Ryan: Here in the Old Testament book of Ruth is a story of one of the best examples of living like a “Christian,” in the form of Naomi. Naomi, her husband, and her two sons were Israelites, and each son took a Moabite woman for a wife. When Naomi’s husband and two sons died, Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their “people” and to “their gods” (Ruth 1:15). Both women resisted at first, wanting to stay with their mother-in-law. Orpah [who, coincidentally, is Oprah Winfrey's misspelled namesake] did finally leave and go back to her mother. Ruth, on the other hand, insisted on going wherever Naomi went. I realize this book is about Ruth and not Naomi, but there’s obviously a lesson to be learned from Naomi. She did not attempt to convert Ruth and Orpah to Judaism (that we’re told), and even insisted they return to their original “gods.” She did not beat them over the heads with Bible verses, so to speak. She simply loved them for who they were and showed her daughters-in-law a large measure of grace and humility. She loved them and watched over them, to the point that neither one wanted to leave her and return to their own families. We don’t really know how much Naomi taught Ruth and Orpah about Jehovah, but we do know that she loved her daughters-in-law, and that was enough to win over Ruth to the point that she was grafted in to the line of the son of God himself. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Samantha: While I could recite the details, I really didn’t comprehend the story of Ruth until I read Francine Rivers’ Unshaken: Ruth (Lineage of Grace #3). Learning about the culture of that time is invaluable to seeing what it was really like for Ruth. She left everything she had to serve her mother-in-law, even when she had the chance to return home. She endured hardships and possibly ridicule because she was a foreigner (from an enemy country, no less), and she humbled herself with the poorest in Israelite society to glean grain behind the harvesters. The kindness and love she meets in Boaz is one of the most touching love stories the Bible has to offer. This is one of my favorite books in the Lineage of Grace series and I encourage you to go check it out from the library to bring a historical perspective to this beautiful love story.
Tags: Discipleship, Love
