Ruth 1:16, ESV
Commitment. Sometimes out of love, we commit ourselves to people and things that we don’t fully understand. In Ruth, we see a woman who saw the vow that she took to her husband and the family that she became a part of to a level that we don’t often see. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, had nothing to offer her and, in reality, was in a hopeless state. Because of her commitment to her mother-in-law and her dedication to the God of her husband, we find God’s hand at work. God not only provides for Naomi and Ruth but a path for all humanity to be brought into the saving grace of the one true God. Out of Ruth and her marriage to Boaz comes Obed, the grandfather of David. From this line, we have our Lord Jesus. Two, who were once outside of the line of God’s chosen people, Rahab and Ruth, are the bearers of the promise of salvation in Christ. Faith is what draws us together, and faith is what carries us through to the end. A gift from God that continues to uphold us all. Ruth had no reason to be so committed because she had kept all her worldly commitments to her family. She had been a faithful wife and owed nothing to Naomi, but God placed in her heart a love for her mother-in-law and a commitment to God not seen with many of the chosen Israelite people of the time. Such commitment is the desire that God has for each of us to Him and His calling in each of our lives. We may not fully understand the how at the time, but we can be certain of the “why.” We can be certain that our needs will be provided for without knowing the full details. We worship a God who provides.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.