The dangers of practicing pragmatism above principle
I am setting the Biblical book of Ruth to music at the moment, and in order to do that I am doing some background research, which usually entails looking up the archaeological artefacts and research, the chronology, and particularly looking at some good bible studies as well.
While looking at one study on bible.org I was particularly struck by two particular paragraphs:
https://bible.org/seriespage/1-return-bethlehem-ruth-1 (the whole study is well worth reading btw)
What Can We Learn from Naomi?
The danger of practicing pragmatism above principle. It was my friend Dave Austin who reminded me of the danger of pragmatism from this text. Lot’s daughters, the Israelites (on behalf of the Benjamites), and Naomi are inclined to resort to a pragmatic solution, rather than one that is faith-based and rooted in principle. A few years later, king Saul will offer the sacrifices, even though he was instructed to wait for Samuel, all because Saul felt this was a crisis that justified setting aside obedience in faith to God’s Word.
Another label for pragmatism is “doing what seems right in our own eyes.” That was the spirit of the age during the days of the judges. We, too, live in very pragmatic times, and those who live by principle – especially the principles of God’s Word – are few and far between. Even professing Christians can fall victim to the tyranny of the urgent. The crises of life are God’s pop quizzes, times when He puts our faith to the test, times when He gives us an opportunity to put our faith on display. People of faith in God often stand out in times of crisis, so let us live by the principles of Scripture, rather than by pragmatism.
This really seems to exemplify most churches’ and Christian organisations’ responses to the government Coronavirus lockdowns, vaccination coercion, and banning on worship.
Being pragmatic is also something I’m tempted to do at times – if we can possibly live by principle rather than pragmatism this would be great - but I can think of times in my life in the past when I was pragmatic rather than principled.
But what is so comforting about the Book of Ruth, is that Naomi, who exemplifies in her own behaviour this pragmatism rather than principle, and is in a real low at the start of the book of Ruth, receives God’s grace, through her daughter in law Ruth’s faithfulness, as well as Boaz, the man that Ruth married, who also exemplifies faithfulness. This short biblical book is well worth reading.
This is the biblical passage the study is referring to:
In the time when the judges ruled, there was once a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah took his wife and two sons to live in the territory of Moab. His name was Elimelech and his wife’s was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. After they had been living in Moab for some time, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, Mahlon and Chilion both died, and Naomi was left alone, without husband or sons.
So she set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, for she had heard that the Lord had remembered his people and given them food. As they were setting out together on the journey to Judah, Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, “Go, return both of you to the home of your mother. May the Lord be kind to you as you have been kind to the dead and to me. The Lord grant that each of you may find peace and happiness in the house of a new husband.”
Then she kissed them; but they began to weep aloud and said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Can I still bear sons who might become your husbands? Go back, my daughters, go your own way, because I am too old to have a husband. Even if I should say, ‘I have hope,’ even if I should have a husband tonight and should bear sons, would you wait for them until they were grown up? Would you remain single for them? No, my daughters! My heart grieves for you, for the Lord has sent me adversity.” Then they again wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth stayed with her.
“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and to her own gods. Go along with her!” But Ruth answered, “Do not urge me to leave you or to go back. I will go where you go, and I will stay wherever you stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God; I will die where you die, and be buried there. May the Lord bring a curse upon me, if anything but death separate you and me.” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she ceased urging her to return.
From the Open English Bible, a copyright free version. https://openenglishbible.org/oeb/2020.2/read/