The Gravity of Loyalty. Whose pulling you?

Loyalty is a gravity. One object can have so much influence on another object that the stronger can pull the lesser into its orbit with its own course and concomitant consequences. Loyalty—one way or another—had its hold on recent news headlines involving two planes. Both landed with unfortunate endings—one on a Georgia tarmac; one in a Russian field. Future courts, and courts of public and global opinions will have their final assessment of damages done, but one assessment can be reached now: misplaced loyalties can be sucked in like weaker stars to the force of black stars. The survival rate is zero.

But not all loyalties are destructive. If you hitch one's wagon to the right star, you can go to great places. Ruth did. You know her story in the Book of Ruth. She was pulled into the gravity of her mother-in-law Naomi, leading Ruth to say:

16But Ruth said, "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. 17"Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if [anything but] death parts you and me."

Here is the backstory. There was severe famine in Bethlehem. There was no bread in the “House of Bread.” So, Elimelech took his wife—Naomi—and two sons to Moab. There Elimelech died. So did the sons who had taken Moabites wives. This left Naomi a widow with two foreign daughters-in-laws—Orpah and Ruth. Naomi heard that God had provided grain during the barley harvest back home, so she decided to go back to Bethlehem. But she did not want to subject her daughters-in-law to anymore difficulties tagging along with her. So, she urged them to stay in Moab and find themselves husbands there. Ruth refused the notion which prompted her memorable response to Naomi: “…where you go, I will go…”. What was it about Naomi’s gravity that pull Ruth into her orbit? What produces this kind of positive loyalty?

• Genuine concern produces positive loyalty. Naomi wanted the best for her daughters-in-law. Life was hard enough in a time of famine. Having no husband made it even more difficult. This concern pulled Ruth in.

• Honesty produces positive loyalty. Finding a husband among their people would be easier for Orpah and Naomi. Their age difference with Naomi did not make it practical for them to wait until she found another husband to sire sons for them to marry. Finally, the cultural reality of their time was that a foreign wife would be a second option for an Israelite man. It would be more expedient for them to find a Moabite husband. Honesty is magnetic.

• Faith evokes positive loyalty. Three times Naomi evoked the name of the Lord in rationalizing to her daughters-in-law that it was practical for them to stay in Moab. Naomi also showed her faith in God by being willing to go back to Judah upon hearing that God had provided bread concurring with the Hebrew writer that “...faith comes by hearing.” In the end it was Naomi’s loyalty to her God that inspired Ruth to be loyal to Naomi and her God.

The real loyalty trophy goes to God himself when you know the “rest of the story”. Ruth would follow Naomi to Bethlehem. There Ruth would find a kinsman redeemer, Boaz, to marry her. Out of that marriage would come a son, Obed. Out of Obed would come Jesse. Out of Jesse would come David. Out of David would eventually come Jesus according to Matthew 1:1. Out of Jesus would come salvation, the gravity of God’s love.

Some loyalties, like some gravities—like blackholes—suck in the weak stars leaving only destruction. Nothing good is left of the debris field of that landing. But the pull of God is love, light and life. Who is pulling you? Don’t choose your loyalties lightly.