Devotion:
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Read Ruth 1:8-18.
We often hear the words, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” at weddings. These words are very fitting for a young bride and groom to use in committing to being with the other for the rest of their lives. We are surprised sometimes to do as we have done today, that is, read these verses in their original setting and realize they were uttered by a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law!
Naomi’s husband and her sons had died, and their widows now had no means of support. Their custom would have been to return to their parents’ homes, and Orpah did so. But Ruth loved her mother-in- law so deeply that she could not fathom leaving Naomi to return alone to Israel. It is a great testament to Naomi that she had lived before Ruth in such a way that Ruth was determined to worship and live for the God whom Naomi worshiped. Upon their return to Bethlehem, Ruth married a good man and would have a great-grandson whose name was David, the great king. Not following the world’s customs enabled Ruth to find happiness for herself and for Naomi, as well as to give Israel its greatest king.
Personal Worship Option:
Are there practices in our culture today that you feel stand in the way of following God’s will? It is not easy to be a nonconformist, but sometimes God calls us to do just that. Pray for guidance to do what God would have you do instead of blindly following the world’s ways.
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