RUTH: WOMAN OF DEVOTION – SERMON I: COMMITTED CAREGIVER
Most of us at one time or another during our lifetime served as a caregiver for someone else. If you were a mother, you were the caregiver for your children; or perhaps you found yourself having to care for your parents; or you might have had to care for a disabled spouse or child; and I wouldn’t rule out the probability that some of you might have been employed in a medical facility where you cared for patients – perhaps as a doctor, nurse, an aide or a therapist.
My hope would be that, if you served at any time in your lifetime in the capacity of caring for another person, you did so with a sense of love and loyalty toward that person rather than grudgingly. The Bible links love for God with caring for those who cannot care for themselves.
My wife is a good example of a person who cared for another with no thought of reward or remuneration; although there are those who earn their living as a caregiver – and that’s okay.
When my father-in-law became disabled at the age of eighty-five, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, it was necessary for my wife to become his guardian and to be responsible for his care. Even though she had sisters and others who helped from time to time, she was his primary caregiver for six years out of the goodness of her heart.
Perhaps you have “been there, done that” yourself and you know first hand what it means to devote many months or years to caring for a loved one. If so, you are to be commended; likewise, if you are on the receiving end of needing to be cared for, your caregivers are to be commended.
Ruth in the Bible was one of the women of devotion whose stories we read for inspiration, but also as an example of one of God’s helpers who served graciously in their role as caregivers. The story of Ruth not only inspires us, but we learn from her story that God the Father is pleased with those who are willing to serve Him by serving others.
Ruth made an unconditional commitment to care for her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. When I use the word “unconditional” it means that a person so loves another person that he or she is willing to do whatever needs to be done, whenever it needs to be done, for as long as it needs to be done.
Such was Ruth’s commitment to Naomi. Her unselfish devotion to her mother-in-law was expressed in a passage of scripture that is one of the best-known scriptures in all the Old Testament; and part of the passage is often read during wedding ceremonies.
This beautiful portion of scripture is recorded in the first chapter of the Book of Ruth, verses 15 and 17: “Naomi said to Ruth, ‘Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law.’ And Ruth said to Naomi, ‘Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’”
This famous story occurred at a time when famine in Palestine forced many Jewish families to take drastic measures. One such family, made up of Naomi, her husband and two sons, left Bethlehem and moved to the land of Moab. The two sons married Moabite women, one of whom was Ruth.
Then tragedy struck this family within a decade. Naomi’s husband and both of her sons died. So, their untimely deaths left Naomi and both of her daughters-in-law widowed.
Not long after the three women became widows, Naomi received word that the famine in Palestine had ended, so she made plans to go back home to live with her extended family. Being a person who wanted what was best for not only herself but also her two daughters-in-law, Naomi suggested to both that they go back home to live with their families just as she was going back home to live with her family.
To make a long story short, one of Naomi’s daughters-in-law did exactly as Naomi suggested and went back home to live with her Moabite kinfolks. On the other hand, Ruth decided to leave her native land and go back to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi.
Ruth’s moving words reflect the characteristics of a commitment of one person to another. First: Ruth’s commitment was voluntary. She was not forced to go with Naomi. Naomi exerted no pressure, either verbally or financially, on Ruth. To the contrary, Naomi tried to persuade Ruth to stay in her homeland. Nonetheless, Ruth’s love for Naomi would not let Naomi go without Ruth going with her.
The second characteristic: Ruth’s commitment was total. She gave herself totally to the task of caring for her mother-in-law. Ruth pledged to live and to die wherever Naomi did. In other words, she made a promise to herself that she would care for Naomi for as long as she lived.
The third characteristic: Ruth’s commitment was unconditional.
There were no conditions under which Ruth would allow herself to be released from the commitment she had made to Naomi. This unconditional nature of her commitment is why those beautiful words of Ruth are used at weddings. Any commitment that we make to anyone – as a marriage partner, as a parent, as a caregiver, as a care receiver - should be unconditional; in that way we can survive the worst that might come.
Why did this young woman from Moab make such a commitment to a grieving older woman? Is it too simple to say that Ruth did this only because she cared about Naomi? Remember, Ruth had experienced grief of her own when her young husband died. Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons. Ruth saw Naomi’s deep grief, and she cared.
Ruth also realized that Naomi had no family left. Naomi would be alone in her own land, dependent on strangers. A widow without children of her own would be helpless. No question about it, Naomi needed a caregiver; and no question about it, Ruth felt a calling to care for her.
As I read those poetic words of Ruth, it struck me that Ruth had experienced a divine calling. She felt genuine compassion for Naomi; did not just feel sorry for her mother-in-law; Ruth identified with Naomi’s grief; her compassion was due to a heartfelt desire to share Naomi’s grief. Thus, Ruth made a vow to God to serve Him by serving Naomi.
Christians are challenged to share one another’s burdens. We may not have found ourselves in Naomi’s situation, but all of us at some point in our lives need to know that somebody cares . . . that we have a friend who is willing to share the heavy load that we sometimes bear.
What would we do without a true friend – one who cares about us; one who shares with us; one whose prayers for us give us a strong sense of security in our time of deepest need? Would you agree with me that as Christians, our spiritual security is found in our personal relationship to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
It was this sense of spiritual security that motivated a Christian writer to pen the words of one of the favorite hymns of all time: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus!” Amen.
