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: Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me , and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.( Ruth 1:16-17)
The above are not words you often hear when things are tough. It comes regularly, when things are rosy. When people know that there is much to gain from you, they are ready to go with you all the way. They will happily risk anything for you, when there is hope of reward.
Surprisingly, a young woman named Ruth chose to change the trend. She boldly declared this words at an unlikely time and a strange situation. What was she thinking? Honestly I don’t know.
Ruth and Opa’s hopes, dreams and aspirations were shattered by the untimely death of their husbands. For them, the future was obviously bleak. The goodnews was that they were still young. So, there were hopes of getting new husbands.
However Naomi was not that lucky. Not only did she loose her husband at old age, she also lost her two sons. For her, it was as if all hope was lost. Little wonder she uttered this biter words.
And she said unto them, call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD brought me home again empty: Why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me.(Ruth 1:20-21)kjv
When Naomi was telling her daughter in laws to go back to their parents’ house, it was not really her desire but she cannot hold them back forever. Opa quickly grabbed the opportunity before it would expire. Ruth however said no. She knew the consequence of leaving the woman alone. She felt her mother in laws pain and decided to sacrifice her happiness and future, to secure that of her mother in law.
At that point, when Naomi thought that hope was lost, Ruth stepped in as a comforter. She solved the problem of companionship. She also served as a source of feeding for the aged woman.
The rare kind of kindness and love that she showered on her mother in law was so glaring that every one noticed it.
And Boaz answered and said unto her, it hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. (Ruth 2:11-12 KJV)
Of course that prayer worked for Ruth. She got her wages, and in full. She did not just get married to any man, it was the rich and kind hearted Boaz. Then Obed was the icing on top of the cake.
Even today faithfulness and loyalty still pay. Let us reduce our level of sycophancy and embrace true love. He is my mentor! She is my role model! Are we making this confessions out of true love or is it money that is forcing the words out of our mouth. If the tide should change tomorrow, will he or she still have our loyalty.
Most people’s loyalty end when the benefit stop. Ruth was not in that category. While Noami was in charge of Elimelech’s household, she had Ruth’s loyalty. Even when she lost that opportunity, Ruth’s loyalty was still unshakeable. Let’s allow our loyalty to stand the test of time.
Remember, our loyalty is truly proved when we get to that point where we have nothing to gain, yet we remain loyal.
Let us pray!
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
