In Ruth 1:1-22 (ᐊ first blog), you can see that Naomi was very bitter after her many losses. Ruth had a very different reaction. She too experienced big losses, as she was a childless widow.
So what was so different about Ruth? Why did she react differently than Naomi did? And why was she willing to go through even more losses, leaving her family and friends behind? How come she was willing forget her prospects of new marriage and go to Israel instead?
We don’t really know, as the Bible does not say. But we see a few characteristics in Ruth that are definitely admirable. Firstly, we see a huge commitment on her part to those she loves. She stayed faithful to her mother-in-law and showed this kind of love to the utmost. She was living out her commitment to her husband even after his death by honouring his mother. What she makes to her mother-in-law pretty much amounts to another wedding vow:
… 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.
Ruth 1:16-17
Ruth’s faithfulness went absolutely beyond what would have been required. It was radical.
She also shows faith in Naomi’s God. She says “Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to go back to their idols, but Ruth would not. Likely, Ruth had learnt about God from her mother-in-law. Now she chooses to follow the LORD. Maybe Elimelech’s and Naomi’s love had drawn Ruth to God. Whatever the case, Ruth believed in God. She swore an oath in the LORD’s name.
The interesting fact here is that Ruth herself appears to show greater faith in God than Naomi. She took a radical step of faith in spite of her recent losses. The foreigner who didn’t belong to God’s people was better at trusting in God than the one who had heard about Him and believed in Him all her life. Maybe sometimes as Christians we’re the same way. We’ve grown up with the faith, and we can repeat all the Bible stories, but when it comes down to it we don’t really trust God. And people outside the church walls, newcomers, show more faith than we do. Our faith becomes rusty and old, instead of vibrant and active.
Ruth shows an active faith, one that moves in compassion. And she shows a strong commitment.
She challenges us to two things amid our suffering: faithful love and trust in God. When we trust God, we can move away from just looking at our own needs. Instead, we can trust God will provide for us, and love those around us. Then God can work through us to help them as well. God is the only true energy source that can keep us going in tough times. Let’s be fueled by the motor of love, because His love does not run out.
Questions
How can you trust God amid difficult times?
What loving thing can you do today?
What motivates you as you live your life: bitterness, fear, love, or something else?
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