Friendship: The Blessing of Belonging

“Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried” Ruth 1:16-18 (NIV).

One of the greatest blessings of all is the bond of friendship. The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of the most beautiful friendship stories in the Bible. Naomi had two sons who were married to Ruth and Orpah. After her husband and both sons died, Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehem in Judea. Although Naomi tenderly loved her daughters-in-law, she did not want to stand in the way of their future, so she encouraged them to stay in their homeland. 

Orpah and Ruth had to decide. Should they remain in their country with their families and friends, or should they follow their mother-in-law to a foreign country? Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi tried multiple times to get Ruth to leave, but she refused. She was bonded to Naomi. She wanted to share her joy, be a part of her family, comfort her in sorrow, and most importantly worship her God.  

I believe Ruth felt nothing was greater than the blessing of being with Naomi. Naomi finally realized Ruth’s mind was made up. Their relationship led to Ruth marrying Naomi’s brother-in-law. From that line of descendants King David is born and ultimately from that same line comes our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are blessings more precious than gold that result from God-filled relationships.

“I believe in angels,
The kind that heaven sends,
I am surrounded by angels,
But I call them friends”

~Aizabel Parinas

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