But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” (vv.16-17)
What an eloquent statement of faith by Ruth here. She was willing to forsake the Moabite gods she grew up with and embrace the God of Israel. She was deciding to follow the LORD. This Gentile woman, once far from God, had drawn near to Him. Her statement, "And your God, [will be] my God" meant that Naomi’s relationship with God made an impact on Ruth. This is striking, because Naomi did not have an easy life. She had been widowed, had lost both her sons, and believed that she had caused each calamity by her disobedience. Yet she still honored and loved the LORD.
People should be able to look at our life, just as Ruth looked at Naomi’s, and say, “I want your God to be my God.” Our trust in God, and turning towards Him in tough times, will often be the thing that draws others to the LORD. We will never persuade our friends or relatives to Jesus by compromise. Only a bold stand for Jesus will really do it.
C.S. Spurgeon wrote, “Ah! You will never win any soul to the right by a compromise with the wrong. It is decision for Christ and His truth that has the greatest power in the family, and the greatest power in the world, too.”
May we all hold on in times of great trouble to our faith as is exemplified here by Ruth.
