I have always felt a connection to the story of Ruth. I’ve envied her boldness in pursuing relationships and embarking on adventures into the unknown. I often equate new places to starting over. Starting over (both in relationships and new places) isn’t fun when it feels like a step backwards. In relationships I always tend to feel awkward; I overthink conversations I had months ago, and I – unfortunately – fight against feelings of unworthiness. I can’t imagine how I would feel meeting someone famous – I’m thinking of people like Ted Dekker, Brandon Lake, or Naomi Raine.
I fret over whether or not I’m saying the right thing at the right time, I over-analyze, I fidget, and I’m constantly questioning whether or not I’m accepted… I have so much garbage in my past, I have been hurt, and I have been the one to hurt – why would anyone want to take this on? Then I think of dear Ruth. If you’re not familiar with her story, I’m going to touch some of the basics, but I very much want you to read the four-chapter book of Ruth.
Ruth is the main person of interest in this book, and she was a Moabite. Moabites were one of the top three enemies of Israel and are descended from Moab – the product of an incestuous moment of deception between Lot and his first-born daughter (Genesis 19:30-38). Moabites worshipped other gods, had a thirst for power and wealth, and they were a pretty big temptation to the Israelites. I’m sure there were plenty of Israelites that held fast to their faith, but we’re silly humans and we tend to rise up against a no, you shall not and say bless it, I think I shall. The rebel in me completely relates to that terrible mindset.
Now that you have a little history of the Moabites, let’s dig in. Once upon a time, there was this nice, Jewish couple, Elimelech (from the tribe of Judah) and his wife, Naomi (not Raine). They had two sons (Mahlon and Chilion) and were living in a little town you might have heard of – Bethlehem. This was a time that people didn’t strictly follow the Law of Moses… it is referred to as the time of the judges – that’s fancy speak for it was a godless time. They did whatever they thought was right in their own mind. Kind of like the concept of doing what’s best for you and your family (with little to no regard for God).
A famine broke out, and Elimelech and Naomi decided it was best for them and their family to move to Moabite territory. Not sure that was God’s best, but God certainly has a track record of taking our not-so-great choices and weaving good out of them. They packed up and went to Moab to ride out the famine. Now, I’ve lived in other countries, and I’ve experienced differences in architecture, the rules of the road, culture, holidays and festivals, cuisine, and even attire. I’m sure there was a lot to get accustomed to. But I bet they brought a bit of their faith with them.
There aren’t a lot of details to go off of, but we’re told that Naomi’s husband died. At some point in all of this living in Moab, her two sons each got married, but then they, too, died. I can’t bring myself to even try to imagine the heartache and pain Naomi must have endured – first losing her husband and then her two sons. She was in a foreign land and had lost the three people she loved the most (there’s a tad bit of assumption here). She decides to cut her losses and go back home.
Have you ever been so deeply upset that all you want is to be alone? You just want to curl up in the fetal position and ugly cry, but then someone just has to be there, so you decide to delay the desired fetal position for a while. This is how I imagine Naomi to be – she’s ready to leave Moab and the life of a foreigner behind and at least go to a place that offers the small comforts of familiarity.
She’s able to convince one of them to go back home, but she just can’t seem to shake one persistent daughter-in-law.
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. Ruth 1:16-18 NLT
Yep, Ruth was one persistent young lady! And brave. She chose to not just go with her mother-in-law, but she was choosing to lay down her identity and take on a new one. Naomi was no longer the stranger living in enemy territory – now it was Ruth. But Ruth’s words to Naomi showed that she wanted something more: she didn’t just want to belong to the people of God, but she wanted to belong to God, too, and never return to her former life.
We all come to a place in our lives where we need to make a choice similar to what Ruth faced. Ruth was a Moabite – she was raised in a polytheistic culture, she was considered an enemy of God’s chosen people, and she had no promise of a prosperous future living with her mother-in-law. On the other hand, she could have returned home and possibly gotten remarried and maybe had some kiddos – but something must have made an impression on her to have her choose a future of unknowns as a foreigner.
Maybe she saw that she was lacking something. Perhaps she felt a stirring when hearing the stories of God delivering His people from Egypt. Maybe she felt a kinship when hearing of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, being spared and eventually being included when she was married to Salmon. Or maybe she simply recognized that the best hope for a future was with the one true God.
The book of Ruth is full of layers. It’s considered a love story, but it’s also a story of redemption and being made new (pictures of Christ to come are all throughout the Old Testament). I recently shared a bit of my story of redemption, and it had an impact that I wasn’t expecting. As I was rereading the book of Ruth, I couldn’t help but feel the need to share this insight.
During a Bible study, we touched on the subject of freedom versus self-discipline. They are not the same thing. For six years, I have been walking in freedom from the shackles of alcoholism. I can’t explain how it happened – the chains being shattered – other than it fully being a God-thing. He is, and was, the author of my freedom and new identity. Because of the freedom I have walked in, I refuse to call myself an alcoholic. That’s not who I am. That’s not my identity and it’s not something that describes who God transformed me into.
Ruth was choosing to take on a new identity and decided each day to take care of her mother-in-law, but she was still identified as the Moabitess or the young Moabite woman. I chose every single day for months on end that I was not going to drink… but I always found a bottle. But God took it upon Himself to change both of our identities. See, without God, it’s just self. Without God, there’s no hope for a future.
As you finish reading through Ruth 4, you’ll see that Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David. And from that same line, Jesus. She’s not referred to as a Moabite in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, but Boaz (the picture of Christ) is the first to verbalize her new identity when he called her a woman of excellence.
Like Ruth and yours truly, your story, future, and identity can be changed. All it takes is a moment of faith, for Him to break the shackles and change the labels. You’ll go from accepting leftovers from the fields to owning them. From an enemy of God to His beloved child.