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In Season 5 study along as Angela explores the lives of the Men & Women from Scripture: Learning to Live from the Great Cloud of Witnesses.
In today’s episode spend some time considering Naomi from the book of Ruth. Come along and find encouragement to trust in God in every season of life.
What stands out to you from Naomi’s story?
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Today we begin to look at the people in Ruth’s story.
Naomi is where the story begins. Her life circumstances set the stage for everything that comes after.
During the time of the judges there was a famine in Israel. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, took his wife and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to Moab. They stayed in Moab for some time, at least ten years (Ruth 1:4). Going to another country during a famine is not an unusual thing in Scripture, nor is staying this long. Elimelech died and Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women; Orpah and Ruth. Then both Mahlon and Chilion died.
Naomi felt keenly the loss of her husband and both her sons.
Naomi learns the famine is over in Israel, and she determines to go back home to Bethlehem. When she is prepared to leave, she tells Orpah and Ruth to go back to their mothers and to find comfort with new husbands.
Her reasoning for sending them back to their families is because she doesn’t have any security to offer them. She has no more sons for them to marry. She believed herself too old to marry, but even if she did, it was unreasonable for them to wait for her to have more sons! They certainly shouldn’t choose to remain unmarried in order to stay with her!
Naomi expresses her perception of the season she is walking through in Ruth 1:13.
She says, “No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.”
Naomi sees her circumstances as a difficulty to be avoided, if possible. The girls should return home and build new lives.
The girls obviously loved Naomi. This is an in-law relationship that is a good one. The girls cried again at Naomi’s words. Orpah ends up deciding to do as Naomi suggests and goes back to her people. Ruth, however, insists on staying with Naomi. The beautiful statement she makes is one that is often used in marriage ceremonies. Ruth tells Naomi, “I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” It speaks very highly of Naomi that Ruth is willing to put off all of her Moabite ancestry to become a part of the nation and life Naomi represents.
Naomi respects Ruth’s determination and the two women go on to Bethlehem together.
Their arrival in Bethlehem causes quite a stir! This too speaks volumes about Naomi. After more than a decade, she returns and the people immediately notice.
In response to their questions, Naomi again shares how she sees the season of life that she is in now. In Ruth 1:20, she says, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
It is worth noting that “Naomi” means “pleasant”, while “Mara” means “bitter”.
I do not believe that her assessment of this season is a lack of faith. It is simply a statement of facts and how she feels about them. The Bible is full of people who had times of depression, despair, concern, and weariness. They were never called out for having these reactions to the events in their lives. The lesson we learn from Job, David, Elijah, Hannah, and the Lord Jesus Christ (and others) is to take those heavy feelings to the Lord and trust Him to care for you through them.
It is not wrong that there is “a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:3-4). It is not wrong that suffering should move us to prayer instead of singing (James 5:13). Sometimes the season is a long time; things just may not be sunshine and rainbows. She could appreciate her daughters AND be sad about having no husband or sons anymore. She could be glad to be back home in Israel where she acknowledges God is bringing blessings (Ruth 1:6) AND be concerned how a lonely widow, with no close family, was going to provide for herself, and now a daughter-in-law. These are just what the circumstances were of her life at the time.
As we will see, the next few months will bring about another change in seasons for both of these women.
Naomi and Ruth have arrived just as the barley harvest is beginning (Ruth 1:22). Ruth takes the opportunity to provide for herself and her mother-in-law by seeking to gather barley behind the reapers in the fields. She does so in the field of Boaz, who is a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.
Ruth comes to the attention of Boaz. When he learns who she is, he tells her to only glean from his fields. He promises she will not be bothered. He even goes so far as to instruct that she be allowed to gather further in the field than just the corners that were left for the poor (Ruth 2:15-16).
What a blessing for these two women!
When Ruth brings home a bounty of grain, Naomi starts asking questions about how things went. When she discovers who owns the field and has shown such kindness to Ruth, Naomi praises God saying, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.”
Naomi recognizes the good in this situation to protect Ruth in her efforts. Naomi suggests that while Ruth does as Boaz has told her, Ruth should stay close to the other maids so that Ruth will not come to any harm by being alone in the fields.
Ruth obeys Naomi in this and continues to work in Boaz’s fields until the end of the barley harvest, which usually lasted about seven weeks and the end of the wheat harvest, which would be another four to six weeks. So Ruth spent about three months gleaning in the fields of Boaz.
As this time is coming to an end, Naomi decides to try to encourage a change in situation for Ruth.
She tells Ruth to clean herself up, go down to where Boaz is working - but don’t disturb him while he is working! (Good lesson for all of us. Timing is everything.) When his day is finished, place yourself at his feet and wait for him to tell you what to do.
Ruth asks Boaz to be her protector and he is honored by her request. He acknowledges that there are some things to work out to accomplish the request, and sends her home to Naomi with a gift.
When Ruth gets home, Naomi interprets his words, the events, and the gift he sent to mean that he has every intention to get the matter settled that very day (Ruth 3:18). Turns out, she was right!
Boaz jumps through the legal hurdles and marries Ruth. In the proper passage of time, their union is blessed with a son.
The women rejoice with Naomi over this change in circumstances. This son, Naomi’s grandson, represents redemption for Naomi. She is no longer alone (Ruth 4:14-15)! Naomi becomes a nurse to the baby and the women name him Obed (Ruth 4:16-17).
Naomi shows us a steadfast woman who leaned on the Lord in times of trouble. We can know this because of Ruth’s willingness to be identified with Naomi’s God rather than the gods of Moab.
Naomi was a kind woman who didn’t let the differences between herself and her daughters-in-law be a problem. Rebekah was not as happy with her foreign-born daughters-in-law (Gen. 27:46) and we are not told why. Moab had been a nation in conflict with Israel from the beginning. But Moab had also become a place of protection during the famine. Whatever the circumstances, Naomi’s character shows she wasn’t one to be hateful toward these women just because they were Moabites.
Naomi was a woman of strength who didn’t allow her difficulties to bring her low. We don’t know how long her sons were gone before she learned of the end of the famine in Israel. Her grief did not keep her from making the move back home. Her faith trusted in the Lord to provide - through the famine being lifted and in the providing of a protector for Ruth.
Naomi shows us a wonderful example of an older woman living life with kindness and grace. The Lord blessed her just as much as Ruth and Boaz when he brought her out of a season of sorrow into a season of living.
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