by Michelle Ramsey
Shavu’ot was celebrated this week by Jews around the world, and Pentecost Sunday will be observed on Sunday by many Christians. As a harvest festival, the Book of Ruth is an integral part of this biblical “appointed time.”
We all love the story of Ruth, and also of Naomi. So much can be learned from the life of Naomi. Her name is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “pleasant, delightful, or lovely.” Yet, the greatest crisis of her life left her bitter, so bitter that she no longer wanted to be called by her given name, but by a new name, “Marah,” meaning “bitter.” Naomi’s response to her tragic experiences had caused the pleasant one to become bitter.
Naomi had left her life in Bethlehem to escape the famine, believing that she was going to have a brighter future. When she set out from home, how could she have foreseen the tragedy of losing her husband, and then her two sons? When the time came to return home, she had lost so much that she considered herself empty. I’ve often wondered what must have gone through her mind – here she thought she was leaving to improve her life and build a better future, but when she returned back home, so much had changed that “home” didn’t seem like “home” any more. Those that she loved most in this world were now gone from this life, and Naomi’s life would never be the same.
For this post, I’m going to avoid the very worthy theological discussion of the implications of Naomi’s words here and just mention their raw honesty and humanity. She laid what happened to her at God’s feet (1:13, 1:20-21).
During this COVID-19 crisis, there has been unprecedented loss in the lives of so many. Loss of loved ones, loss of jobs, loss of financial security, loss of homes, loss of social structures, loss of habits and even hobbies. For some, the loss of seemingly everything. Maybe you’re feeling like Naomi, feeling bitter because of loss. So bitter that you don’t want to think of how pleasant you used to be. Maybe you feel lost: a shell of your old self because your heart has been shattered into a million pieces and you don’t know how it will ever be whole again. Somewhere in the life of a balanced believer lies a thing called trust: trusting that God is always good. Trusting that God loves His children. Trusting that no matter what happens in our lives, God is there with us.
Take heart from the account of Naomi: her bitterness was not the end! Despite her struggles, she held onto God. She also had Ruth who held onto her, who would not leave her but stood by her side and helped bring her back home. A Ruth that she had led to the God of Israel was now leading her back home. A Ruth who, by becoming the mother of Obed, became an ancestress of King David, and ultimately, of Jesus. There’s no way Naomi could have known what was coming, no way she could have seen the future, no way she could have seen the part she would play in salvation history. But she put one foot in front of the other, and she made it through. She survived. Her joy was restored. After Obed’s birth, her neighbors rejoiced, saying, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer . . . he shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age . . . .” The Hebrew word for “restorer” gets its root from the word “return.” The Pleasant One who returned home as the Bitter One was now restored to life, returned to her pleasant self. She went from pleasant to bitter to restored.
Maybe you were once pleasant, but for one reason or another find yourself bitter. Find encouragement from the life of Naomi: there is hope! Don’t give up, but trust that God can redeem you, restore you and sustain you. Like Naomi, there is no way we can see everything the future holds, but we can hold on to the promises of God.
When we are in the throes of despondency, take heart and remind yourself that
God knows I’m here.
God sees me here.
God may not have directly done this to me, but He allowed me to be here.
And He is also here with me – that much we know and are assured of!
He WILL NOT leave us! Let’s not leave Him.
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