True Love—Illustrations in Ruth
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 I will be buried.” Ruth 1:16-17a
Their emotions were running high! They stood on the heights of Moab overlooking the deep Jordan River valley. Judah lay beyond. Both daughters-in-law had initially refused Naomi’s counsel, but Orpah had finally relented. They had wept, kissed, and Orpah had turned back. She had done the seemingly sensible thing—returning home to seek a new life, where a new life was most probable!
Ruth, however, continued to refuse Naomi’s well-intentioned advice. “Entreat me not to leave you,” Ruth implored. She was deeply attached to this mother of her deceased lover. There would be no turning back from this decision or its consequences. Ruth knew this, but true love involves genuine devotion to others…and to God! She was ready to make the commitment to follow Naomi and the God whom she now served. She was ready to go where Naomi was going; to lodge where Naomi was planning to lodge; to live among a people who might always view her as a foreigner; and, finally, to die and be buried in a place distant from everyone and everything she had ever known. This is true love!
Was there some doubt,even fear within Ruth’s heart as those two women stood gazing at each other, occasionally glancing at the eastern and western horizons, one whispering of the past, while the other beckoned to the future? There may well have been, but love,as John would later point out, casts out fear! (1 John 4:18) Indeed, true love, which proceeds from God, brings the certain knowledge of divine love and His constant providential care!
Dear heavenly Father, as we stand on the edge of the present and gaze into our futures, may Your love fill our hearts with a joy and confidence that replaces any doubt and fear. You have given us Jesus and have promised us all things necessary for our present and future lives. For all this we praise You! Amen.