Ruth & Naomi - Part 1
The next four weeks we will finish this series with Ruth and Naomi.
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 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. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
-Ruth 1:1-9, 11-22 NIV
The first thing that stands out to me from this passage is that there is a famine in the land. Next is their names. So, I went to digging.
Father (Naomi’s husband) - Elimelek = "my God is king"
Mother - Naomi = "my delight"
Son 1 - Mahlon = "sick"
Son 2 - Chilion = "pining"
Daughter-in-law 1
Orpah = "gazelle"
Daughter-in-law 2
Ruth = "friendship"
So, the father dies first. Then we have no timeline of when the son’s marry, but thankfully they each get 10 years together with their wives before they both die, with no information here on why.
Naomi heard that the Lord had come to aid the people in Judah, so she must have felt an unction to go back. So, she blessed her daughters and said, “don’t come with me, go back and be with your people. I can’t give you new husbands, so what am I worth it to you?” Then they wept together.
Now, Naomi made a pretty telling statement here, “It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” Sounds like she was still grieving, and we don’t know if she ever got over the three losses she experienced.
Next, Ruth made a declaration.
“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. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.”
This hits home for me, for this was part of Ben and I’s vows when we got married. For so long, I truly believed his people were my people. When Ben passed, I felt like I got a new perspective on it. As a daughter of the King, God’s people are my people. It’s not limited to a location or a last name, and that was liberating.
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. The whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.”
I do have to say, a widow has a way of causing a stir in a community. 😅
As I said earlier, bitter much? She identified with bitterness and named herself that. One thing I mentioned at Ben’s service was that I would not be your typical grieving widow. That has challenged a lot of people, for my Joy felt off-putting to some. Is she truly grieving? She seems to happy. Well, let me tell you, I have had my moments, but when you start to think about the benefits of heaven, where there is no sorrow or tears, it gave me permission to lean into an eternal mission to grieve with a joyous grace and a smile on my face.
Naomi had wisdom and Ruth seemed to sense that going WITH her would have more benefits, and so she did. Good call Ruth.
Tune in next week for the next chapter of this story. It’s a wonder to behold how this story goes. It encourages me every time I read it, for these ladies made bold moves and I like ladies that get in the game of life and play their hearts out. This duo played to win, and it took the wisdom of Naomi and the boldness of Ruth to step into destiny. How divine! Both these widows had to do their part to fulfill the amazing story of Ruth and Boaz (the kinsmen-redeemer), and that’s all I’ll say about that for now.
Until next time,
Keep gliding 🪁
Abiding 🙇🏼♀️
& Smiling 😁