Wedding Blog
I’m blogging live from our new house as we finish a long day of painting and house projects. Being here is solidifying the very real move that I am going to make to live with my Lamb Lover after we’re married. I’ll leave my old city and embrace the new.
This reality has reminded me a lot of the words that Ruth spoke in the Old Testament. They are a favorite at weddings. Mrs. Cheese used them, and they’ve been suggested on several wedding websites. They’re beautiful and the bond described is so representative of the marriage relationship.
The words, however, were not about a marriage relationship at all. The short story is that Naomi, her husband, and her two sons moved to a new town to find food during a famine. Naomi’s husband dies and her sons marry two local women, one of them Ruth. Then the sons die. Naomi cannot support herself and tells her daughters-in-law to go back to their families and remarry. One daughter-in-law goes back, but Ruth says to Naomi:
“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. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
The story of Ruth, of course, doesn’t end here.
After this heartbreaking chapter, the heartwarming chapter ensues. Ruth supports her mother-in-law by collecting the bits of barley that were left by the harvesters.
The owner of the field, Boaz, heard about what Ruth was doing for Naomi. He set her up with the best fields, he ordered the men not to touch her, and he let her drink whenever she was thirsty. This is unheard of for a landowner to show this kind of kindness to a servant. Naomi calls him their “kinsman redeemer”. Eventually, Boaz and Ruth marry - it’s a Cinderella story of sorts, the servant marrying the prince.
The Bible doesn’t say whether they’re in love or not, but they have a son who is in the lineage of King David, who is in the lineage of Jesus. I think it’s a beautiful story of how God can take a hopeless situation and work it out for the good. The widows during that time were basically left to a life of begging, and marriage was their only chance at redemption and status. The story illustrates the Christian faith’s overarching belief in redemption.
Even though the passage is not about marriage, I will be saying these words on our wedding day as my mother said them on hers. I am glad to share that heritage of faith with her and to take this weighty vow. I’m also happy to incorporate this symbolism of our faith into the ceremony.
Are you planning to (or did you) use Ruth’s words in your ceremony? What drew you to her vow?
*Note: For those interested in the entire book of Ruth (which is quite short) it can be read here. The Wikipedia entry also has some interesting notes, especially from the Jewish perspective.
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I love that verse and never knew the context — thank you! 
I love that you posted this - I don’t think most people know the whole story to that passage, and it makes it even more special! I can’t wait to use it in our ceremony.
I’ve always loved that verse and I also did not know the whole story. Thanks, Lamb! You continue to rock!
I love this verse, and even though it’s not about marriage it’s still so relevant. Thank you so, so much!
Wow! I never knew that! (& I’m marrying a PK! lol) I do love the verse, but we won’t be using it. We’ll be using Ecc 4:9-12 & doing the cord of 3 strands, 1 corinthians & Union. It’s really nice having a Christian Bee!
I’ve always loved Ruth. I didn’t even think about using this for a reading, but I think it would be wonderful. I’m gonna add this to my idea list. :p
It’s a beautiful story, I agree. Actually, upon reading it in the Old testament, we’re struck by the humanity of the story rather than its religious connotations. How can anyone resist the magical midsummer moonlit night, the romance in the haystack, a beautiful woman who knows what she’s after and a love-struck man who’s going to help her get it? So romantic..! Also, it shows the two women in a strong, take-charge kind of light which was not easy to achieve in those patriarchal days.
I’ve always loved the story of Ruth and Boaz- thanks for sharing it here!
I’m mostly commenting because of the picture in your post- it’s the very same picture that was in my first Bible story book- I used to sit and look and look at it! Brought back fond memories!
I just read this verse last weekend at my aunt’s wedding. I love it, and it’s perfect for a wedding!
I JUST started reading Ruth (again) last night. So that passage was verrrry familiar
Mmmmaybe we can incorporate it somehow too
We plan to use this verse as one of our readings as well. I love the words and the meaning you can take from it for both marriage and new family. My FMIL in particular has a very difficult relationship with her own daughter and they dont speak. She has been incredibly kind and welcoming of me and has told me often how grateful she is to have me for a daughter now. I think it makes this verse even more poignant for us that it was originally spoke to a mother-in-law.
That was just lovely Lamb. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story.
I love that you posted this! I have a very uniquely close relationship with my future Mother in law and she is actually my pastor! But we’ve always likend our relationship to Ruth and Naomi! I am very protective of her, she has taken me under her wing, and we have an insperable connection, which makes it so much more freeing to be so deeply in love with her son! I never thought of using this, but now I’d like to!
this has always been my favorite book since reading it for a literature class in high school. thanks for bringing it up again.
I used this in my wedding. I talked with my pastor about it being used (sort of) out of context. He was fine with it and actually used it when we exchanged rings. It’s a beautiful story. I moved from Virginia to Colorado with my (now) husband 2 days after our wedding, 2 weeks ago. I love this verse and I totally understand you Miss Lamb. I’ve left my old city, my old state, and my old life and have started to make a new one.
Thank you so much for posting this!! I just love this story and think that it would be so beautiful to hear at a wedding. We need more posts like this one
loved this!
Thank you for this post, I always thought that reading was beautiful, but now that I know the actual story, it’s even more meaningful!
That is such a beautiful passage, and I love how you will be carrying on your mother’s tradition in your own ceremony.
I’ve always loved this passage since seeing the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” (lol)…as they use it in the movie.
I am absolutely using it in my ceremony. Just because it was used in context between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law doesn’t mean it can’t also be used in context between a husband and wife.
Thank you very much for posting this.
Thanks for sharing this story. I think even those of us who are not Christians can appreciate the symbolism behind it.
Reading this post today encouraged my heart! It’s been a rough past few months, and it’s so comforting to know that the Lord will take a difficult situation and use it for our good. Thanks, Lamb!
That’s very interesting! I don’t know that I’ve ever read the passage in that context before. Beautiful.
I love that passage. Thanks for reminding us all of the context. It makes the passage so much more poignant and heart-warming. To me, this is so important because it is about the strength and resiliency of the family, through God, during difficult times.
ruth’s story it’s one of the sweetest of the Bible, her love for her MIL and the fact that she was chosen for God to be part of Jesus lineage it’s simply wonderful!
i’m so glad to see you wrote about the context of ruth’s story. i’ve always loved her story. whether or not she loved boaz, she truly loved her mother-in-law!
We didn’t use this passage in our ceremony. But I do love it. As wonderful as 1 Corinthians 13 is, I think a lot of couples are looking for something not as often used for their ceremonies.
We (read I) chose Hosea 2:19 as our wedding scripture. In the New Revised Standard Version it reads:
“I will take you for my wife forever; showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.”
Again this passage is less about actual marriage and more about the relationship between the children of Israel and God, but the sentiment and power of the passage made it perfect for us.
I’ll have to add this to my list of possible readings.
Thanks for sharing this with the hive, Lamb! I used a portion of the excerpt you included as I was writing my vows for our wedding. it’s a beautiful story in it’s context, and the words are so meaningful!
@Kristin: Kristin–that is a great passage! Wish we would have found it as we considered our wedding ceremony, as a reading. Our wedding text was Song of Songs 8:6-7
@Kristin: That’s so lovely! I’m still gathering verses and quotations for our programs and whatnot. I’m writing this one down!
I love Ruth as well. My favorite Biblical women have really changed as I’ve grown older. I think that I identify with women who are in the same life stage as me. When I was a child, my favorite was Delilah. I guess I had a fascination with cutting hair. Now, I’m drawn to Ruth and Esther - women who were getting married!
I definitely want to use those words in our ceremony -they’re so beautifully put! Your posts are so what I need - thanks!
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Miss Lamb, Norfolk
Age and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security Consultant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate Student
Engagement Date: January 2009
Wedding Date: January 2010
Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera House
About Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
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