A Mother-Daughter Covenant

August 11, 2019 Background Scripture: Ruth 1:1 – 18 Lesson Passage: Ruth 1:6 – 11, 14 – 18 Many women who lived during biblical times have not had their great deeds documented or actions appreciated perhaps because the societies they lived in were controlled by men. It is not very often that women are the focus of something positive in the scriptures. Today’s background scripture gives us information about a relationship between two women who lived in the shadow of their society. Their relationship with each other and their actions impacted the biblical genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Naomi was a wife and the mother of two sons. Her family traveled to the land of Moab to escape the famine in Judah. While in Moab, Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women. Naomi’s husband and both sons died in Moab. As a childless widow, Naomi was destined to become impoverished. Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their Moabite families so they could find husbands and she would return home to Judah. One daughter-in-law left to return to her family but the other, Ruth, refused to leave Naomi. To Ruth, Naomi had become her mother and she would stick with her through thick and thin. She refused to allow Naomi to push her away—even if it was for her own good. What Ruth said to Naomi is being looked at as a personal covenant in today’s lesson. In fact, the words of Ruth oftentimes can be found in various marriage vows spoken by the bride to the groom. Ruth pleaded with Naomi to stop asking her to leave. Ruth pledged to go and live wherever Naomi went to live. Ruth was pledging to give up her entire family just to go and live with Naomi. To make clear her intent, Ruth declared that she wanted Naomi’s family to become her family. Further, Ruth vowed to make Naomi’s God her God. This goes well beyond day-to-day living and brings in the element of faith and religion. Ruth pledged her entire being in covenant to Naomi—physically and spiritually. Ruth said that she was willing to die wherever Naomi died. Ruth stated that death would be the only acceptable reason for her to be separated from Naomi. The depth of Ruth’s commitment to Naomi was enough to silence Naomi. What person would go to such an extreme to show their allegiance to another? Ruth was not offering to make a sacrifice to benefit Naomi. Ruth offered her whole self as a sacrifice to benefit Naomi. Naomi’s husband and two sons had died, but God had placed a person in Naomi’s life who was more dedicated to her than any reasonable person would have been. There is no wonder that Naomi was silent. How could one respond to such a devoted person? Although our lesson title is, A Mother-Daughter Covenant, one must remember that Ruth was not Naomi’s daughter. Ruth was Naomi’s daughter-in-law. This makes Ruth’s commitment to Naomi even more special. Ruth was pledging all that she was and even what she could become. It is noteworthy that Ruth would extend herself in such a way. It begs the question as to how Naomi had presented herself to her daughter-in-law to elicit such devotion. Although the words may be found in modern wedding vows, Ruth’s commitment is worthy of the bloodline of God’s only begotten son. Robert C. Hudson July 20, 2019