How do we know the depth of
a person's devotion? The story is told of a pig and a chicken who
decided to make breakfast for their farmer. The chicken said, “I'll
provide the eggs, and you provide the ham.” Obviously one of these
two was to be devoted, and the other simply a contributer. As our
story continues in the book of Ruth, we will discover the commitment
level of Naomi's daughters-in-law. We read in Ruth chapter one and
verse fourteen:
And they lifted up
their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but
Ruth clave unto her.
This
scene has been an emotional one as Naomi prepares to return to her
homeland. Both of her widowed daughters-in-law have been encouraged
to stay in Moab, find husbands, and forget the idea of Naomi
providing another son to grow up and marry them. They have said
goodbye a couple times, but today, “they lifted up their voice,
and wept again:” This was to be the final goodbye. As we place
ourselves in this setting we can almost feel the heartbreak that is
taking place.
“And Orpah kissed her
mother in law;” which by
context we realize that Orpah was giving Naomi a goodbye kiss. Orpah
decided to take Naomi's advice and return home. It wasn't necessarily
a bad thing that Orpah go home, it just wasn't at the level of
commitment demonstrated by Ruth.
We
read, “but Ruth clave unto her.”
The passion that Ruth had was far greater than Orpah's. She would not
let her mother-in-law go. Ruth stayed by her side, held her fast, and
clung to her as if to never escape her side. When we think about this
for a moment, Ruth was a true convert to her mother-in-law. Usually
this is not the case, but whatever the relationship was with Naomi in
the past was manifested greatly by the actions of Ruth. Though it
might be normal to return to her people, Ruth and Naomi's
relationship exceeded the culture, religion, and background with
which Ruth grew up.
Who
do we cling to with such passion as Ruth? Is there anyone in this
life who has such an effect upon us? We will see in the coming verses
that the affection demonstrated by Ruth will advantage her in a
relationship with God. Could it be that Earthly relationships are
preparatory labs for the greatest relationship of all?
Next
time we will discover more of this story, so read ahead, and as we
do, let's consider this question, “Who do we know that we cherish
in the same manner as Ruth loved Naomi?”
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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