Ruth’s story reminds us that life does not end when we lose what we have. Instead of accepting her fate and staying in Moab, Ruth rather accepted Naomi’s faith and relocated to Bethlehem. From a poor widow from Moab, Ruth’s story changed.
Have you ever encountered a moment in your life that you had to make a life-changing decision? What was it about? Change in lifestyle, marriage decisions, letting go, accepting Jesus Christ, choice of spouse, among many others are decisions that can ultimately influence one for a lifetime. As a result of the influence of these decisions, it is usually recommended that one spends time to pray, consult and wait to hear from God before making such important decisions. In the Old Testament, one woman made a life-changing decision at the spur of the moment. She was so confident about her choice that she left no room for her mother-in-law to convince her otherwise. Ruth’s story recorded in the book of Ruth is a testament of the choices we make and the consequences of it. Ruth left her family, her people, her gods, her friends and everything she was used to and embraced a new life.
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. (Ruth 1:16)
When Naomi, her mother-in-law tried to convince her to go back to her own people, this was Ruth’s emphatic reply: “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.” (Ruth 1:16). What life lessons can we learn from Ruth? Let’s consider the following:
Faithfulness: Proverbs 20:6 states that “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” Faithfulness in relationships is a high-priced commodity and it is not easy to come by. For Ruth, she experienced the highs and lows of Naomi in Moab. She saw Naomi have it all and then lose it all. Infact, as at the time Naomi was leaving for Bethlehem Judea, she was very poor and there was no way to believe that her life would be transformed in Bethlehem. She was a childless old widow. No wonder Orpah listened to Naomi and turned back to her people. From Naomi’s own mouth, the hand of the Lord had turned against her and she had nothing to offer (see Ruth 1:11-13). However, Ruth refused to return to her people. Her unfailing love for Naomi was not based on the things Naomi had. She clinged on to Naomi until Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, and she stopped urging her to return (Ruth 1:18). If God should bring a scale to check how faithful we are to Him and the people around us, would He find a faithful person like Ruth? One who is not moved by what she sees and the circumstances. One who is moved by love!
Lifestyle change: When Ruth made the decision to follow Naomi, she also committed to change her lifestyle to that of Naomi. The Moabites were pagans and Naomi was a Jew who believed in Elohim (God). When Ruth professed that “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16), she indirectly committed to lifestyle change. Ruth was ready to follow Naomi, to stay with Naomi, to accept Naomi’s people as her own, to accept Naomi’s God as her own. This lifestyle change encompassed physical appearance change, emotional adjustments, spiritual orientation, changes in food choices, learning a new language, cultural changes among many others. From my experience one of the challenges with cross-cultural evangelists and even cross-cultural marriages has to do with having a high view of the new culture. Many times, we are so committed to our old cultures that any attempt to assimilate is seen as a betrayal. It is possible to find churches in new places who practice the culture of their mother countries including using their languages and choice of songs. Cross-cultural marriages end up having different worldviews and opinions stemming from the individual cultures. When Ruth followed Naomi, she identified with the people of Bethlehem and was ready to follow the other women even to the fields to pick wheat. She didn’t say, “That’s not done in Moab.”
Diligent: Ruth demonstrated diligence in her decision to follow Naomi and also in the way she lived when she arrived in Bethlehem. She wasn’t a passive agent in how her story was transformed. Consistently, she listened to Naomi and this efforts led to the accomplishments of a greater feat; marriage to Boaz. She was not worried about being treated as a foreigner on the farms. She was attentive, persistent and determined to make the best for herself and Naomi. She was not lazy but hardworking. Even the overseer on Boaz’s field saw her Zeal and mentioned to Boaz that “She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” (Ruth 2:7). All day, Ruth was looking for food for her and Naomi. Proverbs 10:4 states that “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Ruth’s hard work led to her change in status and position.
Following instructions: One of the most difficult things for many young people is to follow instructions to the latter. The desire to have it our own way alway leads to alternative ways rather than the laid down procedures. Ruth wasn’t just faithful to Naomi, she was ready to follow Naomi’s instructions. When Naomi told her that It will be good for Ruth to go with the women who work for Boaz, because in someone else’s field Ruth might be harmed (Ruth 2:22), Ruth listened and stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished (Ruth 2:23). Similarly, when Naomi proposed that Ruth go and sleep under the feet of Boaz in the field at night in an attempt to find a home for Ruth, she obeyed and followed Naomi’s instructions to the latter. Ultimately, her obedience led to her finding a husband and a home. Certainly, Naomi’s approach to finding a home for Ruth might sound unconventional in the 21st century but the key lesson is Ruth’s cooperation and obedience to Naomi. Proverbs 4:13 admonishes this, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Ruth’s story reminds us that life does not end when we lose what we have. Instead of accepting her fate and staying in Moab, Ruth rather accepted Naomi’s faith and relocated to Bethlehem. From a poor widow from Moab, Ruth’s story changed. She became the mother of Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David (Ruth 4:22). In Matthew’s account of the genealogy of Jesus, he wrote,
“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse” (Matthew 1:5).
Ruth and Rahab were not lost to history. They became part of history.