Ruth 1:1-22

Loyalty is a quality that is far too often very hard to find but is so precious when experienced within any relationship.  The book of Ruth is a beautiful story that exemplifies loyalty in an amazing way.  It is a comfort to know that in the midst of such idolatry and immorality that was running rampant in Israel; that there are a few people who still live in fear of the Lord and are willing to be loyal to Him and to one another.  This first chapter shows us three distinct phases that Ruth and her mother-in-law faced in the path that God had prepared for them.  It should serve as a comfort to us as well to know that the Lord truly is in control of out paths even when we have a very hard time seeing what He is doing or how He could be at work.

DISASTER: There was a famine in the land, so Elimelech and his wife Naomi moved with their two sons to the land of Moab in order to have food to eat.  While they were there their sons married women from Moab, Ruth and Orpah.  The disaster of the family only got worse as Elimelech and his two sons both died leaving the three widows together.  When disaster strikes in our lives we are usually taken by surprise.  We rarely expect disaster and it almost always causes us to question God´s control in our lives.  Naomi does not understand how God could be at work in this situation, but she decides that she must return to Israel as she had heard that there was once again food and it was the land of her people.  Perhaps her husband would have never gone back to Israel.  He may have gotten so comfortable in his new home that he would have just stayed.  Sometimes it takes disaster to move us from our comfort zones to the people and places that God desires to use us.

DEVOTION: When Naomi leaves she assumes that her daughters-in-law will stay in their land.  Both of them declare their intention to go with her back to Israel.  Naomi insists that they stay and find husbands from their people in order to go on with their lives.  Orpah reluctantly accepts Naomi´s advice and goes back to her people.  However, Ruth will hear nothing of this idea.  She declares that she will stay with Naomi and be part of her people and, most significantly, worship her God.  This type of loyalty and devotion is very hard to find.  Ruth had obviously come to know the God of Naomi and despite all of the hardship they had faced together, Ruth knows that Naomi´s God is her only true hope and she will not go back under the influence of the pagan gods of her own people.  We worship God because we trust Him and because we know that He is the only true God.  It is a dangerous thing when people are drawn to worship God because of the many blessings He often bestows.  The reality is that God often permits or even determines great suffering for His children.  We must be devoted to loyal worship of God even in the midst of disaster.

DESPAIR:  Naomi is back in her land, and it strikes her that she left as a family of four and is coming back now as a childless widow with her son´s widow in tow.  Her life has been bitter and she is at the point of despair.  She continues to worship God, but has determined that God has designated a path of despair for her.  She asks people to call her by the name of Mara.  Naomi means pleasant while Mara means bitter.  This is indicative of how she feels.  We must always remember that God will often bring us to the point of despair in our lives when He is about to do something amazing.  The truth is that all of God´s plan will be invisible to us until we are taken to eternity and can see history from Gods perspective.  It is a good thing that God does not depend on our attitudes to do His work.  Naomi has become bitter in her pain and seems to have lost all hope.  However, it is vital that we remember that it is in the midst of despair that the hope of Christ shines brightest.  We must learn to rejoice despite the circumstances we face because the faithful God of hope is always in control.