TO CLING

ﬢבּקּ  (dā·ḇǎq)

At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, 

but Ruth clung to her.

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods.

Go back with her.”

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,

Ruth 1:14-17a

To Trust in God

While studying biblical Hebrew my first year in seminary, one of my favorite words became dabaq, which means to cling. It is to hold so close that there is no air between the clinger and the one being clung to. The book of Ruth has this beautiful and heart-wrenching scene where Ruth clings to her mother-in-law Naomi. She refuses to leave and return to her old life (Ruth 1:14-17a). This is a perfect example of what a fruitful relationship with God should look like. When one is born of the Spirit there should be no desire to turn back to old ways. Regeneration is a process and rarely happens all at once. For some, it may take a serious life-event to allow the Creator to work in their lives. Nonetheless, no matter the path, there is a point where the LORD will call on you to step up and trust him and to follow his guidance in order to advance his kingdom on this earth.

Many hide and never enjoy the benefits of fully trusting God, but for those who take him at his word and move forward there are no words to describe the feeling and joy of the rewards of obedience. God grants faith to grow exponentially as he reveals more and more of himself to those who trust in him. Much like Ruth, as our faith grows and matures there becomes a strong desire to cling to our source of life and to leave our old lives behind and to not have any desire to return to the old ways

King David wrote many psalms, and in Psalm 63 he opens his heart to Yahweh with such passion for God that he writes about how he clings to the LORD as the God he trusts holds him in His hand. God waits for his people to come to him and to cling to the One who gives us our very breath. The picture painted here is that of an individual hanging onto God for dear life. This is a life without compromise because one does not want to do anything to offend the LORD and fracture their relationship with him. David knew where his source of strength and protection came from, and just the thought of it filled him with the desire to be as close to Ya’ as his very own breath.

Clinging to God for protection was not a foreign concept in antiquity. When Yahweh set up the altar system, it was designed to be a place of refuge for those seeking protection. The altar included horns on its four corners (Exod. 27:2; Eze. 43:19-21). This was a place where a person could run to and cling to one of the horns, as if clinging to God. It was a temporary refuge status until the priests could sort out if this person was indeed guilty of a crime, or if they were falsely accused (1 Kings 1:51).

Clinging to God and his plan for our lives will produce abundant living, awareness to the spiritual realm, and a life filled with wonder. Clinging to idols and the things of this world will lead to death, blindness, and enmity with God (Rom. 6:16; 1 Tim 6:10; Jas. 1:14-16). Adam and Eve set Satan above the Creator because they listened to him as opposed to the LORD (Gen. 3). The same thing is a reality today when one focuses on the world and clings to the things of this earth (Jonah 2:7-9) and does not take the time to sit before God to understand who He is, that person rejects God and is listening to the voice of the enemy instead.

Idolatry Corrupts

Every second of every day is a gift to us. How we spend that time will influence our life and relationship with the LORD. The reader of Psalm 31 is given a glimpse of King David’s heart as he calls out his hatred for those who ignore the God of the universe and put their lives in the hands of worthless idols (the things people do to attain power, fulfill their lusts, ruled by money). The original language is very intense, showing great disdain for idol worshippers. Why would King David care what people put their trust in? He loathed those who cared only for themselves and selfish gain because the entire society was corrupted through them. That is why he hated them and saw them as enemies.

Nothing has changed. Why is the world so corrupt? Why is there so much violence? Why is there such extreme poverty around the world? One thing for sure, it is not due to those who love the LORD and take honoring him seriously. Many times, even at a cost.  The cost of clinging to the idols of this world will, however, come at a great price to those who want nothing to do with the tings of God. Yahweh warns his people that when they choose to cling to idols and the world, he will allow diseases and lingering illnesses to cling to them for their disobedience (Deut. 28:59-61). It is sad, however, the only way to save some people, in an effort to help them find life, is to allow them to fall into such despair that the only modicum of hope that they see is to turn to God.

In the New Testament, the gospel of Matthew is clear that when an individual has been given the opportunity to experience the love of God yet still rejects him; there is nothing left for that person (Matt.12:31-32). Paul echoes this when he urges his listeners to cling to what is good and hate what is evil (Rom. 12:9). Rebelling against the Creator of the universe may make the individual feel empowered, but it is a trap set by the devil who wants all to perish (1 Pet. 5:7-9).

Seek the LORD while he can be found and choose to live life as an abundant soul (John 9:4).