Day 1136: If anyone would follow - Ruth 1 vs 6 - 19

6-7 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8-10 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 9-13 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

14-15 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16-17 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18-19 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. Ruth 1:6-19 English Standard Version

In today's post we’re given two wonderful speeches by women who were totally unselfish. In the first one, Naomi says to her daughters-in-law “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” What a loving bond had been established between mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law. She recognizes the kindness they'd shown to her sons, and now seeks to return it upon them. She has their welfare at heart. They were young enough to marry again, and she urges them to do so.

The other speech comes from the lips of Ruth. As Naomi urged her to return to her people, and to her gods, Ruth says “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

What a remarkable show of affection this was. Remember, this was a Moabitess. What an impact Naomi must have had on her life before tragedy struck. Even now, in the midst of feeling that God was against her, Naomi was concerned for Ruth's well-being. How is it with us? When life gets on top of us, do we think of others? Do we seek God's blessing for their lives?

Ruth pledged herself to remain faithful to Naomi until the day she died. Not only that, she pledged to have Naomi's' people and Naomi's God as her own. It was the sort of commitment that Jesus called for when He said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

And so the passage tells us that when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. They set off together until they came to Bethlehem. And vs 19 says: “When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them.” Two crestfallen women who had suffered loss, but whose hope was in the God of Israel.