Under Whose Wings

Under Whose Wings

"May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

Ruth 2:12

Because of the famine in Israel, Naomi and her husband decided to move to Moab. Moab was a polytheistic nation, which means that the people there worshiped many gods. Their two sons married Moabite women. Maybe Naomi grieved at first that her sons had chosen foreign wives and not Hebrew wives. Their wives were named Ruth and Orpah. If you know the ending to the story of Ruth, then you know that she chose the God of Israel. She must have learned about Him through Naomi and her family. Perhaps they told her the stories about how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt because they were His chosen people.

Sadly, all three men died, and the three women survived. When Ruth's husband died, she gave up dreams of living a long life with her man and bearing his children. Through her sorrow and her loss, the God of Naomi and her deceased husband was more attractive and believable than the gods of Moab. The unseen God of Israel had won her affection over the idols she had worshiped and the god Ashtoreh to whom she had burned incense.

The three women had probably wept on each other's shoulders. At times, each woman probably had the pain of losing her husband rise up unexpectedly. Naomi's pain must have been the greatest, though. She had lost all three men in her life, and all hope for any grandchildren in her bloodline would end with her.

Naomi left for Bethlehem, and her two daughters-in-law joined her. Orpah started on the road to Israel, but after Naomi urged her to go back, she returned home. She did not choose to take the road to Judah. However, Ruth clung tightly to her and proclaimed, "Your people are my people. Your God is my God." She pledged herself to Naomi and that she would stay by her side no matter what came their way.

All her life, most likely, she lived in the land east of the Dead Sea. She had no idea what lay on the road before her. She only knew the God she loved awaited her on that road, and the one who introduced her to Him was taking it. So she journeyed with her mother-in-law west to Bethlehem. Maybe they joined a caravan when they could, but they still journeyed through potential dangers of traveling without protection like being snatched up, or sold into slavery, or worse.

Ruth chose to live with Naomi in poverty in the Promised Land instead of returning to her people in Moab where she could have provision. They were destitute, and Naomi was the object of pity by her old friends.

The LORD had commanded the Jewish people to leave behind some harvest for the poor to glean. It is God's way that no one goes hungry. So Ruth picked up the grain left behind.

Then an honorable man took notice of her. He provided for her what he could by allowing her to work in his fields and by ordering no one to hurt her. Additionally, he gave her a blessing in Ruth 2:12 by saying, "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." Boaz grasped what Ruth had done. He understood that she had physically taken shelter in Israel, signifying that she was entrusting her entire life to the care of the God of Israel.

I heard this story about Ruth twice over a period of three days. This verse 12 leapt out at me both times. Ruth offered God one thing - herself. She understood that she could have had the sure thing by returning to her people, been provided for, remarried, had children, and lived the life of ease. Maybe she could have kept worshiping the God Jehovah there in her land, but that was not enough for her. She didn't want the life of mediocrity. Ruth not only left her land and her blood-family, but she also left her gods behind for the God of Israel. She chose the LORD over all things in life. When she chose the LORD, she placed herself under His care. All she had was herself, and that was all that she needed to give!

The Hebrew word for repay in verse 12 does not just mean that Boaz was asking for God to pay her for taking care of Naomi like you or I might pay hourly wages to someone who has taken care of our parent, child, or other loved one. It was more than mere money. This word "repay" also means to be safe and to be completed. Isn't that beautiful? Only God had the power to do all three. He could provide for her needs and keep her safe as well as complete her life by bringing fullness and meaning to it!

Ruth's trust is such an example to you and me. She chose a life of hardship in poverty and being a stranger in a foreign land as long as she had God. Could we trust Him like Ruth did? Have we forsaken our gods that we had before we walked with the God Most High? Have we made one brave decision to be loyal to our God and followed through with a daily commitment no matter the cost, the fear, or the trouble that we have encountered? Oh, beloved, let's have the trust, loyalty, and courage of Ruth!

Pray with me: Oh, God, we praise Your Holy Name! May we come under Your wings and take refuge there. Only under the protection of Your arms and in the folds of Your garments will we find true safety and the security that we need. In a world that can fall apart on us, in a world that does not share the same economy that You have to take care of the poor, You are still with us. You remain. Therefore, may we be willing to follow Your path wherever it may lead and forsake any other god. Empower us to make the turning point brave decisions that set our direction for the rest of our lives. It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, I pray. Amen.