Whither Thou Goest…

These beautiful words uttered by Ruth, to Naomi her mother-in-law are a classic example of loyalty. A kind of loyalty that is not often found in the many families of today. It is a strange thing to see a daughter-in-law expressing such strong loyalty towards her mother-in-law.

Both Ruth and Naomi had just suffered a tragic loss: their husbands were no more. Imagine the sadness this must have caused these two women!

However, the Bible does not shed any light or give a specific reason about why they died. It could have been because of natural causes for Elimelech (Naomi’s husband); perhaps he was advancing in age or maybe a malady struck him and he died because of it. But what about Mahlon, Ruth’s husband and Naomi’s son? Surely “dying of natural causes” did not apply to him since he was much younger. Whatever the reason for their -death is not revealed to us so we have to be content with the facts as they are presented by the Word of God.

The country of Bethlehem was afflicted by a famine, so Elimelech, in an effort to save his wife and sons from this peril, left his native country behind and settled down in the land of Moab. Elimelech and Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabitish women but in the course of 10 years time, Elimelech died and soon after his son’s followed.
Soon however, Naomi was informed that her country was flourishing again so she decided to leave the strange heathen land of Moab and return to Bethlehem Judah.

Both Ruth and Orpah wanted to follow their mother-in-law because they loved her and had nowhere else to turn to. It appear that Naomi did not think this was a very good idea and after some gentle coaxing she persuaded Orpah to return to her family and friends, nevertheless, when she tried to do the same with Ruth she did not succeed.

Ruth had gotten to know her mother-in-law’s character very well throughout 10 years time. She had spent countless hours together with Naomi and closely observed everything she said and did. With time Ruth grew to appreciate and love this strong, silent woman. She had also learned to know and love the God of Naomi and soon the God of Israel was her God too. So when Naomi asked her to stay behind, Ruth was not willing to do so because a strong bond had formed between them. Her famous words clearly express her loyalty “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to turn 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: the LORD do so to me and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” Ruth 1:16-17.

“Whither thou goest, I will go”:
In choosing to follow Naomi, Ruth demonstrated her loyalty and sealed her fate with God’s people. In those days when girls married a young man they did not only marry him but married into the family. The decision to follow Naomi was a difficult one because in so doing she was choosing to forsake her family and leave her former religion and culture behind.

“And where thou lodgest; I will lodge”:
Ruth left behind the security of her family and a land that she was familiar with to live with Naomi in a land where the inhabitants and their customs were foreign to her. Yet upon closer reflection it seems that none of this would be new to Ruth because through Naomi she had learned about the people and their customs. She had experienced what it was like to live with a follower of the God of Israel so she knew what to expect and that is why she placed her trust and confidence in Naomi. Having spent 10 years with her she knew that Naomi was an honest, dependable person, a woman of integrity who was faithful to the King of the universe and that is why she chose to rely on her and to lodge where she lodged.

“Thy people shall be my people And thy God my God”:
Ruth was morally bound to Naomi and she felt it was her duty to follow her. It could also be that after living with Naomi she had gotten a glimpse of “The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…” (Ex. 34:6) and was not willing to stay behind in her country where people did not worship Him. Although Naomi was not her mother she respected her as if she was. Also, the closeness and companionship that they had developed caused them to turn to each other in their time of need and Ruth would not be separated. She gladly left her people to become one with the Israelite nation, renouncing all heathen deities in favour of the true and living God.

The story of Ruth should also inspire us to show the same loyalty to our Saviour. We too should be prepared to go wherever Jesus goes.
Like Ruth, God may also call us out of the comfortable spot we are living in, surrounded by family and close friends. It is not for us to question the Lord’s leading; in His wise providence He guides us to where He wants us to go. It is not only out of a country that the Lord calls us but out of a world lost in sin; out of our preconceived ideas and notions; out of our habits and customs and finally out of “self. If we want to be with God we have to leave self behind, for it is a stumbling block that prevents us from following wherever Jesus leads and reaching the Promised Land.

If we want to lodge where Jesus lodges we are not to “forget the assembling of ourselves together.” It was Jesus’ custom to come to the synagogue every Sabbath and we should do the same. For this to happen though, we have to open the doors of our hearts and let Him come in to dwell with us so that we may always be with Him, together for all eternity.

Finally, for God’s people to be our people we have to choose to associate with them just as Ruth did with Naomi. When we become baptized we are automatically adopted as heirs of the Kingdom. God is our father; Jesus our elder brother; the Holy Spirit our Comforter; the angels our friends; and the church people our brothers and sisters. We become a part of a whole new family and our loyalty lies with them.

So like Ruth let us pledge our allegiance to the Creator of heaven and earth and go wherever He goes.
AMEN