Ruth Chapter 1 conclusion

Ruth 1:14-17

¹⁴ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
¹⁶ But Ruth said:

      “ Entreat me not to leave you,
      Or to turn back from following after you;
      For wherever you go, I will go;
      And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
      Your people shall be my people,
      And your God, my God.

 ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die,
      And there will I be buried.
      The LORD do so to me, and more also,
      If anything but death parts you and me.”

As we continue on and take a close look at Ruth it is important to realize who Ruth represents.  She represents every believer.  She is in a helpless state and she needs to be redeemed.  There really is nothing she can do to help herself.  In American culture we seem to think we can get ourselves out of any mess.  The truth is we all are in need of a Redeemer. 

However Ruth is not torn in her decision.  She is determined to go with Naomi, but why?  I believe it is because Naomi lived a life of a believer.  My guess is that nobody ever treated Ruth the way Naomi and her family treated her.  Many people today mock Christianity and deny the deity of our Lord while they protect every other religion in the liberal lusts.  The funny thing is that there is no society in the world that treats women greater than Christian cultures.  In most cultures around the world women are possessions, but in the Christian culture women serve an equal role as men.  It is the Bible that says that a man and woman are joined together to be one flesh.  It is the Bible that says that a man is to love his wife with the love that Christ has for his Church.  You will not find this in the Koran or Buddhist teachings.  Will you here that on your local news?  Will Bill Maher bring up that point in one of his useless hours of programming?  No.  Instead we will continue to be mocked and put down, but let it be an honor to to be ridiculed for Christ.

Ruth has rejected the old world.  She is dead to her upbringing and now she is fixed on the God of Abraham.  She says to Naomi I am going to go where you go your people are mine and your God is my God”.  She is not looking back.  She is changed.  This represents faith and it is required in order to be a believer.  Today in our Churches with have believers and pretenders.  Believers are controlled by the Spirit and are people of faith.  Pretenders are just like cattle that follow the paths of the believers but they really don’t know where they are going or who is leading.  Ruth is going to live her life for God and she knows that the only person who she can count on to help her do that is Naomi.  Even if this means she has to move to a land that she will not be welcomed in and she has to live a poor foreign widow.  Jesus said that we must be willing to deny our mother and father and anyone for him.  This is not the typical mainstream Christianity teaching, but it is the truth.  Christ is first! 

Today in our area there are several Mexicans who have migrated here for work.  Many people dislike them simply because they are foreigners and look different.  Did you know that there are Ruth’s out there?  We walk by them all the time.  This is kind of how Ruth will fall into the background in Judah.  She is not going to be desired.  People will look down at her because she is a foreigner to make matters worse a Moabite.

We love the story of Ruth because she committed to God and was unwavering in her faith.  Our challenge is how we as the Church bring more in like Ruth.  This means that we look in more areas than just the typical new family in town.  We must look for any who will believe! God provides the increase, and we can not grow any believers if we are not sowing seeds in the field.

Jesus Saves,

RR