With Naomi's urging, Orpah decides to go back to her people, but not Ruth. Ruth has seen something in Naomi, something in her character, something perhaps in her faith in the God of Israel that helps her make up her mind. Here is the hinge around which the whole story turns. Here is the decision that affects not only the life of Ruth and Naomi, but as we'll see next week, the whole nation of Israel. In a sense God's plan for the salvation of Israel, indeed of the whole world, hangs on this seemingly insignificant decision of an insignificant Moabite widow.
Ordinary people doing ordinary things make for an extraordinary story.
How often do we see this sort of thing happening in the pages of the bible. Grace found in unexpected places. A member of a cursed nation turns to God, binding her life to his and is welcomed in. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. But this decision of Ruth is made all the more remarkable by the words she chooses.