Ruth’s Choice

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. - Ruth 1:14

    “Ruth clave unto her.”

    Great issues are often determined by choices that appear to be insignificant. The choice or decision of one person often affects many. Indeed, there have been a few people in history who made choices and decisions by which God, in his providence, has directed the history of the world. Ceasar’s decision to cross the Rubican forever changed the history of the world. Columbus’ decision to continue his western voyage for just one more day was a decision that has affected everyone of us. But by comparison the decisions of those men were insignificant when weighed against the decision made by Ruth the Moabitess in the plains of Moab over 3000 years ago. “Ruth clave unto Naomi.” The decision of that Moabitess stranger forever fixed the course of human history in the direction of God’s eternal, redemptive purpose!

    If we learned nothing else from Ruth’s choice, we ought to be made to realize the importance of making, even seemingly insignificant decisions, with wisdom and care. We must always consider the consequences of our decisions. Do not make hasty, rash, spur of the moment decisions. They are almost always costly and regretted. Elimelech made a decision which resulted in the ruin of his family. Ruth made a decision that was costly to herself, but was right, and resulted in the salvation, the everlasting salvation of untold millions. Yet, it was a decision, a choice made in a lonely dessert, which no one knew about but Ruth, Orpah, Naomi and God.

    Ruth’s cChoice involved the complete commitment of herself to Naomi, her people, and her God. It is a beautiful and instructive picture of every believing sinner’s consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ.

    "And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or 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, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." Ruth 1:14-17

    Ruth said to Naomi, “WHITHER THOU GOEST, I WILL GO.” In the course of our lives we cross many paths. At each cross road we come to, we all like to reserve to ourselves the freedom to choose which direction we will take. Ruth had no way of knowing what cross roads she might come to. But here she deliberately and decidedly renounced all freedom of choice in the affairs of her life. She committed herself to a path, not knowing where it might take her, only that it would end in Bethlehem. She committed herself to a course of life that would be entirely determined by someone else.

    That is exactly what sinners do when they come to Christ. We commit ourselves to him. Taking his yoke upon ourselves willingly, bowing to his will and his dominion as our Lord. We become his voluntary bond slave (Matt. 11:28-30; Ex. 21:1-5). This is what we publicly declared to our Lord, to his people, and to all the world in our baptism. Is it not? Buried in the watery grave and rising with Christ to walk in the newness of life, we publicly avowed that we would, from that day forward, walk with him in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4-6). We have been turned from our way to his way. To walk in his way is to walk in the King’s highway by faith (Isa. 35:8). That is the highway of holiness, the low way of humility, the narrow way of faith, the rough way of trial, the old way of truth, the safe way of security and the good way of grace. This is the way of the cross that leads us home. What could be more blessed than to have our path ordered by the Good Shepherd, who goes before his sheep in the way in which he leads them.

    “AND WHERE THOU LODGEST, I WILL LODGE.” Ruth made no stipulations as to where the lodging place should be, or what kind. The one desire that filled her breast was to be with Naomi, her beloved mother-in-law. She had many friends; but she dwelt with Naomi (2:23). Even when she married Boaz, “Ruth clave unto Naomi” (4:15).

    This is a picture of every believer’s great ambition and blessed prospect - To dwell with Christ (Psa. 27:4; 23:6; Isa. 57:15; John 14:23). It matters not where my path takes me, if Christ is there. It matters not where I live, if Christ is there. It matters not where I worship, if Christ is there.It matters not what, or where heaven is, if Christ is there. This is the blessedness of the New Jerusalem - “The Lord is there!” (John 14:3).

    “THY PEOPLE SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.” Ruth’s choice involved a painful separation. She left her people and took Naomi’s people. The very first thing God calls for is an affirmation of love by a separation, an alienation of affection from all natural, earthly relationships. If we would follow Christ, Christ alone must be considered (Lk. 14:25-27). Just as the Lord God passed by Esau, giving him no consideration, to save Jacob (Rom. 9:13), so we must allow no consideration to stand between us and Christ. When God called Abraham, he commanded him to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house. But Abraham would not let go of his father Terah. So God killed Terah (Gen. 11:31-32). Then, he brought Abraham into Canaan (Gen. 12:1-4; Acts 7:1-4). If we would follow Christ, there is a very real sense in which we must forsake our own people (Psa. 45:10-11). You can only worship and serve one person. Commitment to Christ not only involves the severance of old relationships; it involves loving, loyal commitment to all is family - Behold, my family (Matt. 12:49).

    Then, Ruth said, “THY GOD (SHALL BE) MY GOD!” Without question, this was the most difficult part of Ruth’s decision. The natural man clings with the utmost tenacity to his religion and to his gods. It matters not how degrading the religion is, or how useless the god is, the fact that it is his religion and his god gives it value in his eyes. He resents any reflection upon it. He will fight for his religion. He will die in the defense of his god.

    Yet, if we would follow Christ, we must abandon the gods of our fathers. It is absolutely impossible for anyone to follow Christ without forsaking the religion of Babylon and the gods of Babylon (Rev. 18:4; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). We cannot worship at the altar of free-will and the altar of free-grace. We must choose , as Ruth did, between the gods of our fathers and the true and living God, the God revealed in this Book, the God revealed in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who is the true and living God is both sovereign and gracious, just and merciful. He is the God of eternal electing love, effectual blood atonement, and sovereign irresistible grace.

    Then Ruth said to Naomi - “WHERE THOU DIEST, WILL I DIE!” At the very outset, Ruth said to Naomi, “I have made my decision. It is a life-long commitment. It will not be reversed. Not one step will be retraced.” I will be with you to the end!” (Lk. 9:62). This, too, is a picture of faith in Christ.

    The believer comes to Christ recognizing that in his death as the sinner’s Substitute, we died (Gal. 2:19-20; 2 Cor. 5:14; Rom. 6:11). We glory in the cross of Christ, because we died there with him (Gal. 6:14). And the believer’s commitment to Christ is a resolute, permanent, persevering commitment (Phil. 3:13-14). With the true believer, faith in and commitment to Christ is not spasmodic thing, but a deliberately chosen way of life.

    “AND THERE WILL I BE BURIED.” Ruth’s life was so interwoven with Naomi’s that she wanted to be buried with her. She could follow her no further than to the grave. But she followed her that far. Ruth’s allegiance to Naomi ended in a common grave, but the believer’s union with and allegiance to Christ begins in a common grave - We are buried with him in baptism (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). Yet, our burial with Christ looks far beyond the grave to the resurrection and on to the endless ages of eternity. If we died with him, we shall be raised by him. When we are raised by him, we shall live together with him forever - We shall “ever be with the Lord!”

    I hold before you the City of God and this world, Bethlehem and Moab. I hold before you the Lord Jesus Christ and this world. I bid you now to follow Christ, to consecrate yourselves to him in exactly the same way that Ruth consecrated herself to Naomi. I cannot tell you what you may meet with in the way. But I can tell you that this path is the path of life and ends in life, eternal life. Let us each make Ruth’s choice our choice? “Whither thou goest…there will I be buried!”