The Price Of Separation
Ruth was one of the women who were married to one of the sons of Naomi . She was a Moabite , an idolater and a woman who knew nothing about the God of Israel . Just like many of us , Ruth was no exception when it comes to our origin because no one chooses where to be born , or where we come from . We are totally helpless when it comes to this . She , however , refused to be a part of her miserable past . The moment she got married to Naomi ’ s son , she knew that she would not let go of this opportunity to change her life . Her husband died and Naomi decided to go back to her land . It is clear that Naomi was still in Ruth ’ s ancestral land . It would have been easier for her to bid Naomi good bye and return to her father ’ s house . After all , she had only been married for a few years and by the time her husband died , Ruth had no child . She was young and could have found a suitor if she wanted to , but she made a hard decision – to follow her mother in law to wherever she will go and cling to her no matter what happens . She was so serious that she made a commitment ;
But Ruth replied , “ Don ’ t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you . Where you go I will go , and where you stay I will stay . Your people will be my people and your God my God . Where you die , I will die , and there I will be buried . May the Lord deal with me , be it ever so severely , if even death separates you and me ” ~ Ruth 1:16-17 NIV .
Naomi had to let her be and she followed her to Bethlehem . When she arrived there , she did not just sit down ; she took it upon herself to work and take care of Naomi . She was also obedient , taking instructions from Naomi and carrying them out carefully . At the end of it all , Ruth was blessed with a man who was Naomi ’ s close relative , rich and influential . It did not end there ; she ended up falling into the genealogy of Jesus . Undoubtedly , she is a history maker , but it did not just happen . She paid one of the greatest prices many would have considered so costly ; the price of separation .
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