Ruth 1:1-22
1In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.
3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. 4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.
6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.
8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
10 “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? 12 No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? 13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.”
14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. 15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
16 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. 17 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!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara,[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer[b] and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”
22 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a German shepherd, a Doberman and a cat, all of whom had died. When they made it to heaven (because ALL pets go to heaven!) they found themselves facing God, who wanted to know what they believed in. Eagerly, the German shepherd chimed in, “Well, I believe in discipline, loyalty and obeying my master.” “Good, good,” said God. “You may sit on my right side.” The Doberman also eagerly responded, “I believe in love, care, and protection of my master.” “Ahhh, yes, yes, you, my friend, may sit on my left,” said God. Then God looked at the cat with a raised eyebrow and asked, “And what do you believe in?” To which the cat smugly replied, “Well, I believe you’re sitting in my seat!”
Gotta love cats, eh?! So entitled! It’s kind of a funny reputation they’ve developed over the years. Surely it was around before Garfield came on the scene, but you know what? I wasn’t around before Garfield so I’m going to attribute the reputation to him. And I imagine we’re all familiar with the reputation of cats even if you don’t actually own one. Cats are pretty self-involved creatures. They do whatever they want, whenever they want. And what do you want to do? Seek out comfort as much as possible. Sitting in the sun, snuggling in blankets, begging for caresses, sleeping most of the day away. Just leave a food bowl and a water bowl out along with a moderately clean litterbox and cats will do their thing. One wonders if they could care any less about the people around them. For all intents and purposes, they’re the kings and queens of any household which makes that opening funny especially poignant. Only they would demand God’s seat rather than make a case for why they deserve to be in heaven!
Well, unlike cats, dogs have a much more sociable temperament. They’re eager to please us humans as we heard the German Shepherd and Doberman. They actually care about us, unlike cats! I know, I know, these are generalized, stereotyped observations. Cats DO care about us humans and they DO love us but boy, they sure are independent creatures. Dogs can be just as independent, but they fool us into believing that they’re dependent on us! Any how do they do that? A combination of personality traits: affection, attentiveness, playfulness, obedience, and one particularly endearing trait-loyalty. Dogs are especially loyal to their masters. They look out for their masters above all else. They seek to please their masters above all else. Say what you will about dogs but they are primarily loyal to their masters. Hence, why are they considered man’s best friend. And loyalty is especially illustrated in today’s reading.
As I mentioned at the start of the service, we’re setting out on our first summer sermon series today with the book of Ruth. And right off the bat, the first chapter is loaded with a lot of plot and character descriptions. We’re introduced to Naomi who married a man whom she had two sons with and was forced to flee her homeland due to widespread famine. In the new land, her husband died and she raised her two sons until they, too, married. Unfortunately, Naomi’s sons died and she was left with no support from men and needed to return home to be with in-laws. When she went to leave, one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, vowed to go with her and protect her along the way. Ruth insisted on going with Naomi and thus a great friendship was born built on loyalty. Ruth was willing to leave her own family of origin to follow Naomi back to Judah. And not only follow her but also begin worshipping Naomi’s God, our God, the God of Judah. Ruth’s bravery and courage to leave with Naomi was quite admirable to say the least. I don’t imagine many people would do what she did. It speaks to her sense of loyalty. She was loyal to Naomi in a way that few in-laws are with each other. Most in-laws complain about each other! But not Ruth, she uprooted her life to support Naomi in her search for security.
All good and fruitful relationships are built on loyalty. We need to know that we can depend on others when trials beset us. We need to need that others will support us and strengthen us when life gets difficult. Loyalty is about dependability. Loyalty is about trust. When we can depend on others and trust them, then we can build a future together with them. We can build a life together knowing that they won’t hurt us or undermine our efforts. Loyalty is about faithfulness. Earlier this week we remembered all those who died in protecting us in this country. Not only military members but all servicemembers: firefighters, policemen, medical personnel. Giving up your life for the sake of another is one of the most admirable things we can do. Jesus himself said, “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) To give up your life is a great illustration of love for others, and we know Jesus considers a great commandment, to love others. Ruth gives up her life for Naomi, maybe not literally but certainly figuratively. Her loyalty to Naomi fulfilled Jesus’ command.
Proverbs tell us, “whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.” (21:21) Loyalty is unfailing love, dependable love, trustworthy love. Of course, Ruth will find life, righteousness, and honor in being loyal to Naomi! The story has only begun, we’ve only begun to see how life unfolds for Ruth as a result of her act of loyalty, but be assured she will be rewarded. And I like Paul’s words as written to Titus, “Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.” (3:1) I think Ruth’s actions illustrated the faithfulness of Paul’s believers. She was obeying her sense of duty and loyalty to Naomi and was ready to do what was good for Naomi.
It’s a great start to a great book in scripture. The friendship between Naomi and Ruth bears great fruit. Why? Because it’s built on loyalty. Let us be encouraged by their loyalty to each other and seek to be just as loyal in our own relationships. Loyalty is essential to all good relationships. And let us give thanks for God’s loyalty to us. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
