Ruth Chapter 1

What does it look like to love someone when there is absolutely nothing in it for you? That is the question at the heart of Ruth chapter one, and it is one that cuts right to the core of what it means to follow Jesus. We find ourselves dropped into one of the most turbulent periods in Israel's history, a time when, as the final verse of Judges puts it, everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Against that backdrop of selfishness and instability, a young Moabite widow named Ruth makes a choice that stands in stunning contrast to the culture around her. She refuses to leave her grieving mother-in-law Naomi, surrendering her right to return home, find a new husband, and rebuild her own life. Her declaration, 'where you go I will go, your people shall be my people, and your God my God,' is not a half-hearted gesture. It is a total laying down of self for the sake of another. This is sacrificial love in its purest form, and it points us directly to the love of Jesus Christ, who gave up the comfort of heaven to enter into our pain and carry our burden. As we begin this journey through Ruth, from affliction toward redemption, we are invited to ask ourselves honestly: are we living like the culture around us, doing what is right in our own eyes, or are we living like Ruth, choosing the harder, costlier, more beautiful path of love?