NOT ALL MOTHER IN LAWS' A WITCH- STORY OF RUTH

MIL and DIL’s relationships are popular backbones to many dramas and it is not usually portrayed in a positively light.

But here in the scripture we have a rather unusual situations where the DIL, Ruth, who refused to leave her MIL although her husband is dead and that her MIL has no financial way whatsoever to support her. The central words in 1:16-18 sums it up so dramatically and emotionally that we ask, “wah where to get a DIL like that?” Read the followings:

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” ¹⁸ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

The story happened about 3000 plus years ago, at a time where women do not have much rights, what’s more if they are widows. It begins with a man took his wife and two kids from Israel to the land of Moab to escape famine. The man died and his two kids married two Moabites ladies Orpah and Ruth.

Then both the sons died leaving the old lady Naomi and her two DIL. Naomi wanted to return to Israel and she knew there is no future for her two widow DILs, so she told them to leave her and find another man. Orpah left but Ruth stayed and hence that beautiful passage above.

It is really amazing for an old widow, Naomi to ask her two DILs to leave her and find someone else. Perhaps she feels that it is better for one to suffer than for three to suffer.

Both women the MIL, Naomi and DIL, Ruth were amazing women of their time and also a model of our time.

One thing for sure we do not know who will take care of us when we aged and old, but one thing for sure even when we are old and troubled always think of others. Be nice to others, you just do not know…..for the young ladies maybe you will ask, “wah where to find a MIL like Naomi?”

In fact Naomi is so nice that she later found her DIL another husband.

KING DAVID'S AGEING ISSUES

As I was reading and reflecting on the issues of ageing today, I decided to take a look at some historical figures in the scripture and decided to share a short review of King David’s life.

The paragraph of the book of 1^st king vividly highlights that King David, God’s chosen man, was not spared of issues related to ageing. In the paragraph it says,

1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. ² So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

Immediately we can see that the great King David, God’s chosen king was not spared from the trials, tribulations and realities of ageing.

His great wealth and castle cannot prevent him from feeling cold. All the amenities in the castle and all the blankets cannot keep him warm. Physically, it is true that older people find it hard to keep their temperature at 37 degrees Celsius. He was subjected to the deterioration of his once mighty warrior physique.  

Although he had queens, concubines and children, none of them were there for him. One of his sons was busy trying to take over the throne by planning his own ascension together with David’s general. Prophet Nathan was busy making sure Solomon becomes the king, reminding Bathsheba about David’s promise to make Solomon king.

Everyone was busy with their own agendas and plans, so why worry about an old, weak king. Why should they worry about King David’s need for heat and warmth?

The concubines and queens will be too old to care for David and probably they are either busy shopping, having dementia or dead.

So, who has the most reasons to keep the King alive? Of course, the attendants, their livelihood depended on the welfare of the king and his family’s welfare.

David’s problem was real then as it is real now. children busy with their career, building their own wealth, family and ‘kingdom’. Nothing wrong with that because that’s what most parents hope to see their children grow to be. Giving the best education, telling them to earn foreign currencies, no need to worry about their father and mother.

This led to an industry managed by outsiders, other people and professionals. I shall not delve into this, but I must point out that what happened to King David can happen to you and I too. And most likely will. What will you do to face that day?  

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