Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go
And Ruth said, Intreat 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
When we consider the woman named Ruth, she represents some of the finest features of Christian virtue, transparency, and loyalty found in Scripture. This morning, let us consider the characteristics of how she was tried and true.
We see Ruth who started as a pagan.
She was a Moabitess by culture and belief. As a Moabitess, she was an idol-worshiper. The practices of her religion included human sacrifices and the burning of babies in the fire. God so despised the Moabites' practices that He commanded that no Moabite was allowed to enter into the congregation of Israel for up to ten generations.
We see Ruth who made a profession.
Ruth publicly proclaimed, “Thy God my God.” She saw the faith and testimony of Naomi and came to the same belief in realizing that there is only one God and Savior. When she said, “Thy God my God,” she indicated that she had placed her complete faith in the God of Israel for her salvation and future security. Doing so was to say goodbye to the worship of Chemosh. She publicly renounced her prior sham faith and demonstrated an embedded faith in the God Who saved her soul.
We see Ruth in her practice.
She told Naomi, “For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge.” She proved her commitment to her belief and to Naomi by telling her that she will be with her all the way. One of the surest signs of a true conversion is a desire to follow the Lord in whatever He tells us to do. Ruth exercised incredible faith for her future by following Naomi. She was willing to start a new life in a far, distant land. She was willing to walk by faith and not by sight.
We see Ruth in her persistence.
She said, “Intreat me not to leave thee.” “Do not tell me to go back!” Here is the evidence of true repentance. She had no intention of going back to her old life, old ways, old worship, and old habits. Naomi’s intensity to return to Bethlehem to go back to the God Whom she walked away from touched Ruth. Christians need that kind of persistence to say, “I’m not going back to my old paths, old friends, old advisors, old ways, and old sins.”
We see Ruth and her people.
“Thy people shall be my people.” She identified with the people of God! She made it clear that God’s people were her people. She had no problem walking away from her old pagan friends. She saw that God’s people were a praying people, a holy people, and a blessed people. She wanted her association to be exclusively with the right crowd. We need Christians who will separate themselves from worldly associations and give themselves to the building up of Christian friends.
Ruth was a woman who was proven in her faith. Eventually, she would be brought into the family of Boaz and included in the famous lineage of our Lord Jesus. Ruth made the right decisions. Ruth was a woman who was tried and true!
Have a transparent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 15-17