Get Planted In God's House

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17

The book of Ruth introduces Elimelech, a man who lived in Bethlehem-Judah. The name of that town literally means “the house of bread and praise,” an unmistakable picture of the church. Then a famine hit the land and Elimelech uprooted his family, left the house of God, and emigrated to Moab (1:1) The Moabites were the descendants of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter. In that sense, Moab was spiritually a cursed land.

Actually, the name “Elimelech” means “my God is King.” But his lifestyle didn’t quite measure up to his name. That is really a lack of integrity-he stood for one thing and yet practiced another. Elimelech is like many Christians today who readily claim that God is number one in their lives. But the moment they see a better opportunity somewhere else, they would leave their house of bread and praise. God, in reality, is not really their King. When you say, “Jesus is Lord of my life,” you are saying that He rules over you 100 percent in everything. In good times, in bad times, you will always place Him first. His house automatically becomes the first order of consideration in the way you arrange your life.

Elimelech had a wife by the name of Naomi (1:2). In the passage of time, Elimelech and his two sons, Mahlon (”sick”) and Chilion (”wasting away”) all died (1:4-5). Finally, Naomi came to her senses. She told her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth: “Girls, I want to go back home to the house of the Lord. I know there is a famine there but I want to start putting God first again. If you girls want to stay behind, that’s fine with me. But I am going back to the house of bread and praise.”

Orpah said, “Err, thanks but no thanks. I think I’ll stick around in Moab for a while.” But Ruth said to Naomi, “I will never forsake you” (1:16-17). Naomi’s newfound passion for God’s house so inspired Ruth that the latter now wanted to go back with her. When they got back, Ruth found her kinsman-redeemer in a man by the name of Boaz. They fell in love and got married. Out of their lineage came forth Jesus Christ. By being planted in the house of the Lord, Ruth found her destiny. When you are planted in God’s house, you too become part of an amazing process that will manifest Jesus Christ to the whole world.