Ruth 1:16–17: “But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.’”

May 6th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This verse probably sounds familiar to many people because it’s often used in wedding ceremonies, which is a little humorous when we see that it was spoken by a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law. But it is certainly a sweeping and beautiful statement of commitment, especially since it’s also an oath of fidelity to the living God. Ruth says that Naomi’s God will be her God, affirming Ruth’s faith in God and her surrender to His sovereignty.

The second verse is an even stronger statement of commitment as it includes a promise to stay with Naomi until her death. This young Gentile woman was determined to care for her mother-in-law. In effect, Ruth was forsaking all that she had ever known to follow the one true God. You might say she was following in the footsteps of Abraham who had also forsaken his family and homeland to be obedient to God’s command.

Someone said that life is not made by the dreams a person dreams but by the choices a person makes. Ruth was choosing to follow the God of Naomi because Naomi had been such a consistent witness of God to her. It had been more than just a witness of the lips. It had been a witness of a life lived out with honesty before her Gentile daughter-in-law.

Ruth called on the covenant name of God, LORD, which makes Ruth a good example of someone in the Old Testament totally surrendering to God and starting over, even when it wasn’t easy. Ruth was surrendering to and expecting good things from God, and her faith was rewarded. Ruth became the great-grandmother to King David in the line of the Messiah. Surrender. Commitment. Faithfulness. God will honor our prayers and desires to serve Him by giving us the grace to live out the commitments we make.

“LORD, fill us, use us, and transform us again we ask, in Jesus’ name.”