Here is a prepublication version of my article in the current issue of the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, “An Indecent Proposal: The Theological Core of the Book of Ruth.” I am no longer teaching at SBTS so this was changed in the printed version. Thanks go to Athalya Brenner who was kind enough to read a draft and had some really great reflections that I was not able to integrate into the article due to the publication schedule, however, I will post her thoughts here on the blog soon.
In the article I try to unpack the theological implications of the threshing floor encounter and argue that that is the central event of the book and, therefore, theological reflections should center upon it instead of trying to mute its sexual overtones (which are admittedly, and likely purposefully, ambiguous). If you read it let me know what you think.
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I thought the article was very insightful. Thanks for posting it.
One thing I have noticed about the Ruth story is that all the discussions are two-fold, not involving the other main characters. So we have talks like this
Naomi – Ruth – Boaz – Mr. So-and-So. where the “-” indicates talking/interaction.
Also, of course, there is the subtext of David being a legitimate king and who would dare claim he was not.
It is interesting how Ruth only followed Naomi’s sly instructions to a point and then was direct with Boaz, thus giving him full informed choice. There is something to develop in this, in regard to Eshet Hayil.
I have an interest in how some people are open and upfront and others are indirect and manipulative. I realise that this comes from a combination of fear and disempowerment, i.e. women are commonly more manipulative for they do not think they can fill their needs any other way. Many of the OT women were sexually manipulative… but I still do think this is unacceptable, or at least less than ideal. Jesus says “Ask”, not grasp. The worst that can happen is you get a “No”.
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