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. When Naomi determined to return to her home in Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Ruth insisted to remain with her to care for her.
When she arrived back in Israel 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”. Naomi was so fixated on her loss that she failed to appreciate Ruth as a daughter-in-law who was devoted to her. 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—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