Orpah or Ruth?
And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.
Ruth 1:14
We prove our love by our loyalty. Orpah made a show of affection, but it was Ruth who said, “Whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.”
Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss, not a slap. Our Lord is betrayed with a show of affection perhaps more often than in any other way. We call Him Lord, Lord, and do not what He says. He that keepeth His commandments, he it is that loveth Him, not he that just sings “O, How I Love Jesus.”
As with the woman who cried out in the crowd (Lk. 11:27, 28) and Mary in the garden (Jno. 20:17), our Lord attaches little importance to an outward show of affection, but makes obedience to His commands the primary matter. To be sure, He welcomes our kiss: “Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman…hath not ceased to kiss my feet” (Lk. 7:45); but as with husband and wife so it is with the soul and Christ, the test of love is loyalty.
There are Sunday morning Orpahs aplenty, but few Ruths who cleave unto Jesus wherever He goes, who make His people their people and His God their God.