Whether you have met one, have one, or are one, you know a relationship with a mother-in-law is not one that always comes easy. Even in the best of family dynamics, the delicate relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law does not feel like home right away. The relationship between Ruth and Naomi is realistic but remarkable. It involves the expected dose of awkwardness, but it also illustrates a profound truth: when God calls us to Himself, even relational discomfort cannot keep us away.
Naomi’s husband had died, and so had her sons. The only people she had left in Moab, a foreign country to Naomi, were her two daughter-in-laws, Ruth and Orpah. I imagine Ruth, Orpah, and Naomi sitting around the metaphorical kitchen table, staring at their hands. Together, but alone, the bonds that held them were seemingly gone. Each wilting under their loss. So what happens next?
Naomi makes the decision to return to her homeland Bethlehem, and surprisingly, Ruth chooses to follow Naomi. Ruth binds herself to her mother-in-law when she could have easily stayed in her hometown with her people. But no, she instead said, “Your people will be my people” (Ruth 1:16, NLT). Imagine giving up your people and moving across the country to live with your mother-in-law. It’s unexpected!
Ruth vows to do six things with Naomi. She vows to travel with her, dwell with her, claim her people, worship her God, die where she dies, and be buried where she is buried (Ruth 1:16-17). She could have said, “Okay, let’s go. I’ll check out Naomi’s homeland and see if it is for me.” Nope, Ruth was all in with this relationship.
The decision to stay with Naomi was so all-encompassing because it was a decision to follow the God of Israel. God used this mother-in-law relationship to woo Ruth to himself and, quite unexpectedly, plant her in the genealogy of Christ. It wasn’t Naomi’s beauty, riches, or liveliness that drew Ruth to her. It was her wisdom, virtue, and grace– the fruit God had graciously grown and preserved in her despite her enormous loss.
Ruth saw the mighty work God was doing and did not want her to brush with the God of Israel to end. So, there she stayed, clinging to the one person who linked her to Him. Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi was not of her own strength. But amid Naomi’s doubts and sorrow, God revealed Himself as faithful and compassionate. Naomi believed God was afflicting her, yet Ruth was able to see that, despite their misfortune, God was still caring for them.
What kind of God is this who could draw us against all odds into what seems like the least comforting of circumstances? A loving God. One who offers good news in a time of trouble, bread in a time of famine, a blessing in a season of barrenness, and joy that overcomes all sorrow. This is what Ruth saw in Naomi’s God. Therefore, she could conclude with certainty, “Your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16, NLT). I go where you go. What a beautiful relationship.
