Death Do You Part

 

    When you hear the phrase "until death do you part" what do you think?  I think about marriage.  I think about vows made to stick together no matter what.  However, it goes deeper than marriage.  It is a vow and it is about sticking through it together.  However, it is also talking about who you choose to be your family, who you let into your inner life, about what kind of person you want to be.

    Boaz kept his word and went to the kinsmen-redeemer that had more of a claim on Ruth than he did.  The man was interested in the land, but not in Ruth.  He declined openly with 10 elder witnesses making it legal.  He gave Boaz permission to be the redeemer and marry Ruth.  

    The real vow was between Ruth and Naomi.  The marriage was precious, but this vow came before she ever met Boaz.  To uphold the vow after she was a wife, she honored Kilion, Naomi's son, due to the laws of the kinsmen-redeemer.  The first son was born in Killion's name and raise to take care of Naomi, who was his nanny/grandmother.

    The child's name was Obed.  Ruth honored her vow and God blessed the whole family for it.  A few generations down came Obed, the father of Jessi, the father of David.  You may not live to see how keeping your vows will impact the world, but trust that God is using it.

Ruth 4