Ruth  

    

 "AND Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth 

clave unto her." Ruth 1:14. Naomi was the 

mother-in-law of both   Ruth and Orpah, and they

 were all widows. You will see by reading the

 first verse of the chapter, that there was a 

famine in the land of Israel, and that a man of

 Bethlehem-  Judah, (the husband of Naomi) went

 to live in the country of   Moab with his wife and

 his two sons.  Peruse the book and you will see

 the name of Naomi's husband was Elimelech, 

and her sons' names were Mahlon and Chilion. It

 seems that this family remained in the country 

of Moab about ten years, and that the two sons,

 Mahlon and Chilion, married wives, and the 

name of one was Orpah and the other Ruth.

     During their stay among the Moabites,

 Elimelech the father, and Mahlon and Chilion the

 sons, died, and thus left Naomi as it were 

among strangers among people who worshiped

 idols. So the lonely widow Naomi did not feel at

 home among the Moabites, and now especially 

that her sons were both dead.   And when she 

heard that plenty instead of famine had visited 

the land of Israel, she arose to return, and her 

daughters-in-law, who were daughters of the 

Moabites, went with her, probably to accompany

 her a little piece and then return.   When they

 had gone a little way with Naomi, she dismissed

 them bidding them farewell, and told them to 

return to their parents, and with good wishes 

and prayers would have freed them from all 

obligations to herself.        

 Then she embraced them and they lifted up their

 voices and wept. (We may safely conclude that

 they wept long and loud, for it was customary in

 those days to give full vent to sorrow in loud

 lamentations and bitter cries, when death or

 other calamities took place; now it is customary

 to stifle these feelings which I think is wrong. It

 certainly is proper when death visits our abodes

 to weep and mourn. The children of Jacob 

mourned for the death of their father, and good

 men made great lamentation at the burial of 

Stephen. We may mourn, but mourn, those who

 have hope, if hope we have.)   But I am away 

from the subject. Those three all wept together,

 Naomi to think how she went away with her 

husband and sons, and now she returns a widow,

 and bids farewell to widowed daughters;

Orpah and Ruth mourn the loss of nearest

 friends, and now to part with one who had

 showed them much kindness, all their wounds

 were opened afresh. But Naomi had no time to 

lose; she loved the God of Israel; she had long 

been banished from religious privileges; her 

heart longed to worship in the temple of the 

Lord; she had been detained too long in a 

heathen land, and she said, “Turn again my 

daughters," and expressed her desire for them 

to return. 

     Orpah readily obeys her mother-in-law. She 

had no desire for God or his people; she returned

 to her own people, and probably to her idols; but

   Ruth had a different spirit. No doubt she had

 profited by the example, conversation and 

prayers of Naomi, and had learned by experience

 that God alone is God; he alone is good; he 

alone is to be feared, and worshiped. Ruth said

 to Naomi,     “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 I will die, and there will I be buried; the

 Lord do so to me and more also if aught but 

death part me and thee." Ruth showed 

uncommon love to her mother-in-law. We may

 believe that it was the love of God in their 

hearts, which cemented their undying friendship.

 Ruth was greatly blessed as you will see if you

 read the account in the Bible.






JOSEPH CLARKE