Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. – Ruth 2:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 4, 2019): Ruth 2

I love Seth Godin’s description of a tribe.

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

The problem is that most of us are members of a tribe, or maybe more than one tribe, but only superficially. We might be able to share a statement of belief and a shared interest, but when it comes down to it, our shared interest has to be supported our way, or else we tend to tune out the message, and leave the tribe. We live in an era of echo chambers, where what we already belief is the only message that we are willing to consider. We do not want to be convinced or converted. The earth is flat, and there is no proof that you can offer to me that can sway me away from that belief.

But in the past, the tribe was very important. Defense from outside enemies and care for the weak within the society depended on the strength of the tribe and the tribal leader. The tribe was important, and to be outside of the tribe meant that you had to face the world alone. And the concepts of survival and alone seldom went together.

Elimelek and Naomi left the safety of the tribe when they moved to Moab. In Moab, the unthinkable happened and disaster struck the family. As Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she returns alone. She has cut herself off from the tribe and from any support that might have been there. Yet still, the tribe survives. It is just that Naomi stands on the outside.

So at this part of the story, we are introduced to the tribe, specifically the tribe of which Naomi’s husband was part; the tribe of Elimelek. In some ways, the NIV translation of this verse cheats us of some necessary information as it introduces us to Boaz. The NIV calls Boaz a “relative” and a “man of standing” in the tribe to which Elimelek belonged. But this verse is attempting to introduce, really for the first time, a very important concept. Boaz is not just a relative. The word translated “relative” here should really be “kinsmen,” indicating that Boaz is a person of influence within the tribe. Boaz is not only a man of wealth, he is also the leader to whom the tribe is connected.

And to understand the rest of the story, this one fact needs to be understood.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ruth 3