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. 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 1:16-18
Last Sunday, during our weekly middle and high school check-in’s on Zoom, we began a new series on the Book of Ruth. If you’re not familiar with the Old Testament story, Ruth is an outsider who marries into an Israelite family. The family suffers immense loss as Ruth’s husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all die in the first few verses of the book. In a time when a husband and sons were the key to one’s future, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi are left with little hope.
Ruth’s only chance at getting by appears to be leaving Naomi, finding a new husband and having kids. Even Naomi urges her to do this. Instead, Ruth makes a vow (see Scripture above) to stay by Naomi’s side. By the end of the book, Ruth not only secures them a stable, happy life, but she gives birth to a son who is revealed as the grandfather of King David and, later, a direct ancestor of Jesus.
I chose Ruth as the subject for our lessons because she is such an amazingly courageous, caring, and devoted woman; and her story is one of my favorites. What I hadn’t realized is how relatable and reassuring the story is to our own current situation. Ruth and Naomi are alone in the harshest of times, amidst famines, and feeling abandoned by God. Interestingly, God is barely mentioned in Ruth and doesn’t directly interact with the story, Himself.
Sometimes it’s hard to see God in our daily lives, and we wish He would just tell us what to do.
But Ruth is faithful. In the end, we see that God was too. We see that He was at work amidst all their struggles. Even though Ruth didn’t realize it at the time, God was using her, an outsider of all people, to be an integral piece of His master plan to redeem all of humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ.
So, as we go throughout our days and weeks, just trying to make it through, rest assured that God is at work in your life and is using you in such big ways for His plan. In the meantime, follow Ruth’s example. Remain devoted to those you love and, even though we aren’t together, try to be there for your friends.
God bless you!
Mark
