Ruth 1:16b-18
Ruth 1:15 Then she said, “Behold, your widow-in-law has returned to her people and her gods; return with your widow-in-law.”16 But Companion (Ruth) said, “Do not strive against me to leave you, to return from following you;
for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.
Thus may YHWH do to me, and even worse, if even death separates you and me.”
18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Now remember last week our story came to a head and with it the central theme of returning, along with all its spiritual factors. As such, Orpah (Back Turner), who has no ties to YHWH, accepts Naomi’s pragmatic reasoning and returns to Moab.
However, Ruth (Companion) latches herself onto Naomi and refuses to go. In fact, Ruth’s ardent refusal to leave awakens Naomi’s own spiritual considerations. As such, Naomi questions if there is not more to Companion’s refusal to go (could it be a God thing). Therefore, for the first time in this section Naomi places the spiritual stakes of returning before Ruth. She tells Ruth to return to her people and their gods. Why? Naomi is testing to see, if in fact, YHWH is the reason that Ruth is refusing to go.
In our text this morning, Naomi’s test has directed us to watch how Ruth responds. Will Ruth respond to Naomi’s order to leave pragmatically; or will she respond spiritually with faith? In other words, what are the real reasons that Ruth wants to stay?
Verse 1:16
Notice at once Companion’s response: Companion says to Naomi, where you go I will go. Importance: notice Ruth’s response is not just an impulsive sentiment. Instead, it is a binding and legal oath to which she will call God to witness (v. 17). In other words, Ruth counters the official release that Naomi gave back in verses 8-9 with her own binding vow. In fact, it is vital for our understanding of the book going forward that we recognize the official and binding nature of Ruth’s oath here FN#1. Not only that, notice Ruth’s vow is unqualified. That is, Ruth does not simply pledge to go to Bethlehem with Naomi and help her get settled in. Rather, Ruth pledges to go wherever Naomi goes, whenever she goes there. In fact, the unqualified and comprehensive nature of Ruth’s commitment is seen in the verbal equivalences she offers. Notice then, 5 times in these two short verses Ruth’s oath exactly mirrors Naomi’s action (where you go, lodge, die, your people, your God). In other words, Ruth’s commitment is a total and binding commitment.
Next, Companion says where you lodge, I will lodge. Importance: at once Ruth alerts us that her commitment is not blind, naive, or hastily made. Instead, it is informed, fully aware, and well measured. Notice then, the Hebrew verb that Ruth uses here for “lodge” literally means “to spend the night”. In other words, Ruth does not say where you live/dwell. That is, her word choice does not invoke images of a home or a permanent residence. Instead, it depicts an inn or shelter. Simply put, Ruth’s vow points to the transient, unsettled, and uncertain nature of their future and thus confirms her commitment to share that future, whatever it may be, in order not to be apart from Naomi or her God.
Next, Companion tells Naomi, your people shall be my people and your God my God. Importance: at once verse 16 alerts us that Ruth’s oath exceeds a mere commitment to Naomi. Instead, it extends to Naomi’s God and His people FN#2. Not only that, notice Ruth’s vow utterly rejects and reverses Naomi’s instruction. Remember, in verse 15 Naomi tells Ruth to return with her widow-in-law to her people and their gods. However, Ruth rejects this course and responds by binding herself instead to Naomi’s people and Naomi’s God. Importance: notice at once the spiritual factors at work behind Ruth’s commitment: Remember, Ruth has been exposed to Naomi’s constant witness over the years FN#3. Not only that, it seems over time, Ruth has actually adopted Naomi’s faith as her own. In turn, she has come to love Naomi deeply as her spiritual mother/ mentor. Such then explains Ruth’s ardent (life and death) insistence on going with Naomi. However, the prospect of leaving Naomi and her witness in order to return to pagan Moab has brought Ruth to a crisis of faith. In other words, Ruth must decide and then act on what she really believes. The result is that Ruth refuses to leave Naomi and her witness. Instead, (with everything on the line) she decisively joins herself totally to Naomi- to Naomi’s future, to Naomi’s God, and to Naomi’s people (who’s customs reflect their specific God) FN#4. Simply put, Ruth’s decision reflects a genuine response to Naomi’s witness and a genuine work of God in her heart. Ruth has cast her lot with YHWH, His people, and with Naomi, the mother of her faith. In fact, the entire rest of the book hinges on the legitimacy of Ruth’s conversion FN#5.
Verse 17
Next, notice every detail of verse 17 confirms our reading that Ruth’s pledge exceeds just a commitment to Naomi and does in fact point to a conversion: notice then Ruth says, where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. In other words, Ruth has not simply joined herself to Naomi. As such, her pledge is not simply to remain with Naomi until Naomi dies. Instead, Ruth says that she will die where Naomi dies and will also be buried there. In other words, even upon death she will not be brought back to the land of Moab or its people. Instead, her fate/future rests entirely and forever with that of God’s people FN#6. Importance: at once the text verifies that Ruth’s commitment is not solely to Naomi. Instead, it is to Naomi and her God. Therefore, even after Naomi’s death (when Ruth’s service to Naomi would be fulfilled), Ruth’s commitment remains in place.
Next, notice the binding and official nature of Ruth’s oath. Ruth calls YHWH to witness her vow. That is, Ruth calls YHWH to hold her to its terms. Importance: in a book that is all about names we once again see the genuineness of Ruth’s conversion. Notice then, Ruth has just bound herself to YHWH. As such, she does not call on some generic notion of deity to witness her vow. Instead, she specifically calls on YHWH to whom she is now joined as witness to her commitment. Simply put, YHWH is her witness because YHWH is her God FN#7.
Verse 18
Next, notice that verse 18 tells us that when Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go, she said no more to her about it. In other words, Ruth’s response has answered Naomi’s test. That is, Ruth has answered spiritually with a sober assessment of the situation and with a comprehensive commitment that extends beyond Naomi to Naomi’s God. As such, Naomi realizes that Ruth’s resolve exceeds all of Naomi’s practical concerns (vs 8-13), and that she should therefore not be denied. However, please note what is missing: notice what Naomi does not say: Naomi does not rejoice in Ruth’s conversion. She offers no encouragement or spiritual welcome. In fact, Naomi doesn’t even praise God that His hand is at work in their situation. Instead, she says nothing. She only stops trying to dissuade Ruth from going. Why? There is a real sense in which Naomi still thinks it is a bad idea for Ruth to go with her. Why? Naomi still thinks God’s hand is against her (c.f. 1:21) and therefore going with her will still only mean hardship. Nonetheless, Naomi is not ready to argue against what God seems to be doing even though she does not like or understand it; nor is she in a place to refuse Ruth’s vow to YHWH. Therefore, she holds her tongue and the two women start back down the road leading to Bethlehem in silence.
Bottom line: our passage this morning ends with a resolve to the theme of returning. Notice then, in one direction, Orpah travels alone back to Moab, never to be seen again. In the other direction, Naomi and Ruth head back to Bethlehem, to an uncertain and foreboding future. And yet (without anyone seeming to notice) everything has changed. YHWH has entered the heart of Ruth and returned to the broken thoughts of Naomi. Not only that, His quiet hand already has them on the road home. As a result, for now at least, the two women are not speaking to each other.
Footnotes
1] It is vitally important that we take note of the two competing legal transitions that have occurred. In verses 8-9 Naomi, acting as the matriarch of the family and the last authority figure standing, issues the girls an official legal release from all their obligations to her. Here in verse 16-17 Ruth counters that release with her own official and binding oath. In fact, in our passage Ruth intentionally trumps Naomi’s official release. However, the only way that Ruth’s vow can trump Naomi’s authority in the matter is by going over Naomi’s head. As such, Ruth binds herself (not simply to Naomi but) to Naomi’s God and to His people. In essence, she appeals to Caesar (YHWH) to let her return to His land. However, Ruth is not merely leveraging the situation. To appeal to YHWH would be a treacherous act unless Ruth was genuinely YHWH’s child and genuinely wanted to be with Him in His land. In the end, the official and binding nature of Ruth’s oath is vitally important for understanding her spiritual condition, the nature of what is occurring in our passage, as well as for understanding the remainder of the book.
2] Notice, it is this very spiritual factor that is missing from Orpah’s commitment to Naomi. As such, it is this very spiritual factor that distinguishes the two girls and their decisions.
3] Remember, we saw the consistent nature of Naomi’s witness to these girls back in verse 8-9.
From our sermon on 1:8-9: in a book that is all about names, it is of great significance that Naomi’s blessing does not just use some generic term for god (which in a pagan land and to pagan ears could mean anything). Instead, she repeatedly uses God’s specific covenant name YHWH. In addition, notice that she does so without giving any explanation or identification to these Moabite women, such as “YHWH, the God of Israel”. In other words, this repeated use of YHWH’s specific covenant name, together with the lack of any explanation, indicates that this is Naomi’s usual practice. She does not need to explain because these girls are well aware of who YHWH is and how Naomi regards Him. Notice the result: Naomi’s blessing not only displays her heart for these girls, it also displays her heart for God and the faithful witness that she has been to these girls even in pagan Moab and even under faithless leadership.
4] My guess is that by the time of our passage, Ruth had already received Naomi’s witness (thus her insistence on going with Naomi). However, the possibility of returning to pagan Moab has made Ruth have to decide what she actually believes. As such, our passage is not a conversion account per say. Rather, it is a public profession by which that conversion is made known and binding. As such, it stands in a place much like Baptism does today. A convert receives Christ. He then comes and is instructed and examined. Finally, the new convert is given the Sacrament of Baptism as an official and public seal before God and His people of the inward conversion and reception that occurred when he believed. Simply put, our passage represents a public and binding profession of the faith that Ruth has received. In turn, it is this public and binding profession that then serves as the grounds for Ruth’s inclusion in and marriageability among God’s people. Ruth has received YHWH as her God and His people as her own.
5] Note, the genuineness of Ruth’s conversion in 16-17 is verifies by several key factors in the book: (1) the Judaization/conversion of her original Moabite name to the Hebrew “Ruth” (a name with a direct Hebrew root) underscores her genuine inclusion in God’s people; (2) in a land that forbids pagan intermarriage, the fact that there is no question (private or public) regarding Boaz’s decision to marry this Moabite woman is further proof of her genuine conversion; and (3) without Ruth’s genuine conversion, her pagan marriage to Boaz casts the entire book into theological duplicity, which would then completely undermined any case it makes for the legitimacy of the Davidic kingship. Thus, instead of being God’s legitimate choice for king, David’s reign would be founded on disobedience, impurity, and compromise. The result is that verses 16-17 show us a genuine conversion not just a familial commitment.
6] Importance: remember Ruth is a book all about the future– be it future provision for a family, the continuation of a line in light of their place in God’s future, the coming of a King, or even the eventual provision of the Messiah. Here in verse 17 this theme of future is once again highlighted. Why? The author wants to make sure that it is front and center in your mind as we go forward in the book. Orpah has departed, her name is lost. She has no future. Ruth, however, has bound herself to the future that God has for His people.
7] Notice the content of Ruth’s invocation: she says, may God strike me dead the moment I abandon you and your witness to return to the pagan world. In fact, may God not just strike me dead, may He inflict upon me an agonizing death (do even worse). In other words, there is a real sense that Ruth asks God to inflict her mortal body with the very death that turning from God for a pagan land would mean. In essence, Ruth says, do to me outwardly what I have done inwardly.
Importance: Ruth’s, self-imprecatory invocation shows us Ruth’s spiritual understanding and condition. To Ruth YHWH is the one true living God with whom alone is life and blessedness. As such, to Ruth, to turn away from YHWH is a move from life to death that deserves death.
Translation note: many translations render the end of verse 17 to read “
Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
Compared to my translation and others like it
Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if even death parts you and me.”
The issue here is how you understand the Hebrew conjunction כִּי (that, because, if). Many translations see it as a straight condition (if) and then add “anything but” to the translation to help it make sense (if anything but death separates). However, it seems best to see the conjunction as an emphatic conditional conjunction (if even). Such then requires no extraneous words to be supplied to the text. In turn, it seems unlikely given the significance of Ruth’s promise to be buried where Naomi is buried (and all that means regarding their abiding future), that Ruth would then turn around and say “if anything but death parts us”. Instead, it seems far more likely that Ruth is saying that not even their death shall separate them or end Ruth’s commitment to YHWH and her place in His people. She has fully and completely embraced/ joined herself to Naomi’s God forever. Therefore, I have rendered the Hebrew here to read, “Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if even death parts you and me”.