In the story of Ruth and Naomi, one can't help but wonder what made Ruth stay on with Naomi? Can thier love have been so strong that made her do that? Look at the downside of that decision.
1. Ruth was a Moabite. She could have let Naomi go back to Judah and she would have got remarried and remained safe in her land. Yet she gave up that possibility of security for a seemingly uncertain future.
2. To understand Ruth's embracing of uncertainty, remember, the Moabites were not welcome among the Hebrews. In fact, Moabites were forbidden from entering “the assembly of the Lord” because of the actions of Balak and Balaam (Deuteronomy 23:3). In Numbers 25, God commanded Moses to stamp out the Moabite influence. Surely such history would have caused any Moabite to hesitate at Israel’s borders, for they were practically enemies.
Yet, Ruth embraces Yahweh. She put herself in actual harm's way. All for what?
It seems that Ruth had a devotion to Naomi that went far deeper than family ties. In fact, she seemed to have a deep belief, even as a gentile, in Yahweh. Look at Ruth 1:16. She embraces not only Naomi whom she knew well as her mother-in-law, but she embraces God as well!
Boaz called this out in Ruth 2:12.
"Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 2:12
It seems more than Ruth choosing God, God chose Ruth, seeing her heart and her devotion, as she later begets the lineage of Jesus. (Matthew 1:1-5 includes them in Jesus's genealogy, which includes her in Gods great plan for redemption, even though she was a gentile.)
May we, Gods people, learn this lesson to choose to take refuge under our Lord's wings no matter how bleak or uncertain our situation is, rather than in worldly securities and escape routes. In all the uncertainties of this world, let the only certainty be God and our relationship with Him, and be chosen for His work.
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