Ruth Became Naomi’s Burden

Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?… And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
Ruth 3:1‭, ‬4‭-‬5 KJV

In the New Testament, we are commanded to bear one another’s burden( Gal. 6:2 ). In an article on this subject, Clarence Haynes describes a burden as,a Greek word baros which means a weight. So to bear a ,” burden means to take away or carry off the weight someone else is experiencing. In essence, you are bringing some form or relief and comfort to someone else’s challenging situation”. This describes what Naomi was experiencing for Ruth. We carry others burdens when we identify with their need, and we feel the pain they feel. At such moments, we will be willing to do something to relieve the others burdens. Its Naomi, not Ruth, who decided that it was time to settle Ruth. She’s more familiar with the cultural practice of Bethlehem-Judah than Ruth. So she told Ruth what to do. Ruth so trusted her, and agreed on what she said. The rest is history. We will share more on it tomorrow. For today, have you ever carried someone’s else burden? The bottom of the verse in Gal.6:2 says we fulfil the law by carrying others burdens. That law is referred to in Mat.22:37-40. Its a demonstration of Gods love. People have different kinds of burdens, we help to assuage them when we help them. Help someone carry their burdens today.