"1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings[a] over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
Ruth 3:1-13
Let us think today of the idea of family loyalty. As we have seen, this was something imbedded in the whole ethos of the Israelite people, but it was not meant to be confined to them. It is something that God has planted in the lives of men. It should be recalled that Paul, in Romans 1:31, instances the absence of natural affection as one of the marks of depravity. Family loyalty on the natural level is something very strong and real. It is true that Jesus once said, 'If any man hate not his father and mother... he cannot be My disciple', but we must be careful not to misinterpret or distort these words. Jesus never at any time meant that we should treat our families shabbily, or imagine that because they are not Christians we are therefore entitled to brush them aside or treat them contemp- tuously. This is a terrible perversion of the truth of God. Family loyalty is a constant, and it is dishonouring to God to set it at a discount. When we put loyalty to Christ first in our lives, it never means that we will love or respect our families less. The same ought to ap- ply within the marriage bond. Too often, in a situation in which one partner is a Christ- ian and the other not, the rift is discussed in public, sometimes very disparagingly. What of the marriage vows? Is this being loving, faithful and dutiful, as a husband or wife? It is one thing to confide these distresses in the confidentiality of a pastoral relationship, but quite another to set them out for display to the public gaze. Ruth was prepared, to her cost, to be loyal to the memory of the husband who had died and to her husband`s fami- ly.
We may also apply this in the spiritual sense. There is such a thing as family re- sponsibility and family loyalty on the spiritual level, in members of a Christian fellow- ship or congregation. Are we loyal to one another within this family? Or, do we show contempt for some; do we brush others aside when they are no longer of use to us? Do we betray one another? Are there not things for us to think about here?