The news headlines have been consistent as of late – consistently discouraging. Moral norms continue to plummet. There seems to be little hope in our darkening world. However, in the Bible, the story of Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges and offers hope and encouragement for you.
The book of Judges tells the story of a very dark time in the history of Israel. God was mocked, the legacy of Moses’ faith was abandoned, and the people of God appeared to have left the fear of God. Yet even in the darkness, God was at work. As He often does, He brought light and hope from the most unexpected place. Naomi accompanied her faithless husband, Elimelech, to Moab; he doubted that God could provide for him in the land of promise. Years later, Naomi returned to Bethlehem from Moab. Her husband and her two sons had died. All she had to bring back with her was her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Yet, even in Naomi’s bitterness and sadness, she still retained her faith in the Lord of Hosts. This faith was observed by Ruth and began to grow within her. Ruth embraced Naomi’s God, the God of Israel, as her own God with these famous words:
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.
What was it that caused Ruth to claim the covenant promises of Israel’s God for herself? She had seen her husband, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law die in Moab. She had seen the sadness of Naomi. She knew Israel was no longer the political and military power that it was during the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. She knew Naomi had no promise of prosperity once they returned to Israel. She knew she would most likely have to care for her mother-in-law in her new homeland. Not a bright future! Nonetheless, Ruth was drawn to the God of Naomi. The pull was so strong that she rejected her people and their gods and chose to honor Naomi and follow her God. So we see that in the midst of her sadness, Naomi remembered her God, so much so that Ruth was willing to give her life to follow this God.
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