000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

ments of life are systemically interrelated, the choices that people make
may have effects on other people very far away. I may personally live an
upright life but live in a condition associated with curse because of choices
made by people in other parts of the life system. A part of what it means
to live as “dust and ashes” is to name God’s presence in offering us choices
for blessing.
Although the circumstances of Job’s life are not greatly different in Job
1:1 and Job 42:17, Job’s point of view has changed. Readers learned in
38:1–41:34 that God has structured the world in such a way as to provide
resources for human beings to make our way through chaos. Beneath the
chaos are elements of providence on which human beings can rely.
Although situations may not improve, the perception that God is with us can
tilt the scale when we have the option of yielding to chaos and living bitterly,
or of making our way through difficult situations aware of the capacity
of God through creation to sustain.
Proper 26 [31]/Year B
Ruth 1:1–18+ (Semicontinuous)
Proper 26 [31]/Year B 197
In its canonical context in the Old Testament, the book of Ruth is placed
between Judges and the first book of Samuel, breaking the flow of the narrative
from Judges to Samuel. However, the Jewish Bible places Ruth
among the Writings, where it more naturally fits, and where the lectionary
wisely assigns the reading. Because the story of Ruth is a single, unbroken
narrative, a preacher focusing on the book of Ruth should consult the
comments both today and next week, Proper 27/Year B.
Because of famine in Judah, a Jewish woman, Naomi, moved with her
husband to Moab, a land directly east of the Dead Sea. Her husband died
as did her only two sons, leaving Naomi a widow, as were her Moabite
daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah (Ruth 1:1–5). In those days, a woman’s
security came from being related to a male—father, husband, sons, or
other male relatives, and the text does not mention other males who were
responsible for Naomi. Hence, she decided to return to Judah where she
had heard that God provided food for widows in her state of abandonment
(Ruth 1:6). Presumably Naomi had in mind the practice of gleaning
in the fields (e.g., Deut. 24:19; Lev. 19:9; 23:22).
Although her daughters-in-law start the journey to Judah with Naomi,
she exhorts them to remain in Moab and go to the families that would provide
for them (Ruth 1:7–9). When they object, Naomi points out that she