Ruth 1:14b-18
“At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.” Ruth 1:14-18.
It’s funny, well, not so funny, that we hear “mother-in-law” jokes and jabs being flippantly thrown around. I am a mother-in-law to five amazing loved ones and I’d love to think that they would be as committed to me as Ruth was to Naomi. But let me take that thought a few steps further. As I step into Ruth’s sandals for a moment and ponder what was transpiring, . . . I don’t know . . . I don’t know if amid the circumstances that Ruth was in, that I would be as dedicated and faithful as she was. Strap up your sandals and let’s walk through the setting of today’s Bible reading. The time period was after Israel had entered and occupied Canaan, led by Joshua and before King Saul had become the first king of the nation. There was a famine and the land was ruled by judges. If you look at Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Within the nation there was no key leadership; there was political chaos; there was military confusion; there was little regard or care for God and people did whatever their little hearts desired. Have you read the book of Judges? Yikes! The people had turned away from God and the nation was spiritually, morally, politically and militarily weak. Does that sound familiar to what is happening today? So, again I say, I don’t really know if I would've been all in with Naomi. Nope. I’d probably be out with the others doing “that which was right in his own eyes”.
Remember too, Ruth was not a blood relative of Naomi. She wasn’t even a Jew. Naomi did not beg Ruth to stay, in fact, she had released her. But Ruth made a choice. She responded with a decision that gave her a very special place in history in the plan of God, although she wouldn’t have known that at the time. I want to be like Ruth. Her determination fuels me! The way she held on to Naomi. Ruth was not going to do anything other than what she said she would do. You go girl!! Steadfastness. Dedication. Loyalty. Ruth reached in and grabbed hold and said, “Naomi, I’m not letting go of you. We’re going to get through this.” She conveyed her loyalty to Naomi. She also expressed her loyalty to God. It was loyalty not just to Naomi but to Naomi’s God, our God, a follower of Jehovah God! This may have been a turning point for Ruth. We don’t know, but there was a point where she declared herself to be a follower of God. We might call it conversion. She declared and affirmed her commitment to Naomi as well as Naomi’s God.
Aren’t you thankful for somebody like that? We need more Ruth’s in this world. I need a Ruth and I desire to be a Ruth. Our character and our response to a crisis matters. And that response, . . . it has the power to witness. Who’s with me? Who’s going to actively choose to follow God regardless of circumstances, work diligently through challenges without seeking immediate rewards, and maintain a humble, serving heart?
It’s time to commit.
It’s funny, well, not so funny, that we hear “mother-in-law” jokes and jabs being flippantly thrown around. I am a mother-in-law to five amazing loved ones and I’d love to think that they would be as committed to me as Ruth was to Naomi. But let me take that thought a few steps further. As I step into Ruth’s sandals for a moment and ponder what was transpiring, . . . I don’t know . . . I don’t know if amid the circumstances that Ruth was in, that I would be as dedicated and faithful as she was. Strap up your sandals and let’s walk through the setting of today’s Bible reading. The time period was after Israel had entered and occupied Canaan, led by Joshua and before King Saul had become the first king of the nation. There was a famine and the land was ruled by judges. If you look at Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Within the nation there was no key leadership; there was political chaos; there was military confusion; there was little regard or care for God and people did whatever their little hearts desired. Have you read the book of Judges? Yikes! The people had turned away from God and the nation was spiritually, morally, politically and militarily weak. Does that sound familiar to what is happening today? So, again I say, I don’t really know if I would've been all in with Naomi. Nope. I’d probably be out with the others doing “that which was right in his own eyes”.
Remember too, Ruth was not a blood relative of Naomi. She wasn’t even a Jew. Naomi did not beg Ruth to stay, in fact, she had released her. But Ruth made a choice. She responded with a decision that gave her a very special place in history in the plan of God, although she wouldn’t have known that at the time. I want to be like Ruth. Her determination fuels me! The way she held on to Naomi. Ruth was not going to do anything other than what she said she would do. You go girl!! Steadfastness. Dedication. Loyalty. Ruth reached in and grabbed hold and said, “Naomi, I’m not letting go of you. We’re going to get through this.” She conveyed her loyalty to Naomi. She also expressed her loyalty to God. It was loyalty not just to Naomi but to Naomi’s God, our God, a follower of Jehovah God! This may have been a turning point for Ruth. We don’t know, but there was a point where she declared herself to be a follower of God. We might call it conversion. She declared and affirmed her commitment to Naomi as well as Naomi’s God.
Aren’t you thankful for somebody like that? We need more Ruth’s in this world. I need a Ruth and I desire to be a Ruth. Our character and our response to a crisis matters. And that response, . . . it has the power to witness. Who’s with me? Who’s going to actively choose to follow God regardless of circumstances, work diligently through challenges without seeking immediate rewards, and maintain a humble, serving heart?
It’s time to commit.
Posted in Devotional