whose moral authority was seen as inspired by the Lord.

She was often seen under a tree between Bethel and Ramah where people would approach her to settle their disputes. At this time, northern Israel had been oppressed for twenty years by Jabin the Canaanite, king of Hazor, who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Judg. 4:1) Commanded by God, Deborah sent for Barak from the tribe of Napthali in the highlands of the Galilee.

In the prose version of this call to arms, Deborah told Barak to gather the men of Napthali and Zebulun to conquer the Jezreel Valley which had been occupied by the Canaanites. In the song account of the story of Deborah, all the tribes of Israel were called to fight. Those that refused to assist were recipients of her wrath.

When Deborah summoned Barak to take command, he responded that he would only do so if she accompanied him. Without hesitation, she agreed. The Canaanite leader, Sisera assembled an army and advanced to the Canaanite strongholds of Megiddo and Taanach. But Lord sent a storm which flooded the Kishon River which turned the land into a plain of mud. Both chariots and horses were trapped in the mud, which opened the way for the Israelites to descend on these Canaanites and wipe them out. As a result of this victory, the reign of King Jabin was brought to an end. And the land of the north enjoyed 40 years of peace.

The book of Ruth tells the tale of the loving relationship between the Israelite widow, Naomi, and her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. This story is set in the llth century B.C., about the same time as the Book of Judges. During the time of famine, Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leave their native Bethlehem and cross over the Dead Sea to the land of Moab.

There, Naomi’s sons take Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, as their wives. In Moab, Elimelech died, followed by his two sons. Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to their own families as she intended to go back to Bethlehem. Orpah did return to her family while Ruth implored Naomi to allow her to remain at her side.

Upon their return to Palestine, the harvest of wheat and barley was taking place. Ruth went into the fields to glean the ears of corn left by the reapers. She also entered the barley patch owned by Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s deceased husband. Boaz was attracted to Ruth. He was so taken by her that he invited her to take whatever she wished from his land.

When Ruth returned to Naomi with a whole bushel of barley and some other food given to her, she told Naomi how Boaz was kind to her. Being a relative of Elimelech, Boaz had the right of redemption to take Ruth as his wife, as there were no other living siblings of her husband.

Naomi encouraged Ruth to go back to the field and continue to work as nobody would bother her. She did as instructed. On her mother-in-law’s advice, she went to Boaz at night when he would work the threshing floor. When Boaz laid down to sleep, Ruth approached him and identified him as next of kin with the right of redemption. But Boaz said that there was another kinsman who had a closer relation to her deceased husband and had the right to redemption first.

If he did not act on this, Boaz said that he would take Ruth as his wife. As it were, the other relative opted not to marry Ruth and passed his right of redemption to Boaz. Once married, Ruth bore him a son, Obed, who was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Everyone admired how Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law, and whose love was worth more than seven sons. Thus Ruth, the Moabite girl, became the great-grandmother of King David.

During this time of reflection on the passion of Christ, we should recall that standing at the foot of the Cross were strong, brave and faithful women, much like Deborah and Ruth. Mary, Mary of Cleopas and Mary Magdalene summon us to repeat the words that have echoed through the centuries:  “We adore you, o Christ, and we praise you. For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.”

Father Comandini is coordinator of the Office for Ongoing Faith Formation