Ruth 1:20-21
“‘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.’”
I have been a Christian counselor for so many years I have stopped counting. One of the many things that continue to confound me is how and why some people seem to enjoy wallowing in misfortunes rather than thanking God for His blessings.
This was the case with Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth. In no way do I wish to downplay the losses she had experienced: She, her husband and two sons had experienced such famine that they left their home and went to live in Moab, a country that was not known for treating the people of Israel with compassion.
For reasons, of which we are not told, her husband and two sons died. The two sons had married so Naomi at least had two daughters-in-law. When Naomi determined to return to her home in Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Ruth insisted to remain with her to care for her.
It seems that Naomi was so fixated on her loss that she failed to appreciate Ruth. She told the women of Bethlehem that they were no longer to call her “Naomi”, which means “pleasant”, but to call her “Mara”, which means “bitter”. The name is a derivative of the name of the springs of bitter water that the Israelites encountered. Read Exodus 15:22-25.
Naomi had no means of providing for Ruth and herself, and it was Ruth who suggested that she be allowed to go into the barley fields and glean food for the two of them. When Naomi agreed to her request, it was the first spark of hope — suddenly she remembered that there was a close family member, Boaz, who could become their kinsman redeemer.
What a joy it is to read the last few verses of the Book of Ruth and see that Naomi holds Ruth’s boy, Obed, on her lap and cares for him. She becomes his granny! Praise the Lord! Oh, and by the way, this tiny bundle of joy becomes the grandfather of David, the second king of Israel and also a part of the lineage of our own Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus!
It would be well to examine our own circumstances. Are we allowing the things in our life to make us bitter or better? My prayer is that we will stop looking only at the present and allow God to bring His work to fruition in His own good time.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil