Ruth, the ideal daughter-in-law

The story of Ruth is the story of a daughter-in-law who had a beautiful relationship with her mother in law.

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in Judah.   Elimelech and his wife Naomi and their two sons fled from Bethlehem in Judah and settled in Moab where they stayed for more than ten years.  Later Elimelech died, and Noemi was left with her two sons, who later married Moabite women.  The two daughters in law were Orpah and Ruth.  Later, the two sons also died.

Hearing that the famine in Judah had ended, Naomi prepared to go home and told her daughters-in-law to go back to their parents.  Orpah turned back, but Ruth was determined to be with her mother-in-law. In one of the Bible’s most eloquent passages – Ruth tells Naomi, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.  Your people will be my people, and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16)

So, Naomi travelled from Moab accompanied by Ruth, and when they arrived in Bethlehem, the season of barley harvest had just begun.

The loyalty of Ruth is so beautiful, and if only all daughters-in-law are like her, there will be no in-laws problem.  But I think Ruth was very kind to Naomi because Naomi herself was also very kind to her.