Lay It on Me

22 / L AY I T ON M E

selfish. She stayed in Moab, thinking, If I stay here, I will find the right husband. God can bless me as well in Moab as He can in Bethlehem. Ruth, however, thought of others. She was not looking for a husband, she wanted to meet a need. She believed the distress of one who needed a friend was more important than her own need for a husband. Ruth would not let Naomi walk alone. Ruth saw the situation and sensed something special. She recognized the call to minister to someone. When most people receive a "call from God," most people interpret it as a call for their ministry or a call to use their gift. By contrast, Ruth was called to someone else. It was a burden to move to Bethlehem. It would require her to leave her homeland. She would be separated from childhood friends and loving neighbors. It would mean she would have to walk on strange soil, among strange people with different beliefs and customs. She would live among the Jews, the covenant people of God! Ruth must have known that Jews were suspicious of strangers. The young Moabite would have to prove herself. Still, she and Naomi had much in common. They were related through marriage. Both had experienced the death of their husbands, and both were leaving the past behind. Orpah, on the other hand, could not make the break.