July 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Ruth 1:1-13

¹Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
²And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
³And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
⁴And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
⁵And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
⁶Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
⁷Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
⁸And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
⁹The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
¹⁰And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
¹¹And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
¹²Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
¹³Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.

Devotional

The in-law problem can be a blight in the family. God has given us a rule that at marriage we leave (not just physically but from the point of view of authority and loyalties) our parental home and become one with our mate in establishing a new home. Often it is a failure to understand and work out practically the implications of this Biblical principle that is the root of marital problems.

This is easy to understand, is it not? Parents have had a consuming interest in their children. They have striven to provide for them, train them, help them on for some twenty years, perhaps. Now they are asked to keep hands off, to relinquish their authority and interest. Now the family group is broken up!

What can we say to the parent? We can say that this is what we were doing all the time, namely, training the child to go on his own and set up his own family unit. His success in this venture, accomplished now without our tutelage, is an indication of our good training. God says that man and wife are one. We can pray and be ready to help when called on, but never may we mar that oneness.

What can we say to the young couple? We can remind them, too, of the years when the parents were devoted almost entirely to their care. We can remind them to put themselves in the place of their parents who are facing a new and in some ways empty period.

But we must warn the young couple to be strong. Their marriage, their family life, must not be spoiled by interference from the older generation. The husband as head of the home must deal with this matter. Firmly, openly, and in a Christian manner he must discuss problems. He must not let his wife be caught between loyalties.

Is this sound Scripturally? Test it. It involves honesty, selfless love, a regard for God's government of the home.

Ruth and Naomi may seem to have been a different case, because the man they both loved was dead. But such a relationship must needs have originated in the years when he was living! And as we shall see later, their good relationship was maintained even when another man entered! Naomi's strength and Ruth's loyalty brought peace into this new home too. We may believe

that their relationship with God was the key to their harmony.