"And Ruth said,
Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return 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." Ruth 1:16
Ruth's statement of her commitment to go with Naomi to Israel is a classic. It is one of the literary gems of all time. It has been set to music and is sometimes sung at weddings to show the couple’s commitment to each other in marriage. The statement actually takes in two verses. Here we consider just the first verse which gives the plea, the path, the place, the people, and the piety in the commitment.
Plea. "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee." Naomi had encouraged Ruth to stay in Moab. But Ruth is adamant about going to Israel and earnestly pleads with Naomi to stop tempting her to stay in Moab. It is the language that says an emphatic “No” to temptation and tells temptation to begone. Any worthy commitment to God needs this kind of attitude about temptation.
Path. "Whither thou goest, I will go." Be it a rough path or smooth path, Ruth is committed to going with Naomi. Some change paths when the going gets tough, but not Ruth. An acceptable commitment to God requires steadfastness regardless of the difficulties of the path.
Place. "Where thou lodgest, I will lodge." Like the path, Ruth did not say she would only go to the place that was nice and commodious. It will be a poor commitment, if we follow only when the place is comfortable and convenient.
People. "Thy people shall be my people." Ruth wanted to be described as a member of Naomi’s family. And she knew the requirement was to go to Israel and live with Naomi. If you want to be described as a Christian, you will need to associate with Christians. Some want to be called Christian but do not want to separate from the world.
Piety. "Thy God my God." This is the most important part of her commitment. Ruth was making a break from the idolatry of Moab to follow the true God. Nothing is so important in life as our relationship with God.
adapted from Daily Bible Reading Sermonettes by John Butler.
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