Scene One

After the scene is set in the first five verses, we come across Naomi who is about to set back to Bethlehem as she has heard the famine is over. Her two daughters-in-law initially say they will follow her to Bethlehem, but when Naomi outlines the situation to them, Orpah returns to her people and her gods. Ruth on the other hand says she will go with Naomi and that Naomi’s people will be her people and Naomi’s God will be her God. At this, they set off and arrived in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning.
Ruth shows great faith by trusting in God, who to her is a foreign god, and yet is ultimately the only God. Despite all the difficulties she may face, in finding a husband, being accepted in a foreign land and leaving her own people and land.
A similar experience is found by those who are confronted by Jesus Christ. We are called to follow him and to leave the world behind. We are warned that following him will not be easy, that we will need to put him first and ourselves last. Yet at the same time, through Jesus Christ we will be God’s and God will be ours. Ultimately we are called to put our faith in Jesus Christ to carry us safely through this world and into the next.