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“Whither thou [Naomi] goest, I [Ruth] will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16).
Naomi and her husband had moved to Moab when there was a famine in Israel, and one of their sons had married Ruth, who was a girl from Moab. But now Naomi’s husband was dead, and so was Ruth’s husband. Naomi wanted to return to the land of Israel, and Ruth badly wanted to go with her. When Naomi tried to send her back to Moab, Ruth insisted on going wherever Naomi went. Why was this?
The Lord had worked in Ruth’s heart, and she really wanted to know the true God. Even though the Moabites were related to the children of Israel (they were part of Lot’s family), they worshiped idols, and did not like the Israelites. But Ruth realized that the God of Israel was the true God, and wanted to go with Naomi, whatever the cost.
She was richly rewarded for her faith, for she eventually married a wealthy man named Boaz, and became one of the human ancestors of the Lord Jesus. Read her story in the book of Ruth.
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