Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Friendship part 1)

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But Ruth said [to Naomi], “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Ruth 1:16)

Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. (Ibid. 1 Sam. 20:17)

            We are relational creatures, and the need for relationship is seen even in the Garden of Eden.  There the Lord God observed that the man should not be alone and when there was no suitable partner for the man, God created the woman (Gen. 2:18-22).  Thus, there was a right relationship between the creator and the creation and right relationship within the creation.  This is still a need we have today.  Why are there dating websites?  Why are there social media websites?  Why do most restaurants have tables with more than one chair?  Without giving tacit approval to dating websites, it is because we are social creatures and we seek relationships.  We seek to continue relationships, and we seek to nourish relationships.

As has already been cited, the Bible has many stories that revolve around relationships, and although, cultural norms may have changed, the basic concept remains the same.  There seems to have been an implicit spiritual connection between Naomi, who was an Israelite and Ruth, who was a Moabite.  Moabites were the descendants of Lot and his elder daughter (Gen. 19:37) and there was always war between the Israelites and the Moabites.  You may recall the episode when Balak king of Moab hired the Mesopotamia diviner, Balaam to curse Israel as they were trying to enter the promised land (Num. 22-24).  Although we are not told in detail why Ruth was willing to abandon her people and her god Chemosh, she chose to follow Naomi back into Israel, saying to her, “… your God [shall be] my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Notwithstanding, the fact that Naomi and her family had left the land of Israel due to famine (1:1) and when in the land of Moab, her husband and sons died, all of this would seem in the ancient mind to be a punishment from God.  Moreover, Naomi herself seems to have felt some distance from the God of Israel, since she wanted to be called Mara, which meant the Almighty has afflicted me (1:20).  Yet, there was something about Naomi’s faith in the God of Israel that attracted Ruth to the worship of Yahweh.

So, in this series, we’ll explore the topic of Spiritual Friendship and how it can relate to our Spiritual Formation. (Click here for Part 2)

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.