Joyful Moments in Christ

Ruth 1:16-17 – Embracing Discipleship and Mentorship in Faith

A Memory Verse - Ruth 1:16-17 (WEB): Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”

What does Ruth 1:16-17 mean?

As I immerse myself into the book of Ruth and try to discover the meaning, I am struck by the powerful message contained in verses 16 and 17 of the first chapter:

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return 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. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Ruth 1:16-17 (ESV)

These verses appear to exemplify the virtues Christian love, discipleship, and mentorship. Ruth, a recent convert to Judaism, is faced with the decision of staying with her family and their Moabite gods or following her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem after the death of her Jewish husband. Ruth chooses to devote herself to the Jewish God and make Naomi her spiritual mentor (deserving or not), demonstrating her eagerness to learn a new way, even if it means leaving behind everything she knows.

Ruth’s decision reminds us that following Jesus requires us to let go of certain things – relationships, habits, attitudes, and more – in order to pursue what is good and true. Although this can be painful in the short-term, the Holy Spirit strengthens us to endure and persevere, knowing that the end result is a deep and abiding joy in the knowledge that we are beloved children of God. Ruth’s example challenges us to embrace discipleship and mentorship as a means of growing in our faith and becoming more like Christ.

Definitions from Oxford Languages:

  • Disciple: A follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.
  • Mentor: An experienced and trusted adviser.

What meaning did you find from Ruth 1:16-17 in this devotional?

Reflection Questions

Reflection Questions for Christians

  • What does it mean to be a disciple? What does it mean to be a mentor?
  • Who is your Naomi? Who led you to believe in Jesus as your savior? Who discipled you early in your faith and what did they teach you?
  • What did you have to leave to become a Christian? Do you miss it? What has filled its place?
  • Who can you be a Naomi to? Which non-Christian in your life needs to know about Jesus? Which Christian in your life could use a mentor?

Reflection Questions for non-Christians

  • What does it mean to be a disciple? What does it mean to be a mentor?
  • Which Christians in your life do you want to imitate? What makes this person different from other people you know?
  • What is holding you back from deciding to follow Jesus? What might you have to leave behind to say yes to God?
  • What step can you take today to help you in your decision to follow Jesus?

Reflection Questions for Kids

  • What does it mean to be a good son or daughter?
  • How do you show love to your parents?
  • Which parts of this passage showed that Ruth was a good daughter-in-law and that she loved her mother-in-law?

Reflective Prayer

Use this memory verse to pray using the ACTS method: Adoration, Confession, Thankfulness, Supplication

  • Adoration: Praise God. Does this verse bring any specific characteristics of God to mind?
  • Confession: Tell God that you are sorry for specific sins. Does this verse bring any specific sins to mind?
  • Thankfulness: Show gratitude towards God. Does anything from this verse inspire gratitude?
  • Supplication: Make requests for yourself and for others. Does anything from this verse inspire a prayer?

If helpful, you can use a prayer journal template.

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Related Resources

Read: Ruth 1 – A Bible Study about Choosing God

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English Standard Version (ESV): Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

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