Ruth 1:8-18

There is an old idiom which goes like this: "One good turn deserves another."  I heard this phrase when I was a child, never giving it much thought. This is what we find in the first chapter of Ruth.  Following the death of her husband and then here sons, Naomi decides to return to her homeland, and in the process encourages her daughters-in-law to remain in their own land and find new husbands.

According to the Life Application Study Bible, there was almost nothing worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Widows were taken advantage of or ignored. They were almost always poverty stricken. Naomi loved her sons' wives and wanted the best for them, so she encouraged them to stay. Orpah did as Naomi suggested, but Ruth did not. Ruth's words to her mother-in-law are priceless and so beautiful.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

Naomi, selflessly released Ruth from any obligation toward her, and Ruth in turn told Naomi she would not leave her ever--one good turn deserving another.  And then the greatest blessing of all was given to the two of them when God stepped in and took His turn.  We don't act  with kindness for anything in return, but our God, who knows our hearts, will take over and return our good deeds.

The idiom had its roots in the actions of a dog, turning round and round before deciding to lie down and enjoy a nap. Reality is, God is just waiting to 'bless our socks off', He wants to amaze us with His goodness.

Read Ruth 1:8-18 here

Listen to Ruth 1:8-18 here