The time of the Judges was not a great time in the history of Israel. Instead of living in obedience, every man “did that which was right in his own eyes.” The book of Judges closes with that statement. The people of God were alternating between pleading with God for help in difficult times and forgetting God in prosperous times. This is the era in which Naomi lived. God had sent famine to Bethlehem because of disobedience. The rains had not arrived, the seed for the ground was dead, and the heat was most unbearable. Elimelech told Naomi, his wife, “I hear there is food, opportunity and plenty of it in Moab.” Elimelech then moves his family from Israel to Moab, a pagan land. Naomi, his oldest son Mahlon and his youngest boy Chilion all became absorbed into the culture of Moab. Sure enough the family secures food and security. Things are looking up. Suddenly, Elimelech dies. Naomi is now a widow. The boys, having reached maturity, marry women of Moab. The two girls’ names are Orpah and Ruth. Ten years pass and both the boys die. The meanings of their names seem to be prophetic. Mahlon meant “sickly” and Chilion meant “consumptive.” Now there are three widows, two girls and a mother-in-law.
Ruth 1:6-18, Naomi plans her return to Israel. Why not? At least back in the Promise Land she had family. Perhaps someone would take her in. Revealing her plans to her daughters-in-law, she encourages them to remain in Moab and go back to their mother’s home to find new husbands. What happened in Naomi’s life has lessons for us all.
- Naomi’s Struggle was real. For most of her life she had heartache. As a young wife with two sons, life looked wonderful. But appearances are not always reality. Financially the times were hard, and her husband seemed to be more interested in the material than the spiritual. We see this when he uproots his family, leaving the land of promise to live in a land of pagans. We could say he and Lot were kindred spirits. They lived lives that vexed their souls. Mothers, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers all face difficulty in their lives. Children and grandchildren do not always make the choices they should, and the burdens of those ladies can weigh heavy. It is no different for men, but this month our focus is on the ladies. Widows without children can really feel the pressure of isolation and often financially as well. Naomi struggled, but through it all at least one of the girls wished to stay with her in her poverty rather than returning to paganism. Ruth 1:16, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” The following verses reveal a determination from Ruth. My paraphrase of her commitment, “If you struggle and die, so will I.” Ruth’s statement has been used literally countless times in weddings. Troublesome times do not make us or break us, they reveal us. When the struggle is real, that is when it is time to trust God even more.
- Naomi Shared her life with her daughters-in-law. Ruth 1:19, “So they two went until they came to Bethlehem…” The relationship Ruth, Orpah and Naomi had was special. We have three women, one Jewish and two Moabites, and yet they have a love for each other. I know they shared men to love. Ruth loved Chilion and Naomi loved Chilion. Orpah loved Mahlon and Naomi loved Mahlon. Both husbands and sons were shared by these women. I believe Orpah loved Naomi, just not as much as Ruth. When Orpah returned to her mother she did so with tears. How many times do we see relationships that are bitter, distant, and downright hateful? This happens even when connected by blood. We do not see this among these women. Two of the three would go on to reach an even deeper level of love for each other, Naomi and Ruth. The older lady opened her life and said “you can come with me.” Just this week, while reading a poem by Robert Frost, I could not help but think about how beautiful friendships are formed. Frost wrote The Pasture sharing this truth.
I’m going out to clean the pasture spring;
I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.
I’m going out to fetch the little calf
That’s standing by the mother. It’s so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.
Our lives are to be shared with others.
- Naomi finally finds joy and Satisfaction. Arriving in Bethlehem people begin to ask “Is this Naomi?” She speaks and says do not call me Naomi (the loveable) but call me Mara because the Lord “hath dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:19-21). She went out with her husband full of hope and life did not turn out like she dreamed. She is now a widow too old to marry and have children. Her two sons, which would have given her a home to live and food to eat in her later years are gone. She is destitute, except God has not forgotten her. He knows exactly what he is doing. Years before, He brought Ruth into her life and my O my what a bright spot she has been. Faithful, unselfish, generous, obedient and loving are just a few adjectives that come to mind. Naomi’s family had a kinsman redeemer and he was wealthy. We meet a man named Boaz (2:1). A part of God’s Social Security program in ancient Israel was for landowners to leave some of the grain around the edges of the field so the poor could glean a little so as not to starve. They had to work to get the grain but they would have food. Ruth asks Naomi if she could go to the field and glean. Permission was granted and I cannot help thinking how a smile came across Naomi’s face thinking about the blessing of this young girl. Ruth had a beautiful heart. Boaz sees her in his field and asks, “Whose damsel (young woman) is this?” (2:5). A Moabite woman that came home with Naomi. He is acting cool, calm, and collected but inside he is thinking “I need to meet this gal.” He tells his men, leave a little extra “handful of purpose” for her, and do not harass her or question her (2:16). Naomi observes what is happening and begins to arrange meetings between Ruth and Boaz. Before long they are married. Next thing you know a son is born, Obed. This boy brings great joy to Naomi. When you read the book of Ruth one thing you can pick up on is that when Naomi asked to be called Mara, no one ever did. She was always addressed as Naomi. Do you see her satisfaction when the women of Bethlehem bless the Lord because the Lord did not leave her without a kinsman redeemer (4:14)? Do you see the joy when Naomi takes little Obed in her arms, holds him close, and takes care of him (4:16)? Do you think she was satisfied when they said, “A son is born unto Naomi?” Naomi did not give birth, Ruth did, but Naomi was praised for having a son. As a young girl, Naomi began with hope and a bright future. Her dreams quickly vanished and life crushed her. But God knew where she was and what he had planned for her. Because of Naomi’s return to Israel with Ruth in tow, God uses her act of faithfulness to become a heroine for God’s people. Obed became the grandfather to King David and Ruth, a Moabitess, became part of the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ (4:17).
Was Naomi a good mother, grand-mother, mother-in-law? You already know the answer.