Ruth Journey of Love

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:                                                         Ruth 1:16

Photo by Cosmic Timetraveler on Unsplash

These words are often quoted in special ceremonies as a display of love. Yet, it came from a Moabite woman instead of a profound patriotic like Moses or David. Notice the satire because the Moabites were enemies of the Israelites. Although, one can easily trace their origin to Lot, Abraham's nephew; yet, they eventually became enemies. For instance, when the Israelites left Egypt, King Balak (Moabite) wanted the prophet, Balaam to curse the Israelites. Instead of cursing, Balaam blessed them. Ironically, this Scripture setting occurs during the period of the Judges of which every Israelite acted within his or her self-interest (Judges 21:25). So God used a Moabite to demonstrate the meaning of selfless love and placed Ruth in the lineage of the Savior.


Oftentimes, I hear many of my single colleague state that “I am waiting for my Boaz.” However, even before Boaz entered the picture, Ruth’s words alone exhibits love that was so devoted that she willingly forsake all to comfort someone else. For such a display of love to unfold, I tend to think it originates from reciprocity which creates a mutual dependency instead of a selfish intent. In other words, love must become equally shared between two individuals.  Before Ruth said these words, she experienced the same love from Naomi. For instance, Naomi’s demonstration of love to her two daughter-in-laws actually caused them to follow her back to Bethlehem. Repeatedly, we tend to demonstrate love conditionally as determine by the value or the usefulness of what you will receive. For example, how many times have you heard, "if you love me you will do this or that," or after something negative occurs someone will say, "I thought you loved me?" These examples demonstrate the profit of love accordingly to the expected outcome without valuing the worthiness of the giver.  Yet, Ruth's words focus on the receiver while removing any selfish benefits.


First, Ruth pleas with Naomi to accompany her even after repeated discouragement from Naomi.  Secondly, Ruth places emphasis on the journey, despite the distance, “I am going with you.” Thirdly, Ruth noted the importance of sustainment by stating the requirement for lodging. Thus, the significance of lodging enables one to acquire shelter from the natural elements including predators. Mainly, Ruth commits to the natural realm; and then she implies her willingness to join Naomi on her spiritual return to her culture. "Your people shall be my people, and thy God my God." This phase alone demonstrates her commitment to embrace Naomi’s way of life instead of her Moabites intricacies. Finally, Ruth shifts her total attention on her mother-in-law. Such a responsibility usually rests on the males of the family, and since there remains no males, Ruth became Naomi’s provider.

What an awesome demonstration of selfless love! How many of us have demonstrated such love to our love ones? How many of us tend to remove our selfish intention just to love another? How many of us realize the commitment to both the physical and spiritual journey of someone else? So the next time you hear the words, I love you, think about Ruth instead of waiting for your Boaz.