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Ruth 1:1-18.
Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Naomi and Her Moabite Daughters-in-Law
6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. 10 They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.” 14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said,
“Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
17 Where you die, I will die—
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”
18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Devotional: Seeking a better life?
What motivates a person or family to leave home and move to another country? In the last few months, we’ve seen heart-rending scenes of people desperately trying to escape from Afghanistan. But this is just one of many countries and situations where people leave their home and family to move to what they hope will be a better life.
This passage details two such moves. The first is economic – because of famine Elimelech takes his wife Naomi and their sons to Moab for a better life. The move there means leaving behind not just family and friends, but also religion and culture: they move to a place where the Yahweh is not worshipped.
But the better life doesn’t eventuate. Elimelech dies, his sons take foreign wives, and then both sons die without children. Naomi is bereft of everything and living in a foreign land with foreign gods and where she may have been treated with suspicion and even hatred. Only her daughters-in-law remain, but they are Moabites.
The only good news is that after 10 years the famine is over, and she can return to her husband’s town of Bethlehem. It’s a no-brainer – she decides to leave Moab. The earlier trip to Moab, filled with hope of the future, is replicated by a return trip of fear and despair. But the same questions emerge: Will she be accepted? How will she live?
Then comes the amazing situation – not one but both daughters-in-law decide to leave their own people and go with Naomi. Naomi knows the cost of leaving your home and country, so urges the young women to return home. And Orpah finally does. But Ruth’s devotion to Naomi is absolute – she will go with Naomi no matter where, no matter what (verses 16-17):
“Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
there will I be buried.”
What makes Ruth leave her family and country and risk being ostracised by Naomi’s kinsfolk? What makes her choose the God of the Israelites over the gods of her own country? It doesn’t appear that the bitter Naomi provides a great example for Ruth to follow. But this Gold Standard (or God Standard!) mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship cannot be broken – Ruth will trust Yahweh to meet all her needs. The end result is that the faithful foreigner Ruth becomes an ancestor of King David, and one of the few women listed in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
Prayer
O God who loves all people, help us to accept those who seek refuge with us. Help us to see people through your eyes of love and acceptance, and rather than through eyes of hate and rejection. Help us to understand that your wisdom and purposes can be achieved through those who are different from us in appearance, culture, ability, and ideas. Change us to reflect your image more and more as we interact with those we encounter. Amen.
Rev. Pam Reed
Registrar