Ruth 1:6-18--Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi

Ruth 1:6-18
English Standard Version

Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her 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 rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And 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? Have I yet 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. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 And 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 urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

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Verses 16 and 17 are probably some of the most well-known verses from the book of Ruth and some of the most well-known verses from the Bible, many times being read at wedding ceremonies (though this conversation has nothing to do with a wedding, for the husbands of Naomi, Orpah and Ruth are all dead).  We talked last time about the famine that ravaged the land of Canaan and how Naomi's family, including her husband and two sons, left for Moab where they homed to find food and respite from the famine.  Instead Naomi's sons took wives from among the Moabite women and after living there for a while, Naomi's husband and two sons died there in Moab.

Now Naomi is making the hard decision for her to return to her people in Judah, for it is now their responsibility to care for her, but will they?  Will they treat her well now that her husband is dead, or will they look at her as an outcast because she went to Moab (an accursed place) and allowed her sons to take wives from the Moabite women (something specifically forbidden in the Law)?  She knows that her daughters-in-law will not find a warm welcome in Judah and so she encourages them to go back to Moab and seek new husbands or at least go back to their families so that someone can take care of them.  Orpah quickly returns back to her land, but Ruth makes the vow and commitment to Naomi that she will not leave her--wherever Naomi goes, Ruth wants to go and Naomi's people will be Ruth's people, where Naomi died Ruth would die, and Naomi's God will be Ruth's God. 

That's quite a statement for a Moabite to make, and we've seen that in contrast to Naomi's lack of faith and her anger that has changed to bitterness against God and men.  We'll see next time that Naomi tries to claim a new identity for herself (notice that it is never used to refer to her after this in the entire book, because only God gets to change our identity, we don't choose our identity for ourselves).  She will say that she no longer wanted to be called Naomi, which means "pleasant," but she wants to be known as Mara, which means "bitter."  Life had left her with a sour spirit and outlook on life, but most of all I think she was angry and bitter at the LORD.  Ruth's confession is juxtaposed against this.  We'll talk more about that next time.