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.”

Ruth 1:16-17

At a time when God had allowed a famine in the land, Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, took their two sons and went to Moab to try to escape God’s judgment. And after Naomi had spent years running from God and experiencing great hardship all the way, it was in her repentance that her daughter-in-law would make the decision to follow her back to Bethlehem and the Lord.

“God chastens those whom He loves,” Hebrews 12:6 tells us and though this famine was severe and people were suffering, God was waiting to deliver them as they returned to Him. Through this, Ruth realized that it was far better to serve a God who cares enough for you to chasten you, than to serve 100 false gods who can do nothing for you. In the same way, our willingness to repent, return, and submit ourselves to the Lord can be a great witness to those who are watching us.

Pastor Doug Hardin