Ruth 1:15-18 She stopped trying to persuade her!

 ”And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.“ ‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Look, your sister-in-law has gone: Naomi did what she could to discourage Ruth from coming with her back to Israel. It wasn’t that Naomi didn’t want Ruth to come, but she didn’t want a fair-weather friend either.

b. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people: This was a noble - even outstanding - friend-to-friend commitment. But Ruth’s commitment to Naomi went even further: And your God, [will be] my God.

i. This was more than change of address. Ruth was willing to forsake the Moabite gods she grew up with and embrace the God of Israel. She was deciding to follow the LORD. This Gentile woman, once far from God, had drawn near to Him.

ii. And your God, [will be] my God meant that Naomi’s relationship with God made an impact on Ruth. This is striking, because Naomi did not have an easy life. She had been widowed, had lost both her sons, and believed that she had caused each calamity by her disobedience. Yet she still honored and loved the LORD.

iii. People should be able to look at your life, just as Ruth looked at Naomi’s, and say “I want your God to be my God.” Your trust in God, and turning towards Him in tough times, will often be the thing that draws others to the LORD.

c. Your God, my God: Ten years of Naomi’s compromise in Moab never made Ruth confess her allegiance to the God of Israel. Yet as soon as Naomi stood and said, “I’m going back to the God of Israel, I’ll put my fate in His hands” Ruth stood with her. If you think you will persuade your friends or relatives to Jesus by your compromise, you are mistaken. Perhaps you are sincere, but you are mistaken. Only a bold stand for Jesus will really do it.

i. “Ah! You will never win any soul to the right by a compromise with the wrong. It is decision for Christ and his truth that has the greatest power in the family, and the greatest power in the world, too.” (Spurgeon)

d. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me: Ruth had little knowledge of the true God, the God of Israel - but she knew He was a God of fairness and justice, so He could be called upon to hold Ruth accountable to this promise.

There’s a lot to unpack in these verses but what struck me was, “she stopped speaking to her.” Sometimes we have to study other versions to understand the translation. Here’s is the Berean Study Bible translation:

”When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.“ ‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭BSB‬‬

“She stopped trying to persuade her.“

Years ago when we decided to adopt and we’re matched with a 10 year old boy and people were determined to dissuade us, but we were determined to follow the Lords will, so they stopped trying to persuade us.

When you are following the Lords will, don’t let anyone try to persuade you otherwise!

Blessings