Disney + Bible = Theodicy
I love Disney and I love the Bible. Sometimes that creates strange biproducts like a theodicy based on The Little Mermaid and the book of Ruth.
I encourage you to read the book of Ruth. It’s super short and an incredible story. I’ve been translating through Ruth in my Hebrew class at Dallas Theological Seminary. Though I struggle in my language classes, I’ve grown to appreciate how enlightening it can be to read the Bible in the original languages. Of course, it also helps that I have incredible teachers explaining their way through the book too so I get to receive their incredible insight as well.
I had Hebrew homework still churning through my brain as I headed towards the movie theater. AMC Theaters temporarily brought back some old Disney princess movies for a week at a time. When I saw The Little Mermaid would be playing, I quickly bought tickets. It was my absolute favorite movie growing up and I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see it on the big screen. I was like a kid again as I wandered into that theater with my husband (who was also enthusiastic because I lucked out and married a guy who likes Disney movies). We were nearly the only people in the theater, so we sang (whisper sang) the songs to ourselves and enjoyed the whole thing.
Coming out of the theater, the studies from Hebrew class began to meld with The Little Mermaid. I started connecting the dots in my head and a few days later, this theodicy was formed! I highly recommend listening to the episode to get the full picture, but here’s what I concluded in relation specifically to Naomi.
The book of Ruth is about Naomi’s journey from being a full, happy woman (despite some hardship) to being empty and feeling stricken by God. She wonders if God has abandoned her and feels like her life has turned to bitterness. But of course, God shows up. God works through the faithfulness of Ruth and Boaz to bring new light and blessing to Naomi. God’s blessing transcended their lifetime. In fact, Naomi’s great-great grandson was King David. Through David the Ultimate King was brought into human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Ruth would have never met Boaz without knowing Naomi first. God used the hard stuff Naomi walked through to bless her, Ruth, and Boaz in ways they never could have imagined. I’ll end this post with a quote from the NET Bible Notes.
“The theological message of the Book of Ruth may be summarized as follows: God cares for needy people like Naomi and Ruth; he is their ally in this chaotic world. He richly rewards people like Ruth and Boaz who demonstrate sacrificial love and in so doing become his instruments in helping the needy. God’s rewards for those who sacrificially love others sometimes exceed their wildest imagination and transcend their lifetime.”