Unyielding Fervor
Ruth 1:15-18
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
When the Spirit stirs within a person to fervently pursue the ways of God, the person's will is conformed to His own and diligently seeks ways to please Him. In this brief wonderful story found in the Old Testament, we read of a woman named Ruth who dwelled in the pagan city of Moab. Ten years after two Israelite men took Ruth and Orpah, another Moabite woman, to be their wives, they both died, leaving Naomi, the mother of the two deceased men, without any other sons for the women to marry (1:4-5). Along with leaving her widowed (1:3), she felt that the Lord had afflicted her with the death of her two sons. As a result, Naomi graciously encouraged her two daughters-in-law to return to their home of Moab and remarry (1:8-9). While both Ruth and Orpah twice refused to leave Naomi, it was not until the third time that Orpah finally succumbed to Naomi's pleading (1:14), returning to Moab and her gods, of which the chief Moabite deity was Chemosh, who required child sacrifice (1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 3:27). As what the story reveals, however, is that Ruth had unyielding fervor to stay with Naomi and pursue the one true God.
Within the heart of every human resides an idol factory; beloved Ruth was no exception to this and yet the Spirit steered her toward Him when it was His time. We all have friends and family who we know that do not yet know the Lord and we sometimes become anxious and perhaps frustrated when it seems that God is simply not getting a hold of them. Take heart, however, since the Lord will quicken the spirits of those who would come to Him in faith and He does this according to His own timing, not ours (2 Pet. 3:9). In God's own timing, He providentially set up events that brought about certain circumstances, of which Ruth came to a saving faith via God's work of regeneration within her and eventually into marriage with a godly man (Ruth 1:16; 4:13). From then on, evidence of the Spirit was evident within her life and she quickly turned from serving idols to serving the Almighty (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9-10).
I encourage you to ask God to search your heart for any idols that your factory has made lately; from what has been kept in the darkness, confess your sins to Him and expose them to the light. After all, nothing of us is ever hidden from His sight (Heb. 4:13). Live with assurance of the hope that He has placed inside of you and press on with an unyielding fervor to be an ambassador for Christ (Eph. 6:20). Do not follow the footsteps of Orpah and chase after false gods; idols will make you idle in your walk with God and they open a door for the powers of darkness to sap the joy of salvation right out of you. Surely, Ruth is an example for us to follow in our own journey with God; she displayed zeal for His glory, followed the advice of a godly woman (Naomi), and pursued marriage with a godly individual (Boaz). All of these events were followed by the forsaking of her idols. Now it's your turn.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
When the Spirit stirs within a person to fervently pursue the ways of God, the person's will is conformed to His own and diligently seeks ways to please Him. In this brief wonderful story found in the Old Testament, we read of a woman named Ruth who dwelled in the pagan city of Moab. Ten years after two Israelite men took Ruth and Orpah, another Moabite woman, to be their wives, they both died, leaving Naomi, the mother of the two deceased men, without any other sons for the women to marry (1:4-5). Along with leaving her widowed (1:3), she felt that the Lord had afflicted her with the death of her two sons. As a result, Naomi graciously encouraged her two daughters-in-law to return to their home of Moab and remarry (1:8-9). While both Ruth and Orpah twice refused to leave Naomi, it was not until the third time that Orpah finally succumbed to Naomi's pleading (1:14), returning to Moab and her gods, of which the chief Moabite deity was Chemosh, who required child sacrifice (1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 3:27). As what the story reveals, however, is that Ruth had unyielding fervor to stay with Naomi and pursue the one true God.
Within the heart of every human resides an idol factory; beloved Ruth was no exception to this and yet the Spirit steered her toward Him when it was His time. We all have friends and family who we know that do not yet know the Lord and we sometimes become anxious and perhaps frustrated when it seems that God is simply not getting a hold of them. Take heart, however, since the Lord will quicken the spirits of those who would come to Him in faith and He does this according to His own timing, not ours (2 Pet. 3:9). In God's own timing, He providentially set up events that brought about certain circumstances, of which Ruth came to a saving faith via God's work of regeneration within her and eventually into marriage with a godly man (Ruth 1:16; 4:13). From then on, evidence of the Spirit was evident within her life and she quickly turned from serving idols to serving the Almighty (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9-10).
I encourage you to ask God to search your heart for any idols that your factory has made lately; from what has been kept in the darkness, confess your sins to Him and expose them to the light. After all, nothing of us is ever hidden from His sight (Heb. 4:13). Live with assurance of the hope that He has placed inside of you and press on with an unyielding fervor to be an ambassador for Christ (Eph. 6:20). Do not follow the footsteps of Orpah and chase after false gods; idols will make you idle in your walk with God and they open a door for the powers of darkness to sap the joy of salvation right out of you. Surely, Ruth is an example for us to follow in our own journey with God; she displayed zeal for His glory, followed the advice of a godly woman (Naomi), and pursued marriage with a godly individual (Boaz). All of these events were followed by the forsaking of her idols. Now it's your turn.
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