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." Ruth1:16-17
The account of Ruth documents one of the most challenging personal new beginnings we find in the Bible. Ruth was a Moabite. Traditionally Israelites and Moabites disliked, mistrusted and even hated each other.
Elimelech, an Israelite, had come to Moab because of a famine in Israel. Ruth fell in love with Mahlon, one of Elimelech's sons. But marrying into this family of foreign refugees would not have been a popular move among her own people...
Then all the men in Elimelech's family died, leaving only his wife, Naomi, and his sons' widows, Orpah and Ruth. One can imagine the townspeople saying: "Hmmm that's what you get for marrying into a family of foreign heathens!"
But Ruth has started to believe in the God of Israel... Then, when Naomi hears that the famine is over, she prepares to go back and tries to persuade her Moabite daughters-in-law to remain in Moab.
But Ruth is determined to go with Naomi. She says:
"Don't urge me to leave or turn back..." (I don't even want to contemplate it, so don't keep nagging me about it because I'm so scared)
"Where you go..." (I'm willing to _head_ into the unknown and _stay_ outside my comfort zone)
"Your people will be my people" (I'll start from scratch and reinvent myself)
"Your God will be my God" (This is what it is all about)
"Where you die... Be buried" (this is a lifelong commitment)
"May The Lord deal with me..." (She seals it with a vow)
Ruth leaves behind all she knows and all she is to show loyalty to Naomi because she has met Naomi's God. We don't talk about loyalty often when we talk about faith.
Maybe we should.
The story of Ruth is a powerful new beginning.
She, a scorned Moabitess, is the great great granny to king David and features in the genealogy of Christ.
All because of her loyalty in love and faith!
How loyal in love and faith are we???
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
