And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Ruth 1:16
News reports from Greece during the time of that nation’s struggle to prevent bankruptcy told of riots and protests against government cuts in spending. We can almost understand that; people don’t want to give up their jobs or their benefits, or their comfortable lifestyle. Trouble was, unless a lot of people bit a lot of bullets, the country was going to collapse, and everybody would lose everything. Even that risk of losing everything was not enough to prevent thousands of Greeks from struggling to hold onto what they had. Those people had made a god out of their good life, and they wanted to keep worshipping that god. How pitiful to be so devoted to a god that was transient, temporal, and uncertain! How much better was Ruth the Moabitess to put her trust in the God that her mother-in-law had introduced her to!
All that Ruth knew about God she learned from Naomi. Whether it was Naomi’s words or her manner of life, Ruth was so convinced that the God of her mother-in-law was worth living for and dying with. Despite her grief and realization that she was away from her God and her people, Naomi made a wonderful impression on Ruth. It is well that she did, because Ruth went on to become part of the lineage of the great King David and of David’s greater Son. We need to remember that our lives are making an impression on those we work, live, and socialize with. It just might be the difference between somebody remaining in their sins or trusting Christ. We never know how our lives impact others, so we need to make sure our lives don’t send the wrong message or cast a poor reflection on our Lord.
Ruth’s commitment to Naomi and her God was absolute, deep, and impressive. Her transformation from a heathen outsider to a mother in Israel was based on that commitment. The after-effects of her decision are amazing. What could she have become if she had remained in Moab? Probably little more than a forgotten and irrelevant bit of humanity. What did she achieve by her commitment to Naomi and her God? A special place in Boaz’s household and a very special place in God’s program of redemption for Israel and for the Gentiles. Consider what our commitments today will bring us into.
Whether we are a faithful witness for others, or whether we make a commitment for God, we make a difference today that affects many more people than ourselves. -Jim MacIntosh