Friday, April 30
Loyalty
Scripture: Ruth 1-4
Ruth 1:16–17 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 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.”
Observation
I watched the Bible Project video on the overview of Ruth (7 minutes)—excellent. These videos are worth watching! Very well done! I recommend them at the start of every book of the Bible.
When Naomi urges her daughter-in-laws to return to their people and families, Orpah does but Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi, and says these beautiful words. These are often repeated at a wedding, although that’s not the context here. But they are still appropriate since they reflect the loyalty and constancy of close relatives via marriage.
Ruth expresses her loyalty to her mother-in-law. It is a loyalty so deep that she would leave her own kin and country to be with Naomi forever. She chose not only to be with Naomi, but to adopt her people, customs and God. “I am with you and I’m not leaving.”
Application
Loyalty is an undervalued character quality today. We live in a “what have you done for me lately” culture, a “me-culture” that values personal pleasure and freedom above loyalty to others.
The college sports transfer portal is one example. It used to be that you chose a school and were loyal: you started and finished there. Now schools are chosen primarily to advance your personal career, and when you don’t get what you want, you transfer. It’s no longer about team loyalty, only about self. (I know that sounds harsh…but bear with me.)
The same is true in marriage—when it ceases to satisfy me, I can leave and find someone else.
The same is true in church—as long as it meets my needs, I stay. If not, I leave and go elsewhere. We talk about church being a family, but we treat it more like a store that has stopped carrying my favorite foods, so I shop elsewhere. We actually talk about “church shopping” as if church were a commodity to be consumed rather than a commitment to a family. I’m often stunned by the lack of loyalty shown by people in whom we’ve made huge investments. I know I shouldn’t be surprised any more…but I still am.
The same is true in friendships. You are my friend…until I tire of you, or you cross me. What happened to loyalty?
I’m not arguing for a blind or total loyalty that ignores boundaries, self-care or your own interests. There are proper times and reasons to leave anything. But in our self-centered world, loyalty has become a forgotten or under-valued commodity. We can learn something from Ruth—and from how God used her loyalty to accomplish His purposes.
Prayer: Lord, help me review my commitments to the people in my life, and make sure that I’m a loyal husband, friend, brother, and pastor. Make me more loyal!