Ruth 1:15

RUTH GOES WITH NAOMI

"And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto unto her god; return thou after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; Jehovah do so to me and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her."

"Return thou after thy sister-in-law" (Ruth 1:15). Naomi was still entreating Ruth to return, but Ruth replied to that with a command of her own, "Entreat me not to leave thee"!

"Entreat me not to leave thee" (Ruth 1:16). These are the opening words of one of the most magnificent declarations of loving loyalty to be found anywhere in the literature of all mankind. This writer has heard them intoned on the occasion of a hundred weddings, 3,000 years after Ruth spoke them, and as Hubbard stated it, "These words tower as a majestic monument of faithfulness,"[23] rising supremely above all of the prosaic platitudes of a thousand libraries.

"Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16). "This means she will join in Naomi's religion. She is determined to be hers "usque ad aras" - to the very altars. Thy God shall be my God, and farewell to all the gods of Moab, which are vanity and a lie."[24]

"Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me" (Ruth 1:17). The form of this ancient oath is found only in the books of Samuel and Kings (1 Samuel 14:44; 20:13; 1 Kings 19:2; 20:10). The great significance of it is that, "Ruth does not say [~'Elohiym] (God) as foreigners do, but [~Yahweh] (Jehovah), indicating that Ruth is the follower of the true God."[25] The Book of Ruth is so written that one naturally anticipates that the narrative will subsequently reveal some special reward from Jehovah for this most remarkable confession of faith and devotion. In this, we are not disappointed.

"One further word about Ruth's immortal words. They encompassed both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of life. In geography, they covered all future locations. In chronology, they extended from the present into eternity. In theology, they embraced exclusively Jehovah the God of Israel. In genealogy, they merged the young Moabitess with Naomi's family, securely sealing all exits with an oath."[26]

"The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me." (Ruth 1:17). Yes, indeed, Ruth honored this vow, and what a blessing she proved to be for Naomi. At the very moment when Naomi had been tempted to believe that God was against her, He was preparing wonderful things for her future. "In her old age, Naomi was honored and nourished in the house of the wealthy Boaz where she became the nurse of Ruth's son, the grandfather of King David (Ruth 4:16)."[27]