“What do you do when life caves in? What do you do when everything and everyone seems to be against you? Your mate dies and you are left alone. You lose your job and your source of income. You lose a child, a friend, a dream.
Then, as you’re still reeling, life suddenly deals you another harsh blow, another tragedy. Now what do you do? Do you run away, crawl inside yourself, lock out the world? Is there anything left to live for? The book of Ruth is the story of what one young widow did when life dealt her one tragedy after another. It is a story of challenge and inspiration for each of us who faces circumstances beyond our control.
Ruth was a young woman from Moab, a country and culture foreign to the Israelites. She became the wife of an Israelite whose family had fled to Moab seeking to escape famine in Israel. Through this marriage, Ruth became the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Another Moabite woman, Orpah, married Naomi’s other son.
It must have hurt Naomi to see her sons marry girls from a hated ethnic group. Not only were her sons breaking with ethnic “purity,” they were also marrying outside the faith -- marrying girls from a radically different religion or, probably more accurately, no religion at all. Ethnic difference and religious difference teamed up. It was the perfect opportunity for family tension. Apparently that tension never came. Instead, Naomi seems to have accepted these two girls as her own daughters.
Then tragedy hit. Life caved in. Both of Naomi’s sons died, apparently about the same time. Her husband had died some years earlier, so all three women were left as widows. In Bible times, being a widow was a tough life. No insurance. No social security. No pension plan. No savings accounts. No jobs for women. Nothing but poverty and loneliness.
What do you do when life caves in? Do you run? Do you seek self-interests first? Do you put loved ones last in line? Remember Ruth. There was an easy way out for Ruth. Her mother-in-law offered to release both her and Orpah from any obligation, freeing them to return to their homes and presumably to marry again. Orpah accepted the offer, with no hard feelings from Naomi. But Ruth chose the hard way, the way of faithfulness and commitment. She chose to accompany Naomi back to Israel, which was, for Ruth, a foreign and potentially hostile land. Yet Ruth remained with Naomi, supported her, cared for her, loved her.
The next time your life caves in, remember Ruth’s faithfulness. Remember her commitment to family and to God. Self was last. God and others came first.” (Touch Point Bible) As a result of her faithfulness and commitment, see how God blesses her.
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us to be selfless and to place you and others before ourselves. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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