Loyalty, Sacrifice - Ruth 1
You've heard it before - perhaps at a wedding: 16 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. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."But as we see today, while very romantic out of context, this famous passage was from a woman to her mother-in-law - not her husband. This is an amazing setup to the story found in this book in the Old Testament - how a Moabite woman went from complete poverty to an honored wife - great grandmother of King David.
Ruth had the option to go back to her family after her husband died. But she decided to stay with her mother-in-law, who also lost her husband. The resulting blessings are a testimony to her sacrifice.
How can we apply this to today? Honoring your mother and father is one thing that comes to mind. But for me, the message is one of sacrifice to help others. Ruth chose to leave the familiar with nothing but what she could carry because she cared for Naomi. No matter what happened, she would not leave her side. Loyalty and sacrifice to be sure. As a result (as we'll see in the next 3 chapters) she was honored and blessed beyond her own belief.
peace,
e
