The journey from Moab to...
Illustration
The journey from Moab to Bethlehem was no small undertaking, especially for an elderly
woman like Naomi. She would have to walk about 120 miles. The route would take her
through a desert, where the sun would be blistering by day and the air freezing at night.
Travelers frequently were attacked by bandits. So when Naomi said, "Good-bye," to her
two daughters-in-law, she knew that, one way or another, she likely was seeing them for
the last time.
What a touching scene it must have been among the three widows, the elderly Naomi setting out on a life-threatening journey, the younger women clinging to her and sobbing. No one would have blamed Ruth for staying behind with Orpah and maybe remarrying. Ruth's love for, and commitment to, her sometimes-difficult mother-in-law ("Naomi" means "bitter," and she frequently lived up to her name!) is one of the most moving stories in the Bible. But in the end, faithful Ruth learned the truth of Jesus' saying, somewhat adapted: "Those who would save their lives will lose them; and those who would lose their lives for love's sake will find them."
What a touching scene it must have been among the three widows, the elderly Naomi setting out on a life-threatening journey, the younger women clinging to her and sobbing. No one would have blamed Ruth for staying behind with Orpah and maybe remarrying. Ruth's love for, and commitment to, her sometimes-difficult mother-in-law ("Naomi" means "bitter," and she frequently lived up to her name!) is one of the most moving stories in the Bible. But in the end, faithful Ruth learned the truth of Jesus' saying, somewhat adapted: "Those who would save their lives will lose them; and those who would lose their lives for love's sake will find them."
